There is a conspiracy. You have always been pursued.
Sports Friends coaches in Southeast Asia know that God is always moving, stirring in hearts that long for truth, freedom, hope, and honor. They know He works in both the most obvious and in the most obscure places, so they ask the Lord for specific guidance in their work: who is it that God has positioned them to connect with, and where has God prepared hearts to receive His message of love and forgiveness?
As Coach Le* prayed for direction, God began to instill in him His heart for a certain people group who were known to be closed to outside ideas. They were difficult to speak to about Christ, and there were no known believers among the local population. So Coach Le began to ask God for opportunity to build relationships with them.
When he went to the car wash one day, Coach Le saw a 20-year-old man slumped in the back. He looked weary. The coach invited him to come join his soccer club, but the young man declined, replying that he was too tired to play.
On Coach Le’s next trip to the car wash, however, this same young man approached him and asked if he could still be invited. He was ready to try it now. Of course he was welcome, and soon he was attending practices regularly. After four or five months of watching the love of Christ in action, the young man decided he wanted to follow this Jesus who would find him in the car wash, teach him on the soccer field, and promise to be with him everywhere.
A few months later this new disciple brought three of his buddies to practice with him. They were all chatting together in a different dialect than the team typically used, so Coach Le asked him what they were speaking. It was the language of the people group he had been praying for access to for over a year! God had been reaching this people group through him while Coach Le was still unaware, and was actively pursuing the hearts of more.
After two years of growth and discipleship, the young man from the car wash returned to his village as a Sports Friends coach. He wanted to extend the promise of Jesus’ love and forgiveness to other young men and women. His people accepted him back among them, and now fifteen families have decided to follow Jesus and meet together as a church!
Father, thank You for Your constant provision and pursuit. You have made the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous, and You have pursued us long before we ever thought of You. Please move in the hearts of those in Southeast Asia; turn Your people from idolatry and ancestral worship to recognize the living God, and receive Life through Your Name. Empower believing men and women to bear witness to Your name. Direct their words and steps to effectively deliver Your word. Let Your kingdom come!
*Name changed to protect identity
