Zimbabwe
ITMI partner, Charl van Wyk, his friend and ministry partner, Cozmore, and the other believers ministering in Stone Hill, an impoverished squatters' camp outside Cape Town, South Africa, arranged for 20 young boys from the settlement to go to a camp last summer.
Their response to the camp was moving and thought provoking. Some of the boys came to faith and are continuing to be discipled!
After that was successful, earlier this summer Charl and Cozmore planned a camp for young boys in Zimbabwe, near Gwayi River, where Pastor Penny ministers. ITMI sponsored this outreach.
The boys work together on a team building challenge, building social skills and a sense of "belonging".
ITMI's Charl van Wyk and his son, Jason, with some of the boys.
Cozmore (on the right) with food for the boys.
The boys gather to be discipled by speakers and hear the Gospel.
Thank you!
In a recent post to his blog, Charl listed these 7 benefits of these camps for boys in Africa.
The camps are very helpful in the African environment. They are beneficial to the youth, in that we:
- Clearly present the Gospel and disciple them;
- Teach obedience to God’s Word;
- Make the young men feel that they can “belong” in the Christian covenant community (those who have parents from different tribes or countries struggle with their identity);
- Strengthen their discipline and social skills;
- Cultivate and build Gospel-centred relationships that will be further nurtured by the churches we are partnering with;
- Just bless these very poor village boys;
- Instil in them a vision of victory of Jesus Christ and His Church.
This, camp, too was a great investment in God's Kingdom!
You can see for yourself the inspiring ministry you were apart of in this 2-minute video from Charl.
You can read more about Charl and Cozmore's adventure in Zimbabwe in Charl's recent blog post, including:
- why Charl went from laboring all day to changing into Sunday-best clothes in the bush.
- an exciting new micro-business and ministry venture that packs immense power to bolster the impact of believers in Zimbabwe
- a surprising turn of events in Pastor Penny's bunny-raising business
- what Cozmore thought was hilarious in Zimbabwe
About the Author
Summer Kelley is a writer and follower of Jesus living in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and three kids. She’s had the honor and privilege of telling ITMI’s stories since 2006. Summer loves reading, the outdoors and Coca-Cola Classic.
Charl van Wyk is a full-time missionary and the best-selling author of ‘Shooting Back – The Right and Duty of Self-Defense’. Currently, Charl is working to grow a Christian university, school and church in Central Africa, supporting African pastors with Bibles and bikes, and is a patron of the Organization for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Congo. He speaks internationally and has had numerous newspaper, magazine, radio and television interviews.