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

August/September 2010 www.edentc.wordpress.com Spring edition

In this issue A letter from Max Brockmeyer

D
ear Eden Teen
Challenge Minis-
tries,
Bloemfontein 2 I have to
start off by thanking each and
Coca Cola a big help every person in and around
Eden Teen Challenge. Every
single one of you guys truly
Soccer World Cup 3 helped me to have such a
Bloemspruit news memorable and exciting trip. I
really cannot thank you
enough for allowing me to
Bethlehem news 4 grow in so many ways while
being in South Africa. I must
say that I was extremely hon-
ored to have been a part of all
Feedback on Max 5 the centers and what it had to
Brockmeyer’s visit to offer. I can honestly say that I
South Africa
grew as a person emotionally
as well as spiritually. Even
Virginia news 6
though you may not know it, Max Brockmeyer
each and every one of the peo-
Photos about hap- ple in the Eden centers helped me grow in so many unimaginable ways!
penings at the centre
I must say that when I first arrived in South Africa, it was pretty tough. For about the
first three weeks that I was down there, I wasn’t exactly sure what it was that God wanted me to
Kroonstad news 7
do in such a different and foreign country. But, as the weeks progressed and the lifestyle became
Thank –you more normal to me, I slowly realized that this was truly one of the best trips I had ever taken. All
thanks to God and to the people who make up all of Eden.
I was more than blessed to have been given so many wonderful opportunities. From
Eden TC Leaders 8 preaching a lot of the Sunday services, to teaching the children at the center in Bethlehem, to
the devotions in Bloemfontein, and just the many wonderful conversations that took place
about so many things was really just another highlight of my trip. I know for a fact that if I was
doing this type of internship in the United States, I would never had the chance to do the
many things that I did in South Africa.
Once again I cannot tell you guys enough how blessed I was and just what an honor it
was to be down in the great country of South Africa. As the weeks were rapidly coming to an
end, it was slowly occurring to me that it was becoming weird to think that I was actually going
to leave. Unfortunately, I had to leave to return back to my family. But, don’t worry; I will try my
best to make another trip to South Africa. I hope and pray for every single one of you guys that
God will use you all in a mighty way. Take care and God Bless!
Yours Truly,
Proud to be South -African Max Brockmeyer
Continue on page 5
Distributed worldwide free of charge
 Bloemfontein
First and foremost we thank our Heavenly Father for all the blessings that were showered on this Ministry over the
last couple of months. We thank God for the amazing people and the open hearts that are involved in the daily op-
erations of His house.

Coca Cola donate washing machine Coca Cola donate paint

W
ith the arrival of
winter came the
problem of
clean clothes for
the residents. Because of the
cold weather clothes just takes
so long to dry and added to this
the number of patients in-
creased quite dramatically. It all
resulted in the load of the laun-
dry increasing quite substantially
in a short period of time. We
knew that our machines just
would not cope. God however
knows what is needed in His
house and before we knew it
we had a brand new 10.5 kg
washing machine plus a 10.5
kg tumble dryer. Needless to
say our clean clothing prob-
lems are a thing of the past
and for this we are sincerely
grateful to Coca Cola (Ilse van
Dyk and Bernadine Wilke)
who gives so unselfishly of
themselves.

Eggz distributors

O I
n average we serve approximately 480 meals per day
here in our Bloemfontein Centre. It is through peo-
ple like Pieter and Leonie Marie Combrinck of Eggz
Distributors that this just not only stays a dream,
but it becomes reality. We thank you from the bottom of our
hearts for allowing God to use you to make a difference in the
lives of those less fortunate than yourselves. Pieter and Leonie
Marie donate up to 3000 eggs to the Ministry at a time.
George Marumo
n the previous newsletter we mentioned that we wanted to
redo all the residents’ rooms by painting them, putting up
new rails for curtains, curtains and duvets. Well, this month
we can share with you the fact that Coca Cola stepped in
and they sponsored 80 tins of Enamel paint.
We worked out that this will enable us to paint all the residents
rooms. We can never thank God enough for the wonders and
blessings of His house. We painted the ladies quarters and I don’t
have to tell you the joy on their faces. A huge thank you once
again to Bernadine Wilke and Ilse van Dyk for putting smiles on
so many faces.

G
eorge
was

placed here on
01/09/09 by
Bongani Hospi-
tal in Welkom.
He was found on
the streets of
George Marumo Welkom in a BEFORE AFTER
very neglected

state and brought to the Hospital. All attempts to trace his family
in and around Welkom have proven unsuccessful, so it’s really a
battle to apply for an identity document for him. His age is esti-
mated to be 17 years and George is also not able to help us
much as he cannot speak. He has however fitted in nicely with
the other residents and is as a child to some of the residents.
George by all accounts will spend the rest of his life in the Min-
istry as no attempt by anyone has been made to trace him in
Welkom.
2
T
o all the other donors who so unselfishly give of them-
selves, we want to say thank you. Thank you for allow-
ing God to work in your hearts and thus improving the
lot of others.
Finally please keep us in your prayers as to the day to day opera-
tion of the Ministry.
Should you want to get involved in any of the activities of the
Ministry, please contact us on 051 430 5769.
 Soccer world cup 2010

O
n the day that the world cup started, 11 June 2010, we had our own little tourna-
ment. All the residents were divided into two groups and they played for a tro-
phy. A really wonderful time was had by all and they even had cheerleaders, man-
agers, coaches. Petrus Greyling showed the most enthusiasm and was duly re-
warded with the man of the match award.

With regard to the real World Cup, I think it was everybody’s dream to attend even just
one match. Myself and Rhoda (more so Rhoda, because she’s never been to any stadium)
also wanted to go. We enquired from the local Fifa office regarding the prices of tickets
and were shocked to learn that the cheapest ticket
cost R594 and then you ended up sitting high up in
the stadium. Well we consoled ourselves with the idea that we would have to watch the
games on television as we do not have that kind of money. God had other plans which we
were not even aware of. A week before the Bafana vs France game, I received a call from Pas-
tor Herman asking me which team I supported and well I told him that I supported Brazil.
He told me that he has bad news for me as he can’t give me tickets to the Brazil game, but he
has 2 A grade tickets valued at more than R1200 per ticket. He was given these tickets and
thought that we would appreciate attending a game. These seats were six rows from the field
and well I don’t have to tell you how we enjoyed the atmosphere, the game and the mere fact
that we were part of an historic event. This truly was a dream come true for the both of us
and we want to thank Pastor Herman and Dr Jana Viljoen.

BLOEMSPRUIT
I just want to use this opportunity to thank all our donors for their help and support towards
our centre and also for everyone who is praying for us. Be assured that it is highly appreciated
knowing that there is someone who has the same heartbeat for the work we do.

Should you want to get involved in our ministry here at Bloemspruit please feel free to contact
me Kobus sonnekus at 0793438998.

Eph 6:18b—praying always with all prayers and supplications 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
 Bethlehem
Crèche news

A
short while ago we received a phone call from a parent
who’s children attend our crèche during the day, saying
that she just wanted to thank us for everything we do for
her children and that since the children attend our crèche
they will never eat at home before saying grace. It is so nice to hear
words like that , knowing that God is working in these little chil-
dren's lives.

The feedback from parents is so positive and it is things like that,

that gives us hope and courage to go on, and like I said to someone
the other day—we don’t do anything special we just teach them the
foundation Jesus Christ.

We also want to use this opportunity to thank the community for

their involvement in our crèche. And also for each and every volun-
tary worker. May God bless your richly.

Left: Two crèche teachers looking after the children whilst playing
...suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is in the sandpit.
the kingdom of God. ( Luke 18:16)

We want to thank all

our regular donators
W e want to
thank Mr. A. Ezeagu
for the clothes he
who donate weekly, bought for the
monthly or daily. We crèche children. All
of them received a
cannot do our work brand new tracksuit.
without your help and Right: The crèche
support. children with their
new clothes.

We want to do what is right in God’s eye

W
e recently took Ntswaki ( our little foster child) to a specialist who specialise in HIV chil-
dren. He examined her and was impressed with her well-being, if you take into considera-
tion from where she was up to where she is now.

My first question to the doctor was “ is there any change for her to be cured from this disease”? And
his answer to me was “ why do you want to cure her? I was shocked and speechless about this doctor’s
reaction but then he explained to me that she is as healthy as any other normal child. There is basically
nothing wrong with her, the virus is “ sleeping” and not active in her body.

It is the same with diabetics, the only difference is that people with diabetics are sometimes sicker than
HIV children and there is also no cure for that.
That word was a revelation to me, it gave me hope for our little girl.

We are in the process of adopting her like God told us to do. We get a lot of resistance about this, but we made peace with it. We
want to do what is right in God’s eyes, we are here to please God and not friends and family. So please, we need your prayers and
support.

4
W
hat a privilege it was to have met the young man Max Brockmeyer. I've got to know him as a man of God who love
life. In spite of his physical disabilities (look out for his powerful testimony in the next issue) he is always ready to
lend a helping hand or to assist in any way possible. While visiting our centre Max spent a lot of time with the chil-
dren, playing soccer, had discussions, and dealing with issues from our Teens Clinic program. Our own children grew
very fond of him and spent a lot of time with Max, also visiting a movie house, and like children they were always munching. Before
Max left our centre to visit the centre in Bloemfontein we had the privilege of celebrating the 4th of July Independence day with him
as he was far from home.
We wish him the best with his studies and pray God’s blessing upon his life. We are really looking forward to his next visit.
Eden TC Bethlehem

I
t was such a blessing having Max Brockmeyer from Shrewbury, USA here in South Africa. He really got involved in all the
centre's activities, and his interaction with the youth of the centre appreciated by everybody. His testimony reflected once
again God's endless mercy, grace and love. His message was an inspiration, showing that if God starts intervening in once life,
He does it swiftly. We are looking forward to a future visit by Max, and wish him all the best for the future. May God bless you
richly!
Eden TC Virginia

I
t was a privilege and an honour to host Max who came from America. We picked him up at Bloemfontein airport on the 20
May. We took him to Virginia where he spend a couple of days and also went on vacation with Pastor Herman and Dr. Jana to
the Kruger National Park. After he came back from vacation he spent 10 days with us at the ministry in Kroonstad. He helped
out at reception and the kitchen where he helped peel the vegetables. We also treated him to a nice blue bull steak. He had an
opportunity to go out on a gliding trip with Trevor Fisher. We took him to a lion farm where he came close up to a lion that they
darted, but it was his testimony that he gave in church that touched our hearts and lives. We want to thank him for the time he spent
with us for I truly realised that it does not matter what circumstances you come out, the Lord will always make a way. I pray that
God will bless him where ever he goes. From us he went to the ministry in Bethlehem.
Eden TC Kroonstad

M
ax was in Bloemfontein from 11 July 2010 to 20 July 2010 when he returned to the USA. In that short period of time
we learned that this 20 year old has really learnt to put his faith and trust in God. We also noticed Max’s desire to suc-
ceed and overcome his shortcomings at all cost. We in Bloemfontein say thank you for the input whilst you were here.
Thank you for sorting out the library, for helping with the patients, cleaning in the kitchen, all the Devotions you con-
ducted and for your special messages. Go well child of God and we look forward to your return.
Eden TC Bloemfontein

M
ax spend 5 days with us in Bloemspruit and my first impression was a gentle, charming man who is a definite disciple
for Jesus Christ . Wherever we went he was always spontaneous with people and he courageously partook in conver-
sations. A young man whom makes a big difference in life, wherever he goes.
Eden TC Bloemspuit

We will publish Max Brockmeyer’s testimony in the next edition of the newsletter.
5

From Janet’s
desk
I E
t is frightening to think
we are coming to the
end of the year. Time
waits for nobody. So
many positive things
have happened, but their were
also a lot of negative things.
But what a wonderful privi-
lege to share in the Kingdom
of God. It is wonderful to
look back and see the Father's
grace in your life taking one
to greater heights, where we
will all one day share in His
Majesty. It is indeed an hon-
our to serve God. Thank you
to each one forming part of
this beautiful Creation of
God.
Thank you to all our loyal supporters, that helped us in one way or another. May God bless you
The wall collapsed after a storm
Mr. Mario Cockrill—Mr. Welkom 2010
Virginia
Our deepest condolences
den Christian Ministries offer our deepest con-
dolences to Round Table 40 at their huge loss.
Irreplaceable artefacts and souvenirs of priceless
value in the clubhouses of Round Table 40 and
Table Round 204 in Welkom were destroyed by a fire.
The infrastructure damage and value of appliances in the
shared kitchen and hall amounts to more than R3 million,
according to the Chairman of Table Round 40, Mr Mark
Reagal. He says the biggest losses were the banners, flags,
O
photos and other items of sentimental value, that were
ur deepest condolences to
collected during the past 40 years, and that cannot be re-
the family and friends of
placed.
Mr JA Robus and JD Ro-
bus who passed away. We
Amongst those items are artifacts from abroad, that were
pray that God
exchanged with other Table Round clubs throughout the
will strengthen them durimng this diffi-
country....
cult time.
in abundance.
abundance
The wall after repair, we want to thank God for prevision Our center are blessed with Me Lydia Khiba
to do the maintenance and Me. Veronica Marumo from the Institute
for Development. They assist us whilst doing
their training at Eden.
Great thanks to the ladies of Hospice who Max Brockmeyer , enjoy the company with some of
donated clothing and a warm waterbag to the teen’s from Virginia, whilst on his visit to South
each resident at our center Africa
6

W e want to thank the
community of Kroonstad that
opened their hearts and
helped us with our needs dur-
ing this winter time, when it
was so cold. Thank you to
everybody who brought blan-
kets, food, clothes, toiletries,
electricity ext. We want to
pray the Lord’s blessings
over each and everyone that
brought a donation, however
small .
Kroonstad
W e thank Pick n Pay, Checkers, Shoprite, Octa engineering for
their donations, for we truly would not be able to provide meals for our
W e also want to
thank our trustee mem-
ministry without your help, we pray that the Lord will reward you for bers Tony Norval,
your generosity and pray God’s blessings over your business. Trevor Fisher and Dr.
Leon van Wyk. Thank
you that you are always
there to help us when
we need you.

W e thank the churches that

support us every month. Thank
you for your prayers we truly ap-
preciate you. May God bless you
even more than He is blessing you
now
W e want to thank Rotary for the do-
nation of blankets that they gave to the
ministry, it truly were a necessity and our
residents truly was so happy for they could
sleep warm, for the ministry building is
very cold.

We ask for help ! Prayer request If anyone are in need...

W W
e want to take this
opportunity to ask
for help. We need to
replace a lot of win-
dow panes in the ministry, and we
would like to paint out our single
ladies quarters, we also need a gey-
ser for our crèche. We have a won-
derful swimming pool that we use
during summer, but it is in a bad
condition and we need to paint it.
e want to bring a
request to you
today and ask that
you will pray with
us for our leader Pastor Herman.
He had a bypass operation and
when he went back for his check
up, they discovered that there are
veins that are still blocked. He is
not well and he needs our prayers,
not just him, but his wife Jana as
well. We trust the Lord for a
miracle.
W
e ask the community of Kroonstad if they are
aware of anyone that needs help to contact us. We
are here to serve the community and help those in
need. We thank the Lord for working in the residents
lives. There is no reward bigger than seeing how the
Lord can change people’s lives and seeing them
grow in the Lord. We want to thank those that stand
with us in the ministry. I want to give an extra thanks
to Hannetjie Bester who is always there for us and
does our administration work. We pray that the Lord
will provide every need of these people that stand
with us.

Congratulations

O
n the 23 July 2010 we held a wedding for Dirkie Janse van
Vuuren and Anne Marie Visser. It was the first time that
we had a wedding in Kroonstad since we have been here.
We pray that the Lord will bless this marriage and that the
fruit of their relationship with the Lord will show in their relationship
with each other.
Marriage is one of the most awesome experiences when we build our
relationship on the rock Jesus Christ. Without Him the marriage is an
open target for Satan to steal and destroy us, but Jesus says that He
promises us life in abundance. That is what we pray for in your mar-
riage abundance in every area of your lives.

7
 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