As you remember, we ran the Beat the Drum abstinence
initiative the first week in August. We have tried to keep the fire alive at
the two schools we were working with. It has definitely been a challenge to try
and meet the needs and requests of 1200 students between the two schools. At
St. Phillips High School, we have an open door of which we have taken full
advantage. One afternoon a week we venture to the school and run what we call
“abstinence club” with about 70 students. The club is open to anyone who would
like to hear more about remaining pure and enjoy fellowship with like-minded
students. The topics we discuss are things like “how far is too far?” or “how
do I control my feelings and desires?” The students are open and eager to hear
more. During Beat the Drum, the students who have made commitments to
abstinence received orange bracelets as a reminder of their pledge. Still to
this day they faithfully wear their bracelets!
At the second high school where we ministered during Beat
the Drum, I (Leah) have started up a very informal gathering of girls who just
want to talk about the difficulties of life and personal challenges they are
facing.
The other new ministry project we have begun to run is
teaching at the local pre-school once a week. We have an hour slot where we
sing songs, play games, and teach Bible stories. A few weeks ago, we taught
them about the seasons of the year. These three and four year olds glued plants
and other things that represented each of the seasons.
Last week was our bi-annual youth and kids camp. The theme
was “Out of the Box” and we truly tried to make it a camp out of the box with
funky relays, scavenger hunts, and the like. The main objective of the
camp was
to get them to think of themselves and their lives in greater ways than they
ever have before. Theycan be or do anything they want to! They don’t have to be trapped in a box of other people’s expectations, cultural norms or even be limited by what they think they can achieve in their life. There’s more! During one of the sessions, the kids wrote down the things that are holding them back from achieving their full potential. Later that evening, each person took their piece of paper and put it in a box to represent putting these things, these strongholds, where they really
belong. On their off times at camp, the 90+ kids enjoyed swimming in the (very muddy!) lake and playing games like skipping rope and hula hooping. We had a few new kids that we met through Beat the Drum that joined us for camp. All in all it was a great time!
In personal news, baby girl Bakers is doing well! She
officially has a name: Harmony Kgomotso. Her first name came about because she
is a “beautiful blending” of two cultures and races, and her middle name is
Piet’s actual first name (pronounced Ho-moat-so),
which means “Comfort”. She’s growing well and the pregnancy is going great as
well. I have to say this is one of the easiest pregnancies I’ve heard of. I
haven’t had a single day of morning sickness and I’m actually enjoying it. I
feel like I’m cruising through. I do have a few fears, though, about the birth.
I am really trusting God for a smooth and quick birth that does not involve any
interventions such as drugs or a caesarian. Please pray with me as I trust God
completely for these things. Harmony is quite the active baby and we can’t wait
to meet her come January.
Truly Loving Africa,
The Bakers
Awesome to hear that the ministry is going well! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet name!! :) :)
ReplyDelete