First, Lasting Impressions of South Africa

We just arrived a few days ago, after a 15 hour flight from Atlanta. From the minute we sat down on the plane I knew this trip would be different. Sitting between David and me was a South African man. As we began talking he knew everybody we were meeting with in South Africa. Imagine, three hundred or so people on the plane and God puts the one person who is connected with our work here in South Africa next to us.

The country is beautiful; the people are friendly and open. One of the most unusual things about this trip for me is that we are staying in the same hotel every night. In Europe we are always in four or five cities and move from hotel to hotel; often a new hotel every night. When we arrived at the bed and breakfast where we are staying we found the doors locked. We rang the bell and no one answered. After about two or three minutes a man popped his head through the curtain that covered the locked metal gate that provides security—it remains locked 24 hours a day.

We identified ourselves and he found our name on the registry. “I am a guest here, too. Come around and I will let you in.” We followed him in and waited on the owner to arrive. As we talked to this man we learned that, like us, he had chosen this hotel at “random.” We sat out on the patio, under a thatched hut and spent the next hour talking with him.

We followed that up with breakfast the next morning. During breakfast we learned that our new friend, Enock, was a young Christian from Zimbabwe. He is working on developing a foundation to help young people learn the value of getting an education and working hard.

By the time breakfast was over I felt like I had known Enock my whole life. He gave us a tour of the neighborhood where we are staying. The Lord used us to encourage him in matters of developing your vision into a viable business or ministry.

Over the next few days we spent more and more time with Enock and some of his friends. Talking about ministry and how to develop a foundation to help young people in Africa get more involved in the daily life of their country. His concern was how to motivate young people to take control of their own lives, gain a vision for the future, and even get involved in the political process by voting and working to influence policy at the local level.

Enock really helped us get into the local culture; we went for a ride using the Soweto taxi system. This taxi system is a series of vans with five rows of seats in them. You flag down the taxi with a series of hand signals that let the driver know where you are going. If it is the right taxi he pulls over and you get in. The cost is about a dollar. Through a series of transfers we made it to Nelson Mandela Square where there is a huge statute of Mandela overseeing the entrance to a brand new upscale shopping mall in the most exclusive section of Johannesburg. Near the Mandela statute is a series of eight foot soccer balls set up to honor the World Cup and other championships of World Football.

Joel and Enock with the Football Display

From there it was off to another series of Soweto taxis so that we could go to the Rosebank African Market. Stall after stall of native Africa crafts. A huge sign hung from the roof. “This is Africa—We bargain.” And the games began. The crafts were awesome; the prices were fluid. David was enjoying himself, I was a little nervous because I am not big on the bargaining.

The next day we headed out to meet the Ultimate Goal Committee so that I could give them legal advice on outreach during the World Cup. Here was a room full of brothers and sisters from South Africa and around the world. They were working together with one common goal—how to turn the World Cup Soccer Tournament into a valuable outreach for the Kingdom and the Church.

I have worked with some of these folks since the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 2004. They are becoming old friends. They always inspire me as they are working hard to finish strong. They are giving up their homes to come to a foreign land and see the Kingdom built. What a great calling!

We left these two days of meetings with a mandate for preparing information for the Committee—something I am doing now that we are back.

As I write this we are preparing for the World Cup in South Africa. I am sitting under a thatch hut behind our bed and breakfast in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is my first time to Africa and I am finding it an amazing place. The people are open and friendly. They are full of life and excited to be hosting such a prestigious event.

We have begun here like we do everywhere—a meeting with The Ultimate Goal, TUG, which is the committee that is overseeing the major outreach that will happen during the South African World Cup. We are less than two months from the start of the frenzy again.

Yesterday we spent the day with the Ultimate Goal Committee. They are working hard to get everything ready for the World Cup Outreach. Thousands of missionaries will come from dozens of countries to share their faith and these thirty or so people will have arranged housing, travel in country, and outreach opportunities for most of them. They have worked with FIFA and the locals to make sure everything is ready for the Gospel to be presented in South Africa for the month that the Tournament covers.

David Thornton, Joseph Jacobs, Joel, and Danita Beetge:
IHRG and some of the Committee.

Surprisingly enough, South Africa is very receptive to the Committee. Unlike many countries in the west, these folks understand that there is a great value in having Christian morals in a culture struggling to move forward.

During the course of the morning I was able to present the legal ramifications of sharing the Gospel in public places and near Tournament venues. I took questions regarding everything from how to deal with the police, how to arrange royalty rights with music used for outreach, how to determine when to challenge a request, and even what I thought about the legal issues facing the church in the future.

We spent two days with the Committee and the Board; it always surprises me to find that I have met some of these board members at other meetings. We had the opportunity to meet some of the leaders in South Africa in Germany during the World Cup and a couple of them we even met in Athens at the 2004 Olympics. It is exciting to be a part of a continuing movement that is growing stronger. It is even more exciting to have a role protecting the rights of those involved in the movement.

Joel discussing the legal issues surrounding outreach
at an international sporting event with TUG Committee members.

The South African Constitution grants religious freedom and free speech rights the same as we are accustomed to in the US and Europe. Now we are merely working with the Committee and with FIFA officials to make sure everyone understands what the law requires and what the other side expects. We will have to compromise—that is what is often required in this international gatherings. That is particularly required in this age of terrorism.

There are a lot of little things required to making sure this type of outreach is protected legally. We will work through the remaining month to make sure that we do everything that can be done to protect the rights of the missionaries who are giving so much to be able to share their faith in Africa during the World Cup.

The final piece of our work is to be on the ground monitoring events during the World Cup itself. Finances permitting, we will be there, making sure that the rights of believers are protected during the World Cup in South Africa.

The greatest news of all, however, is what happened after these meetings. David and I were spending a few more days before heading home. On Thursday we were resting at the guesthouse when the owner told us that we had a couple of friends here to see us.

Earlier in the week David had shared the Gospel with an African man named Josiah. He left the first meeting telling us that he wanted to talk more about God and asking if he could come back on Thursday. In the excitement we had forgotten.

Here was Josiah, with his cousin Tich, looking to hear more about the Gospel message. David sat down with them while I showered. I was locked in our room as David took the key with him promising to return in fifteen minutes. Over an hour later I was in a panic, not knowing if something had happened to David.

When I finally got out of the room by calling the owner on his cell, using my computer, I found David circled up under our thatch hut, holding hands with these two African men as he prayed for their salvation.

Josiah told us that after he prayed he “felt like ice cream!”

That was a fitting end to our time in South Africa. Now we are preparing to make sure that all the missionaries and evangelists who show up for the World Cup are protected as they share their faith with others like Josiah and Tich.