Troubadoer DTS students talk about their experience on the school

Attending the 3ed term ELS Graduation

This term has come to an end and yesterday Mariska and I  had the privilege to attend our English Language School (ELS) graduation for the third term. With students from Angola , Korea, Chile and Brazil it was a fun affair with much bubbling and talking as we sat down for a lovely breakfast. The school had about 40 plus students divided between four levels and  is very popular for those wanting to learn English . Many of the students are on their way to the mission field and learning English is the next step they need to take to reach their goal.  Certificates were handed out and good buys where said to those finishing their fourth and final level. Students had the opportunity to introduce fellow students and teachers , all in English, of course and it was great to see them step out and speak in public in their newly acquired language. I commended them for their courage and encouraged them to go on and accomplish everything that God has called them to do.  Soon the new term will start and the new intake of students will start to arrive.

Girls choir School Eisteddfod

Both Rozelle and Chané have been part of their schools Choirs this term taking part in the school Eisteddfod. Below are the two choirs performing. Both Choirs got above 90% for their performances on the day. 

Life on the YWAM base......

It is winter in the Boland and the rain is falling outside. The rain is needed  and every drop is welcome. Here at the YWAM base we are trusting God for more of his spiritual rain to be poured out on us daily (Eph 5:18).

We currently have two outreach teams visiting us. The one is from Korea and is being lead by one of our previous staff members that has gone back to Korea and is now working as a pastor of a church. He brought a group of the young people from his church to come and do an outreach here in South Afirca and they have been working in and around Worcester for the past week.They have been active on the farms and especially reaching out to the young people at the farm schools. We also have a team here from the Netherlands that will be working here for the next three weeks. They have a specific focus on working with the Kibbutz in Worcester but will also be reaching out to other areas of the local community.  (Kibbutz El-Shammah is a multi-purpose community centre run by a ywamer). 


Villiersdorp is one of our neighboring towns and last week a team from YWAM Worcester went there for a week of ministry, teaching and informing. Their focus was on drug abuse and healthy Godly families. They spoke to the children in their classes, during the school hall meetings and in the Hostels in the evenings. The testimony of a former Heroine addict that is now disabled after a drug overdose made a lasting impact and also brought hope as they see the transformation that Jesus brings. 


In closing I would like to tell you about our intercession outreach we had this week. Everyone present was encouraged to break up in smaller groups, hear from God and obey whatever God told them to do or where He told them to go. With great excitement and a little bit of fear the groups left the Glory Hall and went on their different assignments. Already we have heard some beautiful testimonies of how God ministered physical healing as well as emotional encouragement  and blessing to people in town. Tonight during our community meeting we will have a time of feedback and I look forward to hearing more stories of what God has done.

River Sounds

Being in the outdoors and enjoying Gods beautiful nature and listening to the sound of a river flowing is most probably one of the most relaxing things you can do. Today that is exactly what I did and enjoying the time with my family in the mountains was such a great pleasure that I decided to share a little bit of the experience with everyone. So relax and enjoy the sound of the running river and for a moment imagine yourself in the Du Toits Kloof Mountains sitting next to the river.

As the term draws to an end.....

We are at the end of our second term of 2011 and as usual this is an eventful and busy time as all the schools come to an end and the outreach teams prepare to go to their different destinations. On Wednesday night I attended the final presentation of the Humanities and International school students research projects. They each had ten minutes to present the research on the topic of their choice that they had been working on throughout the school. Last night we commissioned the BCC (Bible Core Course) students as they finish their three months lecture phase and for the first time on the base this specific school is planning to go on outreach to apply and impart that which they have learned during their lecture phase. They will  be going to Mozambique for four weeks to work in a town called Xai Xai. Then we also have the TDTS (Troubadour Discipleship Training School) that ended their lecture phase this week and within the next 10 days the three different student teams will be leaving to Kenya, Mozambique and the Western Cape for their outreach. For now the base is quieting down,  getting ready for the third term that will start on the 3rd of July.

African Drums, surrendering to Jesus and enjoying God's presence.

Starting with an African drum presentation led by one of our staff members from Congo, last nights Community meeting started with an excitement and expectation to meet with God. And we were not disappointed. We had a great time in God's presence during worship and as we waited to hear from God. He spoke to us about living our life in surrender to Jesus. There is only one way to have a fulfilled and blessed life and this comes by following His principles. This theme was built on by Portia, our speaker for the evening from  Zimbabwe, and currently one of our staff members. Radical obedience, waiting on God and surrendering to Him were some of the highlights of her message. Below is a short video clip of part of the drum presentation.The drummers are all students from our English Language school. 

The Family Ministry School graduated this past week.

The Family Ministry School that is run our out base graduated this week after their three months lecture phase and two months practical outreach phase. Watch a power point presentation of the school by clicking on the video above. The presentation was made by one of the school staff members.

Bore Hole Project in Zimbabwe

This past week we got great news as it was reported back to us that the bore hole project, that we as the YWAM Worcester leadership team have been facilitating, is completed. The idea was started by the Children in need DTS that went to Zimbabwe at the end of last year and beginning 2011. They were not able to complete the project and it was handed down to the leadership team to bring to completion. We were able to make contact with a Korean missionary working in Zimbabwe ( a friend of Yongwoo, who is part of our leadership team). He was able to do all the practical arrangements for us on that side and we are now so thankful to be able to report that the project has been completed.

I include a short extract of the letter to those that contributed and helped with the project written by Bruno Guntelach , base director of YWAM Worcester.

"It is my great pleasure to inform you that the bore hole in Murehwa Zimbabwe has been completed.

They found good water 25m under ground and continued boring until 40m to secure the future water supply.

Find attached a picture of the completed well.

It was a very successful project which drew the people of the village together. For the Korean missionary, Shin Byeng-Soo (left on the picture), it was a brilliant opportunity of building more relationships as part of his church planting project.

A big thank you to all the donors. Your generosity enables a whole village to have access to safe water, all year around."

Monday morning

As I walked into the Glory Hall this morning I could feel the buzz and as I looked around I noticed the reason for the excitement and this is that our Classic DTS outreach teams are all back from the two months outreaches in India, Mozambique and South Africa. It was great to see them again after two months and hear some of their testimonies of Gods goodness during the outreach time. The India team was specially grateful for Gods protection as there were a few instances where they had some close encounters, but God protected them every time. The students will be graduating on Thursday night and another DTS chapter will come to an end as a new one starts in each one of their lives.

The worship time was great as God spoke to us about our first love and surrendering to him. As the multi nation (Brazil, Finland, South Africa, Madagascar and Zambia) worship team lead us into his presence we could sense His presence and different ones from the staff and students came with words that confirmed each other. What a privilege it is to be able to hear Gods voice and to be able to allow him to speak to us and for us to be able to respond to his voice. 

As the one team arrives back I was helping another group, our Bible Core Course team prepare to go on their outreach to Mozambique. They plan to go into the rural areas of Mozambique to teach the pastors there the inductive Bible study method that they have been applying and using the last three months. 

Please pray with us for Mariska's Mother.

This week has been one of quick decisions with the result of having to buy an on-line air plane ticket and Mariska leaving for Johannesburg the next day. The reason for this is that Mariska's Mother has undergone a major neck operation that took eight hours of surgery. Mariska new that she wanted to go and support her Mom but we were not sure of the timing. After waking up from the operation her Mother asked for her and we felt that she needed to go and be with her. The last few months her Mom's health has been deteriorating and she basicly lost all control of her mussels in her body to the point that she was bed ridden. So far it seems that the operation was an success and she has started to recover some of the movement in her hands. Please continue to pray with us for full recovery for her Mother and also for Mariska as she supports her during this time.

Mothers Day

Sunday night Mariska attended a special Mothers day supper organized for all the mothers on the YWAM base. According to Mariska, she has never seen the Glory Hall so beautifully decorated.  Unfortunately I was still on my way back from Bethlehem where I attended the regional base leaders meetings and could not attend the evening. Mariska had a great time and enjoyed the fellowship, delicious food and beautiful song items from one our staff members from Finland. What a wonderful privilege to celebrate this special day with other mothers from different countries around the world. 

Regional leadership gathering for YWAM Southern Africa

This past weekend I had the privilege to attend the annual regional leadership gathering for YWAM Southern Africa in Bethlehem in the Free State. It was great to see everyone again and to hear their stories. Many of the attendees have been on our base at some time or another and seeing them again is always a great experience.  There were 20 different ministries/bases represented at the meeting. The time was well spent as we listened to God's voice and tried to follow His leading throughout the weekend meetings. The highlight of the weekend was giving each ministry an opportunity to share where they are at and what are their needs. The rest of the leaders there then had the opportunity to minister and pray for them. It was exciting to see so many new and young leaders attending and to hear about their pioneering journies that they are on. Apart from South Africa there were also representatives from Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana and Lesotho. Thank you to the Bethlehem team for their great hospitality and hosting us in such a fantastic way.

Watch this space. First Blog entry to follow soon.