American volunteers partner with a local church to reach out to boys in a poor township called Joza.
By Jeffery Aaron

GRAHAMSTOWN, South Africa — The soccer ball has gone wild. The boys run after it, each hoping to be the first to take possession of it.

They’re playing in a muddy field across from Joza, a hilltop township on the outskirts of the city of Grahamstown. Joza is always colder than the city; there are no trees or tall buildings to shelter the field or the town as the wind whips through the high hills.

Four men with a love for soccer traveled from the United States to Grahamstown to hold soccer camps in townships like Joza. All four came from the state of Tennessee — Austin Womac and Jacob Thurman are from Alcoa, Kyle Prince is from Murfreesboro and Ken Brown is from Maryville.

“(I came) to show the kids how God has worked in my life and to show them the love of Jesus Christ,” says Prince, who’s played soccer since he was 8 years old. “A lot of times these kids, they don’t hear about Jesus and they don’t hear the story and hope He offers. That’s our purpose, to share His love for them through these camps.”

Because schools in South Africa are on break during the World Cup, children have lots of free time. To give them something to do, Grahamstown Baptist Church — the oldest Baptist church in South Africa — partnered with IMB missionaries Bob and Susan Morris and the Tennessee volunteers to hold soccer clinics during the World Cup.

Grahamstown, which is located in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province along the Indian Ocean, sits nestled between tall hills. It’s a small, academic community with a major university and three private schools. Students come from all over southern Africa to attend Rhodes University in Grahamstown.

Most township children will never get to experience the rich lifestyle of many of Grahamstown residents. The church and its partnering missionaries hope to help build bridges and build relationships between the people in the rich community and those in the poorer township.

“There is an evident gap between poor and wealthy here in Grahamstown,” says Dirk Cortzee, pastor of Grahamstown Baptist Church. “[Working with township kids is] good exposure for church folk — it has an eternal value at the end of the day to invest in these kids’ lives beyond the World Cup.”

This month, soccer has been the bridge between the wealthy and the poor. The church members and volunteers are teaching the boys soccer drills, stretches and passing techniques while also sharing the Gospel with them.

“For any African kid, soccer is important,” Cortzee says. “It’s all they do. They love playing and it’s a good way to bring kids together. It’s where they are skilled and it’s what they love to do. “

And they boys, most under the age of 16, have a lot of raw talent. They run the field in jeans and sandals, school shoes or bare feet. Even the young ones show promising skill and good control of the ball.

“Now I know why they play soccer the way they do, not a lot of passing,” says Brown. “The field is uneven and they don’t know where the ball will go when it’s kicked.”

During rest breaks, the volunteers tell the children about their relationships with Jesus. The boys gather around as the men share their testimonies and short stories from the Bible.

The boys and the volunteers brave the cold temperatures and rain to play together on the windy, muddy hilltop. They shout encouragement to each other, laugh together and pray together.

“We learned how to dribble a ball and how to pass straight,” says Tando, 16. “And we learned about Jesus.”

For more on the work in Grahamstown visit www.mreport.org.