Saturday Live Youth in progress!

Friends,

This past Saturday was our OFFICIAL LAUNCH for Saturday Live Youth!

As with anything that is new, there were a few bumps in the road, but all in all, we deemed the afternoon a success.

Saturday Live began with serving lunch to all of the youth. We are really trusting the Lord for funds to do this each and every week. YMS was also so fortunate to have an awesome youth band from one of our local churches, The Barn Fellowship, come out to Refilwe to put on the praise and worship. We were so grateful to them and they did an amazing job to really get the youth excited for worship.

After Saturday's program, it was apparent that these youth are hungry for God's Word and really do want to grow. We asked them to write down ideas that they have for Saturdays, names that they would like to call our Saturday club, topics they would like to discuss as well as prayer requests they have. At times these youth are a bit shy to open up, but writing things down proved to be powerful. After doing Beat the Drum during the holiday program, these youth are hungry to know more about healthy relationships. I was pleasantly surprised!

Here are a few things they would like your prayers in:
-School work/studies
-Joy
-Wisdom
-Health
-Receiving and experiencing the Holy Spirit
-That Saturday Live would grow in numbers and commitment

In addition, the team would also love to have your prayers. Our leadership team is struggling a bit as far as commitment goes. We really want to see each one step up and take their role seriously as they lead these youth. Our team is still learning, but we want to see them progress in their relationship with the Lord as well as with YMS.

Thanks for loving these youth with your prayers and support!!!
With Love,
The YMS Team

YMS Youth

If you read our last blog, then you know that we are starting up YMS (Youth Mission Solutions) youth group this Saturday. It is a lot of work and energy starting from scratch, but we are very excited about it. We have learned a lot from the past weeks in our holiday program which will help us create a successful youth program.
The structure of our youth will be very similar to our holiday program, but adding a few elements. One exciting thing we will be doing is feeding the community each week. We will serve polony on rolls and juice to all of those that come to attend the youth. This is also a great way to reach out to those in our surrounding communities and motivate them to come.

YMS is currently busy writing our proposal to make YMS an official program underneath the Refilwe umbrella. Eventually, the goal is to be fully funded by outside donors (YMS does not currently have a budget). This is exceptionally difficult when starting from the ground up, but we are trusting the Lord that he will bring the funding.

We are well aware that sometimes it is easier for people to get involved when they know exactly what their money is going towards. If there is any interest from your side, we have put together a list of things we need donated/funded. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

General Youth Group Needs:
• Funding for Running costs i.e. office space, internet, phones, etc.
• Money for food each Saturday youth group (R200 per week)
• Colour Printer (R1000)
• Urn for tea and coffee
• 50 Mugs (R10 each)
• Youth worker curriculums and helpful books
• Drama books
• Christian books

It is an unfortunate reality that the youth of this generation grow up in families that are unstable or broken. YMS sees young people hurt from abuse, neglect or need on a regular basis. It is a value of YMS to see these young people rise above their situations and backgrounds. One of the ways YMS has been able to do this is through the YMS youth house.

The youth house, which is within the Refilwe premises, is home to YMS youth leaders and students. This house serves as a safe place to stay for those who have fallen subject to an inhibited upbringing. We have seen the potential in these vulnerable students from the community and would like to train them as YMS leaders to serve their community.

There are currently 3 guys staying in the house and when it is completely finished, the youth house will be home to 12 leaders/students. The house is not in the best shape at the current moment and needs a lot of work. Here are a number of things that we also need donated or funded.

Room 1: Lounge
• Light need to fixed and bulbs replaced
• TV stand
• TV aerial
• Couches
• Curtains
• The floor needs to be tiled

Room 2: Kitchen
• Fridge
• Plumbing
• New basin
• Lights to be fixed and bulbs replaced (need an electrician)
• Stove
• Food cupboards
• Big pots and cutlery

Room 3: Dining Room
• Dining table and chairs
• Window replacement
• Curtains
• Light fixture

Room 4: Bathroom
• Showers need to be completely renovated
• Tiling
• Fix toilets
• Painting
• Plumbing
• Hand wash basin

Room 5: Small Bedroom
• 2 Bunk beds
• 4 Mattresses
• 4 sets up bed sheets and blankets
• Lights need to be fixed (need an electrician)
• Wardrobe

Room 6: Large Bedroom
• 4 Bunk beds
• 8 Mattresses
• 8 Sets of bed sheets and blankets

Room 7: Half Bathroom
• Hand wash basin

Everyday Needs:
• Food, i.e. Bread, milk, eggs, maize meal, rice, soup, canned foods, etc.
• Toiletries, i.e. soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.
• Cleaning supplies
• Money for books


Seeing the needs of YMS can be very overwhelming. The above are some things you can be praying for us for. It is our aim that those who are aligned with our vision and values and see the needs of African youth will come alongside us with something small. Please contact us directly if you are interested. We can be reached at yms@refilwe.org

In addition to these things, your prayer and support as we start this new youth is highly appreciated!!

God Bless you friends!
The YMS team

Dear Friends!
Thank you for your prayers for our holiday program. After four long, tiring, and amazing weeks, we are finished!

The first two weeks with our under 12 kids was a bit of a challenge. The kids were very receptive to the message of love, and by the second day, we had about 30 children attending. Unfortunately, by day 3 the kids appeared to come only when they felt like it or not at all. By the end of the two weeks, we were down to about 12 children. Since YMS specializes in teens, we are hoping to now outsource holiday programs for the smaller children from here on out. The two weeks were filled with singing classes, drama, and dance, and the children also did community service projects one day each week. We loved working with these children, but it definitely wiped us out!

The following two weeks with the older kids was not only fun, but educational and fulfilling. As mentioned previously, we did the Beat the Drum curriculum with them. The youth soaked up the information and truly felt challenged. These youth have rarely, if ever, been exposed to topics such as marriage, sex, and HIV in healthy and positive ways. In government schools, they push condoms and safe sex, so abstinence is a somewhat new concept. At the end of the program, many made commitments to abstain, but others are still skeptical and need a bit more encouragement. Please continue praying for these teens!

YMS was fortunate enough to have a group of volunteers from the US during this time. The first group was a group of six ladies who worked in the surrounding community in the morning, and came and helped with Beat the Drum in the afternoons. We were so appreciative for their input and positive influence on the youth! The second group came about a week after the girls arrived, and also helped with Beat the Drum for a few days.

Everyone who participated in the holiday program, young and old, put on a performance this past Friday. The kids loved it and everyone did excellent. The program was packed with lots of dancing, lots of singing, a summary of what they learned from the holiday program, two dramatic performances, and even a rap!
Our weekly youth group will be starting up July 24, so please be in prayer for that as we work out all the kinks in the meantime. Our biggest challenge has been with our leadership team. We are so grateful for those that God has given us, but we are always in need of more volunteers that are committed to African youth!

God bless you all, faithful readers!!

With love,
The YMS team