This month we are living in Muizenburg, a beach suburb of Cape Town, South
Africa. If I could have picked anywhere to have spent a month doing ministry,
this would be it. Cape Town is one of the most beautiful places I have ever
seen. On top of ministry, we have had a good bit of to explore the city and the
surrounding area, taking it all in as much as we can. Life is good!
Family Force 6 on top of Table Mountain in Cape Town.
So what does ministry look like for us this month?
Honestly, we have a lot of freedom this month, which is great. In the
mornings we have a three hour window from 9-12 where we can pretty much do what
we want for ministry. Our mornings look different every day. We typically start
out our day with a worship and devotional session as a team. Following this
time, we head out to the beach with a soccer ball and frisbee and attempt to
get some kids together for a pickup game or even just a kick around. This time
has been great; the kids are on holiday so instead of hanging out at home or in
school they are mostly all out playing at the beach. If we aren’t on the beach,
we are split up in pairs of two and exploring the town and talking to the
people we meet. For me, this is also a great opportunity to spend one on one
time with each of my team members and just getting to know each other. These
mornings have been a lot of fun and have really helped us to learn to enjoy
just hanging out and living life together.
The team enjoying our morning on the beach!
In the afternoons during the week we have been heading to the townships and
teaching the kids soccer, targeting kids age 3-12 or so. This is definitely my
favorite part of the day. I love just being around the kids and playing a sport
that they love and just interacting with them. The goal is not to make superstar
athletes, but rather to teach good sportsmanship and just share a bit of Jesus
with them. We do a few passing and shooting drills with cones, and then we
split up the kids and give them white and blue jerseys and they play a game.
Afterwards, we bring them “the Word”, which comes in the form of short Bible
story and lesson. I had fun going through Noah’s Ark with the kids when it was
my turn!
This ministry does not come without its frustrations. The kids are
constantly fighting or yelling at each other, throwing rocks, not listening to
us, etc, and it is hard to feel like we are making a real difference. We want
the kids to listen to us, to play nicely and with big smiles on their faces
while humming hymns, but this isn’t always realistic. It’s often tough to see
the bigger picture (I feel like this is an ongoing theme on the Race!). In my
mind, I would like to be the one who comes in for a month, introduces a system
to teach kids soccer and…BOOM… the kids are off the streets, they all have an
extra pair of shoes, their stomachs are full, and they all know Jesus and are
off establishing churches! I want to be a part of the bigger picture. It is a
challenge to be content doing what we are able to do and doing it to the best
of our ability, even without seeing the fruit that is sown. These kids need
love now, in this moment, and we were able to provide that today, even if only
for a short while. Nothing makes me smile more than when my favorite little kid
Obi (who looks exactly like Jamie Foxx and now has a new nickname) comes
running down the hill and leaps into my arms with a huge hug and an even bigger
smile, loving the chance to hang out with these strange white people for a few
hours.
I am having a blast so far this month and just trying to soak it all in and
enjoy every moment, not worrying about anything, and just enjoying the blessing
it is to impact these kid’s lives for a month!
