‘Safe House’ – A Foundation For Better Days

On that particular trip, we actually went over there to talk about racial reconciliation—which is also really huge to us in our church—we traveled around, rapped…it was fun. None of the Safe House stuff was in purview. While we were at the Kerus Global orphan care center, our eyes were opened. They care for around 130 children every day after school—they’re there because they’re single or double-orphans (one or both of their parents gone due to HIV/AIDS)—food, the gospel, mentorship, etc. Then they have to leave the care center by four or five p.m. because some of them have as much as a two-hour walk home…by themselves. They have to get home before dark, otherwise they risk getting snatched up and sold off. It’s crazy.

We were told some heartbreaking stories about the things happening to some of these kids. I asked, “What’s next for you guys? It seems like your hands are tied until they show up the next day.” They said, “Well, we really need a safe house. We really need a place that when we find out a kid is going home to a vulnerable situation, Granny is sick, parents have disappeared, they’re being abused or whatever…when we find out about it, we can put them in a safe place until we find a permanent home that’s suitable for them to live. Right now, after five o’clock, we can’t do a thing.”

CCM: That’s scary… So, what is the status of the safe house right now?
Legin: Everything is still at square one, ground has yet to be broken. They just acquired part of the land and there’s still more land to acquire. A group from our church went over there again in April 2017 to do some training with some of the pastors there. While they were there, they saw where the safe house is going to be built—so we got to see some pictures of it, which was pretty cool. Additionally, Kerus Global is conducting their own fundraising. They were only supposed to get a certain portion of land and recently someone kicked-in and said, “I want you to have all of it,” and donated the money so they could get more. We’re just watching God unfold this thing. It’s very grass-roots. The safe house could be done as early as the first quarter of next year.

click to watch official video for “Safe House”

CCM: Beyond hip hop being intrinsic to who you are and what you do, how do you see this art form being the right conduit for this message?
Legin: We love hip hop, we’re part of that culture, and we grew up listening to rap. Long before we knew Jesus, hip hop was a big part of our lives. When I came to Christ, I didn’t know you could merge hip hop and the gospel. I saw no precedent for it. Then my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, dragged me—kicking and screaming—to a Christian hip hop concert and I saw it…wow! I thought it was just choirs and stuff. I saw this show touching people that my church would never reach—not for lack of desire, just from a clash of culture. So, that very night sitting in an IHOP and on a yellow legal pad, I began what would eventually turn into Renaissance Movement Music. It started with making music in my grandmother’s basement. I made an album and started doing open mic’s and performing anywhere. I just wanted to talk about Jesus, and that’s all I cared about. I never really took the business part of it that seriously. The whole goal and hope was to just impact lives for Jesus.

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