NEVER BEYOND HOPE: The extraordinary story of a drug mule who found Christ
By Shepherd Pani with Jemimah Wright
Authentic Media. 190 pages. £12
ISBN 978 1 788 934 473
This is a moving biography of God’s miraculous work in the life of a man in impossible circumstances.
Shepherd Pani grew up in a Xhosa family in post-apartheid South Africa. He received a basic education but left school illiterate. Desperate times led him to alcohol, carjacking and violence, and the ill-fated decision to become a drug mule. On his second return journey from Brazil, he was arrested, convicted, and imprisoned.
It was in prison that he encountered Jesus. With only a Gideon New Testament, he taught himself to read, grew in faith and began sharing the good news of Jesus. Jesus changed his life and he was able to serve his sentence with joy. He now lives to serve his Saviour by helping other young men escape addictions and crime.
Having spent a decade in South Africa, I found this both heart-warming and heart-wrenching. The racial and social divides in this beautiful country run deep and have devasting effects. Aptly named, Shepherd tells a story that will be familiar to those like him and important for those who are not. The Lord does not discriminate! His grace is sufficient for all. In many ways this is an easy read, in other ways it is not!
