A monthly column in which Julita Kok shares on living adventurously with God

Life has no guarantees and you simply do not know what will happen next. Makes me think of Forest Gump. His famous line was “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get”.

You might remember that I went to the US in May of 2026 and spend time with my friend Inelda. She has been in the US for the past 10 years and we had an amazing time. We went on a road trip from Tulsa to Nashville and had a glorious time. Visited Noah’s Ark, Creation Museum and so many fascinating sites. We prayed and sang together and just had a great time in the Lord also. And not once did God tell us of what is coming. Not even a hint.

On the morning of July 21, I received a message asking me if I have any info or telephone numbers of where Inelda stays. She did not pitch for work and had an appointment with a client, but never showed up. Absolutely not like Inelda. I gave them the numbers to her landlord and then the news came that she went to Arizona for the weekend to minister there, but did not return the Sunday eve as she said she would. So by now, we started getting worried. This is not like Inelda to not let anybody know there has been a change in plans. We contacted the people where Inelda stayed over the weekend and they dropped her off at the airport to return to Tulsa, so now we knew…whatever happened, it happened at the airport. We phoned the airport as to ask if she got on the flight and then the news came. Inelda was arrested at the airport while trying to board her flight back home to Tulsa. No reasons why. Just that.

So now it was all up to our mutual friend in Arizona to find out what is going on and then we heard the news. She was arrested by the ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement). It is a federal agency under the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ICE is mainly responsible for enforcing US immigration laws inside the United States.

The part of ICE most commonly involved when someone is arrested or detained because of immigration status is Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). They can arrest people they believe are unlawfully in the US, detain them in an immigration detention facility, and begin or enforce deportation/removal proceedings. So, it does not automatically mean people committed an ordinary criminal offence. They could have been detained because of an immigration matter — for example a visa issue, an expired status, a previous removal order, or another immigration-related problem.

We then found at that she is detained in such a facility and our mutual friend, Gerda, started asking questions to keep us all informed. And then Gerda was able to make contact. Inelda was able to make a call to Gerda to explain and ask for help. She still did not know what the charge was, but was stripped of everything. She was not allowed to even take panties with her. She was treated as a criminal. Given one pair of scrubs, a t-shirt, three panties and that was it. She asked for money (she of course had no access to her own money) to buy toiletries and a hairbrush and so on. Gerda paid into the system with Inelda as reference and Inelda could buy these things and have money to make phone calls to Gerda. All that she was allowed. She was in an area with 50 other women, mostly Hispanic people (probably all immigration problems) who could not speak English.

Three days later she came before a judge and heard that there was an immigration violation for Arizona. Apparently in the US, there is an overall immigration system and then every state has its own rules and apparently she did not adhere to the Arizona rules. What she thought will only be a few days became 32 days in jail and $20 000 (R319 845) later…she was out on bail. So nothing is resolved, but she is not in there anymore.

All of this had a huge impact on Inelda’s life of course, but it also influenced me. And of course not in the same way at all. A few things happened.

• I made a social media post about the situation and 160 000 people responded. Some I knew and some not. People started praying, fasting, getting prayer groups together, went into the heavenly courts, you name it. People pulled together for Inelda to cover her in prayer like I never imagined. They did not even know her necessarily. we talk a lot of the state of the church and it is true, but I saw individuals come together for a sister in Christ in need which simply blew my mind. It was wonderful.
• People who have gone through this started contacting me. I did not know them at all. But they all told me that there is no quick fix for this. One gentleman stayed in jail for two years and all the others between three to nine months. So I knew, we need a miracle. I asked people to start praying for the God appointed attorney, the judge and the finances. Also we need to pray that bail will be granted.
• I started thinking on what the Bible says about the End Times, how it will be for Christians, and although this situation had nothing to do with the fact that Inelda is a child of God, it was about her immigrant status, I could not help but wonder if God is showing and teaching us here. Because we all know what it might look like in these times. Christians will be put in jail, killed and and and. So what do all of us and Inelda have to see and learn here.
• Many people reminded me of Paul and Silas in jail and that this will be the same and I also prayed for such grace as Inelda is a worship leader. That is why she was in Arizona. She was invited to come and minister. So Inelda was going through her own fire, but somehow I knew she was a forerunner of things to come…for all of us.
• Inelda needed, apart from her personal money in jail for things, $1 000 (R15 900) to appoint an attorney. Then $10 000 (R159 916) for that attorney to start working on her case. And finally, when she was granted bail, another $7 500 (R119 926). This is a lot of money. All her Christian friends and some strangers pulled together to pay all these fees. That in itself is a miracle.

So, I have a lot of hope for the world. We see a lot of bad in the media, but the GOOD GUY stories are not being told. There are a lot, but a lot of good folks still around and Christians know how to step in and step up when there is a crisis. They know WHO to run to. And I think that makes the difference. People immediately started going to God with Inelda’s case. They operated from a place seated in heavenly places and this was wonderful to see. I received hundreds of messages and prayers and scriptures. People checking in all the time.

The day Inelda was released, she could phone me for the first time and we could talk. Strangely enough, there were no tears. The two of us understand each other and we understand (to some degree) God’s calling on our lives and we both know…the enemy cannot touch us unless God allows. And if he does allow…then we know…we have to be here or go through this or whatever the case may be, but it is as if we were chosen for this assignment. And it is never “nice”, but always good, not at that moment, but Romans 8 applies that everything will work for our good.

Inelda was absolutely humbled by the experience. She laughed and said, “Friend, if ever I had any pride within myself…there is nothing left, I have been stripped of it all.” She explained how she was cuffed like a criminal, hands and feet, and tied to her middle (like in the movies). When they searched her every time she was in contact with her attorney or Gerda (she visited her every Sunday), she had to strip and when standing there naked, the horrific things of how that search happened…oh noooooooo. But Inelda was at a place of God, what am I doing here? After the initial shock and realising that this is not going away, she could ask, what am I to do here? Her relationship with Jesus changed. You would think that she would ask, Lord, why did you allow this? But Inelda immediately ran towards Him and not away from Him. We talked for more than a hour to discuss not only what her experience was, but how God used her. And I asked her, “How did this change you?” “Eish, you know, you cannot buy this type of experience with money.” And to people like me and Inelda, this is worth gold. We would be happy if it did not happen, but when something does happen…What are we to do in this situation, Lord, and what do we need to learn or see and hear…or whatever God says. Nothing is wasted. It is to build His Kingdom. So I think, I need to introduce you to Inelda and share what she said on her Facebook page.

“Dear Family and Friends,

I don’t have the words to thank you all for your love and support during a really difficult time in my life. Thank you for everyone who was willing to use their Facebook pages to post my story and everyone who contributed towards my legal expenses to fight this evil.

Looking back on my time in this imprisonment, I had so many God-encounters and opportunities to minister to some of the ladies who were with me in the very same situation. Most of the ladies were Spanish speaking and did not understand English. Every night I walked around the communal area and prayed in the Spirit and also with understanding, praying for every lady and sang over them softly. At one point I felt as if the Lord wanted me to do more and I asked Him for a way to break through the language barrier.

There was one specific lady the Lord placed on my heart and I started praying Psalm 139 over her everyday. She seemed to live a life that did not leave any room for Jesus. About two weeks before my release, she called us all and started a prayer meeting every night. They all spoke Spanish and sang in Spanish, I didn’t understand a word, but they asked me also to share something and I got the opportunity to share from the Word and also pray over them with a translator who helped. I prayed for miracles in the courtroom and so many ladies got approved bonds even from judges who never gave bonds.

One evening they asked me if I wanted to sing a song in English (not knowing I was a worshipper) and that was exactly where God gave me that break through the language barrier. I even got to sing over one of the officers who had to go through surgery.

The night before my release (not knowing it was my last night there) the ward next to ours also joined in our prayer time and I was asked to end with a song. The Holy Spirit brought the song I know a Name to my mind and I started singing with everything I had inside of me of that powerful name of Jesus, bring Him as much glory as I could. Every fibre in my body was singing with my voice. When I finished the song and opened my eyes, there was not a dry eye in that room. It was such a powerful moment, realizing the Lord broke that language barrier. Their spirits understood the language of the Holy Spirit as He touched every heart and changed that ward into a throne room of worship. They didn’t know the song and didn’t understand a word of what I was singing, but the Holy Spirit did a work I couldn’t do.

I thank the Lord for finding me worthy of the mission in that place. Once again I witnessed how the Lord turned that which was meant for evil into an amazing testimony and seed could fall on very fertile ground, and I know the Holy Spirit will bring salvation to every soul I got to minister to. Even if it was only for one soul, my 32 days of utmost difficulty and humiliation was worth every second.

My life cannot be the same as before this experience. I truly believe the Lord is taking me into a new season with a new calling and I am excited to follow Him in this. It’s not always very comfortable for the flesh to go through a refining process, but the harder the press, the purer the oil.

We live a victorious, miraculous life. Our victories always start with a battle and our Miracle starts with a challenging situation, but we don’t enter these battles with a victim’s mindset, but with a VICTOR’s mindset, knowing that the Lord makes all things work together for our good.

Please pray with me for these ladies, not only to be released on miraculous ways, but also for harvesters to continue the work in their hearts. Let’s continue to pray for miracles in the courtroom and for the release of all the people who shouldn’t be there.”

So now…the waiting begins and the preparation for the court cases, but Inelda knows that she is not alone and we have seen the hand of God in all of this and we know…whatever the outcome, the judges do not decide…God does and that will be okay, even if it turns out to not be what we want. Because if he decides, then that is the best place for us for that specific moment. I know it makes no sense, but somehow…it certainly does to me and Inelda. As she said to me over the phone, “Our paths were never the normal type of path and that is okay. As long as we can help build His Kingdom.” And that is the bottom line in both our lives…wanting to help build His Kingdom as HE leads.

So my Gateway friends…please pray for Inelda to know when and where to say what and how, being led by His spirit and that God will be glorified even in these very challenging times. I have such a lot more hope after I saw the children of God pull together. We are in safe hands.

In these times all I can say is this: If then you were raised with Christ, SEEK THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE, WHERE CHRIST IS, sitting at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1. All I want to do.

Thank you for your continuous prayers also for me. I will be away for three weeks again, visiting the beautiful Buffelsbay area in the Cape Province. Looking forward to what God is going to reveal to me there.

Stay blessed my Gateway Friends

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