GRAND PRAIRIE—The World Cup of Soccer is over, and the vuvuzelas—those horns some found insufferable—are silent. But for some youngsters in Kayamandi, a township outside of Capetown, South Africa, the ministry of Daniel Thomae will resound for a long time, even for eternity.

Thomae (pronounced Tommy) spent almost three weeks in South Africa helping in a ministry called Kids Games, a sports and arts program designed for pre-K-sixth grade children. The ministry includes compassion projects, Bible story time, life lessons and music. Originating in 2000 in Cairo, Egypt, Kids Games is gaining acceptance worldwide as a ministry effective in reaching children with the gospel.

“Against the backdrop of the World Cup competition, the kids had a chance to feel like they were a part of a sporting event,” said Thomae, a member of Inglewood Baptist Church in Grand Prairie.

Each day of ministry had opening and closing ceremonies, and included a series of games and events as the children went from station to station. The stations had Bible verses related to life skills or lessons like teamwork, friendship, etc., the 26-year-old explained. “It was a good way to teach the kids biblically-based ethics and morals.”

Also included were “Compassion Day” projects, where the children would serve their communities by picking up trash, painting playground equipment—even helping to build a house. “We wanted to teach the kids the value of their own communities, and of serving them,” Thomae said.

The Kids Games ministry included about 300 children and 60 workers from Brazil, Germany, the U.S., and from local churches. Thomae served as an intern for a group called Sport for Christ Action SA (South Africa), the group that sponsored Kids Games.

“There were many local community leaders who helped, too, like teachers, and high school and university students,” Thomae said. “It was an opportune time to minister to them as well.”

But for Thomae, it was all about the kids.

“The kids love soccer, so we offered some soccer camps and organized some pick-up games, and shared the gospel,” he said. Having to leave before the completion of the ministry, Thomae had no final statistics about how many children came to Christ, but was aware while on-site that the gospel took root in many of the children’s hearts.

Despite the comparative economic status of South Africa to the rest of the continent, Thomae says the country still has vestiges of racial Apartheid.

“The relationships among different races there are still difficult. But is was good to see people coming together for ministry,” said Thomae, who noted the World Cup had a unifying power and provided an avenue for Christian ministry and gospel proclamation.

“There is a void in the kids’ lives as far as leadership and those who will invest in the lives of these children,” Thomae said. “There are lots of drugs and violence, but the kids were so hungry for real leadership, and had a real openness for the gospel, too.”

While claiming he’s no expert on such matters, Thomae said his observations of the local culture revealed that children and young teens in the townships “face many of the same problems that children in inner-city America face. In poor communities children and youth are faced with the universal dangers such as sex, drugs, and violence. There are many broken homes, where children don't have fathers to look up to. In Africa, there is a general problem of men not investing in youth, children and young people, so they are generally ignored” for any good purposes, he said.

“In the townships, children told me that they faced a lot of pressure from drug dealers and gangs, and did not have many positive role models willing to mentor them and give them positive guidance,” Thomae added.

“Girls also face many difficulties and abuse,” he said, “which is one of the reasons HIV/AIDS is such a big problem. South Africa has a difficult history that has contributed to these things. I think often times churches in South African are divided and have struggled to address the various needs, but hopefully we will see these things changing.” Thomae said some local churches are “tuning into these needs, and are starting to meet them.”

Recalling one “Compassion Day” project, Thomae said, “I talked with a real bright kid, really open. When I got into sharing the gospel, he was so broken and empty. ‘I don’t have anyone to look up to, and have no opportunity to go anywhere in my life,’ he said. To see such a bright kid talk about being so hopeless—it was heartbreaking.”

That child represents the needs of thousands of children in South Africa. And such ministry opportunity is why Thomae is considering returning to South Africa after completing a master’s degree in missiology.

“With modern globalization, there are many unconventional ways of ministering as opposed to the more traditional concept of missiology,” he said.

Himself no stranger to the mission field, Thomae is the son of missionaries to Nigeria, who serve the former Sudan Interior Missions, now named Serving in Missions. He grew up on the mission field with Kendra, the woman he married, who is also the child of missionary parents.

“It’s always surprising what God can bring your way. God used the short term trip to open other doors, and we’re still praying about it, excited about it, and looking to establish a support base,” he said. “It’s a big step of faith for us.”