Sharing Jesus Through Soccer

Friday, I met with a man named Daniel who works here in Maputo with Ambassadors in Sport. The heart of their ministry is to use soccer as an evangelism tool. They currently have teams in some of the communities just outside of Maputo. They work through local churches to train coaches who then start up teams and hold clinics. Throughout the weekly gatherings to play soccer, the coaches use halftime to share about Jesus in creative ways using the components of soccer such as passing the ball and referees.

Daniel has excitedly agreed to work with us in starting some evangelism through soccer among street kids! Our first step is to find 5 to 8 older Mozambican youth that Ambassadors in Sports can train as coaches. This training will cover not only soccer skills, but also all of the spiritual lessons to be taught through the game. Next, we will plan a week long clinic that will last about 4 hours a day. Street kids will be our main target in the clinic but we'll also open it up to kids from the community around where we live. The clinic is a series of stations where the kids practice soccer skills. At the end of each rotation, the coach shares with the kids about how that particular skill relates to real life and our need for Jesus. After the clinic, we will continue to gather together with the kids to play soccer once or twice a week using the Ambassadors in Sport resources to evangelize each time.

Please pray for us as we get this rolling! Pray for the young men who will serve as coaches. Pray for the clinic as we being planning it - we'll need funding for equipment and meals, a location that will be easily accessible to street kids, publicity.

I am so excited about this connection the Lord has provided with Ambassadors in Sport!! Soccer is such a huge part of life among young people in Africa. I'm praying it will serve as a tool to help the Gospel come alive to these street kids!!!

Taking Gito Home

Today Luis and I are taking Gito home. He is 16 years old and has been living on the streets of Maputo for a couple of years. He's one of the most soft-spoken boys at Masana and also one of the few boys that i really trust. He doesn't talk much but he has this great smile that lights up the room!

His mother passed away a few years ago so he will be returning to live with his father and stepmother. The stepmother loves him like her own son. The community Gito will be living in is very rural. To get there, i have to drive for about almost 2 hours with the last 20 or 30 minutes being on roads that aren't really roads because the grass has grown so tall. We eventually reach the point that the car can go no further and must walk the last 10 minutes. I'm worried that, after having been in the city for so long, it will be hard for Gito to adjust to this type of rural living. Please be praying for him in the coming days as he rejoins his family.

House Painting

Recently, we had an amazing group from Durban, South Africa make the 7-hour drive to Maputo, Mozambique to paint the buildings that will be the new home of Masana. For a month and a half we have been watching the transformation of the house we are living in as the buildings on the back of the property have become classrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom with 3 showers, and a bedroom. We are so close to completion of the construction and soon will open the house to Masana where street kids will come everyday for meals, showers, education, and, most importantly, an encounter with God.

The weekend was full of laughs as we painted the street kids house!!! Thanks Lauren for organizing this work weekend and bringing your friends to experience the Mozambique we love so much!!!