I had the pleasure of doing ministry with my family last week. Our Cru Youth group partnered with Student Christian Organization (SCO) to put on the 3 – day Christian camp. The rustic campground was a converted military base which overlooks beautiful ocean views. 90 high school and primary students from area townships (Khayelitsha, Masiphumelele, Kayamandi) gave life to lifeless barracks. Xhosa was the dominant attending culture. I was well versed in the cultural interactions, but this was the first time for our new US team members, Natasha and Naomi.
The two young women from Ohio and North Dakota joined our team last month. They had a great attitude desiring to be cultural learners and asked to go to the camp. As I observed, they did well with immersing themselves in Xhosa through worship, language and food. It was fun to see them try pap, samp & beans and canned fish; however, tripe (lamb intestines) they were not able to consume. Natasha and Naomi will minister predominately with university athletes when the South African school year begins in February. I am glad they were engaged at the camp and led camp activities with the learners. My children were also participants at the camp.
Noel and Nala facilitated icebreakers and music during the first evening of the camp. Mack was a favorite among the Xhosa girls. Elle also made great friends with some of the SCO staff children present at the event. My wife was essential in the registration process and learned how to pronounce many Xhosa names. Your support as a ministry partner allowed me to pay for 30 participants at the camp. It was great to be able to take the Cru Youth students and volunteers to a beautiful camp to spend time with God and receive training on how to reach their schools with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sincerely,
Leon Best
Best Times 