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I fully agree with Piet Lindeque's blog about grumbling. “Coincidentally” this is a topic we discussed in Home Group this week & I would love to add more food for thought.

So, we built stadiums & upgraded roads & airports & hotels & infrastructure in general & spent a lot of money doing it & to make matters worse, maybe there was irregularity in the awarding of some of these contracts. What if we aren’t ready in time, or the visitors get ripped off or mugged, or what if we have power failures etc. etc. etc. Surely all this money & effort could’ve been invested in vital projects like health, education, job creation etc. but the point is this –

THE 2010 WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA IS HAPPENING WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.

On the 11^th June 2010 at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa, the greatest spectacle this continent & country has ever seen WILL occur. 94 700 people will watch Bafana Bafana play Mexico live in the opening game. "Oh, but our team has no chance", some might say & to this I reply, “Imagine 75 000 Vuvuzelas all being blown at once, lifting the spirit & courage of a team, but also the hopes & dreams of a nation.” I don’t want to be a Mexican on that day. All it takes is hope & hope is likened to faith, which is the substance of things hoped for. Oh yes, it’s also going to take a goal or two to win it :-)

About half a billion people worldwide will watch each game live on television, the Internet etc. & about half a million fanatical soccer fans from around the world will put their feet in our beautiful country in the months of June & July. What will they say about us when they go back? Imagine each one of them telling 10 people that South Africa is a must-visit place & only half of those 10 decide to visit, say, in the next 5 years – that would mean half a million extra tourists visiting South Africa per year over the next 5 years.

BRING IT ON !!!!!!

I have the privilege of travelling abroad & also hosting international visitors in a business context quite regularly & they ALL comment on the beauty of this country, but their biggest wonder is the amazing people that they find South Africans to be. What will they say after July? God uses all things for the believer's good according to Romans 8 & I truly believe that this World Cup event can be an avenue of great blessing for this nation. So my perspective & advice is this : Put a smile on your face & have a positive message about the World Cup, support our team, watch a game or two & who knows maybe, just maybe the unimaginable can happen – sport can once again unite us ALL as a people &  maybe, just maybe, we could even have a lot of fun & maybe, just maybe, we could even win this darn thing !!!            

I CAN’T WAIT FOR 11^TH JUNE 2010, HOW ABOUT YOU?

Here some links on the subject for you to check out: