Thursday, 18 December 2014

MY YEAR AS AN INTERN
Francois Visser

The internship… “That is not a particularly wise choice”, “I don’t understand the concept”, “Why don’t you rather go study or get a job”. These are words that all of us will eventually hear from someone at some point in time when mentioning that we will be doing an internship at a church, whether it be from our family, close friends or just a random stranger. To tell the truth, I was not shocked by these words, as the idea of giving a year of your life to building the church is considered crazy to the world. For me, it means something completely different.
As one would, I too had my doubts coming into this year, asking myself if this is worth it. The simple answer is YES! 

Throughout the year I had the privilege of working alongside great leaders in the community of Gugulethu, helping out with feeding schemes, running an afterschool kids program, and joining in on sports programs. God was showing me that through the trials, through the hardships and through all the pain in life, there is always time for laughter. You see, these people are broken, poor, disabled, their lives filled with daily hardships…Yet, they never stop smiling, they always have time for a conversation and they are filled with the love of a thousand mothers. This community is full of great people with great hope. It really puts a spin on my silly daily complaints.

All in all this year has taught me to love. To love not only those closest to me, but to love everyone around me, so that they might discover Jesus through that love.

Thursday, 4 December 2014

SISTERHOOD
Tara Bartes

Sisterhood is an amazing chance for all the girls from all different walks of life to gather together without any distractions, without any agenda except to give praise and glory to God.

It is so beautiful to see how thousands of women from many different backgrounds are able to share life experiences, laugh, cry and just have fun whilst having the honour and privilege to hear from a host of strong and courageous women of God in our church who have the ability to encourage and stir up faith in every heart no matter their circumstances. 

My friends don’t usually come to church but one Sisterhood I decided to invite them all.  They had never discouraged my choice to do the internship but I just wanted them to get a glimpse of what I was lucky enough to be a part of.  They agreed to come and it was just the most beautiful morning being there in the presence of God and having the girls I had grown up with there with me.  Needless to say they cried most of the morning and left feeling very emotional All day long, they couldn't stop talking about how awesome their Sisterhood experience was, so much so that someone who they’d shared their experience with was determined to make her way to the next Sisterhood to see what all the hype was about.  It’s just a clear indication of the diversity of women who gather for Sisterhood.


As interns we get to be a part of a lot of the behind the scenes ins and outs of most if not all of the conferences or events hosted by Hillsong South Africa and honestly it is just such an honour to be a part of this crazy beautiful move of God through the lives of all of his beloved daughters.


Sunday, 23 November 2014

HILLSONG AFRICA FOUNDATION 
Ruva Beta

Volunteering as an intern at Hillsong Church’s Hillsong Africa Foundation has been one of the best experiences of my life. I went into an environment that helped me flourish. I found great mentors who encouraged and believed in me. I did a personal development course called Shine, which helped a great deal to renew my mind. Above all, I experienced the love of God. I started the internship broken inside. The pieces that were broken and shattered have and continue to be gathered, mended and made whole by God’s love. Though I have not seen God, my heart knows him well. My hope is renewed and I give my life to honor this.





In addition to that personal and spiritual growth, I get to work with one of the best department ever. I work in Hillsong Africa Foundation (HAF). HAF is a South African non-profit organization based in Cape Town receiving donations from organizations such as Hillsong Church Australia. Some of the projects I have worked on include working at Tembaletu School for Children with Disabilities, Free Wheelchair project, Feeding program, Literacy project and facilitation of a personal development course called Shine. Through this, I have gained work experience and practical skills like administration, reporting, coordination, teamwork, facilitation and planning. I love being part of Hillsong Church, Hillsong Africa Foundation and the internship. I have made friends and I have family. 

‘HOME AWAY FROM HOME’

Jess Jackson

CAPE TOWN!!! Roughly 7 months ago I arrived with a couple days to spare, before the Hillsong Internship started. I knew no one and had no idea what lay in store for me. The journey to even get on the plane itself was an interesting experience with both visa and passport drama.


The first couple months were a bit of a blur really. I had managed to sort out a car and accommodation before I arrived, which was a good thing to do. Probably should have been a tad more careful about the car I got though, here’s a tip; it should be able to pass a road worthy test… lesson learnt.

The initial adjustment to life here was rather challenge, navigating round CT, finding, mechanics, dr’s, coffee shops etc. However, most of the Interns are South African so there is always local knowledge to draw on. If I had to pick one thing I loved most about the internship if would be working in my department. I chose Powerhouse (18-25) and it has been an amazing experience so far. I didn’t have a lot of experience with admin and calls, but learnt quickly. The environment and leadership in my department is awesome… next level, honestly it has been life changing, without a doubt. I didn’t really have any expectations when it came to the internship. However, I had just finished a degree before I started so I was expecting the college aspect to be relatively similar to what I had experienced at University. However, it is very different and at a completely different level to what I was expecting.  As a result I started my own personal studying outside of internship.

While I was lucky enough to have my family visit in the middle of the year, it is 11 months away from home, which is obviously going to be difficult at times. But serving at Church and the community here somewhat makes up for being away from home. With friends, Church, Events and life in Cape Town the month’s fly by.  
  

Wednesday, 3 September 2014

READ BABY READ

















We recently held our first ReadBabyRead Spelling Bee which included our four partner schools! ReadBabyRead is one of our projects in Hillsong Africa Foundation that strengthens teachers and equips learners with resources to help improve literacy rates. The learners from the schools also attend our “Lights On” after school program during the week, so it was awesome to engage with them on another level at this event.

It was really a fun day! We danced, laughed and ate some yummy food. My favourite part was hearing the learners spell some difficult words successfully. I was shocked! They were all so cute and innocent. It was really a proud moment for each of them. The learners’ parents and school board were also there to support. It was all cheers as the students went up and spelled the words called out to them.

After the Spelling Bee was over, it was remarkable to hear the effort that was put into the students’ preparation for the day. One of the winners said that he read 3 books and studied a list of words prior to the event. The moms were awesome and to see the passion in the children’s hearts was astounding. The entire day made my heart full! To serve the students was even better than attending; to see the smiles on their faces, the joy and excitement to be in a new surrounding with their friends. I know there will be many more to come in the future.