Well today is my last full day in Jo-burg. These past two weeks have gone by so fast and it is and isn’t exciting to go back. I’m pumped to tell everyone what happened while I was here and how many seeds were planted. Part of me also wants to keep investing the people lives in the Soweto area.
This past week we have been going to other villages around the Soweto area doing soccer clinics, VBS’s, evangelism on the streets, and simply just loving on the kids. This week has also been challenging because the weather has been very cold. On Tuesday the high was around 45 but with the wind it felt like it was in the 30′s. Kids came out with shorts, long-sleeved shirts and torn up shoes. The little ones could not stay warm even with us holding them, trying to get them warm. So we had to called it a day after an hour of playing with them so they could go back to their homes and stay out of the wind. I was kind of down that day because it just felt like it was a waste almost. I prayed a ton for better weather the next day and God gave it to us. It was still cold but it was bearable. We saw a lot of kids come out and I was able to engage in a convo with a kid. Language was definitely a barrier but hopefully the Holy Spirit will work in his heart. The next day was even better weather and we saw around 200-250 kids come out. It was nuts! I also got to engage in a spiritual convo with a man at a gas station after helping him push his car to the pump. I invited him to one of the churches that have been planted around that area and he seemed enthused to go to it this Sunday.
On Friday, we played soccer in downtown Jo-burg next to Ellis Park where the US-Slovenia game was. I’ll talk about that later. There were surprisingly not a lot of kids there but I was still able to talk with a guy who was 22 years old. I asked him about his beliefs and told him my testimony. He didn’t seem too interested but I told him about the church that we were working with so hopefully he will be there on Sunday. We had a blast playing on a concrete slab similar to what we did in Nicaragua my Junior year of HS.
What a great week that the Lord gave us in Jo-burg! Like I said before, I felt like God was going to do some crazy stuff and we saw salvations, people’s interest in church, and the Word shared to the kids. This has been a great two weeks learning about a new culture as well. I have fallen in love with it and the people. I was asked if I have liked my time here in Jo-burg more or my time in Nicaragua and it is honestly not fair to answer that because both are beautiful countries and the people are very genuine, they are just different.
Ok so most of you are wanting to hear about the World Cup game as well. It was incredible! We went in the stadium after passing out newspapers that tells Kaka’s, Lucio’s, and others testimonies. Cool stuff. We went in around 3 (an hour before the game). My seats were awesome! Off of the television I was on the far side line up with the goaline on the right. I got all the action with all the goals. It should have been 5 total goals that I saw, but the ref is stupid! I got covered in beer from all the people around me going nuts but I didn’t even care. It was CRAZY!!! Great atmosphere. Someone next to me almost got in a fight (dumb story of old people who act like they’re still 10). But it was such a great experience and I got some great photos.
I can’t wait to see you all again and thanks for following my blog while I’ve been here. Ask me about stories when I get home and I would love to tell them to you. South Africa is a beautiful country!
Thanks for writing these brother….sounds like its been a profitable time. We’ll continue to pray for you even as you head home. Look forward to hearing more.
Chris, sounds like you have had a great experience in SA! So glad you could go and that everything went so well. We are going to be excited to hear you are on US soil though! We were so glad you could share God’s word with the people there–it would be difficult for you to measure the impact it will have because one saved person will pass on his/her testimony to another, etc. We will will wait to hear from you when you get back. If you can pull up your e-mail, Grandpa and I sent you our Cardinal game pictures–we had fun didn’t we!! Love Ya, Grandma & Grandpa T
I’m jealous man…really am jealous. Can’t wait for you to get home…hollar at me ASAP.
It’s been so great to hear all of the awesome things going on in while you’re over there. We’ll be praying for your travels home and that God will continue the good work you have started in South Africa. Can’t wait to see you soon!
We have really enjoyed all the posts about your time there. Praise God for what He has done and will continue to do as a result of your faithfulness! We’ll continue to pray as you travel back.