2010 Trip Dates

South Africa

In 2002, Steve and Teresa Kinsley were probably like many other American families. She was a school teacher and he was an executive for a telecommunications company. They had three grown children, attended church regularly, and lived in a small city in Mississippi. But God was calling the Kinsleys to a radical shift in their lives.

Teresa had been going on mission trips during the summer and began to feel a call to missions. Knowing her husband wasn't ready for this change, she continued to serve at home through school and summer mission trips. It took two years before Steve felt the same call and was ready to make the commitment to world missions. The turning point came at a time when God was taking the Kinsley's youngest son through some hard personal trials. As they watched and prayed, one weekend God miraculously changed their son's life. Seeing the impact God had made on their son, they knew they were ready to give up their rights to their lives and follow God wherever he led them. But the journey had just begun.

During 2003, the Kinsleys struggled through their call to missions knowing they were meant to serve, but not knowing where.God began opening and closing doors of opportunity and after a 14 day mission trip to South Africa, the Kinsleys found their hearts being led back to that same country. Through a God-ordained conversation in a coffee shop, they got connected with a ministry in South Africa and found themselves living and serving in there in 2004.

The Kinsleys have now been in South Africa for 4 years. Their ministry is known as "Sebenzela" - the Zulu word for serve. Much of the Kinsleys ministry is serving other ministries on the ground in South Africa. They help in numerous ways - from volunteering at schools, to providing administrative support to hospitals, to hosting missions teams, to discipleship and mentoring, to loving on children in local villages and providing for the needs of the poor. One way the Kinsleys have been able to serve in South Africa is through Camp Sebenzela.

The summer months in the United States are actually the winter months in South Africa, and students there get a three week school holiday. During this time Camp Sebenzela hosts two VBS style day camps for local children. The camps are each held at a school, and children come to play with Americans and hear about the love of Jesus Christ. Servant Life teams that serve in South Africa help lead these day camps with the Kinsleys.

Servant Life has partnered with Steve and Teresa Kinsley since 2006 by sending teams to serve at Camp Sebenzela. You too can join us in 2009 at Camp Sebenzela as we Help the World Know Christ through His Word!