Adventure, friendship and faith: a week at the Link
Date: March 2024
Category: Stories from Lesotho
In January 2024, a group of Rock UK instructor trainees travelled from the UK to Lesotho for two weeks of adventure, service and learning.
Among them was Aleksandar Vukadinovic, who shared his experience of helping to run an activity camp for children supported through the Link's Child Headed Household programme.
Four days of adventure
Fourteen Rock UK trainees travelled to Lesotho between 3 and 18 January 2024.
The main focus of their visit was a four-day activity camp, alongside maintenance work at the centre and time to explore and experience Lesotho.
The camp welcomed 40 children from Child Headed Households, divided into younger and older groups.
Ten of the Rock UK instructors helped deliver the programme, with activities ranging from paddle sports and water activities to rope and land-based challenges.
But the camp was about more than adventure.
Sharing faith through friendship
Each day also included a “God Slot” — a dedicated time to explore faith and the Bible.
Aleks shared the story of David and Jonathan, using their friendship to explore what it means to love and care for one another, and to point towards God's love.
Local instructors from the Link worked alongside the visiting team, helping with translation and making the activities possible.
A lasting impact
For Aleks, the experience had an impact far beyond the activities themselves.
He spoke about the warmth and hospitality he experienced in Lesotho, the friendships he made and the opportunity to see life from a different perspective.
He also described visiting local churches and hearing people worship God in Sesotho — a powerful reminder that faith connects people across languages and cultures.
Looking back on the experience, he summed it up in three words:
Exhilarating. Tiring. Humbling.
The visit was a wonderful example of what the Durham–Lesotho partnership makes possible: people travelling across continents, sharing their skills and faith, learning from one another and building relationships that last far beyond a single trip.
