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Hope Going to Gitombo: Kenyan Village and School Needing Gear

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Wanjiru Mukunga and I went to Denver Seminary together many, many years ago. Formerly a chaplain with Christian Living Communities, we shared some professional development moments and colleagues throughout the years. In 2017, Wanji (known as Mary to many of her American friends) left the comforts of the US and her job here to return to her native Kenya. While in the States, Wanji had been raising money and working to transform the village of Gitombo. Her work was originally known as Project Adopt A Village (PAAV) – Gitombo; but many other ministries have similar titles. Today, Hope Gitombo has seen massive growth since its beginning in 2014!

In 2014, three students formed the first “class” for the small local school. They met inside of a small shack made of iron sheets. Today, PAAV Gitombo School boasts 222 student learners and 45 teachers and staff who meet in 6 buildings. They’ve recently purchased additional land and now have 2 playing fields with football (soccer) being one of the most popular activities amongst the children.

I met with Wanji this past week and offered here soccer gear to take back with her. The struggle is that the school lacks soccer balls (something that we currently lack as well in our inventory). I did share that we might be able to provide some uniforms.

The children, when they go to play against other villages and other teams, they only wear these very small shirts. They don’t have much. They don’t have much at all. They don’t even look like a team. We would love some jerseys that can make the children feel like a team.

While unable to provide soccer balls at the moment, Soccer Chaplains United, through our Community Project program are able to provide some uniforms and gear for the Gitombo children and some of the adult workers. Below are some photos of what I was able to pull together for Wanji to take back with her in July.

Here is a list of the items we were able to provide on short notice (40 lbs of gear):

  • Rapids Academy Jerseys: 23
  • Rapids Shorts: 3
  • Calf Sleeves: 14
  • Lime Green GK Kit (shirt/shorts/socks)
  • Camo Yellow GK Kit (shirt/shorts/socks)
  • Other shorts: 10
  • Other shirts: 20
  • Rain pants: 1
  • T-shirts (s/s): 11
  • T-shirts (l/s): 9
  • Ball pumps: 2
  • Cones

Hope Gitombo also has a large capital campaign that supporters may be interested to learn about. The students and school have grown so much that a secondary school is now needed to see the student complete high school. You can learn more on the Hope Gitombo website.

When you financially support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

Packing for Peru: Pluses and Minuses

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For the recent Community Project Request from Saint Patrick’s as they prepare to head to Peru, we initiated a new process — an online, pictorial catalogue that allows teams to “shop” and “select” gear. And, with all new kinds of processes, there were a few setbacks but this week, I was able to pack out the gear for Peru. Beyond a few technical difficulties with the form and processing, Greg Aydt and the team did fill out a form with a number of item; however, their listed items only equated to one 50 lb. bag! 🤪

In total, we were able to do 2 bags — one 50 lb. and the other 48 lb. The pictures below give a little bit of a sense of some of the items that we were able to fulfill for the team.

When you financially support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

St. Patrick’s Marks a First for Peru

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St Patrick Presbyterian Church in Collierville, TN has been a church committed to the local suburbs in which she is planted. Missions has typically looked like offering money and prayers to those at a distance throughout her first two decades. But, more recently, the church has come to the realization that if we are to be faithful to the full call of God, there should be a launching out across cultures just like the church’s namesake, Saint Patrick of Ireland.

St. Patrick’s current Executive Director, Chris Bolton, spent several years as a missionary in the cities and villages of Peru. His work and heart for the country has translated into a team of some 28 people committing to crossing cultural boundaries with the Gospel to see God at work in Peru, this July. This marks the first time that Saint Patrick’s will do a short-term mission trip in Peru and it is also the first time in Soccer Chaplains United history that we are supporting a trip to Peru!

The team will be based in the coastal city of Trujillo and launch out with Peru Mission to the surrounding villages with whom they have relationships. In these villages, the team will see how God is at work in church plants, in ministries, and in family discipleship. They will be a part of the short term mission work for six days ministering through medicine, construction, ESL, and care. But the team will also look to express ministry through the global game of soccer.

Soccer Chaplains United Chaplain Rev Greg Aydt is part of the team headed to Peru. As Assistant Pastor for Youth at St. Patrick’s, Greg’s inclusion on the trip is a natural fit. Greg’s soccer chaplaincy work this past season has included helping athletes, coaches, and staff transition in the months following the shut-down in operations of local professional team, Memphis 901 FC. As disheartening as the team folding has been, Chaplain Greg has been looking for opportunities for faith and fútbol to coalesce.

I’m especially excited to be hosting local children in soccer camps each morning. With several high school soccer players on our team heading to Peru, we’re hoping to invite the children to play. And this is no small thing; we truly believe for children, play is Kingdom work.

The St Pat’s team is looking to take about 4 bags of gear down with the team and give away jerseys, shorts, soccer balls and more to the children that come out for the soccer camps. The team will leave out July 11 until July 19.

I’ve been able to take soccer gear from work with Soccer Chaplains United in the past to Latin America. And the impact it has on the excitement, enjoyment, and gratitude from the children is powerful. With some gear from SCU this summer, we travel with an eagerness to see how God can use us for His glory in the villages of Peru.

We encourage you to pray for Greg Aydt and the Saint Patrick’s Presbyterian Church team as they prepare for this exciting trip in July!

When you financially support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

Community First Soccer Means Soccer For All

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In late June, Sebastian Navarro with Community First Soccer reached out to Tacoma Defiance Chaplain, Jubal McDaniel. Is there any soccer gear that we might be able to give away to the children participating in our youth camps this summer? Earlier this year, Jubal had gone through the process of closing down his own non-profit, Northwest Football Ministries. In previous years, Jubal and Sebastian had connected to mutually serve local communities in the state of Washington through soccer.

Community First Soccer is a soccer non profit 501(c)3 whose main goal is to make soccer accessible to all starting with the underserved communities who need it the most. They host free soccer camps and college showcases. Their mission and aim is to never charge for a soccer camp. They make their camps free and accessible to as many people as possible — a difficult task in the pay-to-play soccer culture that permeates the North American landscape, currently.

There were multiple camps held — Yakima, Quincy, and Sunnyside — all cities across southeast Washington over a period of two weeks in late July. The camps were free to all of the families and helped provide soccer gear, lunches, haircuts, and new friends! Local professionals, like former Seattle Sounder Roman Torres, were on site to coach, encourage, and engage with the kids.

This Community Project fulfillment also marked another “first” of sorts — gear from Jubal in Tacoma, and not Denver. As Soccer Chaplains United continues to grow, so do the opportunities for expanding our abilities to get used soccer gear to other communities through our Community Project program. All totaled, Jubal delivered about 20 bags of gear for CFS to use over the course of the two weeks.

When you financially support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

See the pictures below as the gear was handed out to different children and their families.

Soccer Gear Heading to Africa

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This past week, there has been movement with two different projects and soccer gear fulfillments from our Community Project Program. Read below to learn about each project and the gear we were able to supply.

Liberia — Pappie Jones and Soccer Ambassadors

First, Pappie Jones and Soccer Ambassadors, have patiently been waiting since their request last year (May 2023) as we work to get items shipped to Liberia. With no specific church or mission teams headed to the small, West Africa nation and with a few of our ideas falling through. We finally reached out to Liberian friend, Thomas Fahn, who recommended a shipper in the United States that sends a monthly container. Getting the bags to the shipper is the first step — and Board Chair Cliff Burton had a friend carry two bags filled with gear back to North Carolina. The bags should begin their transatlantic journey in early September. Be sure to check back for an update to this story!

Final fulfillment (100 pounds of gear):

  • Jerseys – 48
  • Shorts – 48
  • Socks – 72
  • GK sets (shirt, socks, shorts) – 4
  • Compression shorts – 31
  • Compression pants – 32
  • Compression tops – 16
  • Various shirts/jackets/tops – 62
Field jerseys and goalkeeper gear headed to Liberia

Ghana — Cherry Creek Pres and Jewels of God Church

Last month, partner church Cherry Creek Presbyterian requested gear to accompany a team that heads out to Ghana in just a few days. With an additional two bags, this team will also take about 100 pounds of gear, albeit it more quickly. With a fresh influx of gear coming from the Colorado Rapids just at the start of the academy season, the Ghana team will have plenty of shorts and uniforms to provide enough to outfit three teams for the children connected to the Jewels of God Church in Accra.

Finally fulfillment includes:

  • Jerseys – 32
  • Shorts – 32
  • Socks – 82
  • GK sets (shirt, socks, shorts) – 7
  • Other tops – 33
  • Warm up tops – 26
  • Women’s jerseys – 23
  • Various jersey and short sets – 5

We look forward to hearing updates and reports back on the gear and soccer equipment delivered for the children in these countries.

When you financially support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

Partner Church Creek Seeks Gear For Ghana

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One of Soccer Chaplains United’s partner churches, Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church (CCPC), will send a short-term mission team to Ghana, next month. The team will be in country for two weeks and work primarily to support several women at a vocational school working to empower women and support their children. The vocational school is part of the vision and work of Pastor Victor Adjei, a former student of Denver Seminary.

The relationship between CCPC and Jewels of God Church in Ghana spans some 18, dynamic years. Founded by Pastor Victor Adjei, the church reflects his passion for bringing the Good News to the people in his native country. He has started 42 different churches in Ghana. What began as a home fellowship Bible study as grown since 1982 and the name reflects the promise of Malachi 3:16-18, where God declares that He is making a people His jewels.

We rely fully on God’s power to accomplish His will for this mission. Our focus is to build relationships with the community and teach about the power of the Holy Spirit in everyday life.

Pastor Adjei, on JOGC’s mission and work in Ghana

CCPC and the team’s work and financial gifts help the church to distribute to Ghanians, many for the first time, their very own Bible. JOGC also provides medical supplies and services to many in need. In addition, a vocational school helps to elevate many young women and single mothers by giving them tools to help do work. The church also seeks to provide shelter and safety for young, vulnerable village girls and to help provide meaningful children’s activities and play.

The team is requesting to take soccer cones, pinnies, nets, balls, and youth-sized jerseys and shorts with them on their upcoming trip.

When you financially support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

2024 Iglesia Cristiana Bethel Community Project Fulfillment

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blue white and red flag

A few weeks ago, Soccer Chaplains United received a request from a small church in El Paso, Texas. Iglesia Cristiana Bethel. The church, a sister church to Iglesia Maranatha in Juárez, MX is led by Pablo Mata, brother to Jorge Mata. The church has a vision to build a community soccer team which will include young and older adults both the church and people in the community of El Paso.

A Spanish speaking church located on the east side of El Paso, Iglesia Cristiana Bethel’s young adults have wanted to create a soccer team and also open it to others who are not believers. The church sees this is as an opportunity to expose non believers to the Gospel of Jesus as they practice and play the games.

With several young adults, ranging in age from 13 to 25 years old combined with some older adults — the church is seeing a difference in the way church members react in the games. There is an attraction whereby others are wanting to join the team that seems friendlier and contains a safe space for them and their children.

The team currently is co-ed. They have 5 women and 10 men in the team and they hope to continue to grow.

We hope to expose the love of God to those joining our church team. We currently don’t have a team uniform, we all only wear black, and we don’t even have gloves for our goalie. We are just starting, but we would really appreciate and be very grateful for any help you can give us in our project.

Natalie Mata, member of Iglesia Cristiana Bethel

Below is a list of items that were sent to the team:

  • 18 jerseys
  • 15 shorts
  • 1 GK set
  • 6 compression shorts
Image of the jersey and shorts delivered to Iglesia Cristiana Bethel
Rapids jerseys and shorts hopefully help the team find a sense of identity and unity

The total weight came to around 25 pounds of gear that was sent to El Paso.

When you financially support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

2024 Uganda Community Project Fulfillment

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Last week, members of the Cherry Creek 2024 Uganda short-term mission trip came over to my house to help with sorting and bagging gear to take with them to Uganda. The team, leaving on July 3, will spend time in the capital city of Kampala and work with long-time partner, Mirembe House. The team will host some Vacation Bible School as well as play soccer and host a sports camp. To track the team, click this link.

CCPC Uganda 2024 Team Members hold a sampling of items bagged and packed for their upcoming trip.

Below is a list of items that the team will take with them to give to the children that they work with and spend time with:

  • 2 pairs of soccer cleats
  • 5 ball pumps
  • 2 balls (size 4)
  • 28 jackets
  • 2 GK sets (jersey, shorts, socks)
  • 2 soccer nets
  • 38 training and compression pants
  • 112 compression shorts
  • 27 soccer shorts
  • 81 t-shirts
  • 20 scarves

The total weight came out to around 125 pounds of gear that the team will take with them to Uganda!

When you financially support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

Creek Heads Back To Uganda

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Every other year, Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church sends a team of high school juniors and seniors and adult leaders to Uganda to participate in Youth for Christ’s ministry in Kampala. The church has been working with Youth for Christ Uganda since 2007 with the hope and belief that the trips are making huge changes in the lives of the student team and in the communities they are serving. The 2024 trip will be the 5th trip that Soccer Chaplains United partners to send soccer gear and equipment with this local church partner. You can see summaries from 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 by clicking on the appropriate link.

Despite some of the negatives that can accompany short term missions, Cherry Creek and its team members are working to overcome those. Primarily, by continuing to serve and foster long-term relationships. As well as making sure group members are there for the right reasons — it’s not some exotic vacation and the primary focus is not to share wealth, but is to take part in the amazing things God is already doing in country with the ministry.

The 2015 trip with CCPC, saw the team hand out uniforms from the Colorado Rapids

Student trip participant, Alex Cevaal shared,

I personally will love to go on this trip because Jesus calls us to love one another just as he loves us, and that is exactly what I want to do. I want to serve people who might seem different than me, but are my brothers and sisters in Christ. I’m hoping that on this trip God is able to open my eyes to his beauty, because sometimes it’s hard for me to see it in my busy life. We know that the best thing you can do for anyone is just to love them, and our goal on this trip is to show God’s love to as many different people as we can. Whether that’s playing soccer with some school kids or having a hard conversation with a pregnant teen who’s been kicked out of her home, loving others is what Jesus wants us to do and that is what we want to do in Uganda.

Alex, on his reasons for going on the trip this year

When you financially support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

Community Project Bag Lands in Benin (An Update)

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In our first Community Project request for 2024, the football gear has landed! Or, at least part of it in Benin and is now in the hands of local leader Dorothé and the children that he is teaching soccer to and also sharing about the love of Jesus.

Last month, Lucia Eberle, made a request for soccer gear through her EPC church in Texas. It was a quick turnaround because there was an opportunity to meet her church pastor in Phoenix and get the gear back to Texas with no shipping charges (🙌Southwest – two bags fly free). What was really exciting for me as I “pulled” the project, was the way that some of the quantities and sizes seemed to “just happen.” Of course, I have been doing this long enough to know that it’s part of how God works.

One neat part to the project, Lucia made a glancing reference that Dorothé was hopeful to start a women’s team — I just had enough to outfit a team.

The original request:

  • approx. 35-50 sets of soccer shirts and shorts
  • 2 sets of goalkeeper gear

What we were able to provide:

31Gold Men’s Jerseys (2-m, 1-l, 23-resized, 5-xl)
13Gold Women’s Jerseys (modesty fabric sewn and deeper V-neck style)
42Shorts {red at bottom} (1-s, 17-m, 19-l, 4-xl, 1-xxl)
14Shorts [other] (1-s, 6-m, 5-l, 2-xl)
36Soccer socks
Bag 1 @ 50 lbs.
40compression shorts (12-s, 8-m, 20-l)
54compression shirts  (16-m, 26-l, 12-xl)
9Short sleeve staff shirts (5-m, 4-l)
38gray training tops (23-m, 8-l, 7-xl)
1GK glove [new]
2GK shirt/short/sock sets (large – 1 shirt, 2 shorts; medium – 1 shirt, 2 shorts)
Bag 2 @ 50 lbs.

Lucia was blown away by the amount of gear and for her most recent trip (see pictures below) she was only able to take one bag to begin and so mixed some of the items from bag one and two in Texas to take with her.

I didn’t realize how much there would be and that I would be able to get it so soon!

Lucia, when she received the gear

Lucia wrote me recently and sent the pictures (above) from her first trip and delivery. Here is from her email below:

Good afternoon just came back to see the soccer teams from Dorothé 

He started 30 years ago and it’s all free 

Now he has also added teen girls and little ones

What a true joy to see how God is using his love for soccer and young people to bring so much hope to the youth of Benin 

Thank you for the hope and the way to encourage these young people 

He accepts all youth, Muslim or Christian, and shares the gospel 

The kids and Dorothé were so encouraged 

Thank you 

Dorothé wanted to wait to open the bag with the kids so I brought it this afternoon and he saw inside what there was.

The boys of Benin express their love for Coach Dorothé who has done so much in giving away his life and energy into making soccer accessible and fun for them; Dorothé treats them as his own children.

Friends, we know how meaningful these things are for Dorothé and the children that he is reaching out to with love and care. Thank you for your continued support to provide gear and finances for our projects to keep going out around the world!

Remember, when you support Soccer Chaplains United, a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals or organizations, and cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

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