Hello there!
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| Waiting for camp to start! |
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| Sotho praise and worship |
Our Beat the Drum camp, which ran from 14-18 July, was a
great success! As we were preparing for the camp we really didn’t know what to
expect because we had never worked with many of them before and they had never
really been exposed to the kind of mentorship and encouragement we were extending
to them. We almost anticipated them to break the camp rules and stir up
mischief. However, this was definitely not the case! Although we didn’t have
the amount of students we had originally hoped for, we truly believed that
those who came were the right students. The high schoolers were very receptive
to the message of abstinence and excited to make the commitment. There were
even a number of students that received Christ for the first time. There were a
few opportunities during the camp for the students to confess their hurts and
even forgive those who had hurt them. We saw a lot of freedom! We really
enjoyed working with the team from LXP South Africa as well as the
team from
Michigan. We were sad to see them go at the end of the week! The intimacy and
“small-ness” of the camp made it easier for the students to connect with us and
open up to us.
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| "Special Ladies" Meeting |
If you are interested in learning more about Beat the Drum,
you can find the movie entitled “Beat the Drum” on Netflix in the US and in
most video rental stores in South Africa. The curriculum we use is adapted from
the movie and is used to teach African youth and young adults. The main themes
focus on abstinence, values, HIV/AIDS, preventative measures, and speaking the
truth. It really is a powerful tool to address issues that are happening in
most African villages. The curriculum has a great paradigm shift for instilling godly values in the students.
After Beat the Drum camp, we were blessed with some time
off. This enabled us to have some much needed rest as well as a little birthday
getaway for me!
The computer classes took a 4 week break for Beat the Drum,
but they are up and running again. They are nearing the end of their course and
will graduate August 16th! Also, we are very excited to say that we
received a gracious donation and will soon be purchasing more computers for the
class! This will enable us to extend the course to more who are willing and
anxious to learn.
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| Worship |
Annnnd! The countdown to our trip to the US has begun! In
just 2 weeks we will begin our journey! We start in Chicago before we head to
the west coast to visit our sending churches, friends, and family. If you are
in the California Bay Area, we will be at Discovery Church on September 7
th
and if you are in the Redding, California area, we will be visiting The
Stirring on September 14
th. Let us know if you want to meet up!
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| An opportunity to know their HIV status |
Love,
Piet, Leah, and Harmony
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