Looking back at 2014

 The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means “God with us”. Matthew 1: 23

   As this year draws to a close and we remember and celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, we’d like to spend some time reflecting on how God has been with us during 2014.

    An ongoing praise item for us has been Ndumiso’s growth and health during the year. He is indeed a great blessing to us and so many others too. We’ve learned so much about the Father’s love for us and his desires for us as we’ve experienced parenthood first hand. I’m certain too, that this won’t come to an end any time soon.

    Our J-Life family has been, and continues to be, a tremendous gift to us. With neither of us able to see our biological families often, we do value the friendship, love and support we receive from everyone on Camp Eden, in Heidelberg and further afield. We have seen God with our community in many ways this year, in the good times and the difficulties.

   God has been ‘with us’ in the provision of ongoing ministry opportunities according to our gifts and passions. So many people live lives devoid of purpose, or of frustration at not being able to live out their passions. We are very grateful that we can do what we love and love what we do.

  Throughout the year we saw God as "Jehova Jireh" - the Lord our provider. Our ministry would not be possible without the giving of many people, in many different ways ALL through the year. We are especially grateful as we look back on this year that’s nearly done – for all that God has done and how He has allowed us to play a small part in that. 

To everyone who contributes to our ministry in any way - a BIG Thank you for your generous spirits and your obedience to God. 

Here are a few ministry highlights from this year

Beta Interns 

A total of 22 interns participated in our different Beta programmes this year. Pictured above are the year interns after their climb up Mont-Aux-Sources early in December. Seeing how they grow in their love for God and people is always a highlight

School Leadership training and camps
We always have lots of fun with the leadership camps we have once September comes around. Whether it's just a day or over a weekend, the learners go away having learned about themselves, leadership and team work.

Youth pastor training

I (Bhuti) had the privilege of working with youth leaders from Walkerville and Finetown. Training and coaching this particular group has been blessing because they are passionate about disciple-making. They have all, in different scales, been able to implement and train others in the second generation material. I've learnt a lot in terms of contextualising both training and implementation.

VAC Camp

We closed the year with our annual youth camp. This year’s theme was “Evolve”. God did amazing work in the lives of the youth and crew during camp. What a great way to end 2014!

Worship Station during Worship Evening

Afternoon activities 

Bhuti giving a talk at an evening session