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August 11, 2009

Soccer School, Burkina Faso 2009

This year, we will be running a children's soccer school in Gorom-Gorom. Soccer is huge in Burkina Faso. The country almost ground to a standstill when the African Nations Cup was held there a few years back. This year, the national team are battling for qualification into the World Cup.

In Gorom-Gorom too, football is very popular. In 1997, we even had Frank Skinner, Angus Deaton and others come with Comic Relief to play football here to highlight development issues. When they get given a ball, boys and girls alike have great fun kicking it around in bare feet (their shoes often serving as goal posts) until it gets burst on one of the huge thorns that are unavoidable here.

Soccer School, BF: the team
The school will be led by Pastor Adama from Markoye, who used to be the town's soccer trainer. He will be helped by Ian Sutton and a team of 14 from Glenwood Church, Cardiff, and St Nics, Nottingham, two of the churches partnered with APT and us in our work in Burkina Faso. Ian and team run a soccer school each Easter at Glenwood Church for local children, helping kids improve their skills and at the same time introducing them to the basics of Christianity. Whatever the child's ability they are guaranteed a great time on this week.

Lynne and I will be out in Gorom-Gorom for this time too, although our involvement in the soccer school will not be on the skill training side...

Soccer School, BF: the details
The soccer school will run from 3-7 Sep 2009. There should be 100 children from local families in Gorom-Gorom and Markoye, and they will stay in a local secondary school for a week, where the fun will happen.

• Each morning there will be skill training,
  
• Each afternoon there will be matches.
  
• In the evenings there will be informal times of sharing testimonies and short messages from the gospel.

Please pray for

• Adama and Ian and the team as they prepare to lead the soccer school,
  
• All the children who will be part of it, to have a great time and meet Christ
  
• All the team who are coming from the UK, to remain healthy, have a great time, and receive from God during their time there.

Many thanks. More soon...

Posted by Keith at August 11, 2009 03:02 PM