Crazy American at the Prison

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100:4

Those of you who know me, know I am a fan of sports (just about every sport) so when my first task yesterday morning was to go with Ted (staff member at BOH) and “fetch” the boys basketball team from Philippi (their township outside of Cape Town) and then take them to the prison to play basketball, I was stoked! First, because I would get to see Sisanda in Philippi - an amazing women of God, quite possibly the most joyful person I’ve ever met; second, because I would get to watch some competition; and third, because things were swinging into full gear with the kids returning to the Academy. I will confess, I was a little nervous about going into the prison, but when we arrived we were greeted with enthusiasm and then handed a program indicating this was an actual tournament and we were in for a good 4 hours of b-ball South African style. Upon entering the gym, I was assumed to be the coach and found myself being interviewed by a local newspaper reporter who then took pictures of Ted & I with the team (neither of us had a clue what was going on) and I had just met these boys 30 minutes prior so most of them didn’t even know my name or why I was with them.

If you’ve ever attended sporting event with me, you know I can be a bit vocal so I decided to do what I do best and be a fan. Armed with their names in my handy little notepad, I started cheering them on. I couldn’t pronounce their names to save my soul nor could I easily identify them without seeing their number - I’m certain I looked and sounded like a fool but I didn’t care… Odwa, Sandisile, Azolile, Nqabo, Sibusiso, Kwalele & Nathi had a cheerleader! They beat their first opponent (men’s team from the prison) by one point in the last minute and their enthusiasm was priceless! They lost a close game in the final to another Academy in the area, it was quite a thrill and the boys received a certificate for making it to the final! Click Here for a Picture of the Boys

Prayer Request: Give praise that these boys have the opportunity to get an education at Bridges Academy and that they get the thrill of competing, things you and I might take for granted.