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, adventure, and hope beyond their wildest imaginings. He also knew that unless somehow the scenery changed in these young boys’ lives, they would follow in society’s footsteps, just like everyone else.
The coach felt God’s invitation, and he would be the man to change the scenery for them. He would show them a different way of living, different choices they could make, and he would introduce them to Jesus. He attended a Sports Friends training and discovered God had given him a precious gift: to coach the next generation in a way that transformed entire families and communities. He could do more than play soccer. He could use soccer to introduce young men to the ways of God.
Soon he had even younger boys huddled on a soccer field. They were ten years old and under; he wanted an impact as early as possible on those developing minds. He knew the boys had seen plenty of darkness already. He would show them what life was like outside of poverty and crime. They could pursue education, employment, growth. They could move beyond their current barriers to encounter new people and new places. They had a God-given freedom to drastically alter their courses and futures.
The coach drove his young team to the cities and showed them schools, businesses, churches. Of course, then he noticed all the young people in these places who didn’t have godly influences in their lives. Soon he was orchestrating Sports Friends tournaments in the cities, training coaches, and connecting the young soccer players with schools so they could receive an education. He focused on serving youth with families from firmly non-Christian backgrounds.
Next, his attention turned toward the capital city, Nairobi. The poor children living there could not afford to go to school, but this coach knew that God could make a way for them to learn and grow, and to break cycles of poverty.
God did just that, through sports.
Fourteen years later, even when there is no soccer practice, boys of all ages are often found at the coach’s home. They are young men from his different teams, from over many years. They consider him a father, and many of them have decided to follow his Savior.
Today, the original team of boys are now coaching teams themselves all over Kenya. Some are even living in different nations now, reaching dramatically beyond all the limits their early lives imposed. They are coaches and mentors for dozens more young men and boys. As the years go by, doors continue to open before them, and these zealous young coaches continue to walk through them expectantly. They are running programs and coaching teams among people groups and in regions that have historically been very resistant to the gospel, and they keep getting invited to reach further.
“We never dreamed we’d get into these areas, but God has done it. Now we are training and supporting all these coaches. God is working.”
Will you join us in empowering coaches all around the world to continue sharing the good news of Jesus with many? Gifts of all sizes will make an impact. https://sports-friends.org/give/