Being here at the World Cup has been an incredible experience on so many levels. Traveling around in the areas I do, I’ve been able to see first hand how soccer can unite people, but this was on a whole different scale… standing there at Soccer City with nearly 100,000 fans was awesome… fans speaking different languages, from different countries and entirely different cultures…all united because of this simple game of kicking a ball around the field. So cool.
It was such a neat opportunity to get to go to the first World Cup on African soil… I have a dear place for Africa in my heart on many levels so I found it really special.
I’ve run out of time and want to post at least a few photos so here are three from the Spain/Swiss match in Durban…
And I leave you with this quote… I came across this last year and it made a huge impact on me, it’s from Nelson Mandela so I can’t think of a better time to share it than during my time here in South Africa. I encourage you to read it several times and ponder what he is saying… We were BORN to make manifest the glory of God. Wow.
“Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are
powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that
frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
handsome, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You
are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There
is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel
insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God
within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And, as we let
our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do
the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence
automatically liberates others. “
Nelson Mandela Presidential Inaugural Speech
That’s it for now folks, off to Senegal and then back in the States in 3 days!
