The Faith-based Solution for the Drug Epidemic

EDEN
T E E N C H A L L E N G E
I N T E R N A T I O N A L

SERVING OTHERS THROUGHT CHRIST

October / November 2010 www.edentc.wordpress.com Summer edition

In this issue nd
ar Eden Teen Challenge
ale
rc South Africa
you
rk
Ma
20 YEAR CELEBRATION
Kroonstad news /
The office of a Pastor
in Eden.
2 16-18 December 2011

I found a family by
Lucky Khetsi 3

Eden TC Virginia’s
Daycare—El Shadai
creche
4 Celebrating GOD and Hope
Eden TC Virginia
for the
future in HIM
Daycare photos 5

Bloemfontein news 6

Max Brockmeyer’s
testimony 7

Eden TC leaders 8
It is our pleasure and privilege to invite you to our 20th birthday in 2011. We are planning a
big celebration weekend with guest speakers and local artists at our Virginia centre.

We ask all ex– residents, Pastors and donators to contact us and also to spent this weekend
with us. Everyone welcome .
If you would like to donate towards this weekend in any way please contact your nearest
Centre, we need your help and support to make this weekend a success.

Watch this space for more info .

For more information, please feel free to contact Pastor Herman Viljoen at
Proud to be South -African (27) 57 2124364 of visit our website.
Distributed worldwide free of charge
 Kroonstad news
Thank you
I n August one Saturday people from the community donated
some sausage, rolls, butter and sauce for sausage rolls and the
people thoroughly enjoyed it. We want to thank you for your
generosity and pray God’s blessings over you.
Get together
O
n the August our Pastors and their wives came to-
gether and fellowshipped together in a church service
and gave a word that the Lord has laid on our hearts.
We truly enjoyed it and afterwards we had a meeting
and had lunch together. I realized that we truly need each other
and need to fellowship with each other more often.
The office of a Pastor in Eden
I want to start this article by giving God the glory, honour and praise
for what He has done in my life. I am going in for 19 years in the
ministry, the last 14 years I have been a pastor in Eden T.C. I can testify
today how the Lord has taken me as a sinner and has changed my life
totally and is using me now in other people’s lives.
These last 19 years of my life has been the best ever. I will forever be
thankful for what the Lord is doing in my life daily. In the position that I
am it means to be available 24 hours out of 24 hours in the service of the
Lord. It is wonderful to experience the strength that the Lord gives us to
do the work of the Lord. Sometimes He gives us peaceful times to
strengthen us and to equip us for what lies ahead.
2
In this ministry we are totally dependent on God’s grace for the provi-
sion of our needs and totally stand in faith and trust God for our needs
in the ministry. I can testify of how the Lord has never let us down. The
Lord has always provided in what we needed and at the right time. In
this ministry it can become very lonely and there are times that you have
a need to speak to someone. That is why it is so important not to cut
yourself off form others, but that you build relationships with others
especially those who you work with every day.
The people that come to the ministry are truly people with big problems.
People from all kinds of societies come and knock for help at our door.
Daily we deal with problem cases such as alcoholism, drugs, destitute
people, children, aids victims, old people that has no where to go, people
that lost their jobs and cannot make a living outside anymore and much
more. To be able to handle these problems and stay standing we must
build a relationship with the Lord. We cannot do these things in our
own strength.
All the people that come in the ministry must go through our courses
such as The Way to God, Group studies for new Christians and for
those that wants to learn further Bible school for 2 years. It is also your
duty as leader to train the people to help you in your daily work. There
are many different departments in the ministry people can be used to do
their daily chores. It is important that they are kept busy so that they will
not worry about their problems the whole time. We keep watch over
their progression and there are certain privileges for those that work with
us to encourage them.
A lot of the people has lost their self image and believe that they cannot
do anything good. It is important that they are encouraged to do better
everyday and that you praise them when they do well. Tidiness in the
ministry and cleanliness of the people are aspects that are very impor-
tant. In the ministry it is important to look at the personal needs of the
people, spiritually, physically such as food, clothes and a roof over their
head.
The management and planning of the ministry is the leader and the staff
under his leadership’s responsibility. There is a trustee board from peo-
ple out of the community to support the leadership of the ministry with
counsel. It truly costs fine planning and the leading of the Holy Spirit to
be able to work with the minimum funds to our disposal to fore fill our
obligations. It truly keeps us on our knees as we trust God.
There are times that we have to be strict to those who do not stay by the
rules of the ministry. There is a very strict disciplinary system to ensure
the safety of everybody in the ministry. There comes times when you
have to ask somebody to leave the ministry for bad behaviour. It is truly
not a pleasant job to do, but it has to be done. There are also times when
you are being criticized and attacked by the people in the ministry and
even by people in the community. There were times when they placed
negative news in the newspapers. These things are not always pleasant,
but through all these things God is faithful and He carries us through.
The people knowledge that I have gathered through the years has much
value to me. I cannot thank God enough for all the opportunities that
He brings along my way. There is nothing more on earth that I want to
do than what I now am doing.
To a wonderful God I give all the honour.
Pastor Johan Esterhuyse
 I found a new family by Lucky Khetsi

M y name is
Lehloho-
nolo Khetsi. In
was sleeping. I loved my mother very much, because she always
made sure that we had something to eat , even when things started
to become financially difficult. One day my mother and little sis-
Eden I am affec- ter went to Welkom to find money to pay the rent. The lady we
tionately known as were staying with took me to the police station, where she made a
Lucky. I was born statement against my mother. That day, in 1999, the police
in Lesotho, and brought me to Eden. I was crying a lot because I did not like the
when I was still place.
small I was identi-
fied with a heart As time went on I started to enjoy the place, because sometimes
problem. We left they would take us to Kroonstad, Bloemfontein, Bethlehem, and
Lesotho for Welkom to have fun. My mother started visiting me, and she
Bloemfontein, brought me toiletries. I joined the choir, and sometimes I was
because it was easy asked to lead their choir. Things started to go better as time
for my parents to passed, even though we used to get bullied by the older boys. We
take me to hospi- were playing soccer one day with some of the children , and I
tal for regular broke my foot. It took a whole year to heal fully.
check-ups. We
later moved to In 2000 all the children moved to the "mountain", another centre
Welkom as my for the kid's where there were lots more for us to do. I visited my
mother, and it was great to see my family and old friends again.
mother was a teacher, and she was teaching people to make From that day I haven't seen her, till my grandmother visited me
clothes. My father was working on the mines. We did not stay long in 2005, and told me she passed away. But I did not cry. In De-
in Welkom, and moved to Virginia. cember 2005 I left the mountain to visit my family until January
2006. The things Auntie Janet, Pastor Herman, and Doctor Jana
Then things started to change in our household. My parents helped me with during the course of my stay here, really helped a
started to argue and fight the whole time. One day my father hit lot, especially the good advise they gave me.
my mother, and we went to stay with family, till we could find a
place of our own. Later my mother gave birth to a baby girl, and I want to thank them for helping me with my Grade 12 Farewell
her named is Relebohile, which in English means thanks. When I this past August. I was looking smart due to the clothes and shoes
was growing up my mother was very protective towards me, be- they bought me. I really enjoyed the evening, due to the great mu-
cause of the heart operation I had. sic and food we enjoyed. Once again thanks you for all the won-
derful things you have done for me; I really see you as my parents.
I started going to school in Virginia, and every time I went to the
bus stop my mother carried me on her back, while my little sister

Eph 6:18b—praying always with all prayers and sup-

plications in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverenace and supplication for all saints:

Prayer is important in our ministry. We would like to pray for you. You are welcome to use this opportunity
to write in your prayer request and forward it to any of the addresses on the back or use our email address—
edennews@vodamail.co.za

Please provide the first name of the person to pray for:

Prayer request:

3
 El Shadai
Left: Annemarie and some of
the children at our crèche

by parents sharing with us

the way their children are
praying
and praising our Heavenly
Father for their needs. Par-
ents testifying that the chil-
dren set the example of
praying for a meal. A
child’s got the right to be
happy and free!!!

We are again coming to the

end of the year, and each
year we plan a year end
function for the kids. Usu-

T
he children day care On behalf of Eden Teen Chal-
ally we entertain them with
centre forms part of lenge we want to encourage the
sweets, cookies and have a
Eden Teen Chal- community to support our day
specific event for the func-
lenge. Residents ad- care center.
tion. The day care center
mitted to the center with small
consists presently of 40
children are being served The playground equipment is in
children, ranging in ages
through this facility. The day an appalling condition, and
from 3 months to five
care center also renders a ser- some is beyond repair. New
years.
vice to the public, where the playing equipment would be a
need is great and finances are great blessing. We are also in
We want to take this oppor-
limited. need of educational toys to keep
tunity in thanking the par-
the children occupied. We ask
ents and members of the
El Shadai, like the rest of the the public’s cooperation in help-
community who are al-
ministry, was established by ing us with sweets and cool
ready making donations to
God and is based on the Chris- drinks on specific days to treat
our center. We at El Shadai
tian principles of discipline the kids. Groceries, toiletries,
day care center is commit-
and routine. “Let the little baby oil and sterilizing agents
ted in giving you and your
children come to Me, and are constantly needed. Any in- child quality service.
do not forbid them; for of put by the public is most wel-
come since this is a charitable
such is the kingdom of case.
For any enquiries please
heaven.” (Matthew feel free to contact Janet
19:14). Botma at 057 2123755
It is wonderful to have feedback
4
 children day care centre

The classrooms

Some of the playground equipment The babyroom

Lunchtime The teacher busy with the children

5
 Bloemfontein
A t the time of writing there were so much activity in the Ministry and we highlight a few to give you, the reader, some insight as
to our daily routine, and to most importantly tell you about the miracles which God are performing in the lives of the people in this
Ministry. We also hope that by highlighting our projects that you can see what your contribution is doing in the Kingdom of God.
Occupational Therapy
W e want to welcome back the OT Department of the
University of Free State, especially Dr Rita van Heerden who
worked so hard to get the students back. These students are
really a great help in the Ministry as they help in stimulating
the patients. It is great to see young people giving so much of
themselves.
CTM Bloemfontein
F or some time we wanted to give our meeting room a
facelift. Because of the age of these buildings a lot of reno-
vating and painting and maintenance is needed. We ap-
proached Mr Nols Smit of the local CTM and explained to
him that we do not have the necessary funds to tile this huge
area. Without so much hesitation he asked us how many bro-
ken tiles we needed. I estimated the area to be about 36
square metres. Well it goes without saying that off course he
donated sufficient tiles for this area. He then also gave us a
donation of tile cement and the grout. The OT Department of
the University of the Free State has offered to help us with a
mosaic outlay for the meeting room, which we hope will be
completed by end September 2010.
Pick ‘n Pay Noordstad
W e do not only feed the residents in our Ministries on a
daily basis, but we also reach out to the communities around
our Ministries. God works in peoples hearts who in turn as-
sists us in feeding, cleaning and
clothing the poor. Huge quanti-
ties of food are prepared in the
Ministry on a daily basis and
this month we want to say
thank you to the management
and staff of PnP Noordstad.
They really enable us to give
people a balanced meal. When
we approached them last year, they informed us that they had other
charities that they were supporting. They however went out of their
way to accommodate us and today they donate bread, vegetables,
meat and nappies to the Ministry.
Pep Stores—Checkers Hyper Centre
W hen most people arrive on our doorsteps it is almost always
with nothing. They don’t have clothes, shampoo, toothpaste, face
cloths or blankets. The Ministry then takes over and not only do we
help this person spiritually, but we supply all the basic needs they
may have. Again God provides by touching the hearts of others who
make a difference in the lives of these people. Pep Stores is one such
organization, who in the middle of winter came to our rescue and
donated 250 blankets to the Ministry. To the management and staff
we from Bloemfontein say a big thank you and pray that God will
continue to bless you.
Deepest condolences
O n a bit of a sad note, we say Rest In
Peace to one of our older residents. Wynie
Kleingeld has been a resident of Eden Teen
Challenge since 23/06/2000. Myself and
Rhoda have known her for the last 2 years
and I can today tell you that I have never
heard her complain. Although she has been
wheel chair bound she never missed a
church service and I really believe that Wynie’s purpose in this Min-
istry was to show us the true servant character. We will always re-
member you Wynie for your happy face.
Should you want to get involved in this or any of the
other activities of the Ministry, please contact us on 051
430 5769.
6
 Never give up
O
ne of the biggest questions that we as humans have is,
“What is our purpose?” It took me a number of years to
figure this question out; but we will get to that later on.
For me, it all started in a small orphanage that really
didn’t have any type of significance and therefore was
given the name Orphanage #9. You see, I was born in the former Soviet Union,
which is now known as Russia. Statistically, I wasn’t supposed to have a
chance at life. This was partially due to the fact that I was born with physical
handicaps. Russia’s mindset at the time was all about image and perfection.
The odds of an orphan being adopted at that time were slim to none let alone
the simple fact that I was born with something that nobody wanted. By the
absolute grace and Hand of God, I was adopted by a truly loving and wonder-
ful family. Being adopted is one of the best gifts that I have ever been given.
Unfortunately, growing up was not all that easy. One slowly finds out
that life tends to throw you some pretty unfortunate things. When I had just
turned 15, I soon realized this harsh reality. My brother, father, and I had
gone camping with a big organization one weekend. To make a long story
short, the first night my brother was involved in what ended up being a freak
accident. What had happened was that he fell off the back of a boxed truck
onto a steel grate bridge. He was flown to a local medical center when by the
time we got there he was pronounced dead. This had completely devastated
How to pray for others
We sometimes wonder how to pray for others, whether we know them or not. Colossians 1:9-14 gives us a basic pattern how to pray
for others. Remember all believers have these same basic needs.
· To understand God’s will
· Gain spiritual wisdom
pray
· Please and honor God
· Do kind things to others
· Know God better and better
· Be filled with God’s strength
· Endure in faith
· Stay full of Christ’s joy and
· Always be thankful
When you don’t know how to pray for someone, remember Paul’s prayer pattern for the Colossians.
7
By Max Brockmeyer
our family like nothing else. At this point in my life
all I could think of is why God would take such a
young life and therefore decided not to follow God
and changed everything about myself. It wasn’t even
a year later that my dad and I were at the same camp
and my father was involved in a near fatal incident.
He too was flown to the same hospital where we had
to sit by in the same waiting room just to hear that
he was not supposed to make it that night.
About three weeks after my father’s inci-
dent, I was at one of the lowest places of my life. I
had just gone through two major incidents with my
family and at the same time was rejected for what
seemed to be the millionth time by a girl. Thinking
very low of myself for all those reasons, as well as
hating God for making me handicapped, I was deter-
mined to end my life that night. With pills next to
my bed and a gun beside it, I figured this was the
only way. This is where God’s purpose comes in. I
eventually fell asleep for some reason and woke up to
God clearly telling me that He has something better
for me. He showed me that my life is far more impor-
tant than to end it, and that there is truly a purpose
for my life. Miraculously, my dad made it through
that horrible night and even though it took months
of recovery, he pulled through.
If there is one thing that I can say about my
life, it is that God truly has His hand on it. Through
the many difficult and what seem like impossible
circumstances, God can without a doubt overcome
any of life’s obstacles. Not only can I thank God but
also the people who have come my way to lift me up
in those times of need.
Life will throw us some pretty unfortunate
things and can make you wonder about your purpose
in life, but no matter what, stay strong, and please,
please, please never give up!
 Eden TC centers
Headoffice Virginia VIRGINIA HEAD OFFICE
Pastor Herman Viljoen
PO Box 631
Virginia, 9430
Tel: 057 2123755
Fax: 0866403065
hbviljoen@intekom.co.za

VIRGINIA
Me. Janet Botma
PO Box 631
Virginia, 9430
Pastor Herman & Dr. Jana Viljoen Me. Janet Botma Tel: 057 2123755
Fax: 057 2127343
Bethlehem Bloemspruit edenvirginia@gmail.com

KROONSTAD
Pastor Johan Esterhuyse
PO Box 2333
Kroonstad, 9500
Tel: 056 2127275
Fax: 0866401709
edenkroon@lantic.net

BLOEMSPRUIT
Mr. Kobus Sonnekus
Pastor Dicky & Jakkie Maritz Mr. Kobus Sonnekus PO Box 19076
Bloemspruit, 9364
Kroonstad Bloemfontein Tel: 0793438998
Fax: 0866401714
edenbloemspruit@vodamail.co.za

BETHLEHEM
Pastor Dicky Maritz
PO Box 1886
Bethlehem, 9700
Tel: 058 3033241
Fax: 058 3033380
edennews@vodamail.co.za
Pastor Johan & Carol Esterhuyse Mr. Ralph & Rhoda Bruiners
BLOEMFONTEIN
W e provide community-based education, prevention and restoration on an international basis concerning alcohol, drugs
and behavioural abuse.
Mr. Ralph Bruiners
PO Box 8772
We hope to create a framework that challenges people to reach their fullest potential spiritually, socially, educationally as well Bloemfontein,9300
as occupationally. We also hope to develop and nurture the transformation of rehabilitated individuals into useful, productive,
law-abiding citizens; committed to Christian faith, values and living. This is accomplished through outreach, church services, Tel: 051 4305769
training and equipping programs. Fax: 0866401710
An introduction course called the Way to God is introduced to the new students, to help orient him in his new environment. A
edenbloem@vodamail.co.za
discipleship course is then followed for a period of five months in order to strengthen the student’s foundation in biblical
truths. In order to further help the students solidify and strengthen what he has previously been taught, he is then introduced to
The newsletter is produced and
Group Studies for new Christians, the duration is normally six months. distributed free of charged by
Eden TC
A two year Bible School is offered to those who would like to further their biblical studies. Cell-groups, group therapy, work
therapy and support groups are also offered to those with life controlling problems. Occupational therapy is offered to those
who are mentally challenged. Editor: Jakkie Maritz
edennews@vodamail.co.za
If you required more information concerning the ministry of Eden, please feel free to call us, all the centres are listed here, you
may also visit our website at: www.edentc.wordpress.com