Thankful for Partners

Today I met with a few guys from Ambassadors In Sport. AIS is an organization that has been around a while, and is using soccer as tool to reach people for Christ. I first became aware of them as a college student when I almost went on a tour with them. My little sister-in-law, Lauren, actually did an AIS tour of South Africa when she was in collge.

When we were here in 2008 we met with Ambassadors and it was good, but not like today. Mark and Bruce are two great Englishmen with great hearts. Mark has been here a while, but Bruce has only been here about 6 weeks longer than us. They are doing a whole host of things. They to a lot of coaches training to raise up well prepared Sports Ministers. They do great prison ministry where they have all started a soccer academy. AIS has a women’s professional team, and they have teams playing in a local league from U11 through adult men. So, they have their hands full. They will be hosting lots of teams during the World Cup.

Ubuntu Sports Outreach and AIS definitely share a similar heart for training up local leaders and providing opportunities for the best kids. I know that we will be doing ministry in some form in the future. They are much further along in this process than we are. (And have offices around the world.) And, thankfully, they want to offer their wisdom and experience to others. I’m excited to have AIS as a partner, and mostly to have them as friends with similar hearts to see the Kingdom advance.

I'd like you to meet...

We want to introduce you to our first international volunteer. We’ve had many people helping us in the States, but this is our first volunteer in South Africa.

His name is Andy Chenlo and he is the son of Mauricio and Sara Chenlo. Andy was on the soccer team that I helped coach at Millbrook High School. He had a desire to do a gap year after his graduation in June of 2009 and he felt our plans for Ubuntu Sports Outreach matched his heart. Andy arrived in late October and will be serving here until July 5.

Andy was born in Argentina and later lived in Ecuador while his parents were missionaries. They moved to the US when Andy was 11 years old. They have been in Raleigh ever since and attend the Raleigh Mennonite Church.

Andy will be completing his college applications while here in South Africa and hopes to study International Relations and Conflict Resolution.

Here are some more things about Andy:

Why did you come to Africa: To put my beliefs into action and try to return some of the love that Christ has given me, gaining perspective for the next step of my life while I’m at it.

Most inspiring scripture for you: Isaiah 41:13

Add to Mt. Rushmore: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Favorite thing about South Africa so far: The natural beauty “The oceans and the mountains being seconds away from you.”

Favorite Book: Harry Potter

Favorite Soccer Player: Zinedine Zidane & Riquelme

Favorite National Team: Argentina

Favorite Club Team: Boca Juniors

Favorite Soccer Coach: Matt Edwards and Casey Prince J

Nike or Adidas: Nike

Favorite Food: Steak Ravioli

Thing you miss the most about home: family and friends

Favorite band or musical artist: John Mayer & Shania Twain

TUG Conference

Recently I attended the TUG (The Ultimate Goal) Conference, which was hosted by the South Africa Sports Coalition (SASCOL). It was a gathering of church and ministry leaders to hear about the plans for reaching the world for Jesus while they are here in South Africa for the World Cup. The TUG committee presented the many ways that they plan to reach out to people during the World Cup.

The conference really got me inspired. Before, I wasn’t planning on us doing much with the World Cup. I felt like our plans here were really long term and that we weren’t here early enough to do much. But, I was really inspired with a few ideas that we can incorporate. Much of it is still storming around in my brain and will be determined by the things I learn about our community over the next couple of months.

A few of the early ideas are:

1. To use Oceanview Methodist (or Simon’s Town, our sister church) as a hosting location for an International Touring Team. Possibly that team would host a soccer camp or series of clinics for our players.
In the same vein there are other ministries in town with groups already scheduled to come. There is the possibility of one of those groups doing the same thing.

2. We have started asking the question, “What if Ubuntu created and organized a pre-World Cup community festival in Oceanview?” Oceanview, where we live, is a very splintered community, and no place worse than the Church. What if an outside group was able to get the community to work together to host a great festival for the community? It would be a great boon to our work here to have added so much value.

3. There was a presentation about futsal, which is small-sided Brazilian type soccer. This was both inspiring for something we can do now in our yard with the neighborhood kids (which IS in fact already happening), something that we can get our church passionate about doing to reach those kids, and something that could be incorporated into our festival.

4. There was a presentation about Ubabalo, which you heard about already.

You can find out more at: www.theultimategoal.co.za

All in all, a great experience. I’m really glad that I went. Also met and connected with some great people, even a few other Americans!

You can join us in prayer as we sort out how all of this will shake out. We need to see how God wants us to take these ideas and make them reality.