Nick's Mission to South Africa

This summer my son, Nick Draper, is heading to South Africa on a mission trip with Street Invaders, so I’m dedicating this post to him.

Nick’s main claim to fame is due to his 2006 TV appearance when he appeared in the Kid’s Stuff episode on Corner Gas (Season 4, Episode 11). That and other experiences in the TV and film industry taught him patience and teamwork among other things.

Here’s a portion of that Corner Gas episode where we first see Nick. His segment starts at 1:40 as Davis and Karen (the 2 RCMP officers) are walking down the sidewalk. Nick is the young boy that pops out of nowhere.

http://youtu.be/OMgjVKw6U6Y



Those work attributes helped in 2009 when Nick signed up for his first Street Invaders mission trip at the age of 14. His team worked with childrens' summer camps in Saskatchewan and Alberta where Nick found he had an affinity for that type of work.

Nick went homeless for part of the 2010 Easter Break while being a participant of Project Aware. This Regina-run project shows teens what it’s like to be homeless. They learn the scary truth about what it means to be homeless as well as how to interact, help and empathize with kids and adults in that situation.

Fifteen year old Nick started the 2010 summer by counseling kids at the Springside Apostolic Bible Camp here in Saskatchewan. He followed that week with a second Street Invaders mission trip which took him all the way to Australia.

Again this past Easter Break, Nick volunteered and was accepted into the Project Aware program in Regina. He came home more determined than ever to keep working with kids whether homeless or not.

This year, Nick was invited to join the Street Invaders mission trip to South Africa and it wasn’t a surprise when he said he wanted to go. The Street Invaders website says, 'Imagine! Flying to Capetown, South Africa and working in schools, prisons, on the streets, and in the feeding stations. Your entire 2 weeks will be absolutely full of opportunities to live the Gospel! This continues to be one of Street Invaders greatest mission outreaches ever!’

One thing he’s doing before he goes halfway around the world is taking a 2-week Leaders in Training (LIT) course at the local Circle Square Ranch. This Christian based summer ranch camp really needs workers otherwise they have to turn campers/ranchers away. More often than not that means disadvantaged kids from the city who look forward to the experience all year.

The LIT course will enable Nick to become a ranch counselor when he’s not on the Street Invaders team. It also means a full summer of work without pay, but it’s one of Nick’s choosing.

Nick does most things kids his age like to do such as playing video games, chatting on the internet and driving the family car. Musically inclined, Nick plays the snare drum and other percussion instruments in the school band. He also leads worship one Sunday a month with his dad who is the source of his music talent.

And for all those friends and relatives who read my blog and have inquired about supporting Nick in his missions (especially the airfare), the best way you can help is to send a donation to Nick’s AYMI (Apostolic Youth Ministries International) account over in their Calgary office.

It’s real easy to do online. Just go to the AYMI website http://www.aymi.ca/ and click ‘Donate’ at the bottom of the page. It will take you through the PayPal site. To ensure the donation goes to Nick’s account, please follow up with an email to office@aymi.ca.

Or, you could send a check/cheque made out to AYMI and designate that it's for Nick to:

AYMI, #8 3530 11A St. NE Calgary AB Canada T2E 6M7

The AYMI’s contact numbers are 1-877-356-0707 (toll free), 403-717-0707 (Calgary area), or 403-717-0709 (Fax).


Although I’m a tad worried about Nick going so far away, I’m proud of his willingness to serve God by spreading the Gospel and working with the poor – in spirit and otherwise.

Whether you make a donation or not, I want to thank you for taking an interest in Nick’s mission by reading this post. God bless you.

Anita Mae.