p2p team andrew

8/14/2019 P2P Team Andrew

1/14


2/14

Jess, Nic, Peter & Stephanie; Wendy would do 1st Aid & be the photojournalist. John was

the overall team leader, & Shaz was our wonderful Westville home leader, who did a

great job of keeping us in touch with home comforts. Yonni would join us later in theweek, as would Jake (Cob).

Wednesday 9th Jan:

After breakfast & a Team Devotional at the Westville Hall, where most of the team were

staying, we loaded up the cars with supplies for crafts & lunch, & followed Tim out to

Umlazi. We were to spend the next few days at Leonards church, running kids programs

for the Sunday School kids & doing maintenance/renovation work on the trailer/ParkHome which he uses, together with an open-sided marquee, for church services &

activities. (Leonard had come into contact with our community through the Durban BEC,

& has weekly Bible studies with Tim.)

We had been told

to expectapproximately 60

kids, but usually

had 100-120 every

day. Ages variedfrom 2 to 20, &

everyone came

with a keenness &enthusuaism to

take part in the

activities offered.

On this 1st day, the Craftgroup had brought Marie biscuits, icing sugar, food colouring &

sweets for decorating. The kids had great fun mixing the icing sugar with water to make apaste, colouring it different colours, & then coating the

biscuits, before decorating with the sweets. After the biscuits

had dried, they were enthusiastically eaten!

TheDrama group played a game to get to know everyones

names, & the team of Ozzies had a tough time getting their

tongues around the Xhosa sounds! Nick acted out the storyof the Prodigal Son, roping in audience members to play

other roles.

ThePrayergroup played the action game eating/sleeping/praying/reading, which the

kids loved! They talked about prayer & the Kingdom, & the kids were all able to recite

the Lords Prayer, but few had heard about the Kingdom.


3/14

The Sports group went down to a

field in the valley below (rather wet

& muddy after all the rain) & playedvarious games (the kids are all avid

soccer fans, & love to play the game).

The kids were divided into 4 groups,

& each group rotated through each

activity, 2 sessions before lunch, & 2afterwards. Ayanda, a lovely 21 yr old

Sunday school teacher at Leonards

church, was most helpful in

coordinating & translating, & wediscovered, when she led some group

singing, that she also has a lovely

voice.

The Maintenance group measured, poked & prodded, looked serious (not surprising

given the magnitude of the problem), & then went off to track down supplies.

We had brought viennas, buns, tomato sauce, bananas & soft drinks for lunch, but had

catered for half the numbers present, so had to stretch the supplies to cater for all! It was

greatly enjoyed.

During the morning, we had been pleased to meet Leonard & his wife, who arrived to

meet us & approve what we planned to do in regard to the trailer renovations.

At the end of the sessions, we gave all the kids a sucker/lolly or a bag of chips, & said

goodbye for the day. We then had a debriefing session, & a brainstorming of ideas for thefollowing day.

Back at the Hall some made supper, while others went to shop for supplies for the nextday. Later we all attended Bible Class at the Durban Hall, when John Pople gave a

thought-provoking talk on Jephthahs Daughter.

Thursday 10th Jan:

On arrival at Umlazi this morning, theMaintenance crew, together with

helpers from the other groups, quickly

got stuck into the jobs on the trailer:scrubbing the outside walls, painting,

patching, ripping off rotting interior

panels, etc.


4/14

Once the kids started arriving, the groups started their programs:

The Craftgroup painted faces on paper plates & made them into masks with scissors &

string.ThePrayergroup again played the action game, this time changing the actions to

singing into mic/scratching head/sleeping/surprise, & again the kids played very

enthusiastically! They told the story of Jonah, & question time afterwards showed howwell the kids had been paying attention.

The Sports group played several games, eg Tunnel ball, which incorporated the girls as

well (the previous day they had not been too enthusiastic about joining in the soccer).TheDrama group joined the sports group down on the field as they had more space there

for their songs & activities.

Things flowed more smoothly as we improved onthe previous day. Each kid had a number written

on the back of his/her hand, so that were able to

keep track of which group each was in. This

helped with rotating groups to activities &management of lunch.

After a debriefing session, we went back to the

Westville Hall, & later everyone went to a South

African style restaurant Moyas at UShaka, &

had a relaxing evening.

Friday 11th Jan:

The maintenance work started in earnest as soon as everyone arrived, well before the kids

were scheduled to appear, as there was a lot to achieve that day. We had also lost Team

Lydia, who were leaving South Africa to return home, & so we had fewer hands to do the

work. We were pleased to add Jake (Cob) to our Team! It was also hotter.

We modified our groups: Sports Stephanie & Jake/Jeremy;Drama Nick & Jenny;

Prayer Gabi; Crafts Karli & Jess; Maintenance Stephen E, Stephen H, Donna May,

Jeremy, Jake, Matt & Yonni.

The Crafts group drew pictures, with some very artistic results, & everyone was keen to

have an individual photo taken. ThePrayergroup heard the story of Daniel in the Lions

Den, & the kids again responded well to the quiz afterwards, showing that they hadlistened well. Gabi adapted the action song this time to prayer/Daniel/Darius/lion. The

Drama & Sports groups again enjoyed various games & activities down in the field.

After lunch (same menu) had been served & enjoyed, the kids went on to their 2nd two

sessions, & the Maintenance crew worked hard to get the jobs done. Work was

progressing well: new plywood boards for interior walls were attached & primed, &

Donna May primed the door; outside painting continued as well. After the kids activities


5/14


6/14


7/14

the road from the N2 to Coffee Bay is paved, the potholes are many, deep & bone

shaking. This, together with the persistent rain, low cloud & fog, & then the slippery

muddy dirt road for the last 10km, made the ride quite hair-raising, & kept John on histoes! Our prayers were intensified when we had to make two attempts to get up a muddy

hill that defied our first efforts. By Gods grace we avoided the ditch & made it to the

top!!

We were very happy to meet Team Peterat the Backpackers Lodge, where they had been

since the previous afternoon, having finished their stint at Candu. They made supper forus all, & we sat chatting, sharing experiences, & learning about Candu & what projects

we could do there. The accommodation was very comfortable, & we enjoyed hot showers

(the last forTeam Andrewfor the next 5 days!) & comfortable beds!

Tuesday 15th Jan:

Everyone woke up in dribs & drabs some hopeful souls even got up at 4am hoping tosee the sunrise, but no luck, due to the persistent cloud & fog! However the blue sky was

attempting to break through, & the rain had stopped. After toast & tea/coffee forbreakfast, we all packed up, Team Peterto hit the road for Durban, & TeamAndrewto

head for Candu. We decided to leave together & go in convoy, due to the state of the

road. We were much relieved to find that the visibility was vastly improved & the road

much drier. John was feeling competitive & overtook several of Team Peters cars, muchto the nervousness of his passengers!

We stopped to fill up with petrol just before getting back on to the N2, & Wendy tookover the driving. Then occurred the first of 2 incidents that became the subject of much

teasing over the next few days: she was stopped for speeding. The police officer, on

seeing her Canadian drivers license, was very kind & let her go without a fine!

We arrived at

Candu withoutfurther

incident, thanks

to Gods caring

Hand. Theturnoff was

very easy to

see, as Team

Peterhad made

& erected a

sign to indicateit.

There our Bro

Templeton met


8/14


9/14


10/14

Karlie made us scrambled

eggs & cooked tomatoesfor breakfast. (We were

using a 2-plate portable

cook top & a slow cookerfor cooking & the kettle.

Water was fetched from

rainwater tanks outside thehall, & we boiled this. We

had brought bottles of

drinking water with us. We

washed dishes in a bigplastic bowl. We had Wet

Wipes instead of showers

for the week, but there

were flush toilets. Thedam was full, thanks to the preceding rains.)

After breakfast, Templeton, Nick & Wendy went into Idutywa for supplies. This was the

occasion for the 2nd of the 2 incidents previously noted: The 3 of us were having such an

interesting, animated conversation that Wendy failed to notice the sign posting the

decrease in speed as we approached Idutywa. As we came around the corner, she waspulled over, & we got out to process the infraction. Templeton, able to speak Xhosa, was

a wonderful asset, & he took the opportunity to discuss the Gospel with the police

officers, & left them with some literature to read.

We then proceeded at a legal speed into the town, & to the Empumalaga Store. This store

was comprehensive in its stocks, & we were able to get most of our building & groceryneeds here, as well as buy more Kwh for the power meter. Wendy bought a big bag of

stewing lamb for the following days meal.

A most rewarding part of the visit to town was to see Templeton at work preaching, & to

be part of it ourselves. We were wearing our Good News of the Kingdom of God T-

shirts, & had the car magnets on the side of the car, which proclaimed the same message.

People would stop & ask us about it, & Templeton would launch into a Xhosaexplanation, & would leave them with something to read. When English was understood,

we would add our bit to the exchanges. The daily visits that Templeton made into

Idutywa with members of the team enabled much preaching, & were a positive spin-off.

When we got back, we found that the others were worried as we had been away for so

long. As we drove on to the property, Nick couldnt wind the window down fast enoughto tell the others about Wendys speeding fine.

Karlie had applied the 1st coat of varnish to the kitchen countertop, & it was looking very

smart. The guys were continuing with the building operation, & it was progressing well.


11/14

After the preschool children left at about 3pm, Wendy gave a talk on Health & Hygiene,

which lasted for about 2 hours, as there were so many questions & concerns. She thenstarted doing individual medical consultations for the ecclesial members. This adjourned

for the day at about 8pm, & she promised to continue the following morning.

Jenny & Karlie had made pasta for dinner, & the preschool tables & chairs were set out.

After Matts chair collapsed under him, we made sure that we chose the sturdy ones! Jess

was feeling really unwell, so instead of a Devotional, which she had been scheduled togive, everyone bombarded John with tough Bible questions.

The end to another busy day!

Friday 18th Jan:

When we woke up we were without

electricity for 2-3 hours, & were relievedwhen it came on again. Our morning

tea/coffee was somewhat delayed!

Some of the guys & Templeton went off toIdutywa again for more supplies to finish off the jobs. The shade shelter was coming

along really well, & John was busily engaged in painting something like Worldwide

brothers & sisters in Christ in Xhosa on the corrugated sheets that would form the roof.The hope was that they would be seen from the road on the hillside, but we later

discovered that they were not. Hopefully they will be visible to small planes flying over,

or even perhaps Google Earth!

Wendy alternated between cook & doctor

this morning! With the help of sistersFelicia & Vivienne, she got a fire going &

borrowed Templetons #6 black cast iron

pot. In this she got a huge lamb stew

cooking, & between the 3 of them theykept it bubbling all day. They thought she

would make a good Xhosa wife!

At the same time Wendy saw more

ecclesial members for personal medical

consultations, & sent a couple off to thelocal clinic with recommendations for

treatment or investigations.


12/14

The guys finished off the shade shelter, which looked

very good, & used rebar to tack the sections of

playground equipment down. John also did someadjustments with an angle grinder, at which he

managed to look quite proficient! Steve finished off

the countertop, & Jess was working busily on thelaptop, trying to put together a PowerPoint

presentation of our activities for the final meeting of

all the Teams the following night. Nick, Karlie &Jenny had again entertained & educated the preschool

kids that day, & all had a great time.

Just as we were getting ready toserve all, including the ecclesial

members & children, with the

potjie stew at 5pm, 3 sisters from

Butterworth arrived for theBreaking of Bread we were

having that evening. It was

wonderful to meet them & havethem join us. Templeton had

given us a cabbage & spinach from his garden, which complemented the lamb, &

everyone enjoyed the meal. The pot was almost scraped clean!

We started the Breaking of Bread service

later, Robert presiding, & John gave theexhortation. He spoke about the man who

was let down through the roof by his

friends to see Jesus, & how we should

have the same strong desire to meet withJesus. Nick (violin), Steve (saxophone),

& Jess (trumpet) accompanied the

singing, which was done in both English& Xhosa, & was wonderfully musical &

heartfelt.

After the meeting, the brethren & sisters requested a Bible Class, & so, after a break to

make coffee, John gave a class on Demons.

After further chatting & a photo session, everyone departed, John taking some local


13/14


14/14

memories to take with us, & what motivation & encouragement to continue the Lords

work wherever we may be. We had been truly blessed!

We pray for the soon return of our Lord & the establishment of the kingdom that we have

been proclaiming! May many more hear & respond before that day

Wendy Johnsen

Team Andrew

p2p team andrew

Documents