A Few Stories...

Hey everyone. I wanted to share a couple stories of whats been going on in a few of my ministries:

At Leeuwkop Prison, there is a young man that is a part of our soccer academy named Sam. A little while ago during bible study, he shared that he was having trouble forgiving his father for things that happened in his past and really wanted to reconcile his relationship with him. A little while later when i followed up with him on how he was doing, he shared that he was able to forgive him and wanted to write his dad a letter, but had no way to do so because he didn't know where he lived. I offered to help so he gave me his sisters phone number who I attempted to contact later that week. After a few tries, i got through to her and she didn't have the father's address, but she did have his cell phone number. She promised to sms (text message) it to me when she had a chance, and that is where we stand at this point.

I know the story is lacking a conclusion, but i'd like to ask you to pray for one. The beautiful part is that Sam is now free from the weight of the past with his father. Also, Sam and I have developed a great relationship that I believe will be extremely beneficial for me, him, and the Hope Academy as a whole. This type of relationship is also starting with most of the other players involved in the academy. The prison is an odd place for me to find hope and encouragement for my faith, but thats exactly what these men provide.

A second story happened today, actually. I was coaching mini-cricket at Sunnyside Primary School. "Mini" sports are for the 1st-3rd grade students who are too young to be on the full sided school teams. They are designed to teach them the basics of the game and develop their motor skills and character. Today, at the conclusion of our second practice of the season, I thought it would be a good time to establish why I came to help coach their team. I asked them why they thought I came, and many of them gave the answers of "to teach them to play cricket" or "to have fun." I told them that those were all true, but that the main reason I came to join their team was because I loved them. I explained that I love them, and that I believe that God loves them as well, and that I wanted to teach them about that love. After this "mini" explanation of the gospel, I asked them if it was ok if i prayed for them. I was very surprised to find a young player ask if he could pray for them instead of me. Of course I said that would be great and he proceeded to say the Lord's prayer as we were all holding hands. Not only did he say it, but most all of the team joined in as well! I don't know what exactly this story implies or whether it has any bearing on anything, but i was really encouraged by what was going on with these boys. It also is very motivating for me to continue engaging in their spiritual lives and develop whatever is already going on there.

Hope you enjoyed the stories. There will hopefully be many more soon.