Month: November 2019

A Coach’s Testimony – Georges

We have been privileged to train and disciple Coach Georges as a part of our ministry with Sports Friends. Georges has implemented the training he received through Sports Friends. He understands the impact of sports in a young person’s life and how to use sports to further the Kingdom of God. The Lord is using him in a mighty way to bring many young people to saving faith in Jesus Christ. He has an awesome ministry vision and we look forward to continuing to disciple him and help him find the Lord’s direction for his life. – Greg and Cambie

Here is his testimony.

TESTIMONY OF MY SALVATION

I received the Lord Jesus Christ as a teenager on February the 12, 2009. I was witnessed to and led to Christ by Pastor James Irungu who shared with me the word of God. I continued to grow in Christ by attending Bible study fellowship and discipleship class in the evenings.

Having had the passion for sports and being an active soccer player since I was young, I was signed by Vihiga United (soccer club) situated in Western Kenya.

My period at the club was full of ups, downs, and frustrations which eventually led to my contract being terminated. I was at the lowest point in my life. What was then my greatest step in my career as a [soccer player] had just turned into a nightmare. My dream was always to make it to the top level of the [soccer] world and become a professional player as well as play in Europe.

MY CALL INTO MINISTRY

I came back to Nairobi and joined my church where I continued to serve the Lord. I went on to be chosen as the Discipleship teacher and eventually become the Youth leader. The desire to study the Word of God began to grow in me. After consultations and advice from my pastor to join a Bible college the Lord opened the door for me and I enrolled with a scholarship at the Nairobi Baptist Bible College in 2015 September. While at the college, through the power of the Holy Spirit in me, I heard the Lord begin to speak to me about witnessing (Acts 1:8) using sports to reach out with the gospel to fellow youths and teenagers with the Word of God. Having seen the impact that sports has in the world I began to see the need to go; for the harvest is plenty (Matthew 9:37-38) Also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then said I, here am I send me” (Isaiah 6:8)

I obeyed and put into practice God’s call; sports ministry began in November 2015. We praise the Lord for over the years the team has seen a tremendous growth from my first group of 6 to our current number of 78. We call our sports ministry, Disciples Sports Ministries. This name was inspired by the call of God to go and make disciples in Matthew 28:19-20. The vision of what I am doing can be summarized into three main objectives:

  • Preaching the word of God and winning People to Christ. (Mark 16:15)
  • Discipling them through Bible Study classes. Matthew 28:20
  • Incorporating them into the church.

The Lord has been faithful to us despite the challenges we are facing, for we have been forced to shift time after time due to lack of a permanent field to do our sports evangelism program. Our training grounds have been encroached by residential buildings on the privately owned plots of land we train on. Scarcity of sporting equipment has been a great problem as well as lack of enough Discipleship materials: Bibles, tracts, etc. I praise God that 42 out of the seventy eight children in our ministry attend Sunday school and Bible study lessons in our church. 

I look forward to graduating (college) in December and also getting ordained. My long term vision and goal is to go into a full time ministry as a sports missionary by working closely with churches in Kenya and beyond by establishing sports evangelism centers in every Bible believing local church as well as mentoring and equipping leaders who will help spearhead and carry on this vision to the future until Jesus Christ returns. 

Just like William Carey, I want to attempt great things for Christ and expect a great harvest from Christ. “But how will they call on him in whom they have not believed, and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14-15

Coach Georges

Watch a video from coach Georges as he speaks about his sports ministry.


Trudge

I pulled into the parking lot. It was dark. I had never been up this early by choice. I sighed and turned off the car. Making sure I had everything with me that I needed, I got out of the car. The smell of construction, fast food grease, and humidity filled the air. My stomach did not even respond; it was most likely still sleeping. I walked up to the building and opened the door. A blast of freezing cold air hit me. Here we go. I pulled out my gym card and scanned it as the worker never even bothered to look up from his phone. I cannot say that I blame him; NO ONE is ever crazy enough to want to get out of bed to go work out at this crazy hour. He was probably the overnight worker, ready to go home to bed.

As I plug into my worship music and open my Bible app, I begin slowly walking—or more of what I like to call, trudging. (To trudge: the slow, weary, depressing yet determined walk of a man who has nothing left in life except the impulse to simply soldier on- according to Chaucer from the movie A Knight’s Tale) While yes it is a bit dramatic, it is how my body feels as I try to wake it up. Again I let out a groan, but not too loud because apparently there are about twenty others who actually WANT to be here. I get into a good rhythm and begin to feel the sleep leave my body.

My Bible reading is in John. I have come to the part of the Samaritan woman and her discussion with Jesus. I find myself very annoyed because suddenly I feel as though Jesus is quite arrogant with her. I mean, who tells someone, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know because Salvation is from the Jews” (heard in my mind as a condescending voice). I could not read and further. I know the story but suddenly felt really annoyed to the point of even being a bit insulted. I began to picture Christ with his nose up in the air, looking down at this woman. I feel my fists forming into balls, and my thoughts start racing.

I look away from what I was reading, struggling to make sense of it. Then it happened. My thoughts immediately quieted and I focused on the twenty-two TV screens in front of me. They are showing sports, news, advertising cleaning machines, cooking shows, health shows, TV shows, and movies. I begin to zone in on the ones playing sports as they begin to show a player who was injured. From two angles you cannot tell what happens; then they show the other angle and you see the player’s ankle nearly break. They then proceed to show the first two angles again and it was with amazement that you can see what was missed before. It was with an eerie settling in my heart that I was slowly beginning to understand.

Often times we are quick to react; quick to not understand; quick to get insulted; quick to assume. But how often are we quick to investigate; quick to listen; quick to be silent? Notice, the Samaritan woman did not leave in a huff, complaining about being offended. Context, or angle, is super important. Slowing down and just listening, watching, waiting; things we don’t do often enough and miss out. This part of our home assignment has not been easy. We have not seen things happen the way we wanted, but does that mean nothing is happening? It means our view is limited, and in God’s timing he will show us the other angles. So we can either keep trudging along, or we can enjoy every chance we have to be quick to listen; quick to be slow; quick to watch; and continue to press on—keeping our eyes on HIM.