Ikageng Gap Year 2014 – News Letter 1 Page 1

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” –

Abraham Lincoln

YFC – CYARA TRAINING CENTRE

Ikageng Gappies 2014 have already been through month 1 of the year! They arrived thrown into

a new environment, new people, different cultures and sudden adjustments that they had to

make. Most of them have said they were thrown off guard but now, they are feeling at home!

This is home for the rest of the year – team is home!

MEET THE TEAM

Kutlwano Mofolo

Born on the 13th march 1995

From Dal Park, Gauteng

Encouraged by Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ

who strengthens me”

Aim for the year – “To really get out of my comfort zone; physically

and spiritually.”

Tinyiko Nyathi

Born on the 23rd February 1995

From Alexandra, Johannesburg

Encouraged by romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel,

because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes.

For in it, god’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it

is written: the righteous will live by faith.”

Aim for the year – “to learn and have fun.”

Ikageng Gap Year 2014 – News Letter 1 Page 2

Monique le roux

Born on the 17th July 1995

From Eldorado park, Johannesburg

Encouraged by Ecclesiastes 11:9 – “Young people, enjoy your

youth. Be happy while you are still young. Do what you want to do

and follow your heart’s desire. But remember that God is going to

judge you in whatever you do.”

Aim for the year - “To serve and build my relationship with myself and God, to learn more and do

what I love – working with people.”

Hannes Vosloo

Born on the 25th February 1994

From Pretoria

Encouraged by Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ

who strengthens me”

Aim for the year – “To grow spiritually and know what’s God’s plan for

me, to learn as much as what I can that can build on a strong

foundation for myself.”

Mluleki Nkosi

Born on the 25th April 1996

From umlazi, kwa-zulu natal

Encouraged by Joshua 1:9 – “This is My command – be strong

and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged for the lord

your God is with you wherever you go.”

Aim for the year – “To grow in wisdom, spirit and learn more of

the word of God. To have fun. To learn more about the people, cultures, activities and adventures

around me.”

Ikageng Gap Year 2014 – News Letter 1 Page 3

Johanna Weiss

Born on the 23rd October 1993

From Stuttgart, Germany

Encouraged by 2 Thessalonians 3:5 – “May the Lord lead your

heart into full understanding and expression of the love of God

and the patient endurance that comes from Christ”

Aim for the year – “To experience a different culture, grow

spiritually, and learn about facilitation and experience God’s miracles.”

Debora Hoffmann

Born on the 21st November 1994

From Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany

Encouraged by proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all your

heart, do not depend on your own understanding.”

Debbie has spent 6 months with us in which she has developed

a stronger relationship with God, learnt to get involved more,

experienced different cultures and people and truly experienced south Africa, she will be leaving

back to Germany at the end of February.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to

harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and

pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with

all your heart.

Ikageng Gap Year 2014 – News Letter 1 Page 4

What have they been getting up to all this

time???

Youth week – no plan B!!

They attended Youth Week and have been talking

about it ever since! They often walk around singing the

praise and worship songs and have already asked to

come back next year! For some of them Youth Week

was a first time experience. They made many new

friendships and have been inspired by speakers like Rob

Malan and Howard Fischer.

Training

They have done extreme life training, basic facilitation training,

some personal development training with YFC-KZN and even

physical training! In training they actually do the activities

therefore they have all done anything from jumping off a bridge to

taking out their frustrations on a hula-hoop!

YFC-KZN has been a great help in doing training with the team.

They spent a lot of time

looking at themselves

personally, where they are

going and what they want to be doing with themselves.

“After the training with Stacie, I feel I know a lot more about

what I want to do and what I need to do to get there...” says

Monique. Thank you to YFC-KZN to all the input you are

placing into the lives of these young people!

For more on Youth Week:

Facebook Page: Youth Week / Website: www.youthweek.co.za

Ikageng Gap Year 2014 – News Letter 1 Page 5

Skaba Training

The team spent a night at our bush campsite

in the Karkloof Mountains. They had to hike up

with everything they needed for the evening (a

strenuous hike may I add), make their own

fires, cook their own meals, spend the night

sleeping on a wooden floor or the grass and no

shower! For some this was a total first – some

of the girls hadn’t even ever slept in a sleeping

bag before never mind chop their own wood to make a fire!! According to Kutlwano, “Skaba was a

nice experience, I think it really pushed us to our limits,

but next time can we drive up with the car!”

On the mountain the team showed a true sense of

togetherness, they helped one another up and no man

was left behind! During a camp I was telling the

campers that it’s

not about the

activity but about the people in your team and what you

make of every moment you have with them, Monique

quoted me back, adding that Skaba was proof of what I

had said, that if it wasn’t for each individual, who forms

part of the team and how each one had a role which

helped encourage her up the mountain, she wouldn’t of

made it.

Upon getting back off the mountain the

following day they all ran for the showers, a

lovely cooked meal and their beds! Waking

up from their rest the comments were,

“Now I know what it’s like to appreciate a

bed and a shower!”

Ikageng Gap Year 2014 – News Letter 1 Page 6

Facilitation

The team has facilitated 4 camps already this month, 3 high

schools and one really busy primary school! They are gaining

a lot of confidence in facilitation – and often practice their

debriefing skills on one another at the end of the day! They

have had to jump in the circle and do ice-breakers, and yes

they have all been embarrassed but went back in and fixed

their mistakes! They are wearing those facilitation T-

shirts with pride now and showing to be a fun group of

facilitators! On the primary school camp the kids even

clung onto them everywhere they went!

The part time facilitators have also welcomed them

whole-heartedly and started forming friendships with

them and a lot of inside jokes!

They facilitated their first camp with no help from part time facilitators down at L’Abri, our KZN

Campsite, and had a very successful outcome! The camp was a highlight even though it rained

all the time and they even got involved in a giant mud fight with all the campers! “And we would

do it all again… “ according to the team!

Please keep these special young people in

your prayers as they have committed to a

year of serving and as they face many

challenges that lay ahead.

We thank you for all your support!

Lauren Haworth and the Team

For more on Ikageng Gap Year and Camping:

Website: www.yfc-cyara.com / www.labri.org.za

Or contact Lauren:

Email: ikageng@yfc-cyara.com / Office: 014 576 2131