climbing hiking camping

The first time Miss Turner noticed her, she stood quietly at the back of a group of girls. She and her brother were fairly new arrivals at Bulembu, their parents having died of AIDS. Nontando was a shy girl, Miss Turner thought. The girls were there to spend their merits. All the 400 rescued children were in school in Bulembu and merits were given for good work and good behaviour; rewards to spend. Miss Turner was particularly pleased to land the job of running the merit shop. She saw many of the children she cared for in the trauma unit- those that had been most deeply affected by their loss. And she saw Nontando. Each term, when the shop opened, Nontando came. And each term she stood with her friends, looking on as they spent their merits on sweets, books, toys and comics. But not Nontando. She just stood, quietly watching. ‘Hi Nontando, don’t you have any merits to spend?’ ‘Yes Miss.’ ‘So where are they? Where are your merits? What would you like? Sweets? A book maybe?’ ‘No Miss. I...

ON THE DAY WE TRAVEL TO BULEMBU, HERE'S A RE-POST FROM JULY 2011  TO TELL YOU WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT AND WHY IT'S WORTH IT..... You drive for 5 hours from Johannesburg, through the mountains and over the Swaziland border. What greets you is quite breathtaking. Bulembu is an old mining town. When the mines closed nearly ten years ago, the 10,000 population moved out. Bulembu became a ghost town. Until someone had a vision of what could be. Today a Christian trust owns the whole town. All 4,000 acres. The population is back to 2,000. There are successful industries in wood production, water bottling, honey production, a bakery, a dairy, successful tourism. All from nothing. Most of all, there are 200 orphans saved. Bulembu has become a centre for rescued children. With the worst HIV rate in the world at around 40%, and an average age expectancy of just over 30, Swaziland is slowly dying. Children die daily. Bulembu is changing the statistics. Their aim is to be a sustainable com...

What's it all about? Christ - his incarnation , life , teaching, mission , death , resurrection , ASCENSION, present rule and future return . That's what it's about. (With thanks to Trevor Lloyd and his Different Kingdom blog for such a great and succinct definition.)

That my latest book is fully launched. Now on Amazon , the book is out there. It is the heart-rending story of Linda and her journey through abuse, drink, drugs, drug trafficking, prostitution, prison…. and into a new life, a hope and a future. It is the story of life overcoming death, prayer overcoming cancer, love overcoming abuse. Written in the style if a thriller, it is a roller-coaster emotional ride, a story of a present day miracle-finder, a story of the power of transformation. Here are a few of the comments from readers: ‘This really is an amazing book. You will probably read it in about 2 or 3 sittings and your heart will descend into the depths and feel some of the pain - only then for it to soar as you read of this real life tragedy come miracle.’ From an Amazon review. ‘This is a real story, not a work of fiction, but it is as every bit as gripping as a thriller.’ From an Amazon review. ‘The story draws you in and I found myself still reading at 4am...the only reason I st...

Most of our journey through life is made in small steps. What the writer Eugene Peterson calls ‘A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.’ A coffee here, a meal there. A conversation one day, a car journey the next. Small integral parts of life’s direction. Occasionally, a giant step comes along. For us two have come at once. The first is the start of KingsGate Community Church Leicester . Our first (amazing!) meeting was last night. As someone who had spoken often of the possibility of KingsGate planting a new church into Leicester, it is the realisation of a dream. And a giant step. The other giant step comes as we drop our youngest child, Lois, off at Heathrow later today, as she starts her long obedience in the same direction. She is travelling out to Bulembu in Swaziland to serve as a long term missionary. For us, it means an empty house for the first time, with the other three children having already moved away. Two giant steps. Two key moments in our lives. And fuel for the j...

Life is short. Live it to the full. Here's a small reminder of how quickly the years go by..... Danielle http://vimeo.com/74033442">Danielle > from Anthony"> http://vimeo.com/anthonycerniello">Anthony Cerniello on Vimeo . https://vimeo.com">Vimeo . > For everything there is a season, and l a time for every matter under heaven: 2  a time to be born, and a time to m die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3  a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4  a time to n weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to o dance; 5  a time to p cast away stones, and a time to q gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to r refrain from embracing; 6  a time to seek, and a time to s lose; a time to keep, and a time to t cast away; 7  a time to u tear, and a time to sew; a time to v keep silence, and a time to speak; 8  a time to love, and a time to w hate; a tim...

Just back from my monthly Businessman’s Life Group and I was really struck by a small phrase my friend Jarek used. He talked about the times when God says ‘hello’. In fact if you think about it, those times are frequent. He is a God who loves us and wants to say ‘hello’, even if we choose to say ‘goodbye’. He says ‘hello’ every time the sun rises. Every time you smell the fragrance of a rose. Each time your children or grandchildren give you a hug. He says ‘hello’ through a friend’s prayer when you are struggling to stay sane. Through the gift at the door when there is nothing left in the kitchen. Through the unexpected addition to the bank balance, the bonus and the promotion. He says ‘hello’ through an act of kindness, the squeeze of a friends hand, the arm around the shoulder. And he says ‘hello’ through you. Every time you reach out, pray out, show you care, send a card or give a gift. We have a God who loves to say hello. From the beauty of the sunrise to the grandeur of its...