During the long weekend this month, we  held our annual Sinani Arts Academy Camp, bringing  together a small group of children from several of our  Life Centres. 

We intentionally select children who are already  involved in the arts and who we see leadership  potential in. There are usually around a dozen children, and our hope is to invest deeply in them so they can  grow into leaders who will one day lead and inspire  others within the Sinani Arts Academy. This year was particularly special as it marked the 5th  year of our camp. We welcomed a new group of young  artists, all between the ages of 9 and 14, who we  believe have great potential to grow and become the  next generation of leaders in our Arts Academy.

We had so much fun together while also working hard  as we prepare for our annual Sinani Arts Showcase at  the end of October. Through everything we do, we  teach our children that their talents are gifts from God  and that our greatest goal is to use those gifts to bring glory to Him. 

This year, we were also blessed to have a team visiting from America who spent time with the children  teaching them visual arts. It was wonderful to see our  children learning, creating and discovering new ways  to express themselves. 
And of course, there was time around the fire! We  shared songs and testimonies together. Our children  taught the American team SiSwati praise songs, and  the team shared songs with them in return. Different  languages and different cultures, but the same God. 

These few days together are always one of the  highlights of the year for our Arts Academy children.  They are given space to learn, create, grow in  confidence, build friendships and discover that their  talents can be used for something much bigger than  themselves. 
We are so excited to see what God will do through this next generation of young artists and leaders!