SACLA Report

God has been among us at SACLA

SACLA has been an event that has transformed the lives of many over the past week. The morning buzz, created through the energetic worship sessions, tells a tale of its own. God is definitely at SACLA, and SACLA is here to stay. This article will bring the many joys of SACLA to life, illustrating the ways that God is active in the lives of many Christians.

One of the things that was on quite a few prayer lists was the desire for people to come to SACLA. I do not need to mention that this was one of the prayers God has majestically answered. Seeing 4000 plus white chairs transformed into occupied human spaces was just one of the many blessings that God had for SACLA. An even more precious observation was the fact that the people occupying these chairs were filled with God's colourful and creative spirit, which allowed God's Will to be done.

No matter what the age, race, gender or geographical location, God's people united this week.

Great and wonderful stories have come out of each track. Unfortunately, I cannot mention them all, but having walked around observing various activities I cannot help but smile. An enchanting event, which I will always remember, was during a lunch break. I stumbled across the vibrant youth track, which has had an activity every day around this time. What struck me was that while the youth guys were enjoying themselves, celebrating and dancing, so were the older generation. An elderly lady even participated in the youth's attempt at a cross dance of the 'Macarena' and the 'Ketchup Song'. It was a wonderful and touching sight, illustrating SACLA and God coming together and breaking down generation barriers.

The greatest of all, though, was that people just kept coming, even if it was just for a day. People also kept volunteering, hearing God minister to them. Everyone seemed to work in tandem. It was a case of many bodies coming together and being unified through Christ.

I believe that SACLA was perfect. It illustrates that, with God, all is possible and all is wonderful.

Who will ever forget the amazing and talented African Children's Choir, with their sweet childish innocence, or the eclectic range of capable speakers, or even the sweet sounds of our national anthem being sung in front of our President. I believe no one will.

SACLA has impacted all our lives and many would like to stay; yet we now have to go home. The journey has just begun. This is where Jesus now holds our hand and leads us to the lost.

Our task now is to continually pray, and keep all that we learnt at SACLA in our hearts. God will do the rest. At SACLA God has given us a refreshed sense of direction. We must now go with God and tell SACLA's tale.

BY LESLEY MALGAS