Ben Wildman is full of energy, an insightful communicator, and a bold bringer of new ideas. I had the chance to chat with him about how he’s implemented innovation in the training of Sports Friends’ coaches – what he calls the “bread and butter” of the...
What's it like to intern with Sports Friends? We asked DK Roy, one of our summer interns, to share about her recent experience. "It all started when my plane touched down on the tarmac of a foreign place to me. My heart was full of uncertainty and excitement. I was...
Tripp Johnston, Co-Founder of SIM’s Sports Friends ministry, has recently published a new book, Soul Brothers. This book is an inspiring account of God’s work in Tripp’s life and in Berhanu Kebede’s life, including the initial launch and early growth of Sports...
Last October, Sports Friends hosted a 20-year celebration in Charlotte, NC. Local friends, supporters, and ambassadors of the ministry joined with national and regional leaders from the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe to celebrate God's wonderful works. Plenty of...
When Bob Cramer heard that Tripp had announced his retirement as Global Leader for Sports Friends in 2021, he was deeply disappointed. He had planned to volunteer with him in the Sports Friends ministry as soon as Bob retired just a few years later! Tripp and Bob have...
Just as God demonstrated His presence and affirmation during the early Church movement in the book of Acts, He provided powerful confirmations of His call and faithfulness throughout the development of Sports Friends. Tripp and Brian repeatedly witnessed God’s might...
Time went on and the vision grew. Berhanu directed the work in Ethiopia while Tripp and Brian returned to Charlotte, NC, to work from SIM’s international headquarters. They all had the sense that this ministry was to reach further, so they visited Nigeria to cast...
Twenty years ago, right around the time God was turning the century, He was turning Brian Davidson’s and Tripp Johnston’s lives upside down. The upset would cause a ripple effect intended to span continents and generations, and impact the lives of over a million...
By Cat Tongkao, Sports Friends International Communications Director // When I was ten, I wrote an autobiography. I must have thought I’d had a pretty exciting life for a ten-year-old. Almost 20 years later, I stumbled across it again while sorting through some...
On October 22, 2019, we shared a bit of Dan and Corrie’s story and how, through their own set of trials, Dan and Corrie have reaped a joy that they could never have produced on their own. They have seen how easy it is in the comfort of the Western world to forget...
To Our Partners and Friends, The coronavirus is sweeping the globe and causing unprecedented challenges in virtually all sectors of society and in virtually all countries. Sports Friends is working in 19 countries across five continents, in some countries...
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3) Dan and Corrie are no strangers to suffering. Dan was born in Ethiopia to SIM...
People surge in from all over the world- eager to learn and meet new people. A steady hum of voices fills the large room. Booths are set up all over the with vendors eagerly waiting to testify about how God is working through their organizations in marvelous...
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 Invitation633 is a blog kept by a missionary family who see this verse as a motto in life. A couple with six children, they have just completed the...
"By prayer we view our calling. By prayer we respond to new and existing open doors to proclaim the crucified and risen Christ in communities where He is least known. Prayer reveals barriers and, by prayer alone, we cross them." - Dr Joshua Bogunjoko, SIM...
“But surely You wouldn’t call me to that, Lord!” Exhaustion had hit me like a ton of bricks after serving a week at a football camp in Ethiopia and I was just certain that this was causing me to hear God incorrectly. Wasn’t God aware of the career I had...
It’s always important to understand why we do what we do. Knowing ‘why’ we are engaging in mission directs the ‘how’, and that can be the difference between a good short-term trip and a potentially damaging one. Jesus’s last directive on earth was for us to go and...
We are really excited that our International Support Services team is growing with the addition of Dan Linsz. He will be serving as the team leader and based out of Charlotte, NC. Dan was born in Ethiopia to SIM parents and also grew up in Liberia. He and his wife,...
In 2014, over 3.2 billion people, almost half the world's population, tuned in to watch the World Cup in Brazil. In many ways, sports are a universal language. They unite people across countries, languages, and cultures. Sporting events inspire us and many of us can...
Every year we raise funds to send thousands of youth to camp. We are excited to have a giveaway this year with goodies from some of the countries we work in and several local Charlotte area partners! Share with your friends, family, give and make a difference! Here is...
Bryan Mills Seven years ago, I went on a short-term trip with Sports Friends, and was encouraged to see how God was using the simple tool of sports to introduce youth and their families to Himself. I came home humbled by God’s love for us and His pursuit of the lost....
All across the world, through the Sports Friends ministry and many other like-minded organizations, God is using sports to build His Kingdom. How exciting to see God using something that the world is so passionate about to draw people to Himself! I recently returned...
By Jill Ireland I wonder if you have ever thought about how you might answer this question?! As I reflected on it, I realized that ‘discipleship’ is a word we use frequently in the church, though I’m not sure we all understand it to mean the same thing. For some it is...
During our time at the Global Gathering in Thailand, each country gave ministry updates on what God is doing. In one of the closed access countries where Sports Friends works, a brother shared a story that stuck with us. In this man’s country, many people still...