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 bound ankles, today, soccer cleats kick up dust on newly cleared fields. And where despair once lingered, hope is taking root—thanks to the power of sports ministry.
Our Sports Friends team in Kenya is training local pastors, church leaders, and youth to become coaches—not just of games, but of life and faith. In November last year, 30 new coaches began their journey in Farasi, alongside 25 women in discipleship classes. The impact has been immediate and profound.
Pastor Moses, the local host, was a Sports Friends coach himself. Inspired by what he learned, he returned to Farasi and asked a neighbor for a small patch of land to start a soccer field. With just twelve children, he began. Today, that field has tripled in size, and volleyball and netball courts are being carved out by the hands of eager young players.
The change is visible. Children who once ignored elders now greet them with Christian blessings. Parents report more respectful, helpful children. And many of these youth have made the life-changing decision to follow Jesus.
“The owner of the land has given us as much as we need,” Pastor Moses shared, beaming. “He’s seen the change in the children and the community.”
What began as a training session has become a movement. Sports Friends’ model—training local believers from the church to use sports as a tool for discipleship—is not just building teams. It’s rebuilding communities.
Perhaps it’s time to rename Farasi. Not for the horses of the past, but for the games of today. Maybe “Michezo”—Swahili for “sports”—is more fitting for a village where God is writing a new story, one goal at a time.