Retreat/Faith

Nearly two weeks ago my team and I had gone over to a Staff Retreat for the Durban CCC Staff! It appeared more of a combination of individuals from a high school, a cocktail of juniors with seniors and the executive staff of the school. Certainly, my team was the youngest 'new kids around the block' however it didn't feel like that. We were ushered into the Durban team that had been made of Jon and Marie-Jean Templehoff, Gary and Cheryl Price, Sarie, Pastor Goba, Mpumi and Anele (and Mel who had not been with us due to an operation that took her out a bit). Some of the key points which encircled our retreat was the characteristics of a great team and this was surely a great opportunity to reconnect with God after an entire 2 months of holidays. Indeed it was great getting to know Sarie who grew up in a farm just outside Johannesburg and loves biltong, or Marie-Jean who can spend the entire day cooking or reading a good book, or  Gary an avid golfer and biggest Isidingo fan, Anele who never eats his vegetables and fish. Highlights of the retreat, there was alooooot of candy - I am not a big fan of chocolate (well because my doctor said it messes with my braces...thanx a milliion doc) but that weekend . . . oh man - we were covered in chocolate . . .  for a second I felt like the running tap water is chocolate water : fudge, caramel, coconut coated chocolate, nutty chocolate - YOU NAME IT!

On a different note, this week I have been learning quite much about faith! I love faith! I enjoy seeing what the bible teaches us about faith! What really strikes me about faith in the bible is when Luke writes about Zechariah the Priest in Chapter 1. To read that chapter in context - I am confounded on the amount of faith Zech had. Not in faith that God will bless them with a child but faith in that God's character remains the same. If he lacked faith....would he still have continued to intercede for the people at the temple, serving as one who keeps the incense burning on the alter....would he have bothered? Indeed, though the Lord had not answered his prayers, he still had conducted his priestly duties. The principle for me here is so amazing more especially when doing ministry work. Just because I am still waiting on the Lord for that blue house, does that have to limit me on how I express  Him or reduce the prayer I say over a sick primary school boy in Ntuzuma? Grilling that into my head for the past 5 months, faith is what will keep you intact.

Friday is our students are having a Leadership Meeting at Westville Baptist Church so thats gonna be fun and eager in seeing them all then this Saturday will be heading to Pretoria, Campus Crusade Head Offices for MPD and Intern training. Will also get to meet some of the new interns/stinters in South Africa in different parts of the country and on different campuses and university!

Bafana

Update

There hasn't been any great news this week - though the Lord has been very faithful with the support that has already come in, its very interesting to see how the next support that would come in would do so. I am in Durban currently with family for a week long vacation - just what the Dr' ordered.

Last blog I mentioned that may you please be praying for how the support from my friends in the State was to come in -  finally there is light and it might not be as much of a predicament as it would of come out as to be initially. Penny, the Director of Ukukhanya said she would help out in getting the money into S.A. more especially with minimal bank charges.

I was watching CampRock - The Movie yesterday and there was just this influx of memories of our own Ukukhanya Camp. I really cant wait for next year - its just gonna be so so so super awesome and amazingly satisfying beyond comprehension. I haven't spoken with my team mates the last couple of few days but I am pretty sure that they just as and just awaiting to see the Lord's work when 2012 comes.

Bafana

Just so you know

This week has been quite a highlight in that:

1. Had a number of meetings with potential supporters who are praying ofr the ministry for next year and some still praying about financially giving towards my internship. What I get is that alot of people, more especially in the black community, find my plans quite disturbing to say the least. The first thing they ask is A) How much do you earn B) What your parents saying about this C) Are you really sure that you want to do this rather than going to study. So ye, I'm getting good in answering those type of questions, hahahaha.

2. Just returned from a kids play at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre and what the play was all about is dealing with life issues mostly such as caring and looking after our environment and living with HIV/AIDS. The great thing about this is that most of proceedings from the shows (4 shows in total) go towards the Lambano Sanctuary which is an NGO housing in 5 shelters children affected and infected by HIV.

3. Spent the week with my discipler, Anele, as he was in JHB raising support - learnt alot from him during the course of the week.

4. Greatest news ever, received a call that I have been accepted to 2 different Honours programs (namely Medical Microbiology at the UKZN Medical School as well as Microbiology at UKZN Westville Campus) that I had applied during the course of the year. There is no question about it, will be deferring those for 2013 after my internship with CRU.

5. Have been spending the week with family - now im ready to head back to get to work.

6. Missing my crazy CRU family in Durban.

 Bafana

Guest Blogger - Mpumelelo Kunene

This is a blog entry just in from my MOTT, Mpumelelo 'Lelo' Kunene. He is a final year student just as I am but majored in Computer Studies. He has been over the past few years appropriately dubbed 'Radical Evangelist'. He plays the guitar, pretty awesome at it, loves ingaging in intellectual conversation and as he puts it "...with the aim of saving some." Here goes - this is the MOT from Lelo's lens:

For His Suffering - My First Missionary Journey (Botswana)

"That The Lamb of God might receive the full reward for His Suffering!" 

 The story is told of two Moravian young men who when they heard that a slave owner on a distant island had banned all missionaries from coming to his island that has three thousand slaves sold themselves to him so they can become undercover missionaries to these slaves. Not just a normal selling, they had sold themselves for life. When the ship came to take them, and as it pulled off the dock with them on board, looking at their families weeping, knowing that they'll never see them again and questioning the wisdom of it, they cried out:

" That the Lamb Of God might receive the full reward for His suffering!!"

 Those were the last words that were ever heard of from those men. This became the Moravian call for missions. God's Glory at the center. As I journey into Botswana for my first ever (well, technically not, we went to Maritzburg Campus a couple o' months ago to plant CRU) missionary escapade, I feel this burning in my heart. We will be going for ten days, first scheduled to preach at the University over there for about 5 days then the community for the remainder. The Lord has been faithful in providing for me and my teammates, we've all gotten the monies needed through Him speaking to His children for us. Honestly I must say, Kevin and Chad approached me with the Gospel in 2009 April, I never thought this is what I'll become.O, how He can change a life! To Him be the Glory for ever and ever!! We leave tonight, 10PM, from Durban to PTA, then from PTA to Botswana at 2PM on Monday (tomorrow). We come back on December fifth. Pray for us brethren, that the Lord uses these feeble bones and mouths of ours to proclaim the truth of His salvation, His mercy, to wrath deserving sinners. That He might save them, that Christ might gain for Himself a Bride that is beautiful and unstained, to the Glory of Him who is everlasting in mercy. Amen. However I have not been honest thus far in this post. You see, friend, I have a fear. A deep fear. I know that He can do whatever He wants on this trip, but it is afterward that I fear what He'll do. I fear that my time to leave my plans, school and work and ambition, might have finally come. I wonder if I am ready to be used of God in a more explicit way. This whole semester I've been feeling like a lamb being prepared for slaughter, with all this doctrinal study and the call to pray, its like I've been going through training. The essence of my fear is also a foundation for excitement: What will He do? What if He says I must stay in Botswana? What if He tells me, more vividly than ever before, to take up my cross, forget my life, and follow Him? He is a mysterious God, and in Proverbs two days ago I leaned that it is His glory to conceal a matter (Prov 25:2). Will I obey? I have no choice, I have been bought. He, only He, has the words of eternal life.

P.S. Botswana Bound RadEvang

Mission Outreach Trip Team (MOTT)

Meet my team. These are the warriors which are being sent to Botswana for the (MOTT) (okay I have been blogging about it for quite some time now and if you have no clue what I am talking about, you out to subscribe to get them delivered to your inbox lol)

This is the team in the forefront but there are much much much much more other guys who are driving this boat - people who have really stayed up and planned everything to the tee, our support structure the 2011|Interns (Erica, Kate, Lauren, Anele - sadly enough they won't be going us because the three ladies are setting back to their homeland (States) after a year of service and internship with CRU|UKZN and Anele is gearing and in preparation for staff next year - awesome champion right there!). Driving this team mostly with their prayers is the leadership team from the different campuses - they have been awesome with that. Office work has been done mostly but a part-time staff member of CRU - she has been taking care of our finances and has been doing a great job at it...love it! These 12 people have a trail of supporters who have been praying and giving towards the outreach project, just to humbly acknowledge them.

With exactly 7 days before our departure, we are in awe with the provisions that have been coming in mostly me I have to say - I'm pretty sure all these guys have stories to share on how from trusting the Lord for support to having to crunch their exams so they do not get supplementaries, they have just been given the strength to surface through it all!

{click on the image to enlarge it}

Old School + High School = Old High School

Last picture I am gonna take with these guys

Old School + High School = Old High School

These guys were totally awesome ...

Funny thing is I came to the party not having a uniform but looky here

Going into the new year, this will be my team and we gonna rock hard!

Believe it or not, their schools are rivals...NOT

He just turned a year older and his present was 'Best Dressed Male'

Beauty and the........lol

Mom and Cooker of the year

B's desk

Lets review these two weeks

The past two weeks have been quite a joy ride and opportunity granted, would do them over again and again and again and again ...well you get the picture. Apart from tests which have been back to back as the varsity calendar comes to an end in preparation for the exams, let me bring you up to speed on how my past weeks have been:

• Our weekly meetings on campus with CRU and our students have been nothing but greatly awesome, a platform where we have learnt, been encouraged, rebuked, revived, affirmed, disciple with nothing short of spiritual growth – we just finished off a semester long series on 2 Timothy aptly titled: ‘Last Words’ which are basically the last words of Paul to his assistant Timothy.

• With that insight, getting our 2^nd Annual End of The Year Social (sending-off party for all the interns) organised. Ah man, this has been the most gruelling event I helped in organising – there was so much hardship endured by the organising team on this project (I could just base my whole blog entry on this) ...but I won’t – the Lords provision were all sufficient. The social was a great success and big ups to the Social’s team and everyone who is not part of the organising team that help in bringing it together. The food was awesome, the programme was fantastic, I totally enjoyed myself. Though some students couldn’t make it due to other commitments, those who did come made the social what it was. In anticipation for the coming year, there is so much I feel there is to be revealed to students, to interns, and to staff and those who are to join us. On the side, the new teams on most of our campuses are in place and they are what we call ‘Jesus Freaks!’
• Attended the 24^th Annual SASM (South African Society for Microbiology) Conference with my friend Tom– this being a day before the social event! This revived both our love for research in microbiology specifically looking into using this field in impact communities in a more sustainable fashion. There was a lot learnt on our parts with the presentations strikingly intriguing – obviously UKZN Microbiology rocked the presentations taking 1^st, 2^nd, ad 3^rd position amongst competitors including DUT and MUT. We down like that. The slogan stands –

Love-peace-MICROBIOLOGY

• Straight after that was an all-night pulled with Alyssa in getting the social video done. Man, was that a long one but the finished product was top notch. The video is attached at the end of the blog entry. That same morning FYI had to go grocery shopping with Johan for the social (like I said, I could base the whole entry on the social).

Still in preparation for the Mission Outreach Trip to Botswana, Gaborone at the end of our exams – just a heads up, some students and I including some of the interns from CRU will be heading up to Botswana from the 21^st Nov for a 10-day outreach in that community. Last month was reading a small devotion from ‘The Utmost for His Highest’ by Chambers and what caught my sight was the explanation of what the purpose of missions are and basically for me, what service to the Lord is all about:

“Personal attachment and point of view is one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary enterprise the great danger is that God’s call is effaced (removed) by the needs of the people until human sympathy absolutely overwhelms the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, the conditions so perplexing, that every power of mind falters and fails. We forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary enterprise is not first the elevation of the people, nor the education of the people, nor their needs; but first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”

This couldn’t have come at a better time where I am learning off the character of a servant, how to serve, what the Lord desire is from me with what He has honoured as well as blessed me with both for my personal ministry (which I’m still coming to understand), my fellowship with Him and others. These coming few weeks are going to be challenging as most prayer will be directed to the following year.

B's desk

9 minute call

Family blessings have meant more to me than anything I have ever encountered before. With every challenge I have come to faced that has come to be put into implementation, I have seeked my family’s blessings by all means and they have greatly blessed me with every ridiculous outburst, new interest, innovations, exploration. For the recent few months I have been seeking the Lord in dedicating a year of service to the Gospel – it has been a test of faith and by all means a hit of high and low notes where I’d be: “Ye…let’s do this!” and on some other days it was like: “Oh, … hmmm … ye maybe some other times.” But hey recently, I feel like there has been such a great confirmation leading to today and that the Lord has been saying: “Wait til’ you see what I have in store for you”. I have been and I am trusting Him for so much I begin to shiver and think – hey, if it’s your will, lead me to it and I want to fulfill it by all means. 

Roadblock – crrreeeech . . . family blessing! Oh yes, forgot about that. Well today has been quite eventful on that basis. I spoke to my mom explaining to her now my intentions for the coming year and yey, for a second I thought she was like: “ye, go do it son, I’m with you all the way”. 3 minutes into the conversation, I am reminded about the financial burden that she faces and evidently, I really can’t and won’t try to refute that – she had kinda made her plans for me like every parent has: study…graduate…graduation party (if I’m lucky)…work…$$$! She is shocked out of her boots when I tell her that I have included some few plans in her train of thought and that not only am I calling her to ask for her support on this faith adventure but to bless me as well (these are two different things). 8 minutes into the conversation I am in tears (remember this is a guy who has always expected to be blessed by his family). She ends the call, re-assuring that she will call later and I’m then praying for the Lords grace being: “… you didn’t say it would be this difficult, why does it feel like I am dishonoring my mother”. Well the story picks up when I call my aunts (Phindile and Vangile) – to a degree my spiritual mothers (i.o.w. I run to them every time there is fire in the heart). I embrace their understanding and thank God for their impartation and their support and blessing.  I look forward to seeking God to teach me and help me put the puzzle together because I stand on a limb – knowing no direction of the coming months but clinging on to His character. My discipler said to me some few weeks: ‘Its these points in time, where we are trapped in a crevice, having nowhere to go and hide, putting no front that everything is A-okay, just surrendering all - waiting on Him with utter dependence; that He comes and reveals His glory to us’. I am not turning away from anything nor anyone, my heart is still set in the vision than the Lord has cast and I am humbled. That’s all!

Survivor Camp . . . apparently!

 

Last day of the term of the semester. It has been a pretty long term and we not even through with it just as yet. Synonymous with mid-term breaks are camps. Last friday we heading up North to Kwa-Maphumulo for a weekend of great worship, fellowship, discipleship, teaching, building and did I mention worship. Themed ‘The Gospel of Jesus Christ’ this spring camp stands to set an all-time record of being a great success or a great failure says one of the leaders! This camp has been given the ‘Survivor-feel’ and without a question in mind from what we have all heard it surely will be a survivor camp but also it is the first camp which has been organised independent from the interns.

One thing I cannot help mention is how the Lord has been so gracious in planning this camp. I think He, as always, out did Himself once again. One of the issue with organising this camp is that we tried to make it as affordable as possible as that we did however sooner than later, we were faced with costs which really brought affordability into question. But God . . . . He has done exceedingly more than what we expected. A lesson learnt by all of us, is to stand in faith in what we are to receive, wait in perseverance for the Lords gift to come into physical manifestation, depicting the truth that is spoken of in the Bible which truly does set us free

Consider it pure joys, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance, Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything
James 1:2-4

Having been a few days since the camp I am still amazed at how this was a great success – and this is due to an amazing team of servants who dedicated the entire camp to serving the students. They really have been awesome and they truly epitomised some of the leadership characteristics that Kate (one of the interns leading breakout sessions) which is humility, demonstration of love in what they do, had a great and amazing servants heart, were compassionate, did it for the glory of God, they were not doing things according to their way but how it has been asked to be done. I salute them tremendously. The Pastor as well was so amazingly on point – he really set the bench-mark for a great mentor and discipler, evident in the bond fire we had at night with the guys. There really isn’t a thing we missed at camp – I felt this theme of the camp really didn’t stand – it was more like where you are now in your faith, come and experience God! I loved it – true story, Friday morning when I was speaking to Lelo about the fundings, getting a really despondent answer from him, I was really close to saying, “Ayt, lets call it a day –it was fun organising the camp” but when the time of departure came, I was totally blown away. The food was so greatly amazing it was not even funny!

We are in KZN so this should say everthing

Enhle translate for the seniors of the community

And you though University Christian students don't know how to have fun!

Lelo's grandmother who absolutely blessed us walking up with one of the ladies, Tha (the short one)

This man trully amazes me everytime I talk to him!

Random Zach

Last night as I was finishing of my school assignment I went over to browse on the net in his sequence: twitter (nothing caught my attention)-> facebook (still number caught me) -> email (a friend of mine, Tom, forgot to submit his report on Friday and needed help ... cool) -> campus crusade south Africa (still nothing) -> campus crusade south Africa Bostwana -> Christ Ambassador!

 This is a random blog of some random guy from some random place by the name of Zach, who this winter had trusted God leading him to sacrifice 5 weeks of his university holidays’ to sharing the amazing News of Jesus Christ. As I read through his blog, I was fascinated about how he had trusted in the provisions of God to send him to thousands of km’s away from home as a witness to the Gospel. Faithful servant – reading his blog it felt more like a well written novel of a life changing experience – not for him only but for every person he had met in his 5 week long project trip! As he says: ‘So many stories. So little time’  - these are stories worth sharing with everyone to glorify God, they are stories to share, a testimony in fact, of what we Christians have been called to do as a show of our servant hood. The realization of how this has been so amazingly knitting in well with the series we currently doing at CRU ‘Last Words’ which is a bible study on 2 Timothy – looking at the last words of Paul to Timothy as Alyssa and Lelo would put it and indeed it is – just put me in awe!

I just love this blog! After all its not just some random blog of some random guy from some random place by the name of Zach. He is after all a Christ Ambassad

Goodbye South Africa . . . Hello Bostwana

Take out the red, green yellow and what you have - Botswana's flag!

It's been in the talks for quite some time and excited have it finalised. 950 km's away from Durban, 360 km's from Soweto.  Gaborone, capital city of Botswana - our landing point . . . Bostwana here we come. The end of the year not only ends in a high as I finish of my undergraduate - which has been a thrilling experience in itself. There is alot of uncertainty to what plans will begin to unfold as the year progresses to the end but I am reassured by Mat 6:34 which says don't worry about tomorrow, let it worry about itself.

Anyway, speaking about Bots, ye, its happening end of November. This summer mission project/outreach will be about 9 days long after my exams are finished at the end of the year and I will be going with about 15 other fellow varsity students and staff of Cru on this project as we will be involved in evangelistic outreaches in the community of Gaborone including working at food stations, VBS (Vacation Bible School) with children, as well as the possibility of doing campus ministry. This is an amazing opportunity to teach and be taught and will certainly deepen my relationship with Him. There is alot which has to be done prior to actually boarding the bus jetting off to Bots with the most important is raising a support  team which will be praying for this project. Furthermore I am raising R3000 which will cover boarding, travel, food, etc. I am in prayer about this and that the Lord will provide. Undoubtably He will, I just need to allow Him to guide me in finding the people which will form part of my Support Team. I want to take this opportunity furthermore to challenge you - challenge you to join my support team by investing R100, R200, R300 or whatever you feel good about supporting me with.

There is a great sense of faith in wanting to do this project mostly because next year could possibly be another year of faithfully praying for support (I kid you not!) but still seeking guidance in that.

If you decide to become a part of my financial support team please let me know as soon as possible. Please email be bmadida@gmail.com or call me on 073 833 3345

I'm All Ears (Picture of the week)

I'm all ears! Sitting with Lauren right near the quad discussing her predicaments.

Love, Sex, Dating - Who makes the rules?

Anele really wants to know who makes the rules?

All in a missionary's day - This is Mdu - he and Anele forms part of the awesome team which is interning this year with CRU

Inspired by one of my favorite sermons by North Point Church: ' THE NEW RULES OF LOVE, SEX AND DATING '

gr8 tym wt gr8 gyz

had the privilege of spending the day with a bunch of crazily awesome guys from the states who had visited s.a. durban for a month on their summer vac. with the cru team close by, no hour went past without a thought of how greatful i am to what the lord has blessed me with. more so his grace when we had been caught up in a car accident/ pile up with was pretty neat at how it all worked out – there could have been more of what could have happened being  more tragic then the outcome. we had our cars bumped as we were about to join up with the freeway from spending the whole day with kids from wynburg, few km’s off durban. the guys touched the hearts of many of the kids which they had met and most of the kids had touched their hearts. it’s unbelievable the type of relationships they made with all the kids in 3 days!