Thursday, February 21, 2013

World Missions & World Cup

Pitch #1 Ready for the First Game
     On Feb 2nd our church, Church of the Open Door (COD), kicked off their annual Missions Conference. We wanted to do something that would get our young families excited about missions. So the church asked me to organize our first annual... "COD World Cup Soccer Tournament". We formed 7 teams representing countries in which our missionaries serve. Teams were required to have at least 3 of their 6 players on the field under the age of 15 at all times. They also had to have at least 2 female players on the field at all times, one over 15 years of age, and one under. The games were only 10 minutes long, and we had two games running at the same time. Competition was pretty even and everyone had a great time. Most of all, we got a lot of young families out to help kick off our missions conference and begin to think about "the nations" where our missionaries serve.

COD World Cup Soccer
     COD has a long legacy of supporting missionaries around the world. It is easy to forget how the church is impacting the world when our missionaries are not here all the time. I found over the years that people just couldn't relate to us when we lived overseas. The "mission field" is not something we can feel, touch or smell, unless you have gone to visit a missionary. Even then, we have an "experience". Our missionaries live the life, smell the smells, and touch/feel the mission field every day. To them, missions is life.

Family Fun with a Missions Spirit...
     So think about a missionary today and write them a note, send them an e-mail or message them on Facebook. Let them know that you remember them. That alone will encourage them. You might even find yourself praying for them, once you get to know their "life" better... Then maybe we will begin to think about "The Nations" the way God thinks about them.     

Doug

P.S. Who won? Well the big winners were our missionaries.... but Team Tanzania took the trophy home.

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