NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — My wife, Cary, and I travelled with a group of 25 from Virginia to South Africa during the FIFA World Cup with a mission to spread the gospel of Christ into the rural villages of South Africa. During the World Cup, all schools were closed, leaving the children in villages with nothing to do and nowhere to go. The South African government was expecting nearly 100,000 children to be kidnapped for the human trafficking market and asked churches to offer programs to give them a place to go and be safe.
Matt and Cary Parron from Parkview Baptist in Newport News with child in South Africa.
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We spent two days in training at Eastside Community Church in Pretoria. Ten teams were then sent to surrounding villages with trailers packed for ministry. We had Holiday Club (VBS) materials, soccer materials, movie equipment, food, blankets, EvangeCubes and more. This mission week was the largest that Eastside Church had arranged. All 10 trailers were sent out.
The church where we worked was New Life Praise Church. I was privileged to preach that Sunday and six people came to Christ. What a way to start a mission trip!
The people of this village have such a love and reverence for God. Monday through Friday we saw them working at the “church,” which was really just a big, dirty, falling down tent in the middle of a garbage dump. However, the condition of the church made no difference to the children. We had between 250-300 every day. We danced, sang songs, performed skits, had small group time and a puppet show every morning. Every afternoon they played soccer while the kids on the sideline played games and heard the gospel from team members who did not help lead soccer.
Mission team in front of one of the sports ministry trailers in South Africa.
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The children desperately wanted to be loved. They were so thirsty for the Word of God. Their village had people who spoke 10 of the 11 languages of South Africa. Communication was a challenge with the younger children, but God provided many translators.
After soccer and sideline ministry there was time to go back to the church where “The Jesus Film” was shown, as well as other movies the children enjoyed. Even with the challenges of languages, the trip was a huge success. The devil tried to interfere, but God once gain proved to be omnipotent. He worked in the lives of the people and many children came to know Jesus.
Through the trailer ministry during the World Cup, over 1,000 children made commitments to Christ and countless others rededicated their lives. The support of the people and the churches of the Peninsula Baptist Association was instrumental in making this happen.
A sports ministry trailer, purchased by the association for Eastside Community Church, was used and remains in South Africa to be part of a continuing ministry there. It can be said that the Peninsula Baptist Association will be ministering in South Africa for years to come.
Matt Paron is minister to youth and young adults at Parkview Baptist Church in Newport News, Va.