Getting the Ball Rolling

From the moment I returned from the States in mid-February, I have been running.  And I just realized that it’s May, and I haven’t touched the blog since I got back.  Woops.

So what has kept me so busy?  I’m glad you asked.

You have probably been following our recent adventures, including a trip to Ethiopia, then another one to Thailand.  But these trips weren’t just for vacation; they were for training (sort of).  God has opened the door for us to bring Sports Friends to Zambia, and so, before we started, we had to learn about the program.  So we went, and we learned.

And now we are doing it.

The day I returned to Solwezi I received a call from a local pastor asking if I would be available the following morning for a visit.  Somewhat reluctantly (I was really tired), I agreed to meet with him.  When he came in the morning, we talked about how his church could help us start this ministry by forming our first model team.  We asked him to identify a male and a female sports leader who we could then train to coach but also, and more importantly, to minister.  He told us he knew just the people, and he set up a time for us to meet them that coming Sunday.

So we went to this meeting, and there we met Larry.  He’s 18.  He loves sports.  And he is passionate about Christ.  We asked him to pray about whether or not God would have him lead this ministry at his church, and then set up a follow-up meeting for Thursday of that week.  If God wanted him to be a part of it, he would come; if God had other plans, then he wouldn’t come.  Simple as that.

Thursday arrived, and Larry came.

That was March 1^st.  The next day I went with the pastor to the local school and got permission to use their football (soccer) pitch (field) a few times a week.  Meanwhile, Larry identified six boys age 11-12 from the church, and then asked them to each bring a friend.  Then, on Tuesday afternoon, we held our first official practice.  It was chaotic.  There were 100+ schoolchildren wanting to join in during their break.  I realized how bad my Kiikaonde really is.  But it was fun, and now, two months later, we are beginning to see some fruit.

For about an hour and a half every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, Larry has this group of 12 pre-teen boys at the pitch.  They play football.  They joke around.  Larry teaches them about sharing, or teamwork, or respect, or perseverance, or whatever else might come up.  He is building relationships with each of the boys, and they are learning to trust him and look at him as a positive role model.

But it isn’t just a ministry to the kids.  Part of our ministry involves developing leaders.  Once a week, usually before we have practice with the boys, Larry and I sit down and do a Bible study, discuss plans for developing the team, and pray for the boys.  It is an opportunity for me to pour into Larry, to encourage him, and to equip him for ministry, as he is the one really on the front lines working with the kids.

And that brings us to May, and the next steps for Sports Friends Zambia.  Over the coming weeks, we plan to meet with several more churches in the Kimasala area.  Our prayer is that we can help start 4-5 more teams like the first one, providing ministry to around 60 more boys, plus ministry training for a handful more coaches.  There are days when I am completely overwhelmed to think about what lies ahead, but I know that the God we serve is much greater than any obstacle that can stand in our way.