My journey to the 50th anniversary of KwaSizabantu Mission’s youth conferences in KwaZulu Natal was a profound experience. Arriving at the mission station in Kranskop, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday, 15 June, and departing on Saturday, 30 June, I was privileged to witness two weeks of transformative experiences and invaluable life lessons. The impact of these conferences on the lives of the youth over 50 years was truly priceless, instilling hope for their future. Imagine two conferences for 50 years attended by thousands of youngsters every time, each leaving with a renewed sense of purpose and hope for their future.
The planning related to event management was significant and mind-boggling on the day of the Thanksgiving event. From managing the parking arrangements for hundreds of vehicles, they accepted and welcomed honorary and other guests and guided them inside the auditorium where the service took place. Then, there was coordination in managing the spillover of the attendees after the 10,000-seater auditorium was capacitated. For this purpose, huge tents were erected by workers and filled with chairs before the time. Afterwards, the tents were used to hand out food parcels for the extra visitors.
More than 12,000 received food on this day. About six tents were well prepared for a five-star meal for the expected guests and the dignitaries. Everything happened as if the team of workers and helpers had practised many times before the time. The youth conference can better be described as an event that operates seamlessly through the effective coordination of many parts, leaving me impressed and amazed at the level of organisation and dedication.
KwaSizabantu has hosted youth conferences at its Mission station twice a year for fifty years. At first, a small group came to hear the gospel and listen to testimonies of other people’s restored lives. Quickly, the numbers grew, with significant numbers of young people coming to the Mission to get help from a wide variety of socioeconomic challenges, including addictions. Very soon, the Mission realised that the socioeconomic challenges of the young ones were far more than what the community and government helped with, and it opened its gates to help those in need.
The youngsters come in impressive numbers to the KwaSizabantu Mission, with almost 8,000 registering for the celebratory conference in June. They received healthy meals three times per day. They attended services where the gospel was shared with them, and others could share their inspiring stories of life-changing events. The services and meetings were held three times daily, and highly respected speakers were invited to share messages of hope. The youngsters could also participate in a sports day, where all the activities have been designed to allow them to participate, from general games to more skilled sports activities.
To conclude: Attending this event was life-changing, and the rewards were significant and encouraging. Be on the look-out for the next article which will focus on why this conference is different from others.
READ MORE ABOUT THIS CONFERENCE IN THE SPECIAL DEVOTED EDITION BY FOLLOWING THE LINK: https://online.pubhtml5.com/asxvv/heul/
Comments