As we wrap up the year we are filled with gratitude. We are
grateful to God for all his goodness, mercies and provision for our family. We
end this year at a different place emotionally and spiritually than we were last
year. We are thankful to God for all he has done and continues to do in our
lives. We are also grateful to you, family and friends, for your support and
prayers.
Our family would like to wish you and your family a happy Christmas. As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember the reason for the season, as a famous cliché goes.
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin
will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” - Isaiah
7:14
“For God SO loved the WORLD [this means both the naughty and
the nice] that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall
not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16
People may not be on Santa’s list but they are definitely on
God’s list. Let us share the gift of salvation with them.
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| L to R: Vincent, Gavin, Hlengiwe, Nathan, Tyler, Nicole, Zrano and Abigail |
We had a great time hosting our 2016 Gap Year Students for
the final debrief. We shared meals and stories as we took some time to
look back at what the Lord had done. As usual, the majestic Drakensberg and
Sterkfontein Dam were the backdrops for this time of reflection.
Every year when it’s time for the student to move on to the
next stage of their life, I [Bhuti] have mixed feelings. I am excited to release them
to “Go and make disciples” (Matt 28:19) but I am also worried that some are not
spiritually ready or “fully equipped” or other excuses. In the beginning of the
year it’s easy to accept that the trainees are at different stages of the
discipleship journey. However at the end of the year, we worry about certain
individuals that did not grow at a certain rate, or are not at the same stage as
the “others”. I am learning that it’s good to be concerned but I need to trust
God for the rest of their journey. The students are entrusted to us for a
season. We should be diligent and faithful in discipling them while they are
with us. We are to do our best to follow up where possible knowing that “He who
began a good work in [the lives of our trainees] will bring it to completion at
the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). With this in mind I reminded them that
coming to the end of their year is not equivalent to graduation. We don’t graduate
anyone at J-Life because a disciple is a life-long learner.
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| Matthew during a mission trip |
Matthew was not able to be with us for debriefing as he
still had to run a camp. As a Scripture Union Trendsetter, Matthew did a lot of
camps and schools ministry during the year. It was really a blessing to watch
him grow in his gifting and leadership throughout the year, which we got to
witness first hand when he co-led our annual kids camp.
VAC Fest was a huge success. We had nearly 400 young people
and leaders gather for 5 days of vacating from our usual routines and drawing
closer to God. The highlight for me [Jann] was definitely the team of young adults who
worked tirelessly to make VAC happen. Nothing was too much for them – and some
went back to their jobs after a week of long days and nights! What a gift each
of them are to the Kingdom.
We are spending the Christmas holidays in Port Elizabeth with family and friends. Ndumiso is enjoying spending time with his cousins and grandparents.
We look forward to what God has in store for the 2017.
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