A time of reflection and creative thinking designed to assist in “turning our hearts again” to God  (1 Kings 18:37) and to engage with him in a deeper relationship.  Take this opportunity to slow down in the tranquility of Carmel for a time of Christian retreat.

The program will include an early morning Prayer Walk in Carmel’s beautiful gardens, a light picnic lunch at Victoria Bay, a walk and lots of time to unwind in God’s presence with set readings to encourage and inspire you.   Led by ANDREW PHILLIPS, our Ministry Coordinator.

Special offer: Come on Sunday and enjoy an extra day: 30% discount on current rates.

Dates:  15 – 19 November 2010

Cost:

• Budget                       R1150.00
• Garden Ensuite            R1422.00
• Seaview Ensuite          R1662.00

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Book for 4 people on our Full Package week of 5 – 10 September 2010 and get an extra 15% discount on the package price.

The same exiting 5 day holiday experience at Carmel, at an even better price!

Two exciting 5 day holiday experiences taking in the beauty of Carmel and the Garden Route with great food, good walks, spiritual challenges, and the chance to build lasting friendships. 

Included are a guided walk in the area, a tour round the Carmel Gardens with Barbara, a free DVD and each evening spiritual input to encourage and inspire.  The high light is an outing on the historic Outeniqua Power Van, up the Outeniqua Mountains. The Power van trip is a unique opportunity to learn about the history of the area and experience forests, waterfalls, tunnels, fynbos and proteas, with a picnic tea at the panoramic view site overlooking George. An added  bonus is a tea outing to a Wilderness restaurant with a spectacular view of the the sea and coastline.

Dates:  5 – 10 Sept 2010    &    28 Nov - 3 Dec 2010.

Cost:  

• Budget Rooms             R1 545.00
• Garden Ensuite            R1 885.00
• Seaview Ensuite           R2 185.00

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Ons bied snoesige akkommodasie, lip-af-lek lekker maaltye, volop aktiwiteite vir die kinders, staproetes en die spreekwoordelike “rus vir jou siel”.

Tariewe vanaf R1125.00 (sluit aandete en ontbyt in) vir vyf dae gedurende Junie, Julie en Aug 2010.

BESPREEK NOU EN ERVAAR “HEMEL OP AARDE”!

This is an ideal opportunity to enjoy an affordable mid-year break.  Come and enjoy Carmel’s tranquillity and be renewed by God’s presence.

We offer comfortable accommodation, hearty home-cooked meals,walking trails and a variety of activities for the children.  This will definitely be a time of physical, emotional and spiritual renewal.

Tariffs from R1125.00 (including dinner and breakfast) for five days during June, July and Aug 2010.

BOOK NOW AND EXPERIENCE YOUR “LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN ON EARTH”!

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Lathicia will be available for counsel during the day.  Included in the week’s activities will be scrumptious food, good walks, a garden tour and a tea outing in the Garden Route area.

Dates:  12 – 17 September 2010

Cost:  

• Budget                 R1455.00
• Garden Ensuite     R1774.00
• Seaview Ensuite    R2055.00

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SHEILA AND KEN COLEMAN will again be our speakers and will lead us in a relaxed interactive Bible exploration – lots of laughs and easy learning and inspiring praise and worship led by Heather Davies for the first event and by Joy Elliot for the second event.  Joy ran our Food Service Department in the eighties and early nineties – her reputation for superb food continues to this day.  This program will also include times to relax together in the beauty of Carmel and in the surrounding area. The two highlights of the week are our famous banquet picnic and a tea outing. 

Date:  17 – 22 Oct       &        31 Oct – 5 Nov

Cost:

• Budget Room         R1240.00
• Garden Ensuite     R1555.00
• Seaview Ensuite    R1830.00
• Conference Fee     R165.00

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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!

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.””

We know how expensive Christmas holidays can be, especially for those of you with children. 

For this reason we have introduced over the last few years an Early Bird Special, which runs from        1 – 15 December 2010.  If you book for any 5 nights during this period, you only have to pay for 4, which is a significant saving of 20%. 

This might be just the opportunity you have been looking for to enjoy some quality time with family or friends at a very affordable price. 

Please contact the Front Office for availability.

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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.

Eric is an excellent teacher, passionate about the Celtic faith and very practical in his application of this, to us, in the 21stC. Celtic worship, led by Rob Penrith, led into the two teaching sessions daily.  These were followed by a time of silent reflection, the script set out in the beautiful manuals with which each delegate was provided.

This year the theme was “A Pilgrim Forever: Walking in the way of Christ”, with a great emphasis on life as a journey, living in the presence of God. Each day the program offered a choice of enjoying a music workshop led by Rob with Bev Bailey at the piano or joining Joyce at the banner making workshop, and a daily afternoon walk led by John Bailey, focusing on the beauty of God’s creation – a vital part of Celtic tradition. Each evening Joyce led a session of creative handwork, enjoyed by all as they discovered their own creativity!

One of the highlights of the retreat was Eric and Joyce’s presentation of their recent Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain – an epic journey on foot for 36 days!

The retreat closed with an early morning Holy Communion service, watching the sun rise above the Horizon from inside the magnificent Carmel chapel.

Many of the 40 plus participants have attended in previous years and some have gone on pilgrimage with Eric and Joyce. The group has even started their own web:  www.thecelticway.wordpress.com

Note the picture of the beautiful banners presented to Wendy Ryan, a delegate, for her Cape Clinic where she cares for HIV and Aids patients.

The testimony of those who attended is that the glory of Lord’s presence was deeply experienced, bringing restoration and healing. The fabric of the Celt’s faith inspired and encouraged us: that the image of God has been woven into the human, that we need to go to battle against sin and the Devil, that we encounter God in his creation, that earth and heaven are close and interconnect, encircling us in God’s protection and love, that the scriptures are to be treasured and shared, that the Celtic faith is birthed in simplicity in our daily lives  through the power of the Holy Spirit  in prayer, accompanied by signs and wonders. Our Desert forefathers of the early centuries left us with a rich spiritual heritage which would transform our lives if we followed their example. Join us next year for the next installment of the Pilgrim journey!! 

Date: Sun 21 August to Friday 26 August 2011.  See you there!!