The end of our stay in the UK finished up with two special highlights for us:
• a visit to our UK ‘ spiritual home’, Soul Survivor Watford
• a visit to the Soul Survivor Festival.
SOUL SURVIVOR WATFORD
We went to Soul Survivor Watford church to meet up with Mike Pilavachi (Mr Soul Survivor!) before the service started, and to enjoy their service and seeing familiar faces again.
Mike, true to form, two minutes before the service was due to start, told us that he was scrapping his sermon and we were it!! He interviewed us and we were able to bring them up to date on all that was happening in Amaoti (Lungisani Indlela) and the LIV village.
We had just presented Mike with a Vuvuzela which we suggested he blow. As we South Africans know, there is an art to blowing a vuvuzela, so there was a lot of blowing of soundless hot air and spit, and we were ‘accused’ of making him look foolish in front of his congregation! Sorry Mike, but we just couldn’t resist it…
To all our friends at Soul Survivor Watford, we want to thank you for the way you welcome us each year, and for your warm hospitality and continued generous support you give to us. We are truly humbled and blessed by you, and we want to tell you that you really do have the coolest pastor (and ‘youngest’ youth pastor on the planet). You, and he, are always such a source of encouragement to us.
SOUL SURVIVOR FESTIVAL
When Mike asked if we would go down to Shepton Mallet for the opening night of their first festival at the Royal Bath & West Showgrounds, we jumped at the chance, even though we were leaving for SA the next day!
What an honour to be invited back to share with 12,000 enthusiastic young people, about the Father heart of God and what HE is doing with the LIV villages.
During the evening service/celebration time (held in a very ‘Big Top’ marquee), and after the most incredible praise and worship, Mike ‘interviewed’ us about the progress in Amaoti and the village. Last year we had shared with them the vision and that we were going back home to find a farm to start the first village. This year as we shared with them about the farm we had found soon after we got back from last year’s festivals, we, too, are amazed at how far we had come in a year. (As we return to SA this year, we return to start the building of the first cluster of 8 homes and to negotiate the purchase of the neighbouring farms…).
The history of the Soul Survivor festivals
Each year, for the past 18 years, Soul Survivor have held 4 summer festivals in the UK, for teenagers and young adults. They have touched and transformed literally thousands of young lives. The organizing is superb. The teenagers and their youth leaders camp on the grounds for 4 nights and have a variety of seminars to choose from, three times a day, all dealing with various life issues and what practical Christianity is all about. (Last year we ran seminars at 3 of the festivals, on “how the other half live in Durban” and from this time we had there, we made many new friends and partners).
They also have celebration services at midday and each evening, with guest speakers, followed by fun and entertainment until late, with various venues featuring different bands, games, cafes and much more.
The ‘toolshed’ is a massive resources exhibition for Christian organizations. LIV is already planning to exhibit there next year!
Check out their website to see more about what they do.
FACEBOOK & TWITTER
We invite all 12 000 of you and your friends; those we connected with last year, to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter and ‘journey’ with us on this incredible adventure of seeing the lives of thousands or widows and orphans transformed…
IMAGINE:
As we shared, at the festival, the vision for many villages in the future, we spoke about the strong connection between us and Soul Survivor and our dream(vision?) for SOUL SURVIVOR to build their own LIV village in Durban (a prophetic word?). IMAGINE how awesome that would be for SOUL ACTION volunteers to come out and help the building/development process and others who will help manage / teach / train… a Soul Survivor / LIV village… imagine…
Imagine if we could get Soul Survivor festivals going in SA!…
Maybe Mike and his team would like to spend their winter in sunny South Africa?… imagine…
Keep praying. Our God is able… and He chooses to do all things in and through us…all we have to do is believe!
Together we can…
Many blessings
Tich & Joan
Just back from Soul Survivor Shepton Mallet.
I feel blessed to have been there, honoured to have listenend to your plans. “With the Lord behind us who cold ever stop us”
I send loving hugs to every Mother in your villages to pass on to their families.
God bless you all x
It was a privilege to be at Soul Survivor Shepton Mallet, it was a very special time for Joanie and I. We so appreciate your love, your friendship and most of all your prayers, so please keep praying for us. We are moving on site in the next couple of weeks to build the first 16 homes. Praise God !!!
well done tichie!
Dearest Tich and Joanie – I am so blown away at how your vision – and one that I was so privileged to hear you relate to me at it’s inception all those years ago – has come so far and is still going so far. Thank you dear Lord for Tich and Joan’s obedience and faithfulness and on our next trip to Durban hope to be able to go and see. Love you very much and miss you more. Lyndsay and Robin xxxxxx
Hi Tich,
I loved your last comment… bout a soul survivor type event/s in South Africa.
Please email me…
A growing group of evangelical churches are looking to do just this.. we know we can’t do it on our own and need all the partners we can get.
I led the first soul action team into Durban from Soul survivor and am now living in Pietermaritzburg.
We are looking for a homegrown version of SS.
love in Christ
Doug