I want to be a good father.

I want to be a good father.

By Jung Lee

Zukisani was grim-faced all the way home. His ex-wife allowed him see his children for 15 minutes for the first time in 4 months. It would be more accurate to say that he had a devastating look on his face. It all started when he decided to quit his job that supported his family and partially his parents. January last year, he told me that he quit his job to work full time on the campaign. He knew that OLIA didn’t have enough funding to support him, but he was adamant. Maybe it was the only selfish decision he ever made… dedicating his life to Christ.

Since then, his wife left him, taking away his children, and his parents kicked him out of the house for not getting a proper job (not bringing any money home). When he returned from the 4 month survey trip in Transkei this January, he didn’t have a place to go. So he moved into our house and he has been staying with us since.

I didn’t know what to say to his devastating look. After a minute or two of sitting in the car, I asked him.

“I see that you had no say in what is going on in your personal life, with your marriage, your children and your parents. I can see how they have been treating you all your life.”

I met him through Righteous Men Assembly and he was one of the most honest and hard working guys I have ever met. Now I can see everyone around him wanted him to go back to work and was trying to force him by leaving him, not letting him see his children and kicking him out of the house.

“I want to know what you want to see happening in your life.” I said and he hesitated to answer, but I insisted. He finally said, “Mr Jung, I want to be a good father, but I don’t know how it will work out when my wife is not letting me see my children.”

We prayed together. Zukisani’s desire to be a good father will not be far off from what God desires for him.

That was two months ago. Today, God did his work on his wife’s heart and Zukisani was allowed to take his son home every other weekend… and the future is wide open.  We brought him on Saturday morning and they spent most of the afternoon lying in bed staring and talking to each other.



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