BAMBALELA!!!

So we seem to be getting into the swing of things here at Youth With a Mission Bethlehem. Wake up is at 6:30, breakfast is at 7, then we either have quiet time or praise and worship for an hour and then class starts around nine. I love the classes. This past week our classes focused on quiet time and the meaning of intercession. Oh my goodness, I could just sit there and soak it all up for hours. Especially intercession! Friday morning we sat in the hall for three hours and just waited for the Lord to speak to us. It was amazing. Dan, one of the leaders from Nigeria, began an intercession for Elizabeth and Wilma. It was one of the most moving things I think I have ever experienced. By the end I think all fifteen of us were in tears!

Friday afternoon we went into Bocholochong for the first time. We were just going to go in and walk around a little bit, introduce ourselves to some of the people there, since we're not starting our official ministry there til next week. It was unbelievable being there. I have never seen anything like it, not even in India. All of our vehicles from the base have YWAM written on them, and as we pulled into the camp about fifty children came running out of their houses, their shacks really, screaming BAMBALELA! (Bambalela is the name of our ministry there, it means hold on to Jesus.) When we got out of the cars the little ones just came running up to us with their arms outstretched, grabbing on to our legs or hands or whatever they could reach, just wanting to be held. We walked around the entire camp, and I held this little Sosotho boy the entire time, he was just nuzzling his face in my shoulder. Uh, I can't wait to go back! About half way through the camp this unbelievable storm came about with some of the loudest thunder I have ever heard so we all had to make a mad dash back to the vehicles, but we were still completely soaked through and then had to go do the grocery shopping for the next week at the base dripping through the Pik'n'Pay downtown. The rain came before I got to take any pictures, but I will be sure to take some next week.

Weekends are completely free here, so last night we went and rented some movies and the entire DTS piled into the common room of the girls dorm to watch Sunshine (Cillian Murphy, Melissa!). As we were sitting there all curled up I think that most of our minds kept wandering back to the children of Bocholochong who were sitting in their probably still in their wet tattered clothes, in their leaky shacks, with their neglectful parent. There are over 600 children living in Bocholchong, and considering the number of AIDS pamphlets and billboards in the camp it is probbably safe to say that at least half of them are HIV positive. Please keep the families of Bocholochong in your prayers.

This morning twelve of us went into town and just wandered around for a few hours. There is supposed to be a storm this evening, so a group of us are going to go swimming in the dam before the rain makes it too cold to. Church tomorrow! I'll try and post with some pictures sometime early next week. Thank you guys for keeping up with this!

- C
Matthew 19:14