News

Jonathan and Alison Wileman

Jonathan and Alison Wileman with their two adult daughters, Amy and Lucy, ran the Holiday Team program for the first week of the looong June/July school holidays (Note their history with Carmel in our “July News” on line.)

The holidays began with a 5 day visit of 63 folk from St Aidens, Lansdowne, in the Cape.  On Saturday morning they enjoyed immensely exploring the well known Sedgefield market. On another day they visited Knysna and sailed on the John Benn – a safe and fun experience even for those without sea legs! Esme Poegenpoel with the able support of James, has been organising group visits to Carmel over many years – they are truly a part of our Carmel family!  Esme wrote: “Many, many thanks for making our pilgrimage to Carmel a most enjoyable and memorable one – never to be forgotten!”

Another small group “Go Ye International” under Lilian Dyson’s able leadership visited for the weekend – this was their first visit, but certainly not their last.

Jonathan and Alison were the ideal couple to interact and minister to the individuals in these two groups. A number of hours were spent getting to know one another, chatting over cups of tea. The high light for their visit was a barn dance held in the hall led by this able and musical holiday team. 

The focus for the week and indeed for the whole holiday period is the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The recreation hall and diningroom were decorated with many balloons in green and gold and soccer paraphenalia providing a theme setting for the period. The atmosphere was electric for the opening ceremony and the Bafana versus Mexico game, enlarged onto the big screen up front. Each game saw a good number of enthusiasts watching avidly for the moves and dance of the soccer players as they kept their eyes on the goal posts.

Once the group left and the families came to stay the holiday team focused largely on the children: practical spiritual teaching, fun activities, games galore and beautiful craft. Our heartfelt thanks go to Jonathan, Alison, Amy and Lucy for their wonderful contribution to our ministry here at Carmel. The guests were quick to express their enjoyment and appreciation as well.  

 Rory Windell

The school holidays are in full swing and our special offer of free accommodation for the children under 16 years has brought a number of families to Carmel – it is especially popular with those families of more than 2 or 3 children. 

Rory Windell contacted Carmel first in 1998 expressing his desire to serve here.  Eventually in 2010 in this second week of the long school holidays Rory at last visited Carmel for the first time – not as a guest but as the leader of the holiday team for this period. (Rory is the Youth Pastor at Milnerton Methodist Church in the Cape.) He brought his son with him and invited Sandra     and her two sons, Daniel (16 years) and Tomek (13 years), and Karen with her son Jessie (10 years).  Only Karen had ever been at Carmel in the past and this was as a child.  This brave team left their spouses at home and took on the responsibility of running an exciting program without any knowledge of the terrain or facilities or even the ethos of Carmel’s ministry.  They used the Carmel DVD to gain as much insight as possible and Andrew (Ministry Coordinator)  and Beryl Phillips (Program Coordinator) visited Rory in Cape Town for a debrief session.  Many emails passed between Beryl and Rory as they prayed and planned their activities for the week.

The week passed quickly. The team combined and organised and inspired as if they had been here doing this many times in the past. The participation of the children in the program was amazing.  The support of the parents was great, as they joined in many of the family activities.  The program was varied and met the needs of the artistic and quiet, of the active and boisterous, of the sociable and shy and the different age groups. A highlight of the week was the “Carmel has Talent” – from a group of 6 families there were 14 items – the team set the example of participation and were able to draw almost everyone to the show, most whom put on an item. It was a fun filled evening of entertainment!  Every day the under 12 ’s enjoyed a Bible story and made some beautiful items of craft illustrating what they had learned. And of course there was lots of professional soccer every afternoon and every evening and many a game of aspirant players on our specially marked out soccer field and many more goals won in our amateur matches than what we observed on the screen! This is a glimpse of some of the activities on offer: a scavenger hunt, soft ball, volleyball for the younger group and for the bigger ones, relay games, croquet for all, beach games, an evening marshmallow braai with hot chocolate and even a night hike in the forest!! Each evening Rory led everyone in a time of worship and he concluded with a talk with a spiritual challenge. It was a week of answered prayer for which we are grateful. A very special thank you to the team who took courage and followed the Lord’s example of service even in the face of a pretty big obstacle.

Tony and Lizanne Steward

The third week of the Soccer World Cup celebration school holiday period has come and gone!  Many families took up our offer for a holiday with free accommodation for their children.  A number shared that the only reason they were able to visit, was because of this special but the free accommodation was only the start of what these families enjoyed this week!! The background cries of happy children at play, the hum of adult chatter and the “call” of the vuvazelas in the hands of aspirant soccer players of 3 and 4 years old highlighted the atmosphere of a joyful holiday experience.   The scrumptious food, the comfortable rooms, and the wonderful facilities all smoothed the way for the real focus of the week: the Holiday team program and the soccer matches. 

Tony and Lizanne Steward, with their children Taylor and Grace, together with Duncan and Anne and Renesha demonstrated their familiarity with a holiday experience at Carmel. All except Anne have visited here many times in the past as guests in holiday times and Duncan ran an excellent program in December last year. Their exciting family orientated program of outdoor and indoor activities, craft, and outings proved extremely popular.  The vibe was incredible – it was evident that the parents loved the program as much as their children. A highlight for the week was the Carnival they organized in Jack’s Barn.  It involved choices in fun stalls, competition, trading with play money and prizes.  It was exceptionally well planned and organized – the “stuff” of memory making for the children, and for their parents as they watched the fun and laughter.

Each evening Tony, Lizanne and Duncan’s gift of leading family worship with Renesha’s lovely gift on piano, and their teaching (all three are teachers!) added huge spiritual value in the lives of the young children as they enjoyed singing praises to the Lord with lots of action and grew in their knowledge of who God is and of his love and care.

What added great value to the week was Tony Noble’s interactive presentation of the gospel as he painted a beautiful landscape in oils in 20 minutes and encouraged young and old to find their true identity in Jesus. Note the photo in this report. (Tony is a teacher in George and has faithfully answered God’s call on his life to use his creativity in oil painting and in pottery to minister to children.)

A particular focus each morning was the notice board in the reception area.  The team set it up beautifully with the program of the day and with photographs of the children involved in the previous day’s activities. (We were very privileged to enjoy Anne’s photographic gift – she is a professional photographer.) This board drew the crowds each day as they identified themselves and their friends. Don’t miss the pics in this report!!!

As this teams leaves we thank them for their wonderful contribution, their endless energy and their faithful sharing of the Good News. The children who remain, are sad but the new team has arrived with more surprises of God’s grace and provision. 

Pieter Pretorius

Just as South Africa has had the privilege of hosting thousands of overseas visitors for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, so  too Carmel has had its share of happy and satisfied guests who will return home sharing their holiday experiences with their families and friends. The shouts of happy children at play, the laughter of parents sharing a story over a cup of tea, the sight of the little ones covered in sand in the sandpit, the beauty of the gardens and the inspiration of the backdrop of our magnificent views all played their part. The aroma of delicious food in the diningroom and the enjoyment of the warmth of the many days of sunshine putting a glow on many cheeks, and not to be forgotten the comfort of hugs and words of encouragement shared with those who were hurting – all these created memories for eternity in the lives of so many.

Our last team under the inspirational leadership of Pieter Pretorius was unique in many ways. Pieter has his own Ministry called “Lag Bediening” and as a missionary he is called to share the gospel with school children in the Garden Route area. With the Lord’s guidance and help we were able to raise team members who are familiar with Carmel, to assist Pieter. Fred Fourie, who served Carmel as a short termer a couple of years ago and is now studying, offered his help to us for most of the holiday period and was on hand to play a significant role in planning a program, Renesha Smyth, who was a key player in the holiday team after Easter this year, came to assist the Steward team and was able to stay on and to help with planning. Amanda Pienaar, the only one never to have visited Carmel before, had been very disappointed not to be able to join Rory Windell’s team in the second week. She bravely joined this team, as did Grace King, who lived at Carmel as a child, when her parents, Trevor and Lesley King served here.  Both young ladies are studying foundational teaching and enjoyed the “prac teaching” experience enormously.  The heart of Pieter’s approach was a spiritual theme which was applied throughout, even in the practical activities of the program events. The team in their report described the interaction with the guests and the children: “we were like a family and friends. Good relationships were built …The parents weren’t spectators, they were partners with the team…” The devotional time each evening was specially geared to the little ones with participative worship and accompanied by a brief powerpoint presentation which got across the message practically and clearly.  “Most of the time there was a connection between us, the Lord and the guests”. We thank Pieter and his team for their faithfulness in integrating the gospel through all they did with all who visited Carmel.  Their joy and energy inspired us. One parent wrote: “Family devotions were very effective. I was impressed at the impact they made on my small children (3 and 5 years). The overall environment encourages focus on God!”

It is Friday 9 July and the sound of the vuvuzelas has slowly died (largely because someone couldn’t take the noise anymore and hid the “instruments” on top of a cupboard)! Many families reluctantly say their goodbyes and leave for home, making way for a weekend block booking of Carmel by St Timothy’s from Ottery, Cape Town.  Another group of families and grandparents and even some children are here to find the Lord in all his beauty, and to enjoy all that Carmel offers.

Don’t miss next year’s opportunity to have an affordable and wonderful family holiday. Keep an eye on our web page!

St Timothy’s, Woodlands visited Carmel over the last weekend of the school holiday.  A large group of 107 people, St Timothys enjoyed outings to the Strawberry Farm, Silverlily Cheese factory, Victoria Bay beach, as well experiencing the unique Carmel tractor ride!  A South African Evening was enjoyed on the evening of the World Cup Final with boerewors rolls, koeksisters and hot chocolate being the evening meal.  A “guess the final score” competition was held with the winners receiving various prizes. 

A comment from a lady and her physically challenged husband who came with the group: 

“We were amazed at the lengths that you all went to to help us have such a relaxed weekend – from the moment we arrived, till the time we left and we want to say thank you again for everything.  Carmel is such a beautiful place, warm, comfortable, quiet – you can hear the silence – accommodating, friendly, wonderful food, etc etc.  could go on and on …. “  “But it was really fantastic and we all can’t stop raving about everything …”

The group leader commented as follows:

“One particularly moving time was our Saturday devotions where we had the breaking of bread.  Thank you for baking the special loaf and for the use of the chalices  for our Communion Service. Many folk testified that they were specially blessed. So many said that they had never expected the weekend to be as great as it turned out, and that the food was superb. ”  “We are  so grateful to the Lord for giving us this wonderful opportunity to bring our Church to a place like Carmel.”

Go Ye International visited Carmel for the first time from 11 – 13 June 2010. 

Some comments from the group:

• “We experienced a warm Christian welcome …”
• Spiritually we have been encouraged and uplifted …”

This is a short testimony from one of the group members:

“ I’ve been a Christian for many years and God has always been there for me.  Six months ago I lost my son in a car accident.  I could not come to terms with this.  Coming to Carmel, standing and looking over the sea and mountains, I saw “the Great I Am” and just felt His love and peace all around me.  He touched and healed me at that moment.  Ps 125:2 became real to me.  I returned home a new person, with a new vision.  God bless your “little bit of heaven on earth.””

Herewith a wonderful testimony of Mark Liprini, also known as Carmel’s “last farmer”:

“    Returning to Carmel for the flight instructors rating was a deliberately thought out step.   There was deep significance in that move as it was in many ways a completion of a circle in life; for want of a better description. 

It was in George in 1991 that the Lord promised me I would fly for Him one day.  At that point we had absolutely NO idea of how it would ever happen as we had tried many avenues already, none of which worked out.  Little did we know the road He would take us along over the ensuing 10 years.  Looking back now, I am so glad He led us through all those events and experiences.  They were extremely hard at times, but every single one was designed to mould us and equip us for where we are now.

The other night at supper we were talking a bit about some of the experiences we had as a young family while at Carmel, and they were all good solid experiences.  Our lives as individuals and as a couple were shaped and moulded by the seven years of service there.  These were formative years for our marriage and our family as the children were born there and had positive freedoms that many children have never enjoyed, yet were part of a large Christian family where core Christian values were the norm.  The children had perhaps the best start to life any kid has wished for, and this continued for them as we served for another seven years at Simonsberg Christian Centre.

Walking back through the door into that Park Home where we all lived, two kids, two dogs and a variety of chickens and ducks over time….. …. well the years just rolled away and I could almost see and hear them all again.  Every so often I would look up expecting to see a 3 year old boy with a chicken clutched under his arm come walking through that front door … “daddy look, I have got my chicken with me”  … Said 3 year old boy is now a 24 year old man in full time Christian service who still loves chicken …. grilled to perfection with his moms special spices and seasoning.

Walking into that bedroom I can still see a very young, gorgeous brunette, patiently, competently nursing a colicky young baby girl … said baby is a 21 year old woman in her third year of Psychology studies, running a small homecell for fellow students in her flat, and adroitly resolving issues where her faith conflicts with her studies.  She asked the Lord for a “God filter” when she started her studies, and He has certainly done that for her.

And that gorgeous brunette? Twenty five years later she is still gorgeous, and still a brunette …. and still very patient and VERY competent…. with a travelling husband, and two grown kids, breezing into the home, not with chickens in tow, but with “Hi mom, brought these friends home for the weekend/supper/ lunch/ …. hope you don’t mind ?!  .. oh and they brought two bags of laundry as well!” 

Said child was very smartly taught how to use washing machine, clothes pegs, microwave and fridge door.

She was able to leave our home in Joburg in charge of those two children and come down and join me for a weekend in April. We “walked” down memory together, laughed about so many good things, “cried” about some of our friends of the day who have either died or are no longer walking with the Lord, and rejoiced that the Lord has been so faithful and so utterly true to His word, “Never will I leave you, Never will I forsake you” (Deut 31:6) ….. and … ” I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jer 29:11 -13)

Ahead lays a path that would seem to include teaching the next generation of MAF pilots.  For how long, we know not. When will we return to visit Carmel again?.. we know not. But this I do know, these last 4 months, have been a major foundation stone in equipping me for further service, and indirectly building us up as a family.    ”

May God be with Mark and his family and continue to guide their way.

The Celtic Christian Retreat – a highlight of the Carmel event calendar!!

For the past 11 years Bishop Eric Pike, with his wife, Joyce, has led our Celtic Retreat.  He has researched the Celtic Christian heritage in depth and traveled to many places overseas where there is evidence of their ancient faith.

Carmel’s vision statement is: “sharing the restoring love of Christ.”

The outworking of this is indicated in the mission statement:

• Carmel’s community is committed to glorify God, by striving to serve Him with excellence and integrity as we minister and witness together, surrounded by the beauty of His creation.
• Carmel is a Godly haven of safety and healing, welcoming all who need spiritual, emotional and physical re-creation, desiring to restore the whole person to be effective for God.
• Carmel is a meeting place where dividing walls are broken down between denominations, cultures, and economic groups, through the experienced presence and love of Christ.