Soccer + Strategy = Saints

World Cup starts today, June 11th in South Africa (SA). Rustenburg, SA is one of the host cities where soccer matches will be played. Rustenburg is located in the Northwest Province of SA and is home to the Tswana people. There are about 4 million Tswana people and close to 3 million of them live in SA and most of those living in this province. The South Africa Tswana (SAT) Team is one of the teams of the K2 Cluster who seeks to minister to the Tswana of SA. This team is praying that their plans for ministry (Strategy) during the World Cup (Soccer) will equal Tswana people hearing and accepting the gospel (Saints). Pray for this team and their national partners, and partners from the US as they minister during the World Cup. Driving into Rustenburg it is obvious that World Cup fever has hit the town.

John Putman is the Team Strategy Leader and lives in Rustenburg with his wife Jennifer and their youngest daughter. Their oldest daughter is in college.

The USA team will play England on Saturday, June 12th at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. The Bafokeng are a Tswana Clan who live in the Rustenburg area.

The entrance to the stadium.

The stadium where a number of matches will be played.

Rustenburg sits below mountains and hills like this one. It is a beautiful area.

This is a school in the village of Bobuanja which is near the stadium. It is a traditional Tswana village and are of the Bafokeng clan. John and Jennifer have been prayer walking in this village, meeting people, developing relationships, and sharing the gospel with the goal of a group starting to meet. Pray that the men and women they have met will hear and respond to the truth and be saved. Pray for Lucky, a friend of John's who has heard the gospel but not yet accepted it.

One of the homes in the village of Bobuanja.

This is Freedom Park. This area is a squatter camp where people from all over SA and Africa come to Rustenburg for jobs in the platinum mines. Most of the houses are made of sheets of tin. The people live a very difficult life struggling to get basic necessities such as water. John and Jennifer have been ministering in this area for a number of years. Ministry is very slow and difficult. Please pray for direction for John and Jennifer as they seek God's guidance in their ministry in Freedom Park.

A man walking through Freedom Park with all of his worldly possessions. Pray for men like this one to hear of the treasure that is available to him through Jesus Christ.

Dennis and Jody Janz live in Mmabatho, SA and serve as Church Planters among the Tswana along with their 5 children. They are on the SAT Team.

Dennis sharing the gospel with a man in Extension 39 a "neighborhood" of government built homes.

Wes Gestring is a professor at Northwest University in Mmabatho, SA. He and his wife Beth and their three children also serve on the SAT team.

Wes sharing the gospel with two young Tswana students.

Over 95% of the students at Northwest University are Tswana.
Pray for the Janz and Gestring families. During the World Cup they will be working with a volunteer team from the States and national partners. They will be prayer walking, witnessing, showing the Jesus Film, holding soccer clinics, and showing World Cup games in villages. Pray for them as they seek to make His name known among the Tswana.

While the world looks to SA during the World Cup may we pray that the Tswana will look to Jesus for forgiveness from their sins and become saints.

Pray for Tswana men like these two. Pray that John, Dennis, and Wes will have opportunities to share the truths of the Gospel with men and that men will accept Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. Pray that Tswana believers will share their faith with their people.

There are two great websites you can visit to see more stories of ministry going on along with the World Cup. Check out http://www.worldsoccerjourneys.com and http://www.mreport.org