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for help, going before her, and preparing a safe home for her and her daughter by speaking to Sarah in a dream. We later learned, as we got to know them both, that she had an abusive husband, had been through unimaginable pain and trauma, and was resigned to living on the streets. Knowing that she was not forgotten but seen by God changed everything for her. She wept and wept. The next week, our friend Dowayne was able to accompany her to the police station to lay a case against her abusive husband and help her obtain a restraining order. When we felt we were meant to reopen Cru62, she was able to move into another home with a caring family. I still sometimes see her when I’ m walking around, and we always stop to chat and remind each other of the faithfulness of Jesus, who sees us and blesses us.
academics, and everyone in between— irrespective of how life has panned out— with the same eyes of compassion and affection.
Adapted from Stop Trying to Be Successful by Pete Portal. Copyright © 2025. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.
In a world that disembodies human relationship by connecting relevance with the number of views of online content, Jesus calls us back to the loving gaze of a Father who views delighted little girls, abused single mothers, celebrated
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Pete Portal is originally from London but has lived in Cape Town since 2009. He left a career in children’ s television to move to Manenberg, a township community built during apartheid. He leads Tree of Life, a 24-7 Prayer Community running ministries in Manenberg among the vulnerable and addicted and dedicated to living out Jesus’ love as spiritual community. Pete and his wife Sarah have two young children. As a family they do life alongside young men coming out of gangsterism and drug addiction, and spend much of their time growing relationships and networks across racial and socio-economic divides. 16
As well as being interviewed on numerous podcasts, Pete hosts his own, called The( Un) successful Podcast. Stop Trying to be Successful was originally published in the UK as How to be( Un) successful. He is also author of No Neutral Ground.