We are so excited to share with you what God has been doing in and through the youth of South Africa! On June 22 we saw 41 young people register for S.M.A.S.H. and begin an exciting week of training and ministry.
We spent the weekend at a local venue training to share the gospel, preparing dramas and practicing sport in preparation for the days of ministry ahead of us.
We then traveled about 1 1/2 hrs. to KwaMhlanga. On Monday we went out into a squatter settlement and the group went from house to house inviting people to come to our sports day. Squatter settlements are makeshift housing settlements, usually with little if any sanitation, no electricity or running water. We organized soccer and net ball teams and had an exciting tournament. There were lots of little children that showed up and many in the group spent their time loving and playing with these children. Brandon took the opportunity to work with another boy to share the gospel message with a group of children using a rope trick. It was a special moment for us as parents!
After the first leg of this tournament, we took the time to bring them all together, the children in one group, and the teens and adults in another, and share with them how we are all the same in God’s eyes. The book of Romans tells us that ALL have sinned, and that the wages of that sin is death. But it also tells us that the GIFT of God is eternal life! All we have to do is accept it. What an exciting message!!! There were many that trusted in Christ as their Saviour and we were able to give their information to a local church to follow up with.
Tuesday, we traveled to Swaziland. This is about a 6 hour drive. However, just after we crossed the border, the bus broke down. The group had such a good attitude, deciding that this was an opportunity to share the gospel with those in the area, and there were many seeds planted and 2 decisions for Christ!
We arrived at the orphanage late Tuesday night and were greeted by 27 excited little faces. The children were all primary school kids, and it was a testimony to our group to see their joy and excitement in spite of having little worldly possessions and no hot water. You must remember that this is our winter! We even saw snow flurries one morning.
There are about 80 children from the community that also come to school at the orphanage and on Wednesday we ran a sports day with them, sharing through drama and telling them about Christ. Many of the children there are already Christians. Pastor Solomon and the staff at the school are a great testimony to the children and were a blessing to us, as well.
On Thursday, we were able to go to a youth centre in Mbabane for another day of soccer and netball. The teens in our group jumped right in sharing the gospel with people before the soccer even got started! It was great to see how God was already working in the hearts of these people. One of the teens helped Marissa share the gospel with another little girl by asking Marissa questions and letting Marissa tell this little girl that Jesus is the only one that can take away our sins and you can only get to Heaven if you put your trust in Him!
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