Every year the ASM Graduation is one of the highlights for all students – and this year was no different. It is an occasion where students, with ASM staff, family and friends celebrate the end of the year that was filled with studying and hard work. Although all the graduates were filled with excitement, because they finally got recognition for their hard work, there was also some sadness. Most of them are leaving behind dear friends and an environment that has changed their lives! Eight students graduated this year and are facing the start of a great journey, where they will have the opportunity to impact many people’s lives.

Ettiene Vercueil – 2009 Graduate



I think the 2009 Graduation was one of the best I attended during my four years at ASM. I graduated this year and the spirit of liberty and praise highlighted this special event. God has brought ASM through many changes the last 3 years, but He has been faithful and we experienced it when yet another group of students graduated. I pray that the perseverance of the 2009 graduates will also motivate the remaining students to endure and follow their dreams to make a difference in a lost world.

Mutinta Masendo - 2009 Graduate



What an extraordinary three years! It has been an amazing privilege to study at ASM for three years and at the end of our journey we are humbled and at the same time excited about all our experiences. If we look back and think about all the testimonies of provision, blessings, growing opportunities and learning curves that contributed toward our preparation for ministry, we can only thank our Heavenly Father for granting us such a great opportunity. We surely faced many challenges, but these were placed in our lives to help us grow and guide us to develop into what God wants us to be. ASM is indeed a place of spiritual, emotional and character development. It was also a place where we experienced multi-cultural relationships, which was really life-changing. The highlight of this year was the Graduation on 21 November 2009. It was a very special evening for the graduates and we are really thankful that we could be part of it.

Scharl and Maresa van den Berg - 2009 Graduates



Welcome to the ‘open field’!! This year at ASM was an interesting year. Nothing could have prepared me for what was awaiting me. However it was fun, challenging and some days just tough. God showed me this year why I had to be at ASM, and this quote sums it all up... ' Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.' Helen Keller Coming to ASM drastically changes your view on life. It helps you with personal issues and to realize the dream and plan God has for your life. I was so privileged to visit Russia for an International Mission Outreach in September. The people we met were amazing and what we did and where we were able to serve, helped me realize that the world out there is enormously big, broken and lost. I experienced that as an individual you cannot really do something on your own, but in a team and with great friends all around the world, you have the strength to do the small things. God really showed His favour in my life this year. He provided funds for my Russian outreach and gave me the strength to have faith for my school fees. I definitely grew in my walk with Christ and I am excited to see what will happen in the upcoming year at ASM.

Edrei Engelbrecht - 1st Year

“I take great pleasure in reporting back on the “Leadership and Teamwork Camp” that the ASM training staff and students undertook from 31 March – 3 April 2009. The venue for our camp this year was the “Eagle Adventures” camp site just outside White River on route to Sabie. Our hosts, “Trompie” together with his wife Susan, provided us with an excellent environment within which we were challenged to apply basic leadership and team working principles. We were divided into four teams for the duration of the camp and competed with one another throughout to see which team could accumulate the most points in the end.

The challenges we had to face were varied and tested us across a wide spectrum of projected growth points. Personal fears had to be conquered at the “giant cable zip slide” and abseiling events. Mutual trust had to be earned when teammates had to catch one another after falling backwards with all eyes shut! Accountability and vulnerability issues were put on trial when participants were asked to open up to the group about their views of themselves and be subjected to probing questions from the group. Personal strengths and weaknesses needed to be assessed and managed when we were asked to pick individual team representatives in various skilled disciplines like target shooting, archery, strength work, agility exercises etc.

Our team problem solving abilities were also put to the test at the obstacle course and our endurance was put to the test with a canoe race. It was wet, it was dirty, it was grueling and of course great fun! Finally we also had to exhibit our creative and expressive abilities in the form of a hilarious concert wherein we were challenged to present an impactful Bible story whilst having the maximum amount of fun possible. We rose to the challenge like the world changers we were called to be! Looking back, it is safe to say that the 2009 leadership and teamwork camp was a powerful bonding experience and a fun step in the right direction of meeting our various potentials.”

Edward Ackerman.
ASM

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

The first course at ASM for 2009 that all students attended was the Kids’ Evangelism Explosion (KIDS EE) course. What an amazing experience! We were taught to evangelize children and to help them understand the Gospel in a very practical way.
The KIDS EE learning styles are based on the use of visual, print, hearing, movement and ‘touch and feel’ materials. The main outline of the course was presented to us as Heaven, Man, God, Christ, Faith, Commitment.

At the end of the course we did an outreach in the Hazyview Community where we practiced what we have learned. We played and sang with the children and taught them ‘The Gospel in a Nutshell’: ‘Jesus is God. He came from Heaven to earth. He lived a perfect life. He died on the cross and rose from the dead, to pay the penalty for our sins and to purchase a place in Heaven for us.



The programme participants were on a leadership practicum from 22 September to 26 September. Here is some feedback from the participants.

"The leadership practicum provided me with an opportunity to understand the kind of leader I have been designed to be; to embrace diversity of leadership styles in others; and, importantly, to harmonize the strengths and weaknesses, in myself and others, with servant hood and team unity in mind".

"Getting to know you, getting to know all about You." That’s what this Leadership practicum was to me. Getting to know more about my abilities and where I fit into the Lord’s plans and also learning more about my team’s abilities. Being in a team and being supportive of one another and being able to do things I thought was way above my head. Getting to know more about the Author and Sculptor of my life and how He placed me in this team for a time such as this. Just Awesome!!"

"The camp was wonderful. The camp was a great experience to understand what we are all about and what our friends are all about. We experienced so much of our physical boundaries and how to overcome them."

"The camp was a challenging experience and I got to know a lot about myself. And I got to know a lot about my friends and how to work together as a team. I saw how people can compliment one another in their strengths and weaknesses."

"This camp helped me to build relationships. And sometimes we are afraid to ask people to help us, but at the camp, everyone helped each other and encouraged one another – encouraged me to do everything that I thought I wouldn’t be able to do. I enjoyed the camp."

"It was good because it helped me to realize who God created me to be and why He created me to do things in certain ways. It helped me to realize how I fit into His plan for me. It helped me to relate and understand people better."

"I thought the camp was a great tool for us to discover who we are and how to work well with people. It brought us together and was an incredible experience for us to grow together and learn from one another. I think it provided a good basis for us to learn from each other how to work with people different than ourselves, before we have to do it in the secular or ministry world."

"What was really amazing for me was to see how the students helped one another. To me it was amazing. People that had ever hardly spoke a word together on campus, did everything they could to help one another through the tunnels or ropes. And helping one another with care – the bonding was amazing. It really was an amazing tool."

"In this camp I have learned amazing things about my life and others as well. I realised to build up the kingdom of God we need each other and to trust one another whatever we do. For this reason we must always willing to work together and support our fellow Christians in working with Christ."