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Welcome to our Sports Friends Newsletter!
 We hope you enjoy this bit of news from Sports Friends. God is using the simple, yet powerful, platform of sports ministry to expand His Kingdom. We hope this newsletter encourages you and leads you to pray for Sports Friends and its leaders serving around the world. You have been included in this distribution either because you signed up on our website or because one of our Sports Friends missionaries thought you would appreciate these updates. If you do not wish to receive them, you may unsubscribe below.
Sports Ministry from a Wheelchair
 Early in life, David was handicapped from Polio and confined to a wheelchair. Two years ago, he attended a Sports Friends training conference in Nigeria where he was challenged and inspired. He felt God leading him to use soccer as a platform to reach young people. As he left the sports ministry training, however, doubts started, “God, how can I coach a team? I have never played soccer”. After wrestling with God, David faithfully followed the Lord’s leading and started a soccer ministry for boys.
David transported himself each week to soccer practice on a customized wheelchair that he pedaled with his hands (see picture). At first the boys came, and things went well. Soon, however, one of the boys told David, “I can’t play for you. You are in a wheelchair and can’t even play!” The boy left the team. David was very hurt. Although it was difficult, David continued to love this boy and stayed faithful to the ministry God had called him to. After many weeks, this boy who had insulted David returned and apologized to “his coach” and was welcomed back by the team.
David faced other challenges as well. His team was a mixture of both Christian and non-Christian boys. At first, David mainly called on the Christian boys to pray but this upset a number of the other boys. David began to lead the prayers himself which the boys found more acceptable. During this time, the boys began to see and understand the power of Christian prayer. One day, David forgot to open their time together with prayer. One of the non-Christian boys was upset with him and said, “You are letting the devil in by not praying.” David was convicted but also happy that the boy took notice.
David has continued to faithfully love and mentor these boys for months. Over time, he has been able to share with them the love of Christ. Seven of these boys have now placed their faith in Christ, including the boy who earlier insulted David. From his wheelchair, David has challenged many other able-bodied coaches to develop sports ministry programs. Please pray for David and the boys on his team and for the many other faithful sports ministers like David serving the Lord in Nigeria.
Anyone for Cricket?
 Did you know that cricket can be a powerful tool for influencing the lives of young people in India and other countries in South Asia? While much of Sports Friends’ existing ministry revolves around soccer, virtually any sport can be used for effective sports ministry. Sport is just the common ground – a place where relationships are built and love shared. People in South Asia are crazy about cricket! Sports Friends hopes to tap into this passion for cricket to share the love of God with the many millions of young people in South Asia who do not know Him.
In February, Sports Friends launched its first major sports ministry training initiative in South Asia. Ninety-three church and mission leaders attended this 4-day training where we shared with them the vision for church-centered sports ministry and gave them the tools to begin such ministry in their local communities. About half of the group were cricket enthusiasts, and half were soccer enthusiasts. We pray these church leaders will use both sports (and other sports) to build relationship bridges to the young people in their communities. There are well over a billion people living in South Asia; over 50% of these people are under the age of 25. Only a small fraction knows and follows Jesus as Lord and Savior. Please pray for these men and women recently trained in sports ministry as they love and mentor the young people drawn into their sports ministry programs.
Training Thai Soccer Coaches
In March, Sports Friends conducted a 4-day sports ministry training for 55 soccer coaches in Thailand. After 6 months of intensive Thai language study, our Sports Friends team in Thailand was thrilled to take a break from their studies and minister to these soccer coaches! The trainees came from all across Thailand; there were also a few from Laos and Vietnam. Unlike in South Asia where we were training people to begin sports ministry, the Thailand training was for soccer coaches already involved in sports ministry.
 We had the privilege to plan and organize this conference with one of our Thai ministry partners. This partner has been the pioneer in developing church-centered sports ministry in Thailand over the last 15 years. Our training was focused in two areas – helping the sports ministry leaders sharpen their ministry skills (relational evangelism and discipleship within the context of sport) and helping them further develop their soccer coaching skills. We conducted a similar training with this same partner in December 2007. Three coaches with our US-based ministry partner (MAI/Charlotte Eagles) came to Thailand and led the soccer coaching skill development. They were wonderful servants and made a great contribution to all of the coaches who participated.
We heard many testimonies from the participants of how God is using church-centered sports ministry already in Thailand. In the years to come, we hope to mobilize many more churches and church planters in Thailand and SE Asia to begin similar sports ministry outreaches. We challenged this group of 55 to continue to be the pioneers in building ministry models that others can follow and learn from in the future.
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