A Friendly Soccer Game

Recently the 11th and 12th grades at HAFF’s secondary school IPB --Institute Pratique de Bohoc -- got together on a Sunday afternoon to face each other in a soccer match. In the picture below, the blue team members are the Rhetos (12th grade) and the yellow team members are the Segondes (11th grade).

The colored jerseys were borrowed from other teams in the area. Like most other schools here there is not enough money for an official team. As itwas, the boys had to make a special request to HAFF’s Executive team for some money with which to buy food. Two number 10-size cans of rice, 9 cups of black beans, 2 colas (pop bottles) of oil and some sausage and spices.

And where would the boys be without the sisters and girl friends who cooked the food over the wood fire at the school kitchen? (These skills are learned at home from an early age.)

What a feast! Some of these growing adolescent boys may eat only once a day so fried carbs and protein are more than just fellowship. They will be needed for the next two hours.

What a field! Bohoc is in the middle of the dry season now and while the field still has grass, the sidelines are just dirt. At least today there are no chickens or goats grazing on the field The Segonds (11th grade) won 4 to 0 but as you can see there is little class rivalry. Just a great day of fun before the seriousness of studying soon takes over.

For the Rhetos (12th graders) there is a lot of pressure to succeed at national exams this July and there will be many hours of studying and lost sleep as that day approaches. Please pray for our 34 Rheto students and our 24 Philo students (13th graders) who also have national exams, that they can make good use of their time in these last 2 trimesters but not lose sight of God’s bigger perspective for their lives -- maturing in their love for Christ and for those He came to serve and save.