These last few weeks have been a whirl-wind. The Teens Team has had LOTS of ups and downs. Working with people is hard. Sometimes I wish I worked behind a desk filing papers to avoid all sorts of drama and personality conflict. However, I know that the Gospel is not shared and spread through filing papers, so I am called to be amongst the people and faithfully TRY to live as Jesus would. Wow- that’s harder done than said.
The Teens Team has done assemblies and taught in the classroom at a few local schools- promoting the Living Hope ‘Wait4Me’ campaign with middle and high school age teens. Wait4Me is a 'sexual abstinence program'- teaching the concept of waiting to have sex until marriage and only acting upon physical intimacy within a marriage relationship. It’s been great to see students want to commit to sexual abstinence in a culture that is full of broken homes, sexual abuse, prostitution and temptation amongst teens. Wait4Me promotion begins in the schools and culminates with a ‘concert’ on 31 July 2010. The Teens Team is in charge of putting together this event. Thanks to my many years of Student Ministry, we’re using the SMBC D-Now idea (about 4 years ago) of a wedding ceremony. We’re asking the students that sign abstinence commitment cards to attend this event, dress up and come to a ‘wedding celebration’ where they will be entertained by local artists and take part in understanding the Biblical concept of marriage vows. They’ll all take the abstinence pledge together and then have a small ‘wedding celebration.’ The church will be decorated and we hope to give all the girls a veil and the guys a bow-tie! Please be in prayer for this event. It’s a lot of work and we’re all very distracted by the World Cup Living Hope Holiday Clubs right now. And with the schools being out longer for this world-wide-soccer-madness, it’s delayed our ability to promote and work on this event.
As you probably know… The FIFA World Cup officially began on Friday. The WHOLE WORLD is in South Africa. I went to the mall on Friday morning to run some errands. I felt like I was in a sports arena- there were so many people dressed up, cars decked out with South African flags, and the feeling of excitement was in the air! I felt so out of place without festive attire. Honestly, I remember feeling this ‘spirit of excitement’ when the Olympics came to my home-town (Atlanta, Georgia) in 1996. The feeling of patriotism and a country united is awesome!
Friday was a ‘team building’ day for the Life Skills Educators and Volunteers. We met at Avril’s house for a traditional South African Braai (BBQ). It was so fun to just sit back and hangout with the LSEs – as a celebration for making it through another school term and to commission us all into the season of Holiday Clubs.
Capricorn Church screened the first game of the World Cup- Bafana Bafana, South Africa’s Soccer Team vs. Mexico! Rachael, Ethan, Kendra, Shagmie, Meagan and I went to be with the Capricorn Church on this historic occasion. People were dressed up in patriotic (often ridiculous) outfits, hats, horns, tattoos. It was so much fun! At half-time, we fed the children sandwiches, fruit and juice and began outside games (soccer of course) and face-painting. Ethan got some awesome photos … I’ll get them from him and post some soon!
Today (Monday) was the first day of Holiday Club. I, obviously, was in Capricorn all day. It RAINED AND RAINED AND RAINED. Our numbers were drastically down. Parents rarely send their children out when it’s raining. They don’t have many changes of clothes and therefore can’t afford to get their clothes and shoes wet. However, we hope that they’ll start getting bored being stuck at home and will fight the rain just to get out of their tiny little homes and come play with us at the Living Hope building! Please pray that God adds to our numbers daily, that children are reached for the Gospel over the next 4 weeks of Holiday Clubs, that we as the Living Hope staff will have energy and encouragement each day to deal with all the things that come up when working with children and teens, and the wisdom to act as Jesus would on this earth!
Here are some photos from Holiday Club today:
