DTS Outreach - Kamieskroon

We have the first week of outreach behind us now, time really flies. To give you a short update. We left J'Bay last Monday at about 8:00 am. We really had a blessed trip, just one small unfortunate event. We stopped at Storms River for a short break and Jana and Zubeida went for a walk on the bridge. Along came a truck with an abnormal wide load and as it passed Jana on the bridge it hit her on her shoulder ripping open her shirt leaving her with a bruise. It could have been so much worse, after one week she is healed; just her shirt still has some stitches.

It took us two days to travel to our first destination : Kamieskroon. It is a very small town in the Northern Cape only 65 houses in our small community. We are living in an orphanage at the moment, together with 44 kids aged from 8 – 18 and some staff. It took the team a day or two to get adjusted to the new surroundings and culture, but it seems like everyone is settled in now. We have divided the kids into 4 groups and every morning we have small groups with them. Then we can have some individual contact with them and do some Bible study and have time to connect with t hem and to make friends and to build trust. Then after that each one of us does our own thing with the kids. Usually Par goes to the soccer field followed by a couple of kids and spends some time with them. Mario will take his sketch book and go sit in the dining hall, soon after that some kids will come around him and try to copy the pictures he has drawn.
Martine will get her things to make bracelets and soon some kids will join her. So that is how we will spend our mornings. In the afternoons, we usually take some kids for a hike in the field or chat with them and play with them. It's a very relaxed atmosphere as it is school holidays. Some kids have opened up to us sharing some of their stories, crying on our shoulders. We listen to them. We pray for them. We dry their tears and give them hugs…. Yesterday we held the church service in the small reformed church in town. Charles preached a sermon on salvation. Mario gave his testimony. I translated. At the end 6 people came to the front and ask Jesus to become Lord of their lives. Par prayed with an old man leading him to Christ. Tim prayed for a family and the girl started to cry. The Holy Spirit convicted her and she also gave her life to Christ. We are humbled and thankful to be used by the Almighty God. Tonight Zubeida will give a teaching on the Father heart of God. All the kids will be there as well as some people from the community that we will invite. On Wednesday Evening Menno will give a teaching on dreaming God's dreams for your life. Friday evening we will have a talent show for the kids. We'll make it big, getting judges from the community, decorating the hall so that at the end we can make the kids feel very special and see them having a fun time…

Martine will get her things to make bracelets and soon some kids will join her. So that is how we will spend our mornings. In the afternoons, we usually take some kids for a hike in the field or chat with them and play with them. It's a very relaxed atmosphere as it is school holidays. Some kids have opened up to us sharing some of their stories, crying on our shoulders. We listen to them. We pray for them. We dry their tears and give them hugs….

Yesterday we held the church service in the small reformed church in town. Charles preached a sermon on salvation. Mario gave his testimony. I translated. At the end 6 people came to the front and ask Jesus to become Lord of their lives. Par prayed with an old man leading him to Christ. Tim prayed for a family and the girl started to cry. The Holy Spirit convicted her and she also gave her life to Christ. We are humbled and thankful to be used by the Almighty God.

Tonight Zubeida will give a teaching on the Father heart of God. All the kids will be there as well as some people from the community that we will invite. On Wednesday Evening Menno will give a teaching on dreaming God's dreams for your life. Friday evening we will have a talent show for the kids. We'll make it big, getting judges from the community, decorating the hall so that at the end we can make the kids feel very special and see them having a fun time…

So this is our lives for now, I'm very proud of my team. I must admit having orphanage food every day is not what they are used to and Mario even have his meals now without asking for tomato sauce every time and Tim has made peace with the fact that there will not be any second helpings. We are doing good growing closer to each other and to God.

So this is our lives for now, I'm very proud of my team. I must admit having orphanage food every day is not what they are used to and Mario even have his meals now without asking for tomato sauce every time and Tim has made peace with the fact that there will not be any second helpings. We are doing good growing closer to each other and to God.

Thank you for your prayers and please keep on praying for us.