We’ve just come through one of our busiest seasons of the
year. Since the beginning of June to the end of July, Camp Eden has been a hive
of activity. We are grateful to God that we get to partner with him as
co-labourers in his Kingdom. We are also grateful for those who support us in
the work God has called us to. Thank you to everyone who continue to bless us
with your prayer and financial support.
On the home front
During this busy period Jann battled a terrible bout of flu,
and in that time Ndumiso also caught a cold. There I was just feeling left out.
With prayer and medication, they got better. However Ndumiso did not get his
appetite back, so we got him checked out and the doctor said he has
tonsillitis. He is on an antibiotic, please keep him in your prayers.
A toothache made sure I get a slice of the action myself.
Next time I will be fine with being left out.
Something we haven’t yet shared on our blog is that we will
be adding another member to our family in the next 6-8 weeks. We are excited
about this next stage in our family life. Please do continue praying for Jann
and the new little one.
A summary of what's been happening…
Second Intensive
(2-25 June)
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| Our Gap Year and Six weeks Interns |
Our 2015 Beta trainees came back to Camp Eden for their 2nd
training intensive. It was good to have all of them back and hear what the Lord
has been doing in and through them. Everyone had testimonies of how God came
through in opening doors and providing them with ministry opportunities and seeing them through the challenges they faced.
Coming to Camp Eden was also time to relax, refresh and
refuel. As a community they get to build into one another and have the J-Life
staff invest in them. Please pray for them as they are back in their churches
and communities.
6 Weeks Internship
(13 June to 25 July)
While the Gap Year trainees were here, we welcomed 10 young
people from the USA joining us for the 6 Weeks internship we run every winter. They
were involved in some of the training with our Beta trainees, helped at Sports
Camp and were able to visit different ministries and get their hands dirty. They
ended their time in South Africa with a trip down to the KZN south coast to
enjoy some of the sights and sounds that our beautiful country has to offer. It
felt rather surreal to say Good bye to them at the end of 6 weeks that had
flown by.
Kids Camp
Part of the curriculum for our Gap year trainees is that they
learn how to organise and run a camp.
J-Life has partnered with Scripture Union
for this section of training and our trainees are able to benefit from the many
years of experience SU has in running camps for kids. After the theoretical training with
Scripture Union our trainees get to organise a camp as part of their practical experience. They are responsible for everything from deciding on the theme to the décor
on their own. Through our relationships with local churches in Heidelberg and Balfour we had 68
kids from underprivileged communities attend this camp. The kids had fun learning about God’s love for them. The theme of the camp was Chosen. Thank you to Amanzi Nokuphila, the charity society at Waterstone College, for sponsoring this camp.
Valuable leadership and conflict resolution skills were
learnt through this exercise. Because they were a big group of leaders (13 Gap
year trainees and 10 Six week interns), they learnt a lot about communication,
delegation, team work, pulling your weight, work ethic, conflict resolution
etc.
Sports Camp
Our Six weeks interns got to be part of the counsellors on
the Sports Camp. For the last 4 years Camp Eden has been hosting a sports camp,
which consists of 6 days of sports training and coaching in a sport of the teenager’s
choice, tribal games and discipleship. Bronson and his team of volunteers put
this life changing camp together every year. This year they had 70 teenagers
signed up and show up for this annual camp. As counsellors, our interns got to build
relationships with the teens and pour into them. Most of them said this was one
of the highlights of their time with us. It gave them an opportunity to
disciple and implement their training.
Israel
I (Bhuti) was privileged to be part of the GYI summit in
Israel. Visiting historical (biblical) sites, learning the context and culture
enriched my understanding of the bible. I learnt a lot of things on the trip
and I was challenged to live like a disciple (1 John 2:6). As this was my
second trip to Israel, I was struck by how much more archaeologists have
uncovered since 2008. This trip I saw more of the city of David that was
underground the last time I was there. The archaeological work on the city of
David is ongoing. #Lesson: Keep digging.
If there is a part of the bible or Christianity I don’t quite understand, I
should ask the Holy Spirit to uncover it for me (John 16:13). As followers of
Christ we must always have a teachable attitude, never assume we know
everything.
Hosting a Team from Hopewell Reformed Church, New York
We had a great time with the group from HRC with our good friends Warren and Lynette Jee. Hopewell church has been a partner with J-Life since its inception and this gave us an opportunity to bless them in return. Over the 12 days they spent most mornings doing manual labour at Camp Eden, with the sore muscles to prove it. Afternoons were spent at different local ministries off site. They got to play soccer at an after school care programme and children's home, visit an orphanage and help out at a feeding scheme.
Things to pray for
Jann’s health - that she won't have sinus issues and other allergies as we head into spring
Ndumiso to be completely healed
Wisdom as we parent and serve with J-Life
Open doors with churches as we promote and recruit for next year
