ROOIGROND, South Africa — As they step out of vans, a cold wind greets the student volunteers from the University of Louisville and Clemson University in the United States and Northwest University in Mafikeng, South Africa. Dust, kicked up by the wind, coats their teeth and settles onto their clothes and skin.

Charged with the task of breaking barriers and sharing Christ with the Tswana people, the 16 American and nine South African students begin unloading their soccer equipment for the day’s events.

Meagerly dressed children come running from every direction, thrilled at the chance to play soccer with the volunteers. The students turn and embrace the descending crowd of children, each child clamoring for attention and love before the clinic begins. Other children play and practice the drills they learned a previous day.

The volunteers use the EvangeBall, which contains colors representing the salvation process, as a ministry tool. The colors on the ball consist of black for sin and lostness, red for Christ’s death on the cross, white for purity, green for growth in Christ, and yellow for heaven.

As the sun sets, the intense cold of the South African winter permeates the air, and the students battle the wind while setting up the screen for the first showing of the JESUS film in Rooigrond. An air of anticipation and exhilaration passes through the group as the Tswana villagers, huddled in the chilled sand, watch the film in their own language, Setswana.

There are around 2.4 million Tswana people in the North West province of South Africa. Although their religious belief is predominantly animism, 18 percent of the people claim Christianity.

IMB missionaries Dennis Janz and Wes Gestring worked for months preparing themselves and the students for this missions undertaking.

Wes Gestring comments on his enthusiasm for seeing the South African students doing ministry among their people, saying, “Now we can tie our students into what our other missionary is doing in the villages and work hand-in-hand, giving them the firsthand experience to do here what we hope they will do in their villages back home.”

See more photos of the volunteer team

Evelyn Adamson is an intern writer for the IMB Global Communication Team. She is working on a degree in communications and travels as much as possible. She grew up on the mission field and is passionate about God and working with wildlife.