SOSHANGUVE, South Africa – The bus is brought to an abrupt halt in the middle of a narrow street, and the North American ladies are hurried from the vehicle. The people on the street immediately surround the women.

Normal neighborhood noises are overpowered by the sounds of drums pounding, vuvuzelas blowing, hands clapping, feet stomping and voices cheering. The parade of dancers, musicians and soccer enthusiasts eagerly escort the North Americans through the dusty streets.

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa – Today France and South Africa meet in this World Cup host city for a key match that may decide who proceeds to the next round of the competition. But a group of French fans are focused more on the soccer action in townships than those being broadcast on television.

A French team from Athletes in Action is ministering to youth in the townships of Bloemfontein through soccer camps.

PRETORIA, South Africa — Suicide. Grief. Abuse. These are some of the issues faced by the women on the South African national soccer teams. About 27 female soccer players from Athletes In Action (AIA) came from the United States and Canada to train with and minister to over 30 members of the South African teams — Banyana Banyana (the national team), Betswana (the Under 20 team), and Betwana Betwana (the Under 17 team).

A large part the training camp was spent on drills, skill building and simulation matches, while relationship building and group sessions aided in the women’s emotional growth.

During the sessions, some South African players opened up about their social and familial exploitation, such as rape and lesbianism, which they experience on a regular basis in their living situations.

JOHANNESBURG — It’s not your typical Africa.

Kids – many of them Caucasian – run across a grassy soccer field, practicing their dribbling and goaltending skills. The wind is so cold it causes teeth to chatter and eyes to water.

The children are participating in an Upward soccer clinic, a popular outreach event held at many churches in the United States.

But this isn’t suburbia, USA. It’s suburbia, South Africa.

American and South African students share the love of Christ in a village in South Africa through soccer clinics and big-screen showings of World Cup matches.

Read more about this ministry in South Africa at www.worldsoccerjourneys.com

Edenvale Baptist Church in Johannesburg, South Africa holds a weeklong soccer clinic for the children in their community. The children learn soccer skills, do drills, play in a tournament and hold daily “huddles” where they hear the Word and learn Scripture verses. Out of 180 kids in attendance nearly 150 are unchurched.

Read more about Edenvale’s soccer clinic at www.worldsoccerjourneys.com.

More on Tim Howard’s faith at www.worldsoccerjourneys.com.

Grahamstown, South Africa, sits nestled between tall hills. It’s a small, academic community with a major university and three private schools. Students come from all over southern Africa to attend Rhodes University in Grahamstown.

Most township children, like those from Joza, will never experience the rich lifestyle of many Grahamstown residents. Through soccer ministry, Grahamstown Baptist Church hopes to help build bridges and build relationships between the people in the rich community and those in the poorer township.

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa — It’s his first soccer game. Seventeen-year-old Robert Morris, seated with his mom and two sisters, smiles with excitement at the idea he’s really at the World Cup. He’s at the Korea vs. Greece game at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

“It’s surreal — it hasn’t sunk in that I’m actually at the World Cup,” Robert says.

South Africans in a village outside of Mafikeng erupt in celebration as the Bafana Bafana team score the first goal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The game was viewed at Freedom Baptist Church as a part of an evangelistic outreach ministry.