Once I heard someone say:" You will never know how far you can go until you have your back against the wall". And still another one said:" when you are with your back against the wall, the only way out is forward". These statements including many others that have the same impact over our faith can sometimes become the only reason why we choose to "hang in there" even when it is obvious that we have failed.

I was 23 and Joyce was 21 when we got married. At that age some considered us too young to make such a decision. Only my mother who knew me better than anybody else believed I was matured enough and she let me marry. It's been 28 years and we are still living together peacefully as husband and wife. The year was 1982. On the 21st of August 1983 our first child was born, He became an instant hit with the whole family because he was the first grandson of my mother's sons. In our family there were 3 girls and 2 boys with me being the eldest son. The child grew up in a very healthy Christian family as we just recently got born again me in January and Joyce in March the same year.


When we started our first Church in Soweto on the first Sunday of January 1986 with only 5 members Tumelo who was two and half became the first member of the Children's church. As both pastors and parents We were really overwhelmed by the whole arrangement yet enjoyed every moment even though combining both tasks was really difficult because I could only be in the ministry on a part time basis, and had to work 6 days per week to keep the family going.
One Sunday afternoon we were from Church quite exhausted and looking forward to a relaxing afternoon. We had lunch with some friends at our home and while we were sitting; having tea and reflecting on the service we had earlier, one of the Christian brothers noticed that Tumelo was sitting on the stoep outside drinking from a bottle of cold drink. He did not think much about it since he imagined that it could be cold drink. By the time we became aware that something was wrong  was when the child started coughing and chocking.
We all quickly ran outside and getting to him we realized that what the child was actually drinking was paraffin which back then was kept in cold drink and any resealable bottles in most households. Only the devil could have helped my son who was only an infant to be able to twist the bottle cap open.


We were so confused by the whole thing especially now that by the time we realized that we had a problem the child was already gasping for breath. I was a trained and qualified first aid officer at work but my mind just went blank. It is totally different when you have to help your own family. Our child stopped breathing right there before our eyes.He could have drank about a cup of paraffin and the rest just spilled out all over him Joyce picked him up, calling out his name trying to see if he was responsive. He did not respond at all, just lay there limp on her lap already turning ashen.
By this time what was left of my sound judgement came back and I remembered the ABC of first aid. I took the child put him on the bed, checked the airway: clear, breathing: zero and I started to do the CPR. It did not work and it was already about 5 minutes since he stopped breathing. We both looked at each other with Joyce in utter frustration. Though we spoke no works but it seemed like we communicated somehow using silent language. We began to pray calling on the name of Jesus. It must have taken us another 5-10 minutes just praying and doing nothing physical to the child. About 15 minutes later my mother came into the bedroom, went over to look at the child, she touched him here and there as if trying to verify a few things. She looked at us and never said a word but just left the bedroom as silently as she came in .By this time the child's eyes were rolled back and only the white parts showed. He was foaming at the mouth  and his body was lifeless like a rag doll. The truth is by now we both knew without any doubt that Tumelo was dead because it had been 20 minutes since he stopped breathing.We wept and  prayed at the same time. We ended up praying in tongues as the Holy Spirit gave us utterance. Thank God for the ministry of The holy Spirit. see Romans 8:26
By now we were very hysteric, telling God how we trusted Him for this child and why He cannot just let him die.We literally "filled our mouths with arguments" and demanded that God must remember, and honour His promises and stand by His word.
Looking back I am not sure if I will be able to do that again. It is a realm one can only touch through intense Holy Spirit enabled desperation. I wish I had better words for it but I hope you understand. After such an experience one has no problem at all understanding what the woman with the issue of blood went through.see Mark 5:25


After what seemed like eternity were were still crying out loud and praying in the Spirit when something that I will never forget for as long as I live happened. My son began to cough. At this time were were no longer looking at him, but praying looking elsewhere in the bedroom trying not to focus on the obvious.
As soon as he coughed we both stopped praying and started thanking and praising God. Tumelo began to vomit the paraffin he drank with a lot of what seemed like white foam. I picked him up from the bed and held him face down whilst he continued vomiting mixed with sever coughing.


Our child came back to life after 25 minutes. The smell of paraffin was so strong in the bedroom. we undressed him then Joyce sat on the bed with him and began to breastfeed him as if nothing had happened. I cleaned up the mess on the bed and took the paraffin soaked clothes outside. We sat there and continued to thank God for His mercy upon our lives.


After an hour or so my mother came back. She had left after she checked the child on the bed. She found me sitting in the lounge and asked me where Joyce was. I told her she was in the bedroom. she went in there and I followed her. she went over to where Joyce and the child were sitting on the bed. She looked very surprised to see the child suckling and in her own words she said: "when I came here earlier I noticed that the child was already dead, but because you were praying I did not want to discourage you, that is why I decided to leave. What did you do to get him to live again?" We told her that we just prayed and he lived again.


At this point the little first aid information I had kicked back in and I remembered that all it takes for one to be brain damaged is roughly about 10 minutes without oxygen. We took the child to hospital and all that doctors found was that he had developed pneumonia as a result of the fumes from the paraffin. They kept him and Joyce in hospital for 2 days and the pneumonia was gone.


It's been 24 years since the incident and Tumelo is still alive. He is now 27 and is working as a senior Draughtsman in Port Elizabeth. All I can say today, looking back then is: "The Lord never fails His children" And since then whenever I face challenges in  life I constantly find myself saying: "As soon as you realize that God is all you have then know that He is all you will need" [MVK]


Faith is the only price we will ever have to pay in order for us to see the hand of God upon the affairs of our lives. Believing in hope, against all hope like Abraham did Romans 4:18  is not impossible just not easy but child of God it can be done simply because "God will never demand from us what He has never enabled us to do" [MVK]
In Hebrews 11:35 the bible tells us that; "women received their dead raised to life again..." and this happens when we simply refuse to give up on the promises of God


I know that God raised my son from the dead for a greater purpose, and that purpose shall be revealed in it's proper time. For now we wait, for He who promised is faithful and He will not fail us. AMEN