Ayandiso, also known as Hennie, is one such youth who’s making some real progress. He’s one of those kids you wish you could clone, because he makes a teacher’s job so much easier. I think he’s got a pretty tough home life, and like most kids his age (he’s 12), he battles peer pressure and faces a lot of temptations to do wrong. I first took notice of Hennie late last year when, in a teen’s group discussion on the topic of “what I would like to change about myself,” he said he wanted to stop swearing and fighting. I told him afterwards that I was proud of him for saying that, because admitting your faults is the first step to overcoming them. About two months later, Hennie stayed after Kids Club one day and admitted all his faults before God, asking Jesus Christ to become Savior and Lord of his life.
As this year has progressed, I’ve seen that commitment bear fruit in this young man. From what I can tell, he has stopped swearing and fighting. He’s become incredibly selfless, always volunteering to hand out food to the younger kids, and helping me clean up and stack chairs afterwards. If I need papers or Bibles to be handed out, he’s right there.
Lately we’ve had so many attendees at our twice-weekly Teens Club that we’ve not had enough chairs. We’ve tried to turn that situation into a lesson on selflessness by encouraging the boys to give up their seats to any girls who are still standing. Invariably this results in a lot of grumbling on the boys’ part, but Hennie never moans and is always the first to relinquish his seat. In fact, now he’s learned to wait until all girls are seated before he seeks a chair for himself.
I know he’s not perfect – we’re all a work in progress – but to see a kid mature like Hennie is, especially in an environment where the odds are so stacked against him, it’s a great testament to the transforming power of Christ, and a deeply satisfying thing to be a part of.
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