After the camp ended, we had few days together as team still before, Jennifer and Jenni left back for Belgium. I was staying till May 1st, trying to meet as many people as possible, arranging some visa requirement for the big move in September but also just enjoying my time in South Africa.
It was an incredible 3 weeks in South Africa for me, meeting a lot of great people, reconnecting with some of my friends who work in the mission field in Hoopstad and Tikwana.
Got a chance to talk to sit down with the pastors of the church who will be partnering with us, meeting with a missionary friend from Zimbabwe, who also lives in Hoopstad.
I also spent some time in Tikwana, went to some soccer practices from the bible school in Tikwana.
Kaytee who also helped us in the camp, he leads practices everyday, to keep the kids busy and off the streets. He has about 35 kids from all different ages. At the moment he does this alone, since the other volunteers are helping in the creche or with other work. It’s truly great that Kaytee took this responsibility on him and is paving the way for sport ministry to happen in Tikwana. Please pray for him and all of his work in Tikwana.
I also went to one of the other churches in Tikwana to talk to the pastor. And it was great to be welcomed with open arms. The church I met is a NG Kerk (Dutch reformed) in Tikwana, is the same type of church as the one in Hoopstad that will partner with us. So it’s great to be in contact with them for the future and see how we can partner when we move in September.
I also met people in Hoopstad, I was able to visit the school in Hoopstad and build on the friendships I made in my previous years. I visited with Elsabee’s class, she is the wife of the pastor in Hoopstad, but also teaches at a special needs class. Every time I am in Hoopstad i visit the class, tell some stories and lead games. These kids have so much joy and love to give and every time I visit the class it really melts my heart. It is great to be present at the school and talking to the kids, hearing how they have grown and what is going on in their lives. I also got the chance to go to the VCSV evening, this is the youth group of Hoopstad. Every Monday evening they have an evening where the youth comes and has some worship, they’ll share a bible verse with the youth and then split up in different small groups where they’ll have a bible lessons and can talk about the lesson of the day. Its the seniors of the school that lead the small groups and it’s great to see youth stepping up and taking on leadership. I got the opportunity to share a bit about my life but also share about James 2:14 (talking about actions that back up your faith).
One of the biggest things i did was go to Bloemfontein and participate in the "It’s time conference". This was a prayer conference to pray for the country of South Africa. This was a incredible event, where preparation started only 6 weeks in advance after a man calling the nation together to pray for the country. Over a million people came together in Bloemfontein to pray. It was incredibly powerful to pray alongside so many people from different nations. And it was truly a highlight of my trip to South Africa. Please keep South Africa in your prayers and the ministry that we are trying to start up in Hoopstad. Pray for the right opportunities and the guidance from God.
There were a lot more meetings and talks going and visa process been made during my time in Hoopstad. I am processing in a good way for my visa and hope to submit my visa request at the South African embassy by the end of this month. I am still working on raising my support to 100%, since my last blog i raised it to 820 Euro, so still 180 Euro to raise to reach my goal of 1000.
If you have it on your heart to partner with me, please keep it in your prayers.
You can always contact me on my email kenneth@sportquest.be
Thanks for everyone supporting me and coming alongside in prayer.