We have arrived safely for another 3 month term in South Africa. We landed on August 13 with 5 new interns. We have reunited with 2 interns that have stayed in South Africa throughout the year, so our total team consists of 7 interns.
The new team is bonding well and works together well. We have had a lot of fun getting to know them and introducing them into the South African culture.
Prior to our arrival, we had a plan to begin and establish new ministry within the local schools. However, within days of our arrival, the public service workers went on strike. This means that public schools have no teachers and hospitals have no nurses. Needless to say this has put a damper on our original plans of school ministry. We drove through the township after the strike began and we found children on the streets with nothing to do. One pastor said that this is part of the reason why children and youth get into drugs--because they have nothing else to do. We have felt an urgency to revamp our original ministry plan to meet the needs of the community as they are today.
We have begun training local congregations in using 17 Stories. 17 Stories is a tool that we have recently started to use in South Africa. Every set of 17 Stories consists of 16 picture cards, each telling a different Bible story. For example, the first card displays a picture of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Another card is a picture of Noah and the Ark. Throughout the 16 picture cards, stories from the Old Testament to the New Testament are represented. Each card is accompanied by a written version of the story for the teacher, along with discussion questions and a game to play that emphasizes the story. The 17th story is one big picture that the child can find when he/she puts all the 16 story cards together and flips them over. This last picture combines stories from the Old and New Testament. It serves as a reminder for the child of all the stories they learned and how it applies to their life. The goal of 17 Stories is not only for the child to learn what the Bible says, but we also want the child to be able to go home and tell their families the stories using the cards they are able to keep and take home with them.
Please continue to pray for us as we plan ministry for the next 3 months. Please also pray that the strike will end soon so we can reach as many kids as possible in the school system. Please pray for continued unity among our team and Spiritual growth individually and as a group.
