South Africa 2012

South Africa was a trip of a lifetime for everyone who went. The first Sunday we got there we went to a church in a village that was never visited by white people before. When we got into the church the people were so excited to see us so they started singing before the pastor even got there. Their signing was absolutely beautiful. It was as if they were pouring out their whole soul in every word they sang.  It was a very poor village but for everything they did  they praised God. We learned so much from them.

The next day we went to Theocentric Christian College. We were all a little nervous because we weren’t quite sure what to expect when we got there. When we stepped out of the van we could see tons of kids looking out the window of a building that was across from us. All of the kids had the biggest smiles on their faces. As we started walking towards that building all the kids started to scream. As we got closer all of the class rooms emptied and hundreds of kids came running out and gave us hugs and tackled us to the ground. It was one of the greatest experiences of all of our lives. Every day during the week we helped out in different classes. Both the team and the kids loved it. We all built relationships with the kids in our classes. The last day at Theocentric was sad for everyone; it was really hard to leave the kids. Even in only one week we had strong relationships with all the kids.

After school on Thursday, Friday, and on Saturday morning, we ran a youth revival at a church near Theocentric. The church service went very well. Every service five of us  had the opportunity to share their testimonies. The reactions we got from the youth while doing our testimonies was amazing. While we were talking they were giving us so much support with shouting and nodding at what we said. God also used Mr. Park at the church. Every day he delivered a sermon. His sermons were remarkable and touched every single person there. The way they worshipped at the youth revival was amazing. They had a worship band that sang like I have never heard before, they were awesome. Before the pastor there would let Mr. Park preach, he made us all take some time to dance with the people. Sometimes this would last around 10 minutes of just praising God by dancing. Amazing.

The final thing we did in Africa was Kruger Park. It was an experience that brought us closer to God. The stuff we saw at that park, the landscapes and the animals were all proof that God was such a creative artist. There was beauty everywhere; whether it was a zebra or an elephant, or even a sunset we could see that it all came from God.  This trip was an amazing experience and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to go. I hope that someday I will have the blessing of being able to go back to South Africa.

By Devon Van Hoffen and Tallia Bezemer. Check back soon for photos.

Read about the team in the Limpopo Mirror: Young people must be light in the world