Back to the Beginning

Though 2015 was the 7^th year of the Welsh based Middle Park Camp, it was for me personally a return to the beginning  in so many ways.

Way back in 1987 I had the privilege to serve at the Young Life Malibu Club in Canada as a work crew boss.  My job, simple… to live my Christian life as a witness to the 50 young people sacrificing their summer to grow in Christ while providing the basic services necessary to operate the outreach camp for the 400+ leaders and kids that were there to experience the best week of their lives.  How did this translate in real terms….. I washed dishes.  Lots of them, 3 times a day for 4 weeks solid.  Fast forward 28 years and after returning from an extended time in Africa, I found myself after setting up the camp back in our rural mid-Wales field doing the exact same thing, modelling servant leadership to a group of teens and some twenty somethings by washing dishes.
 

I feel that within all of us there is a desire to push envelopes, dreams, dreams and to branch out to new projects.  And for the most part right now with the building and humanitarian  developments in Africa I am having opportunity to do that.  But spiritual values are not reliant on  the new and exciting as much as it is in holding true to the basics of developing spiritual depth.  To learn how to give unconditional love without expectations is a trait that we all not only need to learn, but to review throughout our lives.  Like a tree that only takes root properly for a long life through the effects of the wind and adversity caused by wet and dry, good and bad seasons, I believe stronger than ever that it is only by actually putting ourselves out there as a physical witness living the Christina lifestyle before others that we can really see the character changes we hope for in teens.  So we go back to basics and wash dishes.  I would challenge all who read this post to remember your first steps into the kingdom and pick a service project that you can give to with no expectation of return.  These acts are more than just a kind gesture, we need to do these activities to  build these spiritual muscles. , muscles necessary to a Christian if they want to continue to grow.
 

 With the development of the international YL  camp in Creith, 2015 was a chance for the Welsh incarnational work to think long and hard as to how they want to relate to teens today and in the future.  Though the facilities were the same, risks were taken to make the message clearer for the campers in attendance.

  

The camp resources are bedding in nicely, we levelled the dining hall and club room floors FINALLY.

• Celebrated the simplicity of electrical setup this year due to the power infrastructure from 2014 and constructed long term washroom facilities to lower rental costs.

We are thankful for all those who gave so much this year that allowed me to do nothing more than wash the dishes and maintain the hovercraft and blob.

 Back to Africa

I must admit I did not expect to be back on a plane again to SA so soon.  However it seems that there is such a demand for schools and churches that my time setting up NGO operations here has become a ‘part time Job’.  We are currently developing local teams of workers from the townships that can build these simple structure as a form of employment.

Again please pray for wisdom as I find myself straddling two worlds.  Work in the UK vs. work in SA and Humanitarian Christian charity projects vs commercial buildings for profit.  I feel that we are getting closer to being once again ‘tent maker’ missionaries, but are not quite yet there due to the growing numbers in the YMP trips that have been requested..….

I am currently with a group from Liverpool here at the end of August.  This will lead to a church and Orphanage being build over the next 4 months.  Which will lead nicely to the YMP project for 2015.  Want to come along.. just visit our page and send me a line.