Bosko

Since I joined the camp for the drug addicted youth, my life here in Hermanus changed in a great way. It is not about what I experienced during that camp. It is basically about the people that I met there and the impact they all have in my life. First of all, the people I met there became my friends - and that is what I needed the most at that time. For me it is very important to be independent from my "family" and also from my colleagues, so I found myself people/ friends to hang out with after hours and during weekends.

As I got to know the people, I started to go to youth on Friday evenings. Youth - that is a Christian possibility for youngsters to spend their evening with other youngsters, having fun and doing activities, lead by Bosko's youth leader Tobie. The main aim is to keep them away from drugs and alcohol, which is very likely to influence the youth of Hermanus during weekends. Tobie is supported by "older" youth such as Thapelo, Naties, Julian, Sebastian, David, Sarah, Christy (and now, me). The youth is always opened by a prayer, followed by a short chat about the meaning of e.g. friendship or how God touched someone's life during the week. No one is forced to say anything - everyone is just given the chance to say something if we feel like. What is amazing for me, is that our youth is aged 12 - 28 (estimated), it grows each and every week, and they all come because they WANT to come, they all appreciate the Christian background. We have an average of about 30 people attending youth right now. After that we start with our activity (e.g. soccer, car wash, movie night, fun games or normal youth, which means table tennis/ -pool/ -soccer etc.).

I connected mostly with Christy (from Zimbabwe), her mate Sarah, Thapelo (Sotho), Naties, Julian, Sebastian, Juanita, Tobie and his wife Marietjie. It was them who brought me to Bosko in even another way: to church. I recently started to attend the service on Sunday mornings. I always heard from Naties, Julian and Thapelo that the service was so great and that I need to come there one day. I don't like attending any church in Zwelihle so much because I don't really know what is going on there, due to the fact that everything is in isiXhosa. But Bosko is different, in every way, and that "caught" me, so that now I'm living from Sunday to Sunday, from service to service. I'm still very new at Bosko, but their way of worshipping God impressed me, Mario (the pastor) is able to address me in his sermon in a way that I even want to know more (instead of drifting away).

The service at Bosko is not like any other service that I know. And I attended different (Christian) services of the Catholic-, Anglican-, Lutheran- and Methodist Church and even of the Church of the 12 Apostels. They all follow a certain example, their way of celebrating is very strict (to me), certain things must not be missed etc. You all know what I mean: There are songs, the lection(s), the gospel, the sermon, maybe the holy communion, ...

But at Bosko it is not like that. The services is usually two hours and in English, although Mario is Italian. The first hour is for prayer, praise and worship. New people are welcomed, some announcements are made. Then the band is leading the praise and worship. At the same time Mario asks everyone, who needs a prayer, who needs help while praying or who needs a prayer for someone else to come forward. Those people then get up and receive their individual "help" and prayer from some Bosko "members". I also went there, that was on Mother's Day. When I was asked for what I need prayer, I said that I am uncertain of where to go in my life (that I need some "basic" guidance) and that I want to try and improve our family's relationships (especially on Mother's Day). That lady prayed for and with me and my family - and later Mario said something, that I want to take as an ongoing motivation for whatever I do and whoever I meet: "It doesn't matter what you have done, it (only) matters what you are going to do!" This at least takes a lot of burdens from your shoulders and relieves you from breaking your head over things that are in the past, that you will never ever need to break your head over...

When all finished, Mario starts with his sermon. But he doesn't read a compulsary gospel, he just talks about life. That is why he is able to address me: He can combine daily situations/ problems/ highlights with the work Jesus is doing "in us/ me". And all of a sudden, everything makes sense, for every question there is an answer, I can see the way I shall go. He then asks if there is anyone who is willing to give his heart to the Lord or who eventually wants to accept Jesus in his life. There are few people who didn't do so yet, but it's amazing to see people standing up and addressing themselves to Mario and the Lord without any sign of embarrassment or awe. Once these people are ready, it might be after a couple of weeks, they go to the fountain where they become baptized as Christians. Julian told me about his baptism, and he said, as you come out of the water, you left your past behind you and you became a new (born) person. He also told me about his baptism through the Holy Spirit, but that is something that I cannot conceive yet...

What I felt myself is that the Lord started working in me. I don't know where He is going to lead me or what He is going to do. But I can feel it, especially when I'm on the premisses of Bosko or when I speak to Naties or Julian. Or yesterday for example, I had an experience, that I never had before: I was sitting on "my" rock at the sea, praying. In a distance there was an old man sitting on a bench. It was as if he was watching over me, but not observing me. When I left he just looked at me and said: "God bless you!" Then he also left. To me it was as if that was an answer of my prayer, or God speaking to me through this old man. Although there might not be a great meaning behind this experience, it was a very nice experience, it made me smile because I never expected something like that.