J U L Y 2 0 1 0

“For I cannot help but speak of what I have seen and heard!”

Acts 4:20
“Look among the nations and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work
in your days that you would not believe if told.”
Habakkuk 1:5

Pray, Pray, Pray

~ Pray for safe travel for the
summer project team that is
headed home on August 5th.
~Pray for everyone considering
STINT, next year in Durban, that
So many answered prayers!
August has come. The world cup has ended, Durban is no longer
the Lord’s calling would be clear
in their hearts, whether that call is
to Durban, America, the
covered in flags and we are the only foreigners, school is back is
workplace, etc.
session, our American friends are flying home, and our life has ~Pray for our movements that
returned to normal. Yet as I think of normal, it seems so different students would begin to truly
seeing as so much has happened and our Holiday seems like it was a encounter, experience and express
catalyst for change. Change not only in my life, but also in the lives the compelling love of Christ.
~Pray for our students and our
of this city. I was enthralled to read two news articles lately; one
own hearts to be broken for the
covering sex-trafficking during the world cup, and the other about campus.
street children in Durban. At first glance you are probably ~Pray that I would experience the
wondering why I am so enthusiastic about these things, but if you Gospel daily in new ways.
read the articles you would see it is because both show how God’s ~Pray that the Lord would make it
undeniably clear to me where I
glory reigned in this country as He answered the prayers of so many.
will be most effective in fulfilling
Upcoming Events! the Great Commission, and ergo
Project leaves Community Groups where I am called to serve Him
Weekly Meeting
August 5, 2010 Every Friday August 13, 2010 next year.
It is time for our Each Friday at we We are launching
Americans to have a meeting at student led groups
on both campuses
return back to both campuses for
dedicated not only
school. Pray for students to gather to studying the
them to have easy, together and focus bible, but reaching
smooth, and safe on loving God and their classmates,
trip back home. each other. and fellowshipping
as well.
 A MINISTRY UPDATE FROM ALYSSA MONDA JULY 2010

Spain wins cup, but South Africa is real winner

With the arrival of thousands of international soccer fans, the
prediction was that there would be a virtual “sexplosion” in Africa,
putting millions at risk of contracting HIV and other STI’s. However
these articles show sex workers’ reports of a slump in business. Most
actually complaining about being left out of the World Cup
bonanza. Praise the Lord! The other article was in response to
someone saying that the city was hiding the masses of street
children from the public and asking them to let everyone see
them. However, this response was talking about the Soccer clubs,
and VBS programs set up in Addington that provided these
children with a place to go and have fun, instead of getting into
trouble. The police reported a decrease in theft, rape, and other
crimes usually committed by these children, throughout the
World Cup. Why? Because someone cared enough to give them
another place to go, where they could be normal children and be loved!
I was privileged enough to be a part of these programs set up in Addington by coaching a soccer team. I
coached the week before our summer project, made up of 20 college students from the states, arrived. Once
they arrived we set up what we called a winter project where we would go to Addington each day with
those students as well as some of our UKZN students where we had times of training, putting what we
learned into practice by going and talking to people on the beach
about Christ, and then loving and serving the community by
spending time coaching these children in Addington. Over the
course of my two weeks there, I went from not knowing why I
had signed up for the job to absolutely falling in love with the
kids on my team. It was fun to see their
hard work and passion for playing soccer,
but the best part was seeing the change in
their attitudes and hearts over the two-
week period. When I arrived they seemed like nice kids, but they didn’t smile much
and were always yelling at each other. By the time we left they had become a team
that had fun and worked together. Some of my kids asked questions about the Gospel,
and a few even prayed thanking Jesus for dying for their sins and forgiving them in
His great love asking to know Him more.
There was one kid in particular that really grabbed a hold of my heart. His name is
Maglo. He is in grade 7, and used to live in the Congo. When I met him he seemed like
a child with a difficult life who was forced to become a hardened man. He is an
exceptional and passionate soccer player, but he never smiled and he screamed more at
his teammates than anyone I have ever seen. Every day I would leave the camp broken
for Maglo. I prayed for his home life, and safety, and mostly that God would begin to
remove the scabs from his calloused heart.

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 A MINISTRY UPDATE FROM ALYSSA MONDA JULY 2010

He was like a new person.

I just wanted Maglo to find joy, if only for the few hours that he was
playing the sport that he loved. During the second week Maglo did
a bicycle kick during the game. He landed on his wrist, dislocating
it, and we thought he might have fractured it. You could see the
fear and pain in his eyes as we took him to the public hospital. My
friend Lauren and I sat with him in the emergency room for 4
hours that day waiting for his family to arrive, and for x-rays to be
taken. We probably spoke for a total of 10 minutes the entire time,
but sitting with Him was enough. I left not knowing the results, but
I told Maglo to come tell me the next day. He showed up with a
cast on his arm and a smile on his face. Who was this new boy
walking up to me? Why was he smiling, even with a cast on his
arm? He had simply dislocated his wrist and nothing was broken so
I allowed him to keep playing the rest of the week. He was like a
new person. He was so happy! I even let him help me coach one
day, and run drills for the team and make the line up. He was a new kid; a joyful one! He had an outburst
here and there when he would yell but the transformation in his heart was so clear. I’m not sure what
changed, but I know that God answered my prayers in softening his heart. I felt so blessed to see such a
transformation in two weeks. This boy took my heart, and it was so difficult to say goodbye to him on the
last day of camp, knowing I will probably never see him again; my heart was broken. Yet I find hope in
knowing while I love Maglo, his Father in Heaven loves him so much more and I can trust God in taking
care of him the rest of his life.
After the soccer camps, we did service projects in the community
with the summer project students. We brought them to
Ukukhanya, where we painted the front of the building, as well
as the inside of some of the rooms. Students tiled in rooms and in
the bathroom, and cleaned up the trash from outside. It looks so
much better now, and is one step closer to being ready to have
the other half opened up for more patients to live in. The
students also went in and talked to patients, when they were free.
One day Julie and one of the project leaders, Austin, went in to pray with a man
who was nearing death. Julie and Austin were able to share with
him how much he was loved by Jesus and the forgiveness he offers
as well as just pray for him. He was really sick and couldn’t really
speak so nobody knows what was going on in his mind while they
were there. The next day we arrived, only to find out he had passed
away earlier that morning. While we do not know what he was
thinking in between the time Julie and Austin left his room, and the
time he passed we do know that one thing is true; God loved Him
enough that day to meet him in his final hours and simply let him hear how much He loved him!
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 A MINISTRY UPDATE FROM ALYSSA MONDA JULY 2010

Same old… Same old… Moving back on campus!

It amazes me to reflect on God’s love for his
people, and how He decides to work whether it is
through children, life care centers, orphanages,
high schools, or college campuses. No matter
what the means or the venue the overwhelming
presence of the Lord has been evident throughout
the month of July. We returned to campus to find
He was working just as much here as everywhere
else in our city. We had 8 students from the
summer project join us on campus. As they
joined with some of our student leaders and
spread out on campus telling people about the
love of Christ, we saw God move in incredible
ways. We had around 456 Gospel conversations
and saw at least 25 students pray to receive
Christ’s forgiveness, trusting Him with their lives
for the first time. They spoke to many students
who were already solid Christians that were
praying to find a way to connect with believers
on campus and express their experience of Christ
to their campus. Many of these students were
Indian, and a few were white.
We have been praying that the Lord would diversify
our movement this term so we represent the
demographics of the campus within our movement,
and He is already answering that prayer in the first
week! Our weekly meeting last Friday was great. We
themed it “I did a 180”. Students made signs with a
brief testimony of the “180” God helped them make
in their life and Barrett spoke about the life of Paul; a
Jewish leader who hated and murdered Christians,
who turned into a man willing to let God use him
radically to tell people about Christ even to his death
caused by the same people he used to be part of; as
they persecuted him for his faith. God showed up in
huge ways this month. He changed the lives of
children, he replaced the predictions of increased sex
trafficking in South Africa with the truth that He
would not allow that to happen, He remodeled a life
care center, He caused gardens to grow in
orphanages, He transformed the lives of individuals
on campus, He altered the world views of the
students here on project, He refined my heart, He
changed my life!

Contact Me:
Skype call: 027 076 537 2373
Email: Alyssa.monda@gmail.com
Give by going to: give.ccci.org
Address: 84 Plumbago Terrace-Foxglove
7 Flamethorn Drive
Westville 3629
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Alyssamonda.blogspot.com