April 25, 2009
The last week and a half have been fairly uneventful, sort of just settling in to the routine. I have soccer practice Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday with games on Saturday, including coaching on Tuesday and Saturday. The team I am coaching is still struggling to get enough players though. There are no youth teams for girls, so we are trying to find teenagers and adults with no pool to draw from. I’ve been going to the homeless shelter to work with the young girls. My first week there, none of the staff were able to go, so myself and two of the other interns took charge and ran the program straight out of the blocks. It went fine, the girls were responsive to us and we had a good conversation at the end of our time together. One of the other interns lived at the shelter for a while and left a year ago to do a training program and then joined Ambassadors in January. He shared about his goals and dreams to get out of the shelter and then to join Ambassadors, so we talked with the girls about their goals and dreams as well. Many of them want to go in to ministry, so I hope they are able to see those dreams fulfilled. (Although we did talk about doing ministry in everyday vocations as well).
Speaking of vocations, I have been trying to figure out what I want to do when I get home in August. I don’t know if I will be able to find something permanent from here. I may have to find something that pays the rent when I get home and then look for something more suitable at that time. I had been thinking last year that I would want to stay in ministry full time, but now I am wondering if that is the best option. I want to do ministry, but I’ve been thinking that moving in to a secular job may open up more opportunities and allow me to build more relationships to be effective in talking to others in need. I’m wondering if I am to expand and build the relationships I am in, if it would be better to not work within a “ministry” context. If anyone wants to keep an eye open for possible opportunities and pray for God’s guidance in that area, I would appreciate it.
May 1, 2009
This week was a pretty typical week, except that it seems to be the time of year when South Africa has a lot of public holidays. First it was Easter and then last Wednesday was election day, which is a holiday here, then Monday was Freedom Day (I didn’t notice any celebrations, it was just a day off), and today was a holiday, but I have no idea what is was.
Wednesday we went to a meeting to talk about the ministry centering around the 2010 World Cup. All of the ministries and churches in South Africa will come together under one heading, The Ultimate Goal. The meeting left a bit to be desired, but it is exciting to think about what kind of ministry potential there is during the World Cup. FIFA has actually granted churches rights to show the games on Big Screens without licensing fees, as long as they don’t charge admission. It is a first as far as I know. But that means bars won’t be the only ones opening their doors for public viewing and churches can reach people in their communities. Most South Africans don’t have access to TV, especially satellite and most people won’t have transportation to get to pubic viewing areas around the stadiums, so local churches seem to be a great option. The Ultimate Goal is also pushing churches to do clinics and tournaments, and further encouraging them to get involved volunteering, offering hospitality to visitors and ministry teams, and providing information and aid to tourists.