Parys - April 2010

Camel crusade comes to town. Four pastors from Kakamas, two camels from the Kalahari, two vehicles for logistical support and a burning desire to bring a message of hope. This is the story of Filo Thompson and Jan Arends, two of the missionaries who took on a crusade from Kakamas to Heidelberg where they will arrive on 23 May. The aim of the mission is to spread the word of God. Supported by Oranje-Oes Sending, Arends was put in touch with Bibles 4 Believers, an organization that raises money to put the Word of God in homes all across Africa. Arends’s goal is to help finance 30 000 copies of the Shona Bible for Zimbabwian people who don’t have Bibles. When they arrive in Heidelberg at the end of their journey, a group of businessmen will collect the Bibles and deliver them in Zimbabwe. “God told me to use camels to carry out this ministry,” says Arends. “Camels are a symbol of hope, and we want to bring hope, not only for our country, but for individuals too. The group arrived in Parys on Thursday (22 April) and left for Vanderbijlpark on Monday morning.
Story by Cheryl Botha and Liezl Scheepers, Parys Gazette
Photos courtesy of Parys Gazette