A few years ago I went with Carin Brink, regional manager of Industrial Ministry Cape Region to Bellville Railway Station to meet Roy Stamper, their train evangelist.
It’s pretty busy on Bellville Station; it’s school holidays, most people are going to work and the trains are late. It’s a colorful whirl of interesting faces and ages. Roy leads us down the stairs under the train tracks, where many people are selling their fruit and other treats from colourful stalls in the long corridor, and up with the stairs again. We are just in time to board the third-class carriage.
Roy puts his battery driven speaker on the luggage rack above our heads, unroll the wires of the loud speakers and starts his message with a strong, seasoned voice. He tells the passengers about the story of the prodigal son. I see how he slowly, but surely, gets the people’s attention in a grib; most of whom might have come from difficult circumstances befor stepping into this carriage this morning.
Passengers get on and off at the various stations on the way to Cape Town, but Roy proceeds with his message. I see how some disinterested passengers focus on their cell phones, while other’s eyes are fixed on Roy. One young man exclaimed every now and then, “Hallelujah!” or “Amen”; clearly influenced by Roy’s heartfelt testimony. Beside him stands a man with a T-shirt that says “Bad Boy”! A little girl with bobbled hair, looking like antennas right across her head looks wide-eyed at Roy.
And I notice how Roy adjust his testimony according to his ever changing audience. When he sees there sits a row of young men in front of him, he encourages them to, as possible fathers of children they have to take responsibility of their paternity and love their children. If he sees there are now more schoolchildren and young adults, he speaks of his addiction to drugs, his life as a criminal, how many years he wasted in prison and how his quality of life has been degraded because of bad choices.
He speaks seriously and with love, and he says “I was there … leave it … you have a choice. Jesus loves you and can save you, and you can start a new life in Him.”
When we arrive at Cape Town Station, I know there is someone who is going to make a choice for life today; someone who will give his child an extra hug tonight; someone who wil say ‘no’ and make a healthy choice for life …
We thank the Lord for people like Roy Stamper.
Mariëtte Odendaal
Contact Carin Brink at cbrink@kaapkerk.co.za for more information.