Thank you for praying for South Africa during the World Cup. God has demonstrated His power in amazing ways. The Gospel was proclaimed freely and with eternally significant results throughout the nation. Those who wanted to perform animal sacrifices inside stadiums, believing this would please their ancestral spirits, were prohibited from doing so. Efforts to legalize prostitution came to nothing, and prostitutes moan that business actually waned during the event. The problem of human trafficking has received nationwide attention, and more individuals and organizations are becoming involved in efforts to curb it.

Please continue to pray for South Africa. Particularly remember the urban centers, where problems of unemployment, poverty, violent crime, racism and human trafficking demand urgent attention. Intercede for new followers of Christ, for whom learning to walk with Him is particularly challenging in a country with these issues.

Stay connected to South Africa, and learn how God is at work on the African continent by visiting www.africastories.org and www.imbafrica.org.

The World Cup is over (sigh) and the nations are departing from South Africa. The Great Commission is once again “out there,” and South African believers must rejoin followers of Jesus around the world in focusing on the Lord’s command to take His Gospel to the ends of the earth. Pray that insights gained and lessons learned during the past month will be implemented in evangelistic efforts both within and without South Africa. Rejoice that God’s Word promises every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Moses, the church planter in western Africa who has been showing films about Old Testament characters and then recordings of World Cup matches, reports a lot of interest in both the films and the matches in the predominantly Muslim village he has been visiting. Moses has asked for concerted prayer on Sunday, the final day of the World Cup. He plans to show the villagers a movie about the life of Christ. Pray that hearts and minds will be open to the truth about Jesus and that viewers will clearly understand the Gospel presentation at the end of the film. Moses requests we particularly pray for the village chief and his son.

Many South African churches didn’t plan extra activities during the World Cup—they were already extremely busy with their regular ministries. These continued without regard for the high profile tournament going on around them. Desiring to make a difference in their communities, these fellowships are reaching out to the jobless, homeless, impoverished, and vulnerable, showing the love of Christ in tangible ways.

Other churches intentionally planned outreaches with a World Cup theme. They organized events that would keep children safe and happy during the long school break. Big screen showings of the matches enabled churches to draw in community members and share the Gospel with them.

When the World Cup is over and life returns to normal in South Africa, pray for churches to have a new vision of how to meet the challenges of sharing their faith with those who don’t know Christ, of discipling new believers, of trusting God to provide and stretch meager resources, and of tackling social issues in the communities around them.

Television sports commentators relish sharing trivia about teams, players, stadiums and coaches, and those covering the 2010 World Cup have been no exception. The Internet has given them access to information that sometimes I’d just as soon not know, but they do frequently point out interesting facts and firsts. This is the first World Cup held in Africa. For the first time a European team will win a World Cup held outside the continent. This will be a first-time World Cup win for either Netherlands or Spain.

As special as these firsts are, none of them compares to the life-changing experience of first trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior. We have hundreds of new brothers and sisters in Christ because they took that first step of faith during World Cup outreaches. Praise God they have come into His family. Continue to pray they will grow in their relationship with Christ and that they will lead others to take that first step of faith in Him.

Mentioning the word xenophobia strikes terror in the hearts of many foreign nationals living in South Africa. At least 62 people were killed and thousands displaced during xenophobic outbursts in May 2008. Initially targeted were migrants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, but in the end 21 of the deaths were South Africans. The Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa warned last month that foreigners living in the country would be targeted after the World Cup. Threats have been voiced, and CORMSA is taking them seriously. There are reports this week of fearful foreign nationals fleeing parts of South Africa. Others are threatening to retaliate if attacked.

Pray that citizens of South Africa will act wisely even if provoked and that peace and calm will prevail throughout the country following the World Cup. Pray for Christians in South Africa to demonstrate acceptance of all people. Ask the Lord to protect His followers from possible xenophobic activity. Pray that Christians will find powerful ways to communicate God’s love to every person they encounter.

Artists, musicians, dramatists and other creative Christians are finding ways to use their skills to share the Gospel during the World Cup. The Ultimate Goal’s Taxi CD has Christian songs and short Gospel messages to bless passengers as they are transported around town. A JOY BRACELET creation represents the fruit of the Spirit, and the company insists the bracelets be given away as tokens of thankfulness and hope. Outreach Festivals use face painting, dramas and music to share the story of God’s love and forgiveness.

Praise God for the way He has gifted these talented members of the body of Christ. Pray they will continually find creative new ways to share the Good News.

Nelspruit hosted four matches in the group stage of the World Cup, but in the last 10 days life has returned to normal for most of her citizens. Normal for missionaries in Nelspruit means training pastors and church leaders and encouraging them as they shepherd local bodies of believers; mentoring the facilitators of Bible studies for youth and children; providing for people with physical and spiritual needs in impoverished parts of the city; opening their homes to individuals who require comfort or solitude.

Pray for those who are laboring in the harvest fields of Nelspruit, that they will clearly see where God is at work and lead out in encouraging others to join Him there.

A sympathetic smile for a frazzled mom and cranky children at the end of an exhausting flight. A listening ear for an airport employee who has just experienced a grievous loss. A willingness to pray on demand in the middle of a busy terminal. A comforting presence in a quiet chapel. Airport chaplains Tricia, Godfrey, Joan and Gerald and their team of volunteers have ministered to hundreds of people in the six weeks since they took the first steps toward fulfilling God’s call to ministry at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. These godly men and women share God’s love unconditionally, but when asked by fans to pray for a particular World Cup team to win a match they only agree to pray for the team on the condition they may pray for the opposing team as well!

Walking the halls in pairs wearing their Airport Chaplain jackets, they are stopped by an airline employee requesting prayer for an ailing family member. A few minutes later a policeman asks them for a Bible. Prayerwalking when not praying for someone at hand, these servants of the Lord make themselves available to anyone with a need.

Thanks to the generosity of another Christian organization, Bibles have been provided for those who were on the waiting list, and now there is a small stock for future requests.  Praise God for this provision, and pray for more volunteers to keep this ministry alive when the World Cup is over.

Does God care who wins the World Cup? I don’t know, but today a black African sister in Christ gave me a new insight into something He does care about.  We were discussing the dismissal of all of the African teams from the tournament, and she said, “None of them was ever going to win.  If they had won, who would get the glory?” She went on to explain that many African players had gone to witchdoctors and had consulted ancestral spirits in an attempt to help them win.  Her point was that God would have received no glory had an African team won; instead, spirits of darkness would have been praised.

Does God care who wins the World Cup? I don’t know, but He does want His glory declared among the nations.  Continue to pray that many people will be drawn to Him through the ministries and outreaches planned to share the Gospel with the nations who have come to South Africa for the tournament. Pray that Christian players on the remaining teams will have many opportunities to give God glory for what He has done in their lives.

FIFA has promoted its “Say no to racism” campaign by having the captains of each team in the quarterfinals read a statement before their matches, condemning and rejecting discrimination of any sort in the sport and in society.  Jesus taught that every individual has equal value in God’s sight and that He longs to have people from every race, tribe and tongue worshipping before His throne. Pray that Christians will be like Jesus, totally rejecting racism in any form and consistently reflecting God’s character in the way they relate to each other and to all people.