For His Kingdom

This past week has been full of eye-opening and learning experiences.  Sportslink hosted a 4-day Ubabalo training.  Ubabalo is a whole-life training program whose aim is to equip and empower African coaches to incorporate Christ-centered messages and life skills into futbol practices.  We hosted the training in Diepsloot, a township just north of Johannesburg that is home to more than 1.3 million people.  With tiny huts made of scrap metal and no electricty (much like the background picture of the blog) stretching for miles, it's hard to miss the impoverished state these people live in.  There is one grass field, built and maintained by a Methodist church in Joburg, that is the home field for all sports for the entire population of 1.3 million.  So that's one field. And 1.3 million people.  And I thought sharing a game field with two other sports teams during my soccer season was a challenge.  

During the Ubabalo sessions, we learned about the importance of a coaches' role amidst the fatherless generation.  We learned practical ways to incorporate God's word, in relatable ways, to our practice sessions.  One the last day each participate had to prepare for and demonstrate an hour long training session using the Ubabalo principles.  In the afternoons, we implemented the skills we learned with groups of 13-14 year olds from Diepsloot.  It was AWEsome!  The kids' responses to questions we asked would knock you off your feet.  Their lives are centered on the basics of life: water and food.  So when asked questions about their dreams, overcoming obstacles, relationships, etc. some how these things we underappreciate were always thrown in the mix.  After the training, Chris, Nigel and I met with the supporters of the sports field about how we can train more people in the community of Diepsloot to work with kids on the pitch.  Nigel and I are hoping to be able to go out to Diepsloot once a week just to walk alongside the coaches in the community - to show them management and organizational skills all with Christ's love so that this facility can be used fully to its potential and fully for the glory of God.

**If you would like to see a video of pictures and information from Ubabalo this past week, type in

look 06: ubabalo training in diepsloot in youtube or visit the OM South Africa Facebook page (loads more pictures here too). 

Prayer Points:
-ISLT (International Sports Leadership Training) February 3rd-6th
-Venue for Question of Sport (within budget)
-Time management and more volunteers as we look to get more involved in the township ministries

What God is teaching me:


"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24)


There are 2 kingdoms.  God's kingdom and Satan's kingdom.  God's kingdom is about dying to yourself - because He has reconciled us so we must reconcile others to Christ!  It's about casting all your cares on Him.  It's about putting others before yourself.  Satan's kingdom is about living for yourself.  It's about worrying about what you are going to have for lunch, what fun things you are going to do this weekend, what new clothes you need, and what job will bring in the most income for you.  Man, it's tough!  Because the world is constantly telling us we need to look out for number one.  It's abnormal when someone fasts for a day so a hungry man can have 3 meals in their place.  It's abnormal when someone wears the same outfit to work a couple times a week in order to clothe a naked child.  It's abnormal when you have a presentation to your entire company at 10am, a lunch planning meeting at 1pm, and 3 report deadlines at 5pm to spend 3 hours in prayer.  But Martin Luther said, "I have so much work to do, I cannot get it all done without spending 3 hours daily in prayer."  I want to be abnormal.  I want to run againist the grain.  I can not serve two masters.  


Who do you serve?

Learning Contentment

"...For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether fed or hungry, whether living in plenty of in want.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:11-13)

                                                               A gorgeous flower from the garden

                                                                         In the old house

                                                    Welcome to OM Sportlink South Africa: our office

                                                                       Office again,

                                                                       Loads of planning

                                                                Introducing Nigel Keur! My right hand man

                                                                          reall cooolll

                                                           I have moved!  Welcome to da trailer,

                                                                    I love soccer.

Why going is urgent, not optional

The past week has been filled with lots of challenges.  From bed bugs, to dealing with finance issues, to being turned down by various venues for the event I'm planning.  But God is faithful.  Isaiah 46:11 says, "...Indeed I have spoken it; I will bring it to pass.  I have purposed it; I will also do it."  His plan is unfailing.

As I mentioned earlier, I am reading the book Radical by David Platt.  It is awesome!  This has been challenging me recently:

"I find it interesting that one of the most common questions asked today among Christians is 'What is God's will for my life?' or 'How do I find God's will for my life?'  Many Christians have almost assumed the attitude that they would obey God if he would just show them what he wanted them to do.

In the middle of a Christian culture asking, 'How do I find God's will for my life?'  I bring good news.  His will is not lost.  With 1.4 million Bedouins in Algeria who have never even heard the gospel, it makes little sense for us to sit over here asking, 'What do you want me to do, God?'  The answer is clear.  The will of God is for you and me to give our lives urgently and recklessly to making the gospel and glory of God known among all peoples, particularly those who have never even heard of Jesus.

The question, therefore, is not 'Can we find God's will?'  The question is 'Will we obey God's will?'

Will we refuse to sit back and wait for some tingly feeling to go down our spines before we rise up and do what we have already been commanded to do?  Will we risk everything - our comfort, our possessions, our safety, our security, our very lives - to make the gospel known among unreached peoples?

Such rising up and such risk taking are the unavoidable, urgent results of a life that is radically abandoned to Jesus."

Putting my hands to the plow and not looking back

AFRICA.  I’m here!  It’s pretty surreal.  But definitely awesomely cool.

So here is what has been going on:

I went to PASSION in Atlanta January 1^st-4^th.  Talk about a way to be sent out!  God is so glorious, and I could not stop singing that song ‘Fill us up and send us out…’  It was such a blessing to experience it with friends from Kanakuk and Haley Hill! I am so thankful for their friendships.

I was able to spend a few hours with my parents before my plane took off on Tuesday (January 4^th).  They wrote me a letter to read on the plane that included Romans 8:15: “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.”  And holy cow it was just what I needed to hear.

After a solid 28 hours of traveling (including a 12 hour layover in London) and meeting some pretty awesome people on the planes, I arrived in the Joburg airport on Thursday afternoon.  Nigel, Chris (my two partners in OM Sportslink—both native South Africans) and Chris’s 5 year old son, Geraint, were there to pick me up.  Sidenote: I must have glanced over the fact that ZA has 11 official languages.  Yes.  11.  Official.  So generally people are very understanding and speak in English; however, they are fluent in like 7 or 8 languages.  It’s crazy cool.

I stayed with Chris and his family for the weekend.  They live in a neighborhood called the Big Five (aka Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, Lion, Buffalo).  It’s the perfect name because these animals are literally separated from you by a small barbwire fence.  Crazy.  I’ll admit.  I was scared.  But moving on, the weekend was filled with lots of traditional South African food (including a true ZA style barbeque with friends), a 5am experience at a local ZA market, and a trip to Soccer City in Joburg to see the Kaizer Chiefs play (This was definitely a highlight)!  For those of you that aren’t futbol fans, Soccer City is where the finals of the World Cup were played.  The stadium holds 90,000 people, although there were only 39,000 at the game on Saturday.  It was pretty unforgettable.

After attending a contemporary South African church on Sunday, I moved into my permanent residence in the OM Center.  Everything is the opposite of what I expected, but still an awesome blessing.  I am living in a fairly large house by myself.  Maggie and Rena (2 OMers…Maggie is from Scotland and rena from ZA) helped me get settled in.  I made the upstairs loft my bedroom.  It may seem a little lonely, but there are other people living on the property.  Rena (51), my next door neighbor, keeps me entertained with her amazing stories of teaching in Muslim schools in Sudan, raising two children, and showing me how to sew my own clothes.  I have also converted her into my exercise buddy, which is uber fun.  Ricky, Andy, Ester, and Prenech also live on the property.  They are all native South Africans and we have started playing 2v2 in the afternoons.  I feel like I’m in the movie Pelada, because we play in this overgrown grass field and use cement blocks as our goals.  It is a blast. 

As far as work, Monday and Tuesday have been all planning this week.  I have been given the responsibility to put together a banquet called the Question of Sport.  It will host about 200 people.  So I am in charge of everything from finding the venue, finding sponsors, and organizing the evening.  I am also in charge of a monthly newsletter called Sports Bites that will have detailed prayer requests and news updates for OM Sportslink.  Along with these projects, I will be going through about 3 different types of Sport Leadership Training along with doing a lot of practical work like clinics in the inner city.  It feels like a lot is on my plate, but if God is with me who can be against me?

Fun Fact: South Africans are terrified of bears.

What to pray for:

-Wednesday and Thursday (January 12-13) is all day prayer and fasting with OM.  Pray for open hearts.  Pray for God to speak. 

-ISLT (International Sport Leadership Training) Level 1:  We at OM Sportslink are hosting this clinic in a couple weeks and still need a few leaders to help out.  Pray for God to send the right personnel.

-God to be glorified.  For His name to be known.

Challenge:

I have been reading David Platt’s book, Radical, and through it God has really challenged me about what His aim for our lives and mission work really is.  A quote from the book goes as follows: “What if anything less than passionate involvement in global missions is actually selling God short by frustrating the very purpose for which He created us.”  Just something to think about.  God bless you guys!

This the house I'm staying in.