A House and A Home

Ok!! For the blog I’ve been waiting to write for quite some time now! I feel like I’ve been a bit vague about what’s been going on in our lives lately. So here it goes…

First of all, LIFE IS AWESOME, GOD IS FAITHFUL, and WE ARE AT PEACE! There were so many months where we just felt like we were struggling to get through a day because things were just so challenging and difficult. But it feels like life has turned upside down and we are back on track.

October is such an exciting month for us and we are only a matter of days away. Piet and I have now officially moved from Africa Ablaze and are working under our local church, The Barn. Our contract formally starts Oct 1, but we

 have already begun (this week and next week) in order to get two weeks off next month.  We LOVE what we are doing. Basically, we are helping to create and facilitate a gap year program called “Year of Your Life” ran by the church.  Here is a brief description:

The “Year of Your Life” is a gap year programme aimed at young people who are interested in giving a year of their lives to discover who they are in Christ and to make an impact in their communities. The goal of YOYL is to equip young people for practical service. It will give them a solid Christian foundation to be applied throughout their lives whether in full-time ministry or in the work place.

Year of Your Life is a year of service filled with skills development, foundational theological training, and equipping through practical ministry and outreach.

Piet and I will be leaders of the program as we go into schools, put on community events, and go on short-term mission trips.

My (Leah) parents arrive in South Africa on October 1. Piet and I had planned to visit America in October, but unfortunately the visa didn’t work out this time around. So, my parents made a decision to come and see us instead. We are thrilled they are coming. We’ll be traveling with them and it will be a great time of relaxing and family fellowship.

In one of my recent blogs, I spoke about how we have been trying to raise money to pay rent for a new place since we are no longer staying at Africa Ablaze. God has truly blown us away. We didn’t expect to be so completely blessed. We are now getting a salary from the church that we really didn’t expect and all of our supporters have just been so wonderful. When we put our need out there, we got an overwhelming response from those that love us. Someone said to me recently that she is so glad that we are well taken care of because she hates it when people say, “We are poor because we are missionaries.” Who came up with that rule?? God blesses those that faithfully serve Him. Now, of course this doesn’t mean we are rich, but we don’t have to worry about not having enough gas in our car or bread on our table. After all… do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:25-26

But I still haven’t gotten to the best part yet! We have just purchased our first home!! Again, God has blessed us so abundantly. I never thought we would be able to afford to have a mortgage, but God has proven over and over that He is SO interested in our lives and SO interested in our ministry. Almost all of the paperwork has gone through and we will move in October 1! We cannot wait to be in our own place.

What is left, but to give Glory to the One whom it is due.

Piet and I are happy. We are constantly learning each other, learning together, and growing together.

Thank you so much for your faithfulness in our lives, thank you for your prayers, and for your financial gifts. We are overwhelmed with love from our friends, our families, and our Heavenly Father.

Blessings, peace, and Love

The Bakers

Webank

Hi friends,

Some of you may not be aware that we are still currently staying at Africa Ablaze. We have asked for a one-month extension as we are only able to move into our new place on October 1. We have offered to give of our time for the next fews weeks while we are here.

I wanted to share this article with you that was written by one of our prayer partners in Africa Ablaze Ministries. It is regarding another career camp that was held at the end of August.

Enjoy...
Love the Bakers 

When a camp is about to start at Africa Ablaze, one knows for sure that another awesome experience is on its way . . .
 

Piet giving a debrief/ motivational chat





The WesBank Career camp held at the campus last weekend started with involvement of  various schools, where principals were asked to select top students to be part of the career camp sponsored by Wesbank. 

Approximately 42 students joined in to be part of an unforgettable weekend with lasting memories.

On Friday, the students and the Africa Ablaze team were invited to attend an introduction day, hosted at the Wesbank premises. 

WesBank gave us a warm welcome. They really went out of their way to start the camp with a blast.  The students attended a superb luncheon at WesBank canteen and thereafter were divided into four separate teams, each team wearing different color t-shirts, also sponsored by WesBank.

Each team then joined in on different presentations and an in-house tour of Wesbank.  The presentations were given by professionals in fields of human resources, marketing and operations/technology. The students were assisted by a team of WesBank volunteers.

To wind down the afternoon, all teams and WesBank volunteers went onto the field and had a game of soccer – a team effort at its best – inter connecting and having fun.

Upon departure, all students received from WesBank a bag with refreshments, for the return trip back to Africa Ablaze campus – an opportune time to reflect on a memorable and amazing afternoon.

The career camps are of great impact and highly beneficial.  It gives insight, belief and encouragement to cross the huge bridge to set a life goal and start working towards reaching it today. Offering motivational support to assist each one in making their dreams, goals and careers a reality.

Giving them a hope and a future and building a better tomorrow is extremely important.

A number of the students come from the rural settlement areas.  In reality, plenty of them study with candle light, and have neither conditions as good as ours nor conditions as encouraging.  Many walk literally bare foot to school for miles, sometimes going to school without food in their lunchbox or missing basic study essentials.
Yet, we have top students within the rural community.  I would certainly call them overcomers.
Is it their attitude that makes the difference . . . The encouragement they receive from us, they pass on to one another.   

 One factor that Wesbank and Africa Ablaze have in common is that when Africa Ablaze prepares for a camp you know that everything has been prepared properly, including the finer nuts and bolts  . . . someone has gone ahead of every step you take . . . and the same applies with Wesbank . . . par excellence in team work and in every other aspect.
 

Celebrating a victory!

Students Creating a protective "house"
for an egg that will be dropped!

On Saturday, the WesBank team came out to the campus, to do lectures with the students and give them their full support and according to the well-filled program.

Encouragement from the WesBank team members, and their personal testimonies

" ..I started off here . . . I persevered through it all . . . and this is where I am today." 

The sessions were a great encouragement to each student.

On the Saturday evening, it was time for spiritual input into the lives of these students.  Not only were they ministered to by a music band but by the end of the evening after an altar call was given, the majority surrendered their lives to the Lord.  A new beginning.  That’s what it really is about. A sea of hands surrendered for the extension of His Kingdom.

An adoption website where students attending the camps can link to individuals in the corporate world is in a planning phase. This will give the students an opportunity to have a mentor playing a parental role through a personal connection towards a successful career path.

As we continue to supportively stand behind Africa Ablaze Ministries, who are continuously reaching out not only into the community, but also the rural area community and the less privileged, making the difference – we are giving a hope and a future for a better tomorrow.

Hyundai Career Camp

 

Last weekend, Africa Ablaze held a career camp sponsored by Hyundai. The camp was a very great success, and even we learned a few things about Hyundai. Hyundai didn’t start out making cars; they also make machinery, ships, TV’s and so much more!

The CEO of Hyundai South Africa came and spoke to 100 grade 11 students about how they can get involved in the industry. The motor vehicle industry is currently in need of about 250,000 people to fill empty positions! It is hard to believe there are so many opportunities even in this crazy time we live in. The students also received other news that they enjoyed hearing: you do not need a degree from a university or technical school; all you need is to pass grade 12! It is actually incredible hearing from some students. Many of them believe that you can only be successful if you happen to fall backward into luck. They don’t see the need for trying hard, because, according to them, it’s all based on luck. I believe the weekend opened their eyes to show them that if they finish school, and finish well, they have great opportunities waiting for them.

Hyundai brought in about 10 of their vehicles for all to sit in, and “try on”. They even had a competition that allowed 10 students to go for a quick spin in their newest models (ride, not drive!).

When they weren’t attending sessions with the Hyundai team, these privileged students from 6 different schools in Johannesburg were involved in games and teaching activities. One very cool thing that they did was a Lego activity. Half of the team was “builders” outside creating something with Lego’s, half the team was inside, and one runner that would communicate between the two groups. Each group had identical sets of Lego’s.  The idea was to test their communication skills to see if both sets of Lego’s would end up the same based on the information that was given to and from the runner.

This camp was unique in that it was the first ever career camp for both disadvantaged and advantaged students. Generally we pull grade 11 students from four rural schools that we minister into. This time, we opened the opportunities to two public schools from our surrounding area.

As is customary at Career Camps, the weekend ended off with an invitation to accept the call of God on their lives, which many of them took.

Praise God for another awesome time with young people!

Blessings,

The Bakers