Pap and vleis (pronounced pup and flace) is a traditional South African meal that consists of maize meal porridge, stewed gravy and grilled meat. Known for its stick-to-your-ribs, satisfying quality, pap and vleis is a popular comfort food in South African cuisine.
Aron, a student of Crossroad Bible Institute’s satellite campus in South Africa, recently wrote a letter to Crossroad in which he compared the hearty nourishment of pap and vleis to the spiritual nourishment of his CBI studies. May Aron’s letter nourish your soul too as you read his account of the Gospel at work in his life!
Dear Crossroad,
I owe you many thanks ever since I joined this course because in all my life, until recently, I never thought the Word of God could change my life. I used to think that Christians were always happy people who were just passing their time and did not realize how much we are suffering behind bars or did not feel the pain and conditions that we are feeling.
But after putting away these negative thoughts and casting them out from my life, I now realize that your efforts are not in vain; they are bearing good fruits in my life. You have fed my life with milk like an infant, then soft porridge, then some cereal and now at this moment you are feeding me with pap and vleis.
It is hard to walk in the dark, groping like a blind man. But now, through your teaching of the Word, I have come across words like repent, forsake, confession of sins, patience, kindness, compassion and love of my neighbor. All of these good things are building up in my daily life because you taught them to me. You have deprived yourselves of worldly pleasures to convert the worst prisoner like me to become God’s child.
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the Good News!
Sincerely,
Aron
Aron is one of CBI South Africa’s 230 students experiencing long-term, personalized discipleship through the dedicated care of Crossroad Instructors. Just like tens of thousands of other Crossroad students around the world, Aron’s life has become a testimony to the transforming power of the Gospel, which nourishes the hungry soul and appeals to even the most unlikely of converts.