Tears Turn
Posted July 2, 2010
PRETORIA, South Africa – It’s a cold, winter day, and female Athletes in Action (AIA) soccer players from the United States and Canada gather on a dry, bumpy field to practice their drills with the South African women’s national soccer teams.
The cloudless sky is beautifully vast and colored a bright, cerulean blue. In many ways the empty sky resembles the South African women, strikingly beautiful, yet hollow without Christ.
Much of the emptiness stems from hurt and abuse the women experienced early in life, which leaves them struggling with the concepts of forgiveness and love. One South African player asks, “How can I love this person when he has shown so much hurt in the past?” It is through questions like this that the AIA women are able point to God and His redeeming love.
The next morning launches with a hazy sunrise, and the women begin their exercises just as the sun breaks through the fog and warms the cold South African day. Concentrated on the movement of the ball and working as a team to finish the training, the athletes must control the ball’s direction despite an uneven field and strong crosswinds.
During one drill, a defender has her eyes glued to her attacker’s feet as they cross, fake and drive the ball towards the goal. As the attacker moves forward, the players appear almost as if they are locked in a dance, as one attempts to glide past the other.
When the scrimmage is finished, the players make their way to a conference room for the morning session and refreshments. Teamwork, as seen in the drills, is also used as the AIA women minister to the South African women.
In the dimly lit room, groups of women gather together to pray, and the AIA women share their testimonies with the South Africans in an effort to help open up their hearts to tell their own stories. “One thing that touches other people’s lives is testimonies,” says Simphiwe Dludlu, nicknamed “Shorty,” a Christian South African athlete who attended the training.
After the North Americans finish, small groups move outside and the South Africans begin to share. Slowly the stories and tears come — stories about grief, sorrow and death. The women share their pain from rape, physical and emotional abuse, exploitation, suicide attempts, and confusion about their sexual orientation.
The streams of tears turn muddy from the dust that blows through the air, and an abyss of pain is captured in their eyes as they process and talk about what they have gone through. For many, this is the first chance they have had to talk to someone about their struggles and try to grapple with what has happened to them.
Lauren Beachy, a soccer player from the United States, shares about her own emotions upon hearing the women’s stories, saying, “What they’re experiencing … is just really hard to believe.”
It is difficult to comprehend the traumatic events these women have endured, but Beachy offers some hope saying, “[God] has opened up each of their hearts. … It’s been awesome to see their surrender.”
When the stories finish, the Christian athletes offer the hope and healing that can be found in Christ if He is let into their hearts. A number of the women accept Jesus as Savior, embracing the hope and healing that is offered to them.
The week has been trying for many of the women, but those who chose to follow Christ have been given a new life in Him. Dludlu shares about the importance of prayer and the victory of even one teammate accepting Christ, stating, “If I pray about it (salvation for others) and someone else starts praying, it means something. Even if it’s 11 of the teammates are not believers, if one [becomes] a believer, that’s something. It means we are progressing.”
As the sun sets, streaking vibrant colors of pink, orange, yellow and purple across the African sky, the faces of those who accepted Christ are transformed. Their once-empty eyes are overflowing with an uncontainable joy, and the women begin dancing and singing about what the Lord has done in their lives.
Tears, this time of joy, spill over their cheeks and collect on the dry, dusty ground as the clapping hands and raised voices of praise echo across the African terrain.
Evelyn Adamson is an intern writer for the IMB Global Communication Team. She is working on a degree in communications and travels as much as possible. She grew up on the mission field and is passionate about God and working with wildlife.
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