The Discovery Camp in Mozambique was one we will never forget. 

We stepped into Mozambican culture where song, dance and rhythm set the tone for each day. 

Mozambique hugs the coastline of East Africa just above South Africa.  It is a tropical paradise with a landscape covered with palm trees and sand dunes by turquoise waters.  Students gathered from the Mozambique cities of Maxixe, Inhambane and Zavale. Cities that lie on the southern border of the coast. 

We had been to this area once before.  We had hoped to start an International Christian Surfers chapter in Tofino, but God had other plans for us. 

Through our prior travels throughout southern Africa, the Lord gave us a partnership with an organization I knew well growing up in the states called Young Life.  Their focus is on campus ministry and they are growing rapidly in Mozambique. 

One of the Young Life chapter’s is at Maxixe University. This is where we gathered with 30 university students for a Discovery Camp just this past month.   Our Discovery Camp was filled with lots of fun games and activities.  Our educational focus was an overview of the Bible that gave them a strong understanding of its timeline. 

We took them on a deep dive into The Story of all stories, God’s plan of restoration as told in the Bible.. Many of the students had a background in the Bible, but for many this was all new. 

We were extremely encouraged and excited to see how the students were totally engaged with us and were ravenous to learn.  They had never heard the story of The Bible as a whole.  They just knew little snippets.  They never were told how they all linked together to tell us of our beginning, our restoration, and our future.    

We had intentional discussions and the students had great questions throughout the week. The students really wanted to know God’s truth and chose to wrestle with their place in it all.  

It was moving and powerful. At the end of the week ,10 students responded to God’s story, realizing this was the Truth and that they wanted to ‘dwell with God again’.  We were so honored to pray with them to invite Jesus into their hearts as their God, King and Savior. 

The days didn’t end at the camp location.  We visited villages, homes and churches.   Wherever we went, this group would share about what they learned and experienced. It felt like we had come into a ripe harvest!  They were all ready to receive, apply and pass it on!  

Each participant was given a Bible. If they had one already, we challenged them to share the story and gift the Bible to someone else. 

What a privilege it was to be a part of God’s body and his movement in the nations.   Personally for us, Rehgert and I were given clear instruction on what to teach and the resources to do it with.  Then to be invited through Young Life to share this with their 30 university students in Mozambique in an area that we had a sense we wanted to go back to was very rewarding.

These Mozambicans were some of the most joy filled people we have ever met. Everyone used their skills set  whether they were English teachers, plumbers, etc.  to influence their society to bring people back to their Creator and how He designed for us to live . They lived in community and worship.  They gave where there was need and spent every evening in prayer and worship.   They wanted to partner with God and go to their fellow Mozambicans that did not know the love of God.  It was moving.  

We want to shout out a BIG THANK YOU to Ardex our translator, Virgilio our worship man,  and Elvio the team leader extraordinaire. 

Also, big THANKS to each of you who have prayerfully or financially supported Aleph to make this experience happen. People are changed forever and eternity.

Join us for an extraordinary experience that will change the way you see the world and read the Bible.    We will travel through the white washed streets of Jerusalem, hike the desert of Judea, and sit in the meadows of Galilee.  You will get to soak in the views and scents all over Israel while enjoying the energy and taste that this unique country has to offer. 

Our hope is that whoever comes on this tour will grasp a better understanding of the scriptures.  We want people to get excited about God!  The One who created heaven and earth and that is still active in every detail today.  He is fulfilling the scriptures as we breathe.  We need to align ourselves with God’s time clock and with his heart.  

Did you know 83% of the bible is about Israel.  If it is, then don’t you think we should know what God is up to currently with this extremely tiny country.  We want people to consider the scriptures’ relevance for today while exploring and celebrating ancient and modern Israel.  You will go home equipped to study the scriptures on your own and prepare you and your community for the King’s arrival. 

We believe that God is not finished with Israel and the people He made covenant with in the land of Israel all the way in Genesis 12:2.    We want to take you on a tour that shares the heart of God from Genesis to Revelations.  The hope that he gave to the world through this little nation.   We see through History the commitment of our God to restore the people to the land.  But it wasn’t for the greatness of the land.  It was for His name sake.  Israel is where restoration for all mankind started.  Where the Hope of a Kingdom with no tears, no pain, no more death would come forth!  

We invite you to join us in the Holy land. The land that will help you understand your existence because you’re God destined you to know and understand him. 

DATE  |  OCTOBER 30TH -NOVEMBER  9TH . 2023

Tentative Itinerary

DAY 1—  Lighthouse to the Nations. 

DAY 2—Jerusalem, Old City. Kingdom 

DAY 3— Herzl, Yad Vashem.  Jerusalem Past and Present

DAY 4—Jerusalem. Mt Olives. Future

DAY 5—Judean Desert. Wilderness

DAY 6—West bank.

DAY 7—Drive through Jordan Valley to Galilee. 

DAY 8— Sea of Galilee.  Capernaum.   

DAY 9— Banias. Mt Bental. Mt Arbel. Mt Carmel. Preparation for Battle. 

DAY 10— Tel Aviv. Maranatha & Future Restoration

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We want to start this post by highlighting someone in our community that inspires us.
Friends … meet Pablo Cruz.

Watching Pablo surf gives fresh meaning to that line from Walt Whitman’s poem, “I too am not a bit tamed . . . I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.” (I never knew what a “barbaric yawp” actually sounded like until I met this guy.) Even on cold, windy days, Pablo is always stoked to paddle out in search of “la ola grande” or a “happy wipeout day.” He brings the kind of energy that changes the atmosphere of a lineup because people immediately recognize it’s authentic.

But it’s not just Pablo’s stoke that inspires us. He also has a rad story—a small piece of which I get to share here. Like many kids in Mexico, Pablo grew up in a casa hogar (the common name for orphanage or children’s home). When he was nine, Pablo got connected with a San Diego based nonprofit called Out of the Boat Swim who taught him how to swim and surf. Through his teenage years, Pablo built close relationships with the OBS leaders and discovered his passion for the ocean. Now a young adult, Pablo volunteers his time as a surf instructor to teach and empower other young people through doing what he loves.

Hanging out with Pablo gets us excited about the ways Aleph can inspire youth in our community through activities like surfing and rock climbing. It also gets us thinking about the impact that folks like Pablo can make in their own communities and beyond just by using their gifts and passions to show the way for others.

The start of 2022 has brought mountains and valleys. We’ve made new friends and deepened existing relationships. There have also been some hard lessons along the way. Sadly, we were unable to move forward with our winter plan to build a rock wall in the Zona youth building. That door closed unexpectedly, leading us to take a step back from the project, but we have not lost the vision of creating a climbing area for youth in the community to play and connect. We are praying and trusting God will lead us to the right space at the right time. At present our focus remains on building relationships and creating joy-filled experiences for youth outdoors. The months since our last update have been full of adventures. In an effort to keep things brief, here are some highlights:

A February hike up one of our coastal mountains with Casa Hogar Cuidad de Refugio.
(Sadly, we can’t share photos of these kids’ faces due to privacy protection laws)

Climbing sessions with La Misión youth at our local crag are always a highlight! We also made a few rainy day trips to a small gym in Ensenada called Escalada Sin Limites, run by our new friend Iván.

As summer approaches, we are excited for what the rest of 2022 will bring. We look forward to continuing to build relationships and develop our existing programs as well as pilot some trips with new partners, which we’ll probably get to share in the next update.

We are looking to expand our capacity to run
programs. If you know of an organization or
church who might be interested in partnering
financially, we would love to connect!

Huge thanks to everyone who has come alongside to support and make this work possible! In the words of Pablo, “pura vida … pura tortillas”

Abrazos,
Dustin & Jess

Aleph Surf has launched a “surf therapy program “for the Centre for Grace foundation located in Jeffreys Bay. They serve the needs of students with special needs. In the past, parents have had to travel long distances to get the specialized care and education for their children. The ocean has incredible therapeutic properties and we have helped to expose the students from COG to the wonders of this space.

Centre of Grace launches surf therapy programme

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY KOUGE EXPRESS

The Centre of Grace Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded in 2020 to provide services for autistic children and children with related neurodevelopmental differences, launched their Surf Therapy Programme, in conjunction with Aleph Surf International, at the Main Beach in Jeffrey’s Bay in February this year.

“Surfing has been used effectively as therapy in many parts of the world, and the Centre of Grace is the first school in South Africa to use surfing as therapy for children with neurodevelopmental differences within a formal school setting,” said co-founder, Toyer Jappie.

“After all, Jeffrey’s Bay is an international surfing destination and the perfect location for such a programme.

“We believe that the programme will benefit the mental and physical health of learners and benefit skills development – providing different learning mechanisms to improve different skill sets.”

According to Jappie, surf therapy programmes in other parts of the world have shown that autistic children who participate in the programme, thrive.

“There is improved social interaction, increased verbal output, an increase in communication initiation, fewer meltdowns, more confidence, and a general improvement in peer relationships,” she said.

“Many children with autism struggle with sensory overload, where simple sensations overload them. The weightlessness and rhythms of the ocean help to ease their sensory overload, which has a massive impact on their overall well-being.”

The surf therapy programme was developed by Aleph Surf International after extensive consultation with Liquid Therapy, an organisation running a similar programme for autistic children in Ireland.

School

Apart from the Surf Therapy Programme, the foundation also opened its first school in Jeffrey’s Bay earlier this year.

“These services never existed before,” Jappie said.

“The school provides appropriate quality and equitable education, therapy, health services and support to children with autism and related neurodevelopmental differences between the ages of two and 12 years.”

There is immense power in bringing people together.

Especially people from different backgrounds. The importance of this action cannot be overstated. How can we expect to feast together in the Kingdom if we can’t even eat a meal together on earth?

In this past week, we had the privilege of bringing together 25 teens from all over Jbay for this quarter’s Discovery Camp. Our lives were intertwined by the common purpose of unpacking the meaning of the restoration of all things and on the common ground that we are all people together on this journey. There were great discussions, impactful breakout sessions, joy filled games and decisions of eternal weight were made as well as life changing prayers prayed with campers. We surfed, we ate, and we played hard. Now there exist fewer strangers and more friends in Jbay. We are Stoked!

Thank you to the CSALT groups that volunteered as well as Sylven and Megan Owen who did our catering. Thanks to each of you who gave last year to our campaign to make these camps a reality!