Battle Zone 2008

Praise God, we have returned to Jo-burg from Battle Zone Camp in Magaliesburg. We had a great time getting to know new friends from several youth groups and enjoying the beauty of God's Creation.

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and got settled in to our dorms. Some of the team was a little more accustomed to "roughing it" than others. Our dorms were warm and dry and it was only a short walk to the bath house (bathrooms separate from the dorms? aaagghhhh :) After dinner, we had our first of five training sessions in personal evangelism from Pastor Mike Nielson (we had worked with him last Saturday with the outreach in Germiston).

Over the two days of camp, we sang, dug into God's Word, both by ourselves and together, performed both dramas, played a number of games, memorized verses, enjoyed tea time twice a day, saw lots of interesting wildlife (and some pretty big bugs as well) and had a blast! We divided the camp into six teams and each selected their team name and came up with a team war cry. In the end it was "Team Sparkles" (inspired by Josh) that blew the other teams away, due in large part to their memorizing so many verses. One of the highlights for the SA08 team was that each drama team got to train the other campers in their skit so that they could perform them later this year when they have S.M.A.S.H., a short-term missions trip. It was so neat to see God use what we have prepared to then be passed on to others who will use it to reach even more for God's glory.

The weather was absolutely beautiful, as usual, even with a mid-day hailstorm (Steve was enthralled with the fact that ice was falling from the sky) and lightning shower. It passed over about an hour later, and that evening, gave us a beautiful lightning show on the horizon. Meanwhile, the sky overhead was clear, giving us a great view of Venus and the Southern Cross. We just don't get to see anywhere near that many stars in NJ, and, of course, none of these stars anywhere in the northern hemisphere.

Another highlight was the ropes course. It not only helped build teamwork but gave us some great laughs and pictures too. Following a final challenge this morning from Mr. Naz, the team said their goodbye's and headed back home for phone calls and dinner at "The Compound" (the name we've affectionately given to the camp on the hill, where we've stayed).

Tomorrow, we head for the Rhino Park and then run the evening youth group at EBC Bosmont.

Please continue to praise God for:

• Continued safety, team unity, and encouragement.
• Our new friends.
• The training we've received in sharing our faith with others.

Please join us in praying for

• Even more opportunities to be a witness in our final two days here.
• Youth group tomorrow and two church services on Sunday.
• Renewed energy. We are still excited, but very tired.

Praise God for what He is doing.