The Time is Now!

The World Cup has finally begun. South Africa opens the tournament with a monumental draw against much higher ranked Mexico. I kept saying I was going to cheer for Mexico (or Meksiko, if you spell it in Afrikaans lol) and all my JAM buddies gave me the dirtiest looks. You'd be amazed by how united this Country is behind their team, Bafana Bafana. We watched the opening match at Stellenberg High School. Stellenberg being a predominantly white suburb usually wouldn't put much thought into soccer but all over the place people wear their countries colors and fly the South African flag. Yesterday the U.S. ended with a draw against England, the strongest opponent in our pool. If we continue to play well we should make it past the first round. I must say that I particularly liked the way the U.S. team plays more then any other teams I've seen yet. They are physical, like any American should be.

The outreaches have begun. The team for Prince Albert left today. The Imizamo Yethu team of about 80 will be arriving at Apostle during the day today at some point. I will work on the IY team until I leave for Mavhusa on Thursday. Just a side note-- Mavhusa is a two day drive north and I will not have internet there so there won't be any posts on Mavhusa until I return to Cape Town on July 4th. Yesterday we had a big rally in Sir Lowry's Pass (a colored township that we work in). It was awesome because it was organized and put on by two leaders in the community who JAM disciples. They are both ex-gangsters with rough backgrounds but they have huge hearts to serve the Lord and see Sir Lowry's Pass transformed. God used the day to reaffirm something that He has been putting on my heart. I watched these guys put on their rally featuring a soccer tournament, dance competition and various other little activities. They did a good job, but their skills in organizing and putting on a big event was really lacking. The tournament was difficult to manage and the times when the Gospel was meant to be shared were difficult to understand and get people to pay attention to. These guys need to be equipped. Their passions are high but their skills are few. Now, God obviously can still work with a willing heart, but people like this ex-gangsters are all over this world with the passions to transform their communities, but the lack of training to make it happen. I want to develop a way to take what I have learned in my ministry program at APU and equip people from these communities with the necessary training and tools to advance the Gospel effectively in the ways that they so strongly desire to.