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Today Karl and the ORU team visited Drakenstein
Prison and the Abassadors
in Sport "Hope Academy" there.
This incredible ministry serves juvenile prisoners
by offering them hope through soccer! The program has
been so effective, they are becoming the model for successful
prison rehabilitation in South Africa.
Karl says, "We toured the prison, met the prisoners
and saw where they lived. It was amazing to hear some
of their testimonies about how God has changed their life
and used soccer as an avenue to bring lasting hope and
change through Jesus. It was truly an incredible day that
had a deep impact on all of us!"
After the tour, the ORU team played a friendly match
against the Hope Academy team (prisoners won!). See
photos...
When launched it became
the first prison soccer academy in South African
history. South African prisons are rife with gangs
and learning centres for crime.
The Academy attracts
and recruits the top juvenile soccer players from
prisons around the Western Cape of South Africa.
Each player is required to abide by the Academy
code of conduct which includes no gangs and going
to school.
These players are transfered
and housed in one communal cell through the Academy
season. Before entering the academy, many of these
young men are caught up in prison gangs, come
from disadvantaged backgrounds, are uneducated
and have little hope in life. The Academy has
restored hope in so many of these young men.
They are proud to say
that many of their graduates have gone on to live
crime free lives, return to school or college,
find employment, play on soccer teams and become
responsible citizens in society.
Get
more info on the Hope Academy...
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I am so incredibly proud of Claudine! We have been
friends for over 2 years now and I have learned so much
from her.
Tonight over dinner she told me,
I love this woman!
Claudine graduated with honors
from our Sisterhood of Success program.
She immediately landed a job that she still has today...a
year later!
Here are the shoes she bought with her hard-earned
money.
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We
have decided we have much to be grateful for and should
not complain or gossip. There should be no room for
this in our lives!
Together we are going to do a Negativity
Fast for one week - checking with each other every day
to see how we are doing. Read
blog
When Jensen overheard this she said, "What's
negativity?" I told her, "Complaining, whining,
or saying something bad about someone."
Claudine and I will choose to "lay aside every
weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us
run with endurance the race that is set before us..."
(Hebrews 12:1)
After all...what weighs us down more than negativity,
sharp words and gossip? Together we say "NO MORE!"
to this sin which clings so closely.
Want to try it? Pick a friend to join you
and start today!
Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward
love and good deeds! (Hebrews 10:24). |
Our second Soccer Festival reached
even more children...175 kids enjoyed the fun!
We had a great time playing soccer, feeding
the children and teaching them about Jesus and
sharing.
They learned about a boy just like
them - who shared his 2 little fish and five loaves
of bread with Jesus...who miraculously
used these small things to feed 5,000 people.
God does big things when we are able to give Him
even the small things in our life.
Sharing is also important in soccer - we taught
the kids how to "share" the ball with
passing.
PHOTO: Our friend Mark
is sharing his life with this 8 year old boy who
has a severe disability (he cannot walk so Mark
carried him all around the soccer festival today).
Mark said, "This little boy had a great
time watching his brother play soccer and listening
to Bible stories! We are enjoying showing his
family the love God showed us through Jesus."
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Oral Storytelling with a method
called "Living Statues" is magical to
watch!
During our soccer festival here
in South Africa today, with much fun and laughter,
these children made up their own actions and memorized
the story of "The Boy Who Shared" (adapted
from John 6)...
1) Many of people were following Jesus.
2) The people were hungry.
3) Jesus asked, “How can we feed the people?”
4) Phillip said, “It will cost R20,000 to
feed them all.”
5) Andrew said…”Here is a boy with
5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. “
6) It’s not enough!
7) The boy shared his 5 loaves of bread and 2
fishes with Jesus.
8) Jesus thanked God for the food.
9) Suddenly there was enough food for everyone!
Here's how it works:
The children went around in a circle, each taking
turns making up actions for one of the sentences
above. Each time they would repeat all of the
previous story and actions learned up until that
point. At the end everyone knew the whole story
with actions by heart...and had the time of their
life!
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Some of Julie's Ocean View girls ("The Divas")
are seniors this year, and she is encouraging them to think
a lot about their future.
If you don't make a plan...it's easy to end up
pregnant, unemployed, or on drugs and stuck in Ocean View
for the rest of your life.
We have been talking about dreams and the girls have made
big plans! Some want to be a dermatologist, marine biologist
and travel agent.
I am so proud of them for seeing past their circumstances
to a bright future!
Want to make a difference
with your sports team? You can bring your
team to Africa and touch many lives!
Recently,we have been blessed to have a short-term team
come to us at All Nations from Oral Roberts University.
They are a bunch of sold-out soccer players who love Jesus
and want to see His kingdom brought to the poor and broken
hearted. They have unbelievable servant hearts and are helping
us in Ocean View and Masi with soccer outreach.
Karl is connecting them to...
- local soccer teams in Ocean View and Masi,
- the Ubuntu
Football Forward soccer program,
- Karl's Ubuntu soccer team,
- ministry to Vulnerable Children through sports,
- a prison team,
- monthly soccer festival
We are blessed by them and so honored to have them here in
South Africa! If you have a group of people interested
in reaching Africa through sports...please contact
Karl!
Journal entries:
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