J.A.M.

Archive for the ‘Memories’ Category

It was 7 years ago today that The Gap was born. It was 2005. In May we had held a Lay Witness Mission at our Church and during the weekend a need was identified for a Youth Group where the teenagers in our Church could get together on a weekly basis to discover more about themselves and what it meant to be a Christian. One of our senior teens had shared openly with me that weekend about his struggles and my heart went out to him and together we decided to start planning a youth group. The four young people who were there that night met together when the adults broke into their discussion groups and we began talking about what form the group would take. They were the founding members of The Gap.

(Back) Haiden Eales
(Front From Left) Taygen Fisher, Nicole Greenwood, Kyle Clack.

Over the next few months we met regularly to convert the garage at Church into the ‘Youth Room’. Parents got involved and helped to design a logo. Furniture and curtains were donated and a work party was put together to decorate the garage prior to its opening.

On 5 August 2005 we held our first meeting. Friday nights would never be the same again. Over the next two years we spent quality time laughing, crying and learning together. Great fun was had. A lot of tears were shed. Mistakes were made by the group and also by me. There were great victories as well. Over the time many young people came into a relationship with Jesus. There was a lot of trust in our group and over the time great friendships were made. This was the group that met on the first Friday evening.

The First Meeting Of ‘The Gap’

As time went on, the group evolved, as people got older, moved on, left school, went to university, got engaged etc. The group dissolved and then started up again a few times, each time with a new set of members and then finally about two years back now stopped meeting on a Friday night. The Gap has never ‘closed’ as such but at the moment, there are not enough High School students in our Church to warrant the group. Perhaps it will start up again next year as the younger members of our Sunday School move into High School.

At the height of the groups existence, when we were seeing an attendance of up to 30 on a Friday night, I learnt a great deal about the many challenges today’s younger generation face. Amongst the group there were those who struggled with drug related issues, eating disorders, sexual identity problems, teenage pregnancies, problems with parents etc. There were times when I got it right as a leader. There were times when I got it horribly wrong. What I do know is that every one of those young people will always hold a very special place in my heart. Many of them have gone on to have a very close walk with Jesus. Others have drifted far. I do believe though that important seeds were planted in those years and commitments were made to God at one time or another by every one who was a part of the group. Those seeds may only be watered at some time in the future. God took those commitments seriously…

If you were a part of The Gap and are reading this post – leave a message to share what it meant to you.

Many more photo’s can be found at these links:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4329959399.5727.631494399&type=3&l=fdbd899736

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.7591344399.22830.631494399&type=3&l=ca5872dfd7

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.110135239399.115955.631494399&type=3&l=c0b5064f8c

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.107488719399.114266.631494399&type=3&l=440a46c912

The Gap 2006

A Commitment Made To One Another

It was 5.30 on a cold morning in December 2004. I was heading off to Qunu in the Transkei to conduct an Interview for Link FM with former South African President Nelson Mandela and American Talk Show host Oprah Winfrey. The interview was to take place in his lounge in his home at Qunu. It had been arranged by the Mother of one of the presenters at Link FM who was well connected in political circles. I was rather excited about it. In secular terms they were arguably the most ‘powerful’ man and woman in the world at the time and I was looking forward to sitting down with them and finding out why they do what they do.

When we arrived security was understandably very tight and I really felt as though I was being smuggled through the gates in the back seat of the car. It was Nelson Mandela’s annual Christmas Party for the children of the area and Oprah was staying with him at the time to help with the distribution of the gifts. Around 5000 children were expected to flock to the surrounding areas to receive their gifts. I was armed with a camera, mini disc recorder and gifts for both of them. We had decided to give them each 2 drinking glasses with the Stations logo emblazoned on them along with a Journal. The interview was set for 11 am.

Sometime during the morning it was evident that things were getting out of hand as far as crowd control went as far more people were turning up than expected. At one point Oprah Winfrey, visibly trouble by the growing crowds, stepped out right in front of me, Steadman at her side, on the lawn of Madiba’s front garden. I walked up to her and said hello and asked if I could have a photograph. She ignored me. I (rather cheekily) told her it was only manners to ask and once again enquired. Once again she ignored me as though I wasn’t there – so I took the photo of her (and Steadman) anyway – not the most flattering photo I have seen of her.

The news was soon brought to me by one of the security officials that in light of the crowds which had now grown to about 15 000, the interview was cancelled. I was understandably very upset and decided that I would give them the gifts in any case. I went around the back to the security entrance and gave the parcels to the security officials at the gate. A few minutes later, Oprah’s gift was returned to me with the message that “Miss Winfrey does not accept gifts”. Now I can understand that she couldn’t possibly take everything back on the plane with her that people give her but surely it would only have been manners to accept it even if she gave it to someone else? Her arrogance when requesting the photo and the refusal of the gift resulted in me seeing her in a whole different light. As far as Madiba’s gift went though – it was accepted and a few weeks latter I received a letter from the Presidents Office thanking me naming the specific items in the gift. That was special.

It was a day I will remember for a long time. I took a photo of Madiba standing on his balcony along with his wife, Graca Machel. Sadly though the camera was not very good and he is ‘very small’ in the photo.

I did take a group photo though which includes my presenter friend (Thandy Kunene – kneeling in the middle) and her Mother (the tall woman in the right of the photo at the back – Faye Nqoloba).

Before returning home we assisted Madiba’s wife, Graca Machel and his Personal Assistant, Zelda Le Grange to hand out a few Christmas parcels to needy children in the area. Very special memories!

Happy 94th Madiba! Thank you for making a difference in the lives of so many.

Two weekends back I took the plunge and auditioned in Port Elizabeth for “Top Billing”. They have a Presenter Search Competition on the go at the moment and I thought I’d go along. Now, being somewhere in my 40’s and having one of those 6-packs most of the male presenters do (although I’ve never seen the damn thing!) I didn’t hold out much hope but thought “Why not?”. If nothing else – it would be a fun experience and you never know – I may pick up a Voice Over job or two – which is kinda what I specialize in on a day to day basis for local Radio etc. Anyway, Port Elizabeth is 3 hours away from where I live in East London, so on this particular Thursday morning I duly boarded the SA Connection bus along with 6 other passengers and off we set for Port Elizabeth. PE holds many fond memories for me having spent my 2 years National Service there back in the 80’s. We did the usual “Beaver Pie” thing in Port Alfred en route and duly arrived in PE, on schedule where we were dropped off at Greenacres Shopping Centre. Now what? I needed to be at Langerry Holiday Flats on the Beachfront in Humewood where I had booked in until  Sunday (I decided to make a weekend of it largely due to the fact that SA Connection only traveled back again on Sunday). I found a bus stop after enquiring at a nearby Garage and lo and behold the first bus that arrived some 10 minutes later was headed for Summerstrand. Off we went and in no time I was standing at the reception desk at Langerry, plastic in hand, ready to pay for the 3 nights that lay ahead. I was given the room right next to the office (at a reduced price I was led to believe) and asked to please return in an hour as the cleaning lady was still busy. It was a pleasure really as there is so much to do on PE’s beachfront. I set off for McDonalds a few hundred metres away – got me some lunch and walked to a look out spot along the beach front to enjoy it while fondly thinking back to the many nights I walked up and down the beach front back when life was ‘simpler’ in the 80’s 🙂

Friday morning duly arrived and I rose early to make my way to The Boardwalk where the Auditions were to be held at 9am. I wanted to be there at about 7am in order to book my place in the queue. I opened my balcony door …… it was raining! The kind of rain that comes with wind that gusts in all directions  – as it can only do in PE. What to do? Besides – I needed to take along a full body picture of myself to the audition. Now – I had taken the photo a few nights earlier, a number of them really utilizing my camera’s timer setting, but had not yet had it developed so once dressed off I set, in the rain, to find the nearest bus stop where I duly boarded a bus headed for the Pick n Pay Centre in Summerstrand where I was sure there would be a Photo Shop where I could have the thing developed. I arrived at the Centre more than moderately wet and as expected found the Photo developing shop. While there I decided to pop into a little restaurant called “Friends” for a very reasonably priced breakfast before blowing down to the nearest bus stop under a broken umbrella which had inverted itself in the wind. I had just bought it at a hardware store in the Centre! I arrived at the bus stop and waited … and waited … and got splashed a few times by passing cars as they sped through a puddle parked right at the edge of the bus stop. I decided I was by now so wet I couldn’t really get any wetter so set off for the Boardwalk (an approximate 15 minute walk) as there were no buses in sight.

Now for those who know ‘Top Billing’ – the program is about  style, fashion and the ‘good life’ as they put it. Well – I arrived looking and feeling like a drowned rat, registered myself and took my place on the floor of the Conference Centre at the Boardwalk, like everyone else, waiting for my number to be called. It was called …. 5 hours later! It was a fun day though and while waiting I met many interesting people. It’s amazing how entertaining simply sitting and watching people can be. There were your normal “Joe Soaps”, the look-a-like wannabe’s, the Diva’s and then those who you could see were ‘the Genuine Thing’.

Top Billing Presenter Search PE

The actual audition went off a lot better than I thought it would despite the fact that the camera for some unknown reason scared the life out of me! Jeannie D (who was one of the judges) said I looked like a “Rock Star” lol and said she “loved my voice”. After the audition one of the Producers came up to me outside to congratulate me on a good audition which was rather nice to hear. However – I genuinely do not think I stand any chance of coming anywhere near the top of the Competition but the experience was a really good one and I had a lot of fun.

While in PE I managed to see an old Army friend who I had not seen in some years and won a ‘moderately substantial amount’ of money on the slot machines at The Boardwalk (Despite NOT being a gambling man) but that’s a story for another time.