February 2012

Shinoba Stadium in Daveyton

With Sdu!!

So... I think that I mentioned in the last blog that I had some news. And if for some reason I didn’t... guess what? I have some exciting news!! Two of our athletes, one in Pretoria and one in Johannesburg are joining us as interns in the coming year, Sduduze and Simphiwe (Shorty).  I am going to post their stories or maybe they will share them with you soon. I also had the chance to attend Shorty’s baptism a short while ago. It is exciting to see her make that public declaration to confirm the day she gave her life to Christ’s leading.  Sdu and Shorty were the spiritual leaders for the South African team at the FISU games. It has been so encouraging for us as an AIA team to see the desire to make Christ and prayer a part of their National Teams. For some it is as simple as saying the Lord’s Prayer before games and meals, for others it is more dynamic prayer and even bible studies.

On another note it is official that Trinity Western University’s Women’s Soccer Team will be joining us May 2-15. Their flights are booked. Please pray for wisdom in how to best use them. We will also be going to Bulembu in Swaziland. I am very excited about that. Please pray for wisdom as to some of the girls we should bring with the girls, to minister to the team, or to be ministered to.

Shorty's Baptism!! Video to Follow

So... The other thing you may be wondering is what does it look like to be a tutor with a National Soccer Team... haha. First off I just want to confirm once again my thankfulness to God for opening this door. It is nothing that I have done and not because I am particularly gifted. God is blessing your prayers, my prayers and the prayers of the AIA staff that have been dedicated to the girls and the ministry for years. So a day. Well I am currently in a hotel room in Polokwane which is about 4 hours north of Pretoria. And can I say that it is HOT, which needless to say, makes me very happy.

Botswana U20 Team

South Africa U20 Team. Back Row (L-R): Meagen, Jermaine, Promise, Kaylin, Regina, Lebo. Front Row: Robyn, Rachel, Chris, Nomvula, Tsegofatso

My days consist of a tutoring session in the morning. Where the girls work on their studies and I answer questions and help fill in the gaps of the information they have missed due to not being at school. After that they go to training. And I decide if I want to go to training with them and watch, or if we are not away like we are this week I may return to Pretoria for a workout and some discipleship time with Shorty.  The coach at the U20 camp has said that if I bring my boots next time he will let me get involved with some of the coaching/training which is very exciting! In the evenings I eat dinner with the coaching staff, tutor again for an hour or two (depending on the night and the training load) then head up to my room for the night.  This last camp concluded with the second leg of their qualifier against Botswana which they won 3-1. Both teams are up against Ghana next so please be praying for them to be able to play their best and for the coaches to be wise with the training and line ups and players.

Kaylin!!!

Warm Up

 The past few nights at the U20 camp I have been blessed to begin a bit of a bible study with Rachel and Nomvula. We are working through John together. In their culture a lot of the understanding around Christianity revolves around cleansing and sacrifice and works. So it was great to be able to share in John when Jesus says all those who believe in me... not believe in me and obey my commands... or believe in me and perform these rituals. No John 3:16 states that for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. This reality changes everything!!! It changes the way we live, it changes our motivation and our desires for our life.


So far I have finished 3 weeks of camp with the girls, two U20 and one U17. It has been tiring but I definitely believe that God is moving in the midst of them. Another reason I think this is true is that a lot of challenges are popping up with my home and technology. My cars clutch able snapped... and leading up to that a lot of damage was done to my clutch because it was not working properly. So I have to replace that as well.  My computer battery is telling me it is no longer happy being a part of my computer ,also my water is not working so well and I have been having some challenges with one of my close friends here. It is so comforting to know that in the midst of all of this God is sovereign and fully in control.

Granny and Carol at the game

Vuvuzela!!

The last two exciting things going on (sorry this is so long... but I am trying to get caught up and then will post a bit more frequently to save your reading muscles. ) I have my application to U of A fully submitted and will hear sometime soon about if I get in or not. So that is a burden to not worry about anymore. Also I am hoping to recruit one or two of the South African players to my school. But that will depend on the coach. So please keep that possibility in your prayers.

Poulang

Shenell

Some of the HPC girls

Granny wasn't so keen on this photo

Thembi

Line out

Scrum

Lastly yesterday I was blessed to have two girls, Elie and Erica, from Michigan State University up in Pretoria to spend the day just connecting with some of my girls. They definitely got a real taste of ministry and its challenges here in South Africa. The majority of our meetings and plans didn’t turn out as expected. But we were able to have a great chance to connect and encourage each other and I was able to help Erica with her testimony. In the midst of this rough time they were just a blessing to me. We had a good time of fellowship with Shorty and with Rachel. Spent a long time talking with Kaylin and I got to hear a bit more of the influence from the Plett Outreach on her life.

Me, Erica and Elie at their first Rugby match

She went from struggling to pray to God to being able to freely just talk to Him. It is awesome!! We also hosted a team meeting with the TUKs girls. I forgot how much I love being around them. Erica shared her story with the girls and Elie shared a bit about AIA and why they were there. The girls asked some questions and were keenly interested in the time. I was able to leave them with an invitation to connect with Shorty or I if they want to know more about where God fits in with their sport and just to pray over the team. It was a very positive time and I think it will prove to be a boost for me personally and for the ministry here in Pretoria.  And they also got to witness some rugby which was a great experience for them both!! And I loved being able to share it with them :)

Carol and Rachel

I pray that God continues to move in your hearts and minds. Growing you closer in understanding of who He is and the depths of His love for you!! Love you and miss you,

Rachel

Union Building at night