On 19 January, the 2008 Missions Internship Team went on their first outreach event to visit Cotlands – Johannesburg, a non-profit organisation which houses and cares for abused, abandoned and HIV-positive children. The older children had gone out for an excursion in the morning, so the interns spent their time in the hospice room with the infants and very sick children and in the toddler room, playing with, loving on, and feeding the little ones.

Although it may not have felt like “ministry” in the traditional sense, it was a powerful experience for the interns as they prayed over the children and shared the love of Christ with them in the most practical of ways – by holding them and hugging them and feeding them and playing with them. One of the most amazing things the interns discovered at Cotlands was the abundance of hope, even among the terminally ill. Though the children at Cotlands could have had every reason to despair or be hopeless, they were full of life and energy and curiosity, a beautiful sight to behold. Each of the interns returned deeply impacted by their time at Cotlands, having felt in a very real way the compassion of Christ for His children. Our deepest gratitude to Rochelle and the rest of the Cotlands staff for sharing with us the work of Cotlands and allowing us to spend time with the children. We were incredibly blessed!

Filed Under: News and Stories
Associated Tags: Cotlands, Intern Team