By Gerda Potgieter, Devoted Magazine
About 7 000 young people from all corners of KwaZulu-Natal and further afield attended the KwaSizabantu Youth Conference from December 7 to 14.
On Sunday December 10 the 10 000-seat auditorium at the mission station was packed with locals who also attended the service. The theme, “Be strong for the Lord” (Qinani Kwensi), was appropriate with so many challenges the youth face daily. This was the 49th youth conference at the mission..
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Spearheaded by Lidia Dube, one of the seniors at the mission, the youth conference, which is held twice a year, aims to give young people a positive sense of self, teaching them self-control and decision-making skills, providing them with pro-social connections, and enriching them with a moral system of belief while sharing the Gospel with them.
Over the years the conferences have been a source of great blessings and provided hope to thousands of young people who attended and changed their lives for the better after giving their hearts to the Lord. This time was no different as many young people gave their hearts to the Lord and shared heartwarming testimonies with the audience.
The KwaSizabantu Youth Conference is a collaborative effort involving various denominations, churches, schools, and other organisations. The daily morning, afternoon and evening services, led by various preachers and Christian leaders, were broadcast on the mission’s community station, Radio Khwezi, in isiZulu, English, German, French, Sesotho, and Portuguese.
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A warning by Dr Peter Hammond from Frontline Fellowship, a regular conference speaker, that bitterness can be a stronghold of Satan, resonated with many. He said: “If you have not forgiven someone, then it is likely that you harbour an unforgiving spirit and a resentment that will deepen into bitterness. Ask God to reveal to you the people against whom you are holding feelings of bitterness and resentment. Be aware that you could also be harbouring feelings of bitterness against God.”
Hammond advised young people to “…make a list of the names that God reveals to you. Start at the bottom of the list, with those people who are easier to forgive, and work your way up to the more difficult cases. Repent of the sin of unforgiveness. Forgive each person from the heart. Ask God to take back the ground that you have given Satan through unforgiveness.”
Reflecting on the conference, Hammond said: “I was also able to organise the distribution of thousands of Gospel booklets and hundreds of Bibles in Zulu, Tswana, Seswati, Ndebele and Sotho.
“The spiritual interest was intense and counsellors were kept busy after services for many hours and sometimes right up to midnight. It was an intense week of strategic ministry and I came back with aching muscles from the tons of literature moved and exhausted from intense conversations, but refreshed and inspired by the tremendous times of worship and fellowship with on-fire, dedicated Christians.”
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