St Nic’s parishioner and dad of two, Byron Forster joined the Fight for Freedom during Oct 12-13, read on to find out more…
There are some things about living in Australia that remind us how blessed we are. Then there are the things we see around the world that just make you hug your kids so tight. Human trafficking is one of those scourges of this world, especially when it comes to children. So Aussies have found a way to help rescue children from that life… by playing Ping Pong!
Pong vs Slavery
This year our local event was at the Vineyard Church in Bunbury, organized by Tim Wheeldon and his team. Not only did he arrange it, he then went on to play for over 13 hours straight! You would think that by that point fatigue would set in and I could get a few wins, but I guess it just meant he really had his eye in and morphed into the Roger Federer of ping pong!
Regardless of the scores, the kids are the real winners. There are 9 different organisations across SE Asia that the Pong raises money for. More information on each of these wonderful organisations is available at www.pingpongathon.com.
We set ourselves a goal to raise $6000 at the Bunbury Pong and by God’s grace we achieved our target before we were even half way through the event. Our grand total was over $15,000 to contribute to the national pool. Congratulations to everyone that was involved with playing and donating. With ping pong marathons happening all over Australia throughout October, we have been able to band together and raise over $318,000 this year, bringing our grand total to over $1.57 million since the Pong started in 2011.
We can really make a difference in the world of Human Trafficking when we band together. I am so proud of all the people that make this happen from those hitting a ping pong ball over a net, to the men and women who pick up those children and show them the first sign of love that many of them can remember. Next year we will set ourselves a new target, and you are more than welcome to be involved!
Thank you and God Bless
Byron Forster