P2P July 2009 - Kempton Park

Our P2P week had a very productive first day. Our team of 6 girls and 3 guys got off to a flying start and did some dirty hands on work that was most rewarding. Our goals of cleaning and clearing a large garden area at the Modimo Oteng Crèche so that some Jungle Gym equipment can be set up there was reached within an inspiring 3 hour work spell from the team. At present the 42 children at the crèche only play inside the hall and never go outside to play. We are looking forward to tomorrow when the Jungle Gym equipment will be delivered and we can see the children's excitement as they test out their new play ground.

 

The team also managed to replace the carpet in the crèche with a newer, bigger one. The container was also sorted out and now has all the toys and educational material neatly packed and easily accessible. There is even a mini library and a carpet in the container to encourage the little ones to read.

 

A busy week lies ahead but we are looking forward to do some more maintenance and upgrading at the crèche and also to running a holiday club for the older children from Wednesday to Friday as well as a bible study weekend camp for some young people in Tembisa that never get the opportunity to go on such camps.

 

More on the week to follow later

 

The July 09 P2P team. 

 

A new way to support Afrikhono!

You have probably all heard about Afrikhono (http://www.afrikhono.com/), the welfare project that aims at helping our South African brethren and sisters earn a living whilst retaining their dignity......well, there is now a brand new way to help support this project!

The ecclesial communities of Mariannhill (which this blog often has updates on!) and Durban (which largely supports the Durban BEC contacts) have continued to work on creating beautiful, handmade greeting cards that have been purchased by ecclesias throughout Australia, the UK and the US! However, if this project is going to continue to support the welfare needs of these growing ecclesias, the sale of their cards needs is very important.

So we are now reaching out for people who are happy to become Afrikhono representatives in a brand new way to support this exciting project! As a representative, you would receive a batch of cards initially free of charge to on-sell to your local and ecclesial community to ensure an income for your family in Christ in South Africa. Also, for a limited time, we will be providing a batch of 300 cards for the cost of 200!

If you are happy to become an Afrikhono representative in this way, you will receive a box of cards in about 2-3 months time, as we will be posting these via sea mail to help reduce costs. You will then be asked to pay for these approximately one month after they are received, by which time you should have been able to on-sell most of the cards to help with making payment.

If you are happy to act as an Afrikhono representative in your local area by receiving this batch of cards on consignment, please email afrikhono@gmail.com and provide us with the following details:

• Full name
• Email address
• Postal address (where the cards should be sent) - please include full details such as postal code and country
• Ecclesia

When your confirmation is received by the Afrikhono team, a batch of cards will be posted to you immediately and you will be emailed information on how to on-sell the cards and also be provided with a brochure to use when promoting the Afrikhono cards.

We look forward to receiving your support on this project. Please spread the word to as many others as you know might be interested in helping!

Your family in Christ, the Afrikhono Team

Mariannhill and WOW!

What an exciting couple of weeks, and what an amazing weekend!!!

Brother Kyle Tucker and his family and some close friends have arrived in the Durban area. As expected, there were some minor airport adventures...It's great to have Kyle and the crew in town!!!

As of last week we currently have 3 young men who are seriously studying for baptism, as they have expressed a desire to be in "the One Family" of God! It is amazing the responsiveness to the word of God, once it is presented in a way that makes sense to them I've never witnessed anything quite like it! All three of these men have come into contact through the Durban BEC!

Another Surprise: Yesterday, during our Durban Fraternal meeting, I was asked to come out to Mariannhill meeting this evening. I've been wanting to do this for a couple of weeks as I heard that the Mariannhill youth had taken the initiative and are now meeting every night of the week to have a one hour prayer meeting. I've been "itchin'" to attend to see how this works. Having attended this evening, I can tell you it is a real experience - Eye opening!

I discovered that the Mariannhill music director (Mdu) took the message to give your life as a willing sacrifice seriously and decided to be baptized this afternoon. I had the privilege of talking to him about his commitment and he quite elegantly made the comment that he does nothing spur of the moment. That he wanted to spend the time and effort to make sure that he properly understood what he was committing to before he made the decision to be a fully committed member of our body / family! And he is actively making a difference, with several of his peers!! Well stated and Amen!!

Anyway, Mdu and the others began by singing hymns and praying, then we discussed some favorite bible verses, then sang hymns some more. We discussed some of our favorite hymns, shared some of our goals and prayer requests, then sang another couple of hymns and prayed some more. I was honestly shocked at the command of some of the scriptures that I was witnessing, quite impressive for being as young as they are in the truth. I'm equally impressed with their willingness to take the initiative to commit to a daily evening Bible class. Amazing!!

I see God's hand and His blessings on this small ecclesia! Please join me in praying for this group of young men; to encourage them to boldly proclaim the word of God, to focus on youth development, and to focus on commiting to efforts to develop both the youth and the community in the coming months.

I look forward to being able to continue this update on my next report in a couple of weeks!

God Bless

Bible School Bound,

YBIC,

Cam

All things bright and beautiful

The Tembisa Sunday School has now grown to a steady 25 children each Sunday. Last Sunday we had a wonderful outing, together with the Kempton Park Ecclesia Sunday School, to the Lory Park Zoo. Some of the children had never seen many of the animals in this relatively small but very well kept and presented zoo. It was a good time to make God's creation more real to them and bring home to them the variety in God's creation.

 

We were quite fascinated by some of the children who were quite afraid of the owls because of some superstition they have been taught in the township. It was a good opportunity to teach them the true facts and helping them to be freed of these fears after a while. After lots of roaming around between cages and having a scrumptious lunch we took them all home. The smiling faces at the end of the day was a great reward for taking them on a special outing. It will be holidays for the next 4 weeks and there will be no Sunday school but a P2P holiday club week awaits them during the second week of July. Some of them attended the previous holiday club and can't wait for the next one. Again, by God's grace, we will be able to brighten up the lives of these children for a little while whilst teaching them God's values and some valuable life skills.

 

We continue to thank God for the wonderful opportunities and resources He continues to provide us to show his and Jesus' love to others.

 

Loving greetings from all the 2010 workers here in Kempton Park

May and June with the Beelers in South Africa

Imagine, if you will, that you have arrived to do a bible class with a small group of believers. It's been a hectic day and you're unloading your bibles and greeting the group. Suddenly, one of the young men in your class comes to you and tells you that one of the regular children from the creche you are meeting in, has died from a terrible accident. The mother of the child has requested that you come to her house on the hill and pray for her...

As you arrive at her patchwork shanty, whose interior more closely resembles a walk-in closet I once owned, you are surrounded by the Zulu 'family' who are coming to share in her grief. We pray for God's comfort and for his blessings on the family and the community and especially upon the mother who is in terrible grief for the loss of her 4 year old. I also have a 4 year old and it hurts me that any person would have to feel this pain.

One of the women begins to sing in her grief. While 5 or 6 of us were in her abode, about 15 people had gathered outside. These women from her community and family began singing, following the lead of the first lady, singing Zulu hymns and spiritual songs. I could here uJehova and UNkulunkulu in the songs, but was too new to know many other words in Zulu. After several more songs, some of the women began praying together. While there were many praying at the same time, it was all in Zulu and was comforting to the mother. Again, I could hear reference to God and Jesus in the prayers from the 25 or more women who were in attendance, outside, at this time. While there were many praying, I felt a clear, orderly approach to praying for peace and comfort to the family of the child.

I felt the pain of the mother and of her loss. I was praying to God that we could be some source of comfort to the mother and it occurred to me that our Father also lost a son once. It was painful for the Father to lose his son, as it would be for us, and God can clearly relate to the pain that the mom feels. For all of those who pursue His Ways, He has a plan to perfect our world, fulfill our lives, and provide us a creation with no more suffering sorrow or pain. We have hope and that makes our pain bearable, and I want to share some of these things with this young mother. I put my hand on her shoulder, and pray over her; seeking the Lords blessings, peace and comfort in this time of trial and distress. I truly hope that some measure of comfort was brought to the mother this day.

The Zulu community is different in it's identity than the people of the west. They are a community that "think" from the perspective of their elders and chiefs (if you can call them that). Their elders set the community direction for what is acceptable, and to some extent, that includes where you may go to church.

Further, the most common "event" in these townships are funerals. funerals occur several times a week in a town as small as Lamontville. Funerals take precedence over all other social activities, and are attended by people from all over.

so, To be invited to the funeral by the mother of the child was an excellent and sobering experience for me. More importantly, it is a sign of the respect and trust that exists for the Lamontville Ecclesia and those who live in the township.

It's clear that those who work in the creche are making a difference in the Lamontville community and are doing much to spread the reputation of our Father!

I hope this letter provides insight, both to the reality that is experienced by the township as well as the progress we are making in this community!

YBIC,

Cam

Afrikhono is now online!

Afrikhono is now online! To check out the ways you can support your brothers and sisters in South Africa by ordering their handmade creations, go to www.afrikhono.com

WHAT IS AFRIKHONO?

“Ikhono” is the Zulu word for skills. There are many brothers and sisters living in South Africa who are out of work and live in circumstances of great need and poverty. To help our family in Christ earn a living whilst keeping their dignity, we have started Afrikhono.

Afrikhono is a COP Trust initiative and part of the 2010x2010 preaching campaign. Afrikhono works with brothers and sisters in disadvantaged South African communities to develop their skills, their ikhono, and help them reach their potential. Afrikhono aims to assist these individuals establish and maintain a sustainable means of employment and income so that they can support their families.

Afrikhono involves brethren, sisters and youth in disadvantaged communities creating a variety of hand-crafted, beautiful, African flavoured items and the COP Trust then selling these to various individuals and organisations. For production efficiency reasons, it is intended that these items be purchased in bulk and on-sold by the purchaser in order to cover the initial cost of the purchase.

Afrikhono has commenced with one project, Project Greeting Card, and it our hope to expand to other types of projects such as beading or sewing as the initiative develops. Project Greeting Card involves handmade greeting cards with African flavoured beading and artwork being designed and created by individuals in local South African communities. These cards are sold by the COP Trust to create sustainable employment for our brothers and sisters.

WHO DOES AFRIKHONO SUPPORT?

The entire income generated from the sale of these items goes towards benefiting the brothers, sisters and ecclesial communities of South Africa; there are no fees taken out by the COP Trust for administration of the initiative.

The income received from the sale of these cards goes both directly to the brothers and sisters making the cards and also into a fund for use exclusively for meeting welfare needs in the very ecclesial community which generated the income. These needs are met through initiatives such as feeding schemes, provision of education, transportation to meetings and medical treatment. As such, it is anticipated that with God’s blessing, this initiative could become a real support to the growing ecclesial community by providing a sustainable means of nurturing our family in Christ.

Afrikhono was first implemented by 2010 volunteers at the end of 2008 when it was trialled in the rural and quickly growing ecclesial community of Mariannhill in KwaZulu Natal. This initiative is now based at Mariannhill Good News Centre as part of the operations of this skills centre. Afrikhono has also recently been implemented with individuals from the Durban ecclesia. The initiative currently supports 27 brothers, sisters and youth from these two South African ecclesias

The Afrikhono volunteers will continue to work with local brothers and sisters throughout the country and involve as many as possible in this scheme to uplift, develop and sustain our family in Christ who desperately need our support.

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT AFRIKHONO?

The success of Project Greeting Card in helping our ever-growing number of brethren and sisters in South Africa with welfare issues will rely completely on the love and generosity of their brothers and sisters overseas.

Firstly, you can support Afrikhono by purchasing these beautiful, handmade cards when you see them for sale or by encouraging other individuals or ecclesias to do so. Each set of 5 cards contains 5 different card designs in keeping with a specific design thread (African Life, birthday etc). The cards are packaged in clear plastic packets, each card with an envelope. Each set of cards also comes with an insert at the back of the plastic packet which gives a short life story of the person who has made the cards and a message from them as to how they will benefit from your support in buying their creation.

The first way you can help is by buying a set of these beautiful hand-made African cards—your purchase will go towards feeding and supporting the family of a brother or sister in South Africa (information about the person you are helping is included in the set of cards)

The second and most sustainable way you can help the project is to either commit yourself to buying a batch of cards or helping your ecclesia to participate by purchasing a batch of cards (perhaps even on a regular basis). These cards can be on-sold to recoup the original cost of purchase. A “batch” of cards consists of 40 sets containing 5 cards each (a total of 200 cards). The cost of these cards is USD320, AUD470 or GBP220 (this may vary as the USD moves) and cards can be ordered and paid for online at www.afrikhono.com - go to “orders”.

To support Afrikhono and make a lasting difference in the lives of your brothers and sisters in South Africa, please speak to a representative, go to our website or email the Afrikhono team at afrikhono@gmail.com.

AMAZING BEC Award Ceremony

Brothers & sisters - Just wanted to let you know that the "graduation" this afternoon (about a week ago - sorry for journalistic delays ;-) was terrific! (Actually, we're trying to call them "certificate award ceremonies" now, to try to avoid an implication of a qualification--and to try to dissuade people from renting caps & gowns. Seemed to work! No gowns, even for the 2 people who had said they were going to rent them.)

We had 32 people who completed courses since the last award ceremony, of whom 9 had completed more than one course. Twenty of them came to the ceremony, and we had 40 total visitors (most people brought a friend or a family member, or two).

Most exciting, two of the students are very close to baptism. Almita, an older woman who has done all the courses, has been talking about baptism for some time. Her sister has been trying to talk her out of it, but today she said to Mary that she wants to go forward. Mary will have a class with her on Tuesday as a final "do you appreciate what you are taking on" session, but I expect there to be a baptism next Sunday morning. The other student is a man named Crispin, who has completed 3 courses and is mid-way through Bible Basics. He just seems to be on fire. Today besides asking me how he would go about being baptized, he made a financial donation to the work. (The two weren't related - it's just clear that he believes in the message and wants to support spreading it.) He is going to come to meeting tomorrow (God willing), along with his family, and we will establish a convenient time to have some classes in preparation for baptism -- but I don't expect them to go on a long time; he is ready.

The Lord is indeed blessing the work here! There are other positive things happening. Bro John Gumede's niece has asked for baptism preparation classes, which Mary is going to arrange with her. She will probably not be far behind the other two. A man named David has resumed The Way of Life classes with Bro David. A young guy named Zipho, who had been very keen, but whom we hadn't seen in the BEC for some time, was at the ceremony and had a great conversation with Barry and Steve Motley. Almita has a friend who has occasionally attended in Pinetown, and who came with her today -- and wants to start attending more regularly. Another young guy named Jerom has done all the courses and has been attending regularly in Durban. A woman named Nokuthula is mid-way in Bible Basics and attends regularly, and has said when she completes BB she wants to talk about baptism. On and on. God be praised!

Many thanks to Jane for all the food shopping and prep, and helping with the certificate presentations. Many thanks to Bro Barry for the talk, the music, and the A/V help. Thanks to Wendith & Christy for the help in the kitchen. And of course to Mary (who unfortunately won't get this), for her ongoing work with these students, as well as for contributing to the ceremony today. Thanks to Cam and to Steve for fetching people, helping with the setup, and to Steve who acted as usher/doorkeeper. And thanks to David, Dieudonne, Charlotte, Rose, and Mhloli for attending & supporting the effort.

It's been an exciting day. Please join us in praying for the students, for God's direction in their lives and for their continued spiritual growth. And for laborers to work in these white fields.

God bless you all. Love in our Lord,
Paul Zilmer