c A m P 3D

artwork on our shirts

This was week of quite a lot of "lasts":

Last holiday camp

Last time we went to Easter Kloof (and my very first time)

Last time we felt we need to pry our eyes open with match sticks from exhaustion!

BUT

It was worth it!

This camp's theme was Camp 3D. Going from 2D to 3D. Sort of saying life without God is 2D and with Him is 3 dimensional.

Our theme verse was Eph 3:17-19:

...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

And just because I can, here's the Amplified Version:

May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

I think personally it was a blessing just to watch these kids being kids in a safe environment surrounded by a bunch of people who loves spending time with kids.

Coming from another ministry where I also did holiday camps, I loved how different Kloofwaters did theirs. The kids basically put together their own activities, from beading to bumsliding to rock buddies to poetry slam...name it! Of course I have learned that holiday camps have one BIG thing going on: FOUR SQUARE!!!

Easter Kloof was sooo much fun. It has an amazing natural slide in one place with a little waterfall. I don't know who had more fun, the leaders or the kids? (According to the pictures, the kids' faces had a little “i am scared” look to the it, the leaders had the look of “wooooohoooo, oooooooh yeah!!!”)

I know I have only been part of Kloofwaters for a little while, but I'm really sad to go. This place has the tendency to knit itself to your heart, and it was after all the place where Jurie and I met.

(On our last day, the said a goodbye prayer for us, where everyone laid hands on us, kids as well. And as I walked out, everyone kept on giving me hugs and the more hugs I got, the more tears I shed!! The chapel might be small, but believe me people, it was a long walk to freedom).

One more camp to go, but it will be a lot different from Holiday Camp as it is only semi programmed and we only brief activities, not debrief. i.e. we will only be explaining the activity itself and leave the actual talks to the leaders who will come with the camp.

Last bit of information:

Megan (one of my friends from my SCAS/gap year) is following in Jurie's shoes. The long and short of it is that she was looking for a new job. Jurie's job was available. Jurie suggested that she applied. We left it up to Dad. She got the job.

I'm excited to see what Megan can bring to Kloofwaters. This little English lady is someone with a heart of gold and an iron side which you don't mess with. She's amazing with kids and I know that Dad will do great things through her.

We'll be praying for you Meg! You are MORE than able to do it!

God is in the detail

Looking back, this week was amazing...

December has dawned upon us and we are feeling the pressure as this is THE month where things need to happen...

So we decided to aggressively look for a little place we can call home in Rustenburg. We started at this quaint (no, she DEFINES the word quaint) but very lovely lady, Pikkie. At first I felt my heart dropping, as I had no idea what to expect from her, she runs a guest house AND is an estate agent? WOW. Anyway, she took our details (all the agents in Rustenburg will tell you there are no places now, but they will keep our details with them...) and then Jurie asks her if she can just direct us WHERE in town we need to look for. She rummages somewhere in the back for a map of Rustenburg and in DETAIL she showed us where's the good places, the bad neighbourhoods and also the "skuld bult" (debt hill). And before we left, she threw in this awesome piece of advise: Call the local paper and place an add that you are looking for an apartment, and even directs us there and tells us who to speak with... detail!

So, we headed off there and placed our add.

I have to say that this lady Pikkie's kindness blew me away. She didn't have to give us advise, she could've send us out on our own and gave us the same doom and gloom story all the others did...yet here she was, advising us to be on the lookout for other agents who will put us in any shack just to pocket the commission.

Then we went in search for another estate agent that Jurie went to see before and they said there was a house just around the corner, already vacated would we like to go and have a look?

Nice little one-bedroom house (we think it was someone's granny flat that the owner now just rents out as a house) with quite a large backyard - in comparison with the house. We started picturing our veg garden or where we will hold youth evenings...but decided that we will not put our minds on the place, it's still very early.

Later the week, after the paper came out, we had 3 calls!

We turned the first one down, it was in the dodgy end of town.

The second one blew our minds away...

The rent is less then what we have budgeted for, it is a 3(!!!!!) bedroom apartment, with garden, garage....it's just lovely. AND the owners rent it themselves. Which is actually what we wanted.

We also have another "maybe" option...we are still praying for it. One of the couples in church made in offer on a house, but it is too big for them, so they will split it in two. The church will then rent the other half as office space. Riaan, our pastor, said that then maybe we can rather rent the place, they will only use 2 rooms as offices.

If this deal goes through and it is ok with all the parties involved, we would like to take the option. It will mean a really low rent and no travel costs.

The amazing thing for us, how awesome God is. How INTO detail He is. That He knows exactly what we need, when we need it and where to lead us.

I don't always look for funny signs or ask for wool fleeces to be wet/dry... but everywhere I turn, it's as if God's writing is huge and it all says:

I love you

I provide for you

I know what you need

I'll lead you.

One thing on the list which was a big need (from a woman's point of view) was a washing machine. And this week I just remembered that my mom has one at home that they're not using at the moment. Thanks my dearest mom for borrowing it to us! You are an amazing woman and we love you to bits!!!

Another blessing: We need a bed and thought about buying the one we use now from Kloofwaters. Jurie told me this evening that they are GIVING it to us. FOR FREE. GRATIS.

what a mighty God we serve.

Jurie and I spoke about my past experiences in the ministry, and I have to say that I carry some baggage from it. I humbly confess that some days my faith fails me, that I don't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, that I don't see where God will provide, that my past hurts makes me doubt that we will have sufficient - that we will lack some things.

But God is so faithful, at the end of each day, as I lay in bed and rethink the day and how I failed to believe in God's goodness, I realise how vast His love and mercy is. To still love me and to just go on showing it to me.

He's in everyday's detail and in the places where we don't always look.

And how can forget the people who said they will partner with us?! It's a privilege to have these people come on board with us! We are grateful for everyone who is willing to support us in prayer as well as financially. We are truly blessed!

We are currently preparing for our last holiday camp at Kloofies, second last in total. Then it's off to Werner & Jana's wedding. Then visit some other friends as we make our way to Groblersdal where we will be spending the holidays with my family. Jurie's first official holiday with the in-laws.... Then the Small Trek past the Magalies Mountains to our new home!

If you will be traveling soon, may God send His angels to guard you. Rest well and may God shower you with love and peace!