A Life Transformed
It’s been a while since we’ve written about Ocean View, but don’t mistake silence for inactivity! Over the past few weeks we’ve seen some very encouraging and significant things happen in Ocean View
It’s been a while since we’ve written about Ocean View, but don’t mistake silence for inactivity! Over the past few weeks we’ve seen some very encouraging and significant things happen in Ocean View.
The last news from Ocean View was about Ebe and how he came to know Jesus personally. The past few weeks I’ve had the privilege of sharing quite a bit of time with Ebe and his friends and am amazed at how we see them devouring their Bibles and applying the principles they discover to their lives.
Ebe, as was his nickname when he was still dealing drugs, has made some dramatic changes in his life and in the life of his family. He has decided to drop his drug dealing nickname ‘Ebe’ and prefers to be called ‘Monday’ again, his Nigerian name. A few weeks Monday and his wife, Chereen, have been baptized at the All-Nations Africa house and are hosting a small and simple church in their house. They are selling off large portions of their property to be able to sustain themselves while they are looking for legal ways to create an income. They have a desire to be a blessing to their community and are investigating the options of starting a daycare or creche in their home.
Monday has teamed up with 2 guys from his neighborhood to come together at least three times a week to read their bibles and to pray and encourage each other. It is fantastic to see them growing in their understanding. They are consuming what they learn and apply it to their lives daily and without hesitation. It is especially encouraging to see them go against the grain of their community around them. Monday’s friends that know him from his drug dealing days still come around regularly and find his new life hard to understand. They try and persuade him into getting involved in their illegal business practices but he is determined not to. Monday shares freely what Jesus has done for him and is constantly praying that they too would know him personally. His love and passion for his friends is contagious.
In a community that isn’t particularly known for its grace, these three men look out for each other, support each other financially with the little they have and encourage each other through the Bible. They are discovering what it means to be church for them personally and try and align their lives accordingly.
I am proud of knowing them personally at this stage of their lives and am driven towards knowing Jesus more as I share time with Monday and his friends.
