Last Few Weeks Updated

June 10, 2009
A few observations from my day… On the way to work in the morning, there is always a vendor setting up at a busy corner a couple of blocks from my house; he sells wooden and wicker furniture, as well as plastic basket shelves, bean bag chairs, hangers, and laundry baskets. I also usually see a couple of men selling random items at street corners. They are usually dressed in steering wheel covers, phone chargers, shoe caddies, and trash bag rolls.
While I’m at work, every once in a while I will go to a “Take-Away” shop across the street. These shops can be found sometimes 2 or 3 to a block in commercial and residential areas and sell drinks, snacks, sandwiches (usually grilled or on hot dog buns with fries), other fried items, and air time for mobile phones. Some of them are small buildings no large than a one stall garage, and others are “shops” set up in a room of someone’s house, in their garage, or constructed from scraps of metal corrugate.
Today I drove to the homeless shelter along one of the major national highways. On my way there I always see people running across traffic to get to the other side of the road, jumping the 3 foot median on the way; groups of children playing soccer right next to the highway, in the largest patch of grass near their homes; or cows, horses, and goats chewing on whatever bit of grass they can find. The cows are not behind fences and I don’t know how they are protected from theft or injury; today one crossed the road right in front of me, stopping to itch at a fly or some other insect along the way.
During rush hour there are myriads of people at every street corner. There are young men selling oranges, nectarines, avocados, tomatoes, pineapples, butternut squash, and many other seasonal fruits and vegetables, usually for about 50 cents an item or bag. There are often men collecting trash from your car for a small donation, and women and children asking for donations of money or food. And each day, men are selling newspapers to commuters, whose headlines decorate every street sign and lamp post, hung diligently each morning along every block.
Around the corner from our office, there was a tent set up today solely for the purpose of selling ear muffs; all sorts of children’s animal ear muffs. It doesn’t get below 40 at night and gets up to at least 60 if not 70 during the day, so ear muffs don’t seem a necessary commodity and not a highly profitable business, but none the less, they are there.
I encounter taxi vans daily, a dozen to a block, picking up any passerby who might need a ride in their direction. You often hear them before you see them, either their incessant horn honking or their deafening bass. Signs in the windshield advertise which area of town they are traveling to and passengers pile in to overcrowded seats to get a lift home. Today there was a taxi full of passengers refueling at the “petrol” station en route. Many times taxis will pull over to solicit passengers and wait for customers, while paying customers wait on board.
Kids can almost always be seen walking to or from school in their corresponding uniform, consisting of a pair of trousers, collared shirt, sweater, and black shoes. If children aren’t walking to and fro, then you are sure to see dozens, if not hundreds of young adults making their way between home and work.
When you pull in to the parking area at a grocery store (only referred to as a supermarket here) there are attendants to guide you in to and out of your space and secure your car while you are shopping. In the major shopping areas, they are working legitimately and often very friendly. But, particularly on nights and weekends, when you park along the street to go to a restaurant, you may very well have a group of drunken men “attending” your car while they stand around chewing the fat with their buddies. At the first sign that you may be returning to your car, they will follow you there to receive their payment; but to their credit, I’ve always found my car just as I left it.
I guess I went longer than I intended, but hopefully it painted a picture of the things I encounter each day in the bustling and energetic city.

June 16, 2009
I have been in Joburg for 2 days now, we are actually staying quite a way outside of the city where it is quiet and safe. We are in a small Christian camp staying in round thatched-roof buildings. The condition and level of facilities are about what I imagine Seneca would have been about 40 years ago. There are 2 horses and 2 geese roaming the grounds, literally unfenced. Yesterday, one of the horses walked right in to the dining hall and they had to chase it out. It was a little scary, because there is a narrow blind turn corridor in to the building and it charged around the corner at 3 of us who were entering and couldn’t see it coming. I wonder what the US health department would say about a horse in a dining facility?
We have a team of 12, including our coach, so a few people from the local AIS office will join us for games. There are 3 other Americans, including one guy who is a senior at Grove City College, although we’ve never met before. The coach and one player are from Italy, 2 guys are from Australia, 3 guys are from England (including the tour director who works for AIS in Pretoria) and 1 guy who works for AIS in Zambia.
Everyone arrived Sunday and we played a late scrimmage to train in the rec hall. We finished at about 11:30, so it took me a few hours to settle and sleep.
Monday we did some orientation and training and then went to watch the US play Italy. It started out as a great game and the U was playing well. Then, we got an undeserved red card and a player was sent off and we had to play over an hour with one less man. The US scored first, but laying down proved to be too much and we ended up losing. We got home from the game at 1:30AM and had to be at breakfast at 6:30, so we pushed through today on very little sleep.
We did a clinic this morning at a church for about 200 kids. It was a church AIS has never worked with before and they were impressed with how things were run, so hopefully it will create a partnership with the church in the future, which is the goal. Most people are knapping now, but I don’t like to knap and needed to spend some time in devotions, so that’s what I will do now. The dynamics of the team are fun and it seems like a really solid group, so hopefully the next 2 weeks will be fruitful.

June 18, 2009
Yesterday morning we did another soccer clinic. It was at a pretty well-off school, which meant all of the kids were white and not as skilled at soccer as most blacks and coloreds. (That’s stereotypical, but true, most whites tend towards rugby and cricket). I shared my testimony with 4 of the 6 groups that I coached and asked 2 other coaches to share during the other times. I pray that the kids might have heard something. It was really good for Ambassadors regardless, because the clinic went well and the school is literally across the street from the Pretoria office, and it is a great opportunity for long-term relationships.
Last night we played against the U19 Women’s SA National Team. I wasn’t sure what to expect playing with a co-ed team against women. I’ve played co-ed against all men and women against women, but never co-ed against women. We won 5-3, but it was a good match. They were very skilled, but our height and strength played to our advantage. I played the entire game and was pretty tired after, but felt good about the way I played.
One of the girls on our team gave her testimony and I think it was a great opportunity to share the grace of God. I think it met the girls where a lot of them are and was relevant to their struggles. I think it resounded with what South African girls struggle with, what they desire, and what they need. Two girls from AIS work with the team everyday and they are excited about the opportunities it would allow them in future conversations.
This morning we played again, this time against the AIS prison team in Leeukwop. It was a hard fought game and we tied 2-2. I played all but about 20 minutes and I’m a bit bruised and beaten, but all of the guys were impressed with how I played. Afterwards, one of the Italians on our team shared his testimony, and again it was really relevant to the prisoners. They also sang for us and it was amazing to hear 25 guys singing praise songs, even though I couldn’t understand the language.
Three of their players gave their testimonies as well and God is definitely working in their lives. Not only have they experienced God’s grace, but they want to change their friends and communities now and when they get out. The AIS staff who work with them regularly said the 3 guys who shared were very hard when they entered the program. They only wanted to be there to play soccer and then were broken and changed.
This afternoon we were able to go to another game, US v Brazil, but unfortunately, the US lost 3-0. Our chances of moving on in the tournament are now pretty much over, but I guess that’s life.
We’ve had very lat nights and very early mornings and 2 hard games back-to-back, so I’m feeling pretty tired. We get to sleep in an extra 2 hours tomorrow and have breakfast at 8:30 instead of 6:30 and I need it at this point, so I am looking forward to it.

June 22, 2009
Friday we worked with a township football club and ran a small clinic for them. Afterwards, we played a game against their U17 or U19 guys team, and most of us took it easy to catch a break, but our team still won. There were about 200 kids just running around the field playing and looking for attention at the same time, so a drama group we have been working with took the kids inside for worship and skits, which I heard went really well.
On Saturday, we went to Soweto, the largest township in SA. It actually was not as impoverished as I expected (some people had block homes, although much smaller than even a 2-stall garage). I am sure there were very impoverished areas, just not where we drove. My guess is that there are over 2 million people living there. We easily found 150 kids to come to the clinic. We rotated them through 6 coaching stations and shared a message or testimony after each station. Most of the kids only understood very little English, but we had local coaches translate (some of the time). The kids all got juice, water, fruit, and chips afterwards for lunch and it was the first time I saw kids not pushing and shoving for food, but they were all appreciative. They all got a shirt as well and 2 US girls hd brought about 65 pairs of donated soccer shoes also, and they were all passed out with much appreciation. There was a gospel message presented in one of the local languages and about 90% of the kids stood to accept Christ, so hopefully even among peer influence, some were at least sincere.
After we finished the clinic, we ate KFC at the field. About 30 of us split 3 buckets of chicken and fries. When we were done eating, the garbage was left outside of our van, while we had devotions and played a game. When I got back to the van later, it was evident that some kids had eaten our scraps, all of the skin, fat, and cartilage off of the bones, as well as the ketchup and vinegar packets. It is sad that either those kids were so desperate for food that they ate our garbage or that it is their normal way of life and they don’t know otherwise.
During the game, I unfortunately pulled a muscle while taking a shot; I think my hip flexor. It hurt so much I went immediately to the ground in tears. It is 2 days later now and it feels a little better, but I’m not sure how long I will be out.
Sunday was a bit more relaxing. We moved out of the camp where we were staying, went to church, and had lunch in a host home. In the afternoon we went to a popular square in Pretoria where people would be gathering to watch the games that night and did street evangelism. It is not my area of giftedness and my hip was hurting waling around, so I was sort of content to sit and talk. I think some people had some decent conversations and a lot of soccer-based tracts were passed out.
After that, we went to watch the Italy v Brazil game at a church near the stadium. There were close to 200 people there and about half had just wandered in or had been invited in from the street. An ex-pro player who works for AIS shared his testimony and some 1 to 1 conversations took place as well. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to watch the US game that was played at the same time, but the US won by enough that it put them through to the semifinals.
This morning, we went back to the prison to play the guys again, it was my first game out with injury and our team’s first loss. (They played the ex-professional and former Nigerian national team player in my place, but he apparently couldn’t make up for my absence). Just after 2 days with the prisoners, I love being with them. If I didn’t meet them in jail, I never would have guessed they were criminals. God has gripped so many of them by His grace that they are a delight to be with. I pray that God really uses those guys to reach and change their communities, and that He continues to work in them to grow them and bring more and more to Himself.
For the next 3 days, we will be attending a conference designed to get people and churches equipped to do sports ministry, specifically focusing on the SA 2010 World Cup. Some of our staff came over from Cape Town, so hopefully it will be good.

June 25, 2009
I have spent the last few days at a conference; it has been a pretty good conference and most of the devotionals and talked are applicable to any ministry. Last night, the church hosting the conference also hosted a big screen showing of the semi-final game. About 400 men came from a squatter camp next door, even when it was a game between the US and Spain. SA plays against Brazil tonight, and they are by far the 2 most popular teams in the country. (By the way, the US upset Spain, who was expected to win by a wide margin, and the US shattered their 35 game winning streak). Before the match there were some games, entertainment, and face painting. There were also 2 professional players who talked about the competition and shared their testimonies. It was a good opportunity to introduce people ot the church, as well as to bridge the church to the community. Jus one of the opportunities the soccer tournament offers to allow ministry.
I though my hip was getting better and I was walking okay, but not able to run or kick; then, when the US scored their first goal against Spain, I jumped up from the floor to cheer and somehow reinjured myself. It hurt a lot and I didn’t want to move for the next half hour and my whole body was shaking, so I think it may be worse than I hoped and I am going to try to see a doctor when I get back to CT.

June 29, 2009
Well, the US lost in the final, but played well enough in the tournament that hopefully our country has gained some respect in the European and South American dominated soccer world.
I got back to Cape Town this morning to some bad news. I had loaned my car to one of the Ambassadors staff on Saturday and Sunday to drive girls to soccer games. She unfortunately rear ended one of the other players on our team on the highway on the way to the game on Sunday. The damage isn’t bad, but the car definitely needs repaired. I hope the insurance isn’t a hassle (it doesn’t seem to be so far) and I hope I’m not without my car for too long while it is being repaired. My friend who was driving the car is going to pay the deductible, and I’m not mad, things happen, but I’m hoping it isn’t too much of an inconvenience and that it doesn’t affect the resell is August.
I’m tired now, but I’m going to run to the internet café to hopefully get this posted before it closes at 5.