Grab Shell Dude!

He was 15 at the time with a proud display of deep cuts all over his arms. The image is still vividly imprinted on my mind as I knew that these bleeding wounds on his arms represented the state of his heart. Many teenagers came to us with a heart wrenching story full of hurt and confusion. The first time I met Ewen he made a clear statement that he was not to be messed with. His foul language and rough exterior combined with the cigarettes, drugs and alcohol defined him. Worst of all I could see that he really believe that this was his true self. After a few incidents at youth I started dreading his return, it was clear he was there to make trouble and assert himself as a ruffian.
The first time a caught a glimmer of hope was when I ran a session on identity which Ewen surprisingly participated in. I spoke of the confusion that I saw the young people dealing with and delved into the fact that they don't really know who they are. As I spoke I saw Ewen's eyes well up. He nodded continuously as I described what I saw in the lives of young people and then he spoke of his inner turmoil. I had to hold back my tears. Behind his rough exterior was a heart of gold suppressed by anger and confusion. That day changed my life, I began to pray for him and beg God for his salvation. It seemed impossible that someone so rough would soften enough to allow God in but I prayed with his teary eyes in the forefront of my mind. On the 21 September 2008 God answered my prayer. We were a new church plant and Ewen was our very first salvation, our precious first fruit. Even now as I remember that special day I am overwhelmed by God's goodness and mercy.
Since then God has done amazing things in Ewen's life, too much to begin to write here. At school the teachers wrote him off. Almost daily he was in some sort of trouble and his grades were so bad that they didn't expect him to finish school. It wasn't long before the teachers were gobsmacked by the change in Ewen and more than that they were shocked by his improved grades. I guess you could imagine their reaction when he announced his plans to go to university! What the teachers had written off God had declared a future and a hope for. Ewen has achieved the grades he needed to get into the school he wanted. No teachers words define him now. The word of God is the light to his path. Ewen knows who he is and that he is called to do significant damage to the darkness that nearly killed him. His testimony is powerful and his influence in this nation will be too.

Yes God did change Ewen's life but more than that Ewen has changed mine. I love him as my own son and am a very proud mama ;) To add a cherry to the top of the cake, Ewen wrote the most beautiful song on our new album which I had the honour of singing with Lorah. Have a listen here.

• I Know

He is 17 years old now, working, studying and serving God in our church. The enemy does not want him to succeed, the enemy desperately wants him to fail at his studies, fail as a young man and fail as a preacher to his generation. BUT God has a plan for his life, please pray with me this week that the plan of God becomes clear to Ewen and consumes his heart and mind so that Ewen won't be able to hear the lies that the enemy wants him to believe.