We just returned from the 2010 Hebron Haven Youth Conference in the Midlands (farming country in between Johannesburg and Durban). It was an amazing experience and I enjoyed giving classes as well as sitting in on other brethren’s classes. South Africa brethren have a unique ability to cohesively integrate story-telling into their classes that not only grabs the attention but perfectly conveys and gels with, at-times-complex, points in the Bible to easily explain them. This is especially helping with teaching the bible to young people and keeps them interested.
Many South African young people age 10 up to about 25-years-old attended from as far away as Hazy View in Kruger National Park down to Candu. Most kids were from the Durban and Johannesburg areas. There were bible classes all morning, fun games and activities in the afternoon, night-time programs, and devotions interspersed throughout the day. Some of the other missionary volunteers provided a hymn sing concert on their guitars one night out under the stars, and it was a perfectly clear night to enjoy the music and gaze at the night’s sky. Megan took guitar lessons this week during one of the afternoon classes and she’s getting fairly proficient at playing her chords. We slept under a thatch roof all week, which was a uniquely African experience.
We saw plenty of baboons on the drive back through the Drakensburg Mountains on the way home. Laura Iredale from England is staying with us for 2 weeks doing missionary work with us in the area, and Lena from Hazy View is staying here at our rental home with us until her bus leaves Sunday morning to take her back home to her parents.
The 2010 Hebron Haven Youth Conference held in the Midlands of South Africa.
Teaching a class on Little Words/Big Meanings in the Bible (parallels with LITTLE, young people in attendance with BIG potential in life).
Happy, cheerful students is always nice to have in a class.
Bro. Craig Blewett’s class on Proverbs... my personal favorite.
Singing hymns with such a vocal, melodic group is a joy.
If he wasn’t so disgustingly gross, he would be kind of cute. We literally ran into this guy right outside where we’re staying. It seems he’s the camp mascot and there’s a greater chance of him eating us than vice-versa. He was quite content to root around and graze about the camp right next to where people sleep. Interesting fact: pigs never stop growing in their whole lifetime (that means this guy must be something like 110 years old).
Missionary volunteers from England, Australia, South Africa… and two Americans indulge in some chocolates during an afternoon break at a local chocolate shop. Yummy!
The site where Nelson Mandela was arrested is just a mile down the road from the Hebron Haven Conference Center.
The Midlands is farming country with rolling hills, reminiscent of Missouri terrain back home.
A meandering river running through Midlands farming country.
Vineyards in the Midlands next to a winery.
Some of the missionary volunteers from England, South Africa, and America during afternoon break in between activities. From left: Ellie, Mat, Lieszl, Megan, Hendri.
-- Hebron Haven 2010 Youth Conference Talent Show --
BRIEF VIDEO CLIP EXCERPTS
(this is not your average bible school talent show, check out these amazing video clips)
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