How Sports Ministry Is Redeeming a Coastal Village in Kenya. Once a waypoint for Arabian horses and a dark hub of the East African slave trade, the village of Farasi—Swahili for “horse”—is now witnessing a transformation of a very different kind. Where shackles once...
In recent years the industrialized world has sought to recover from a devastating global pandemic. It was a disaster that had separated people from those they loved, confined families to small spaces and robbed their freedom to pursue life, work, and relationships...
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. - Philippians 4:9 Our Coach Development Coordinator for Kenya, describes one reason why the Sports Friends ministry is making...
Fourteen years ago, a group of boys gathered around their coach, a tall and kind man from a church right there in their own city in Kenya. The coach knew that there was more to life than the poverty and crime those boys saw as normal. He knew there was opportunity,...
By Tohru Inoue (Difficult subject matter) On a weekend in 2008, when Joy was in primary school, her younger sister was so hungry that Joy went out and borrowed 10 shillings (roughly ten cents) worth of food from the neighbor’s restaurant. When her father came...
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the face of ministry around the world, along with many other facets of life. In the low-income Kariobangi community of Nairobi, Sports Friends coaches have been engaged in food distribution projects while their ability to gather...
Written by Mercy Obwolo, our Sports Friends Kenya Office Coordinator "July 27th and 28th 2020 were marked out clearly in my calendar. I arrived at KAG Church Kariobangi around 9.00 am. Sanchez, Judy, and a few coaches had arrived and they were...
What is your role with Sports Friends?I am the Sports Friends Kenya Office Coordinator. My duties include; Financial reporting/tracking.Liaising with East Africa Support Services when it comes to handling Event Expense Reports and Budget Request Forms.Working on...
In a dark home nestled among the dangerous streets of Kariobangi, Kenya, “Mama” sits at home with her mentally handicapped adult son. Her husband and daughter have gone away to work in the early morning hours, and her 6-year-old grandson is off to school. Mama’s...
The moment a child takes its first step or utters its first real word is unforgettable to a parent. A father or mother waits and anticipates with joy when their precious little one will courageously try something new (and a bit risky), then break into a whole new way...
Viktor plays on a Sports Friends soccer team in Kenya. He is 8 years old but doesn’t look much older than his six-year-old teammate Julius. Although we’re uncertain of all the details about Viktor’s life, his small stature suggests chronic neglect even before his...
“It is one of the best practice sessions I have ever attended on this ground,” young Ben glowed during water break. That day, soccer practice had revolutionized his heart. It began a typical Saturday afternoon when the boys streamed onto the church compound. This was...
Claire and Emily recently served with Sports Friends on a missions trip to Kenya for Messiah College AROMA student athletes. Interested in a short-term trip with Sports Friends? Find out more at: www.sports-friends.org/go Meet Claire: A sheet of paper and a pen...
Micah, Nate, and Trevor recently served with Sports Friends on a missions trip to Kenya for Messiah College AROMA student athletes. Interested in a short-term trip with Sports Friends? Find out more at: www.sports-friends.org/go Meet: Micah We all have expectations....
Emily and Nate recently served with Sports Friends on a missions trip to Kenya for Messiah College AROMA student athletes. Interested in a short-term trip with Sports Friends? Find out more at: www.sports-friends.org/go Meet: Emily Emily wanted to be bold in her...
Megan and Kevin recently served with Sports Friends on a missions trip to Kenya for Messiah College AROMA student athletes. Interested in a short-term trip with Sports Friends? Find out more at: www.sports-friends.org/go Meet: Megan It’s chai time! Every day in Kenya,...
Ready to serve? This team was! A Revolution of Missional Athletes (AROMA) recently served with Sports Friends on a missions trip to Kenya for Messiah College student athletes. The AROMA program seeks to develop students' athletic excellence and Christian...
"From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not...
“A coach will influence more people in one year than the average person will in an entire lifetime.” - Billy Graham Kallu was a typical teen growing up on the Kenyan coast, spending most of his time hanging out with friends and playing pick-up soccer. He had finished...
Being young and wanting to change the world seem to be synonymous these days. Young people want to make a difference, and they long to see the world better than they entered it. Repha, a 26-year-old woman born and raised in rural Kenya, is no different. Eager to be a...
It’s often in the hardest and darkest places of our world that we see the gospel flourishing. When civil war broke out in South Sudan, many were forced to flee their homes to the refugee camp of Kakuma in neighboring Kenya. It’s in this place of more than 50,000...
Sports are a universal language. Whether you are a player or a fan, sports have a way of breaking down barriers and bringing people together. For our Sports Friends-trained coaches, it is an incredibly simple yet powerful tool that allows them to connect with the...
What a trip Kenya was… I am still trying to process everything that we saw the Lord do and all that we experienced. This is a trip that I can truly say I returned with a full heart and greatly encouraged by the work that is going on in Kenya, specifically through the...
By Shane Smith, Sports Friends Kenya God often allows us to go through hard times so that we may grow and, like a rock being tumbled and polished, become shiny and smooth. His goal is for us to become such a reflection of Him that He and others can see Himself in us....