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Africa project visits update
Fortunate enough to have another short period of time off in October 2008 to escape the calamitous economic and business environment for a time, Nick Marsh travelled to Southern Africa for another trip in the Landrover – some lovely holiday and a chance to visit a number of JMT’s supported projects in South Africa and Mozambique.
A few days in Johannesburg gave the chance to meet up and visit a few of the projects there:
MAP programme at Melville Union Church – Dave West was very encouraged about the progress in the MAP programme in 2008 and in particular the development and role that Cameron had played; the costs of having Cameron on the programme have been supported by JMT over the last year, and it was great to meet him and hear about all he has learnt and experienced over the past year, which has involved lots of work with students, attending JBC courses and helping with Thembalethu (both of which are also JMT projects!). Dave was further very excited about 2009 – although it will see two Australian MAP workers leave (who’d had their own financial support), two further local South Africans would join the team, and encouragingly Dave had found financial support for these two, whilst JMT has agreed to continue to support Cameron.
Thembalethu Ministries – always a highlight for me to visit and hear about Thembalethu (since I was involved in starting it, and still sit on the Management Committee, and take an especially keen interest!), it was even more encouraging than I’d imagined – the work has developed significantly with ~30 boys regularly involved. The appointment this year of Todd as a part-time worker has had a massive impact, and he has built fantastic relationships with the boys; the only challenge remains that they could do so so much more!! The need for a full-time worker is evident and will be the focus for 2009 – it is amazing how the work has grown.
Johannesburg Bible College (JBC) and Soweto Community Church – I had a joint meeting with Nat Schluter (who runs JBC) and Sihle Mooi (who both lectures at JBC, is setting up the Soweto campus of JBC and has started the new SCC church in Soweto). Once again, I’m in danger or becoming very repetitive in how encouraging it was to meet with these guys – JBC has gone from strength to strength, with a graduation of ~40 students this year, and the prospect of ~60-70 students for 2009 at its Auckland Park campus. Further, they are close to securing their own premises, which will provide more capacity and flexibility, and will begin a new Soweto campus in 2009, expanding there will open up many more opportunities for people there to train. We also discussed a new sponsorship programme of bursaries to be offered to students who can’t afford the fees / living costs, which will be partial bursaries in conjunction with their local churches. Sihle has also led a year of change and huge progress in planting a new church in the heart of Soweto, and together with a band of loyal and gifted volunteers (music, teaching, children) they have invested all their efforts into the church which has grown massively.
Next stop was Cape Town, from where I would start my overland Land Rover trip with friends Colin Brown and Sean Garvey, but before the kitting and packing of the Landy could start, I visited our Arise project in the Cape Flats, and also to discuss the prospect of a new initiative at the same Cape Flats church (in the impoverished Heideveld area), working with them to enable a local ministry apprentice to be taken on, working with the local community (more on that - now a JMT project - on our website).
Arise – a new project in 2008, it was great to be back at St Thomas’ Heideveld, where the project is based in middle of the Cape Coloured community on the infamous Cape Flats, close to the Mitchell’s Plain and Khayelitsha informal settlements. The project has two streams concerned with looking after vulnerable young children – one, is caring for children in ‘crisis’ (e.g. abandoned, abused) and the second, is working and caring with children in the community before it reaches crisis. For the latter, JMT had supported the employment of a part-time local worker to run after schools clubs and holiday clubs to build relationships and council young children; Bridget who runs that role has done a great job, and the pictures and stories of clubs growing has been fantastic.
The Trip (mostly holiday bit..)..
Following a hectic 5 days of visiting projects and getting ready, we left from Colin’s farm in Stanford heading for a challenging trip through the Northern Cape, across a remote border into Botswana and the Kalahari Desert. We would then spend several days crossing the remote southern section of the desert, bush camping and trying to spot some animals! With over 3,000kms to cover to Maun (gateway to the Okavango Delta) in just 8 days, and some of it in heavy sand, it was always going to be tough! It was a fantastic first leg of the trip – despite long days on the road and temperatures hitting the high 30s in the blistering Kalahari dry heat without a piece of shade in sight, we moved from stunning campsite to the next… staying almost exclusively in national parks and reserves, we were out bushwalking at night looking for animals (!) and camping totally on our own – big camp fires, fillet steaks and good Cape wine!
Camping in Kalahari Desert, Botswana Travelling team - Sean, Colin, Emily and Nick
The highlight was no doubt the Mabuasehube section of the Kgladiladi Transfrontier Park in Botswana – deep in the Kalahari and deep in sand! – it was like a personal wilderness, with hyenas and jackals trotting through our camp.
Eventually reaching Maun after 5 days in the dusty desert, we picked up Emily for 4/5 days through the Okavango Delta – one can’t say too much about the Delta, one of my favourite areas, and we had fantastic experiences, not least encountering a wide range of game in our camp area whilst we were having dinner – hyenas, honey badgers and a leopard we met on foot being the most ‘pulse-raising’!!
From Botswana, Emily and Nick travelled across Zambia and Malawi, visiting the stunning South Luwanga Park for a few more days of game tracking, and eventually on to the remote northern Mozambique, cutting cross-country through the hilly areas of Gurue to hit the white-beached and deserted coast north of Quelimane. A few typically long, hot and tough Mozambican travelling days brought us to the final JMT project visit, at Vila Maninga:
Northern mozambican bridge to cross.... Frikkie De Jager with some Vila Maninga orphans
Vila Maninga – seeing the De Jagers after all they had been through this year (with Fred’s very near death from a flesh-eating bacteria) was inspirational – they were brimming with energy and enthusiasm for the latest plans at Vila. The orphan village has been completely rebuilt after the fire, and is much improved – now enclosed and with better sanitation facilities. Also, a new old people’s home is under construction, which will give the now 6/7 old people a wonderful place to live and be cared for. The plans for bible teaching have changed a bit – with the model moving towards more conference-based teaching, as opposed to fully residential, where more ministers currently in work, can be helped and taught. Lots more plans in the pipeline – the eucaplyptus plantation is progressing, if slower than desired, following a year of floods, and Vila may soon get mainline electricity which will reduce the dependence on diesel-run generator.
Juanita De Jager at the new home for the elderly Eucalyptus nursery doing well this year
Overall, such an amazing trip and encouragement at all the JMT projects – wonderful above all to see the love and faithfulness of all those that run the projects and put so much in, and how much God has blessed them all. It was also a fantastic time back in the continent I love so much - such a privilege! Anyone interested in future trips and visits, please do let me know!
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