Every young person wants to make an impact, especially if it is overseas! This was no different as twenty young-adults from Sydney and other parts of Australia jetted off to Impact South Africa 2013 and the Third World Youth Congress in Pretoria, South Africa. This gathering of young people was organised by the General Conference Youth Ministries Department and involved our very own Pastor Gilbert Cangy.

To make an impact, young people were challenged to be involved in service and mission for one week in either Cape Town, Johannesburg or Pretoria. After this week of mission and service, young people would gather in Pretoria in worship, connecting and the opening of God’s Word.

Our service project was in Cape Town at Riverside Church where we ran a Vocational Bible School (VBS). Getting this service project was an answer to prayer. I was sharing with Hope, Youth Departmental Assistant, our dilemma. She said , “talk with Beryl Landers, Adventist Women Director, who is from South Africa, she may be able to help us.” After a couple of days I did. Beryl contacted her sister who had been praying for a team to come and run a VBS for them!

The theme for our VBS was ‘Babylon’ based on the story of Daniel. Each day there was singing, puppets, games, craft, making food and stories of Daniel’s life. Attendance started out at 80 primary aged school children the first day then 130 by the end of the week. Over eighty percent of the children were from the local community and non-Adventist backgrounds. Attendance was helped by the Riverside Pathfinder Club, who in full uniform, handed out personal invites as they walked from door-to-door the Sabbath before the VBS commenced.

On Sabbath morning, 50 community kids, who had never been to a Seventh-day Adventist Church, came back for a special VBS program for their parents and the church. It was a highlight seeing unchurched children in church.

After the VBS, it was off to Pretoria for the World Youth Congress at the St Georges Hotel. There were 3200 people in attendance from 97 countries. It was a sea of different people, cultures and nations, coming together to worship ‘The One – Jesus Christ.’ Guest speakers included Elder Ted Wilson, President of the World Church, Dr Ben Carson, and Pr David Asscherick. Pr David’s messages were Christ-centered and motivated young people to be agents of change. He talked on how Jesus Christ has reversed the curse of Genesis 3 and separation from God and each other (Genesis 11). He preached on how we are to pray for the Spirit, look to Jesus and believe in God’s promises.

Workshops, plenary sessions, eating together and small groups were all part of the Congress experience. The small groups were made up of young people from all over the globe. Every delegate was assigned a group where you studied the Bible together, fellowshipped and prayed. In my group there were young people from Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and South Africa.

On Sabbath, Congress delegates joined 7000 members from around Pretoria at a local sports stadium for worship. To see an army of church members together was truly amazing – singing and worshipping our creator! After lunch, the delegates went out to the streets of Pretoria and handed out  copies of The Great Controversy.

We praise God that we got to see the Global Adventist Youth in action. What a day that will be when Jesus Returns. We pray and long for that day!

Cheonneth Strickland