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Stories, news, and events from Soccer Chaplains United’s grant program to help distribute new and used soccer gear for use in local and global projects.

Timothy Project: Landscapes of Leoti

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Leoti, Kansas is where the latest Timothy Project request has come from.

For Pastor Stephen Morefield and Christ Covenant EPC, the landscape of Leoti, KS is rapidly changing. While still an agrarian-driven community, there is an increasing need for adaptation and community building as the cultural landscape begins to shift with a sharp growth in the Hispanic community that has now become a vital part of the American farming scene.

For Pastor Morefield, this means helping a once anglo-congregation start to embrace and connect in new ways with many of their new neighbors. Pastor Morefield shares his hope and vision,

Our small community is just beginning to realize that it needs to provide culture-appropriate sports opportunities to our youth who are increasingly Hispanic.

Timothy Project Leoti Kansas Pastor Stephen Morefield

Pastor Stephen Morefield (back, right) is hoping to use soccer to reach out to the small town of Leoti, Kansas.

One of the ways that Pastor Morefield hopes to accomplish this is through the common language of the sport of soccer; fútbol, as it is known in Spanish – the game that the world plays. Since coming to Leoti about a year ago, Pastor Morefield has joined a local Hispanic father, Hector, who has been serving the community for a number of years by trying to grow different soccer programs within the community. Pastor Morefield, with his background as a college soccer player, saw Hector’s work and soccer as a way for he and Christ Covenant EPC church to build relationships  and create a new sense of togetherness within the community.

The hard work and determination of one Hispanic fathers has led to the creation of our county-wide youth soccer program…Our resources are minimal and while this is a community run project, I use coaching in this program as my main form of personal outreach with the full support of the church.

The town of Leoti boasts about 1,500 people and because the community can hardly field a team in any other sport it severely lacks positive opportunities for youth. The local soccer program has minimally four teams for each age bracket in Kindergarten through 6th grade. According to Pastor Morefield, it is easily the most popular and participated youth program in the county, especially amongst the rising Hispanic population which now comprises over 30% of the town and local area population.

If you would like to make a contribution to help the changing landscape of Leoti please note (Timothy Project: Leoti) in your online donation. Please use the Donate Now link to make a secure PayPal donation. Your financial gift will helps to secure equipment and help Pastor Morefield and Christ Covenant EPC reach out to their local community.

#TPT

Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015

Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015 in Zacapa, GuatemalaFor the better part of this summer, Valor Christian High School Spanish teacher Danny Brooks will lead a team of 15 students to Guatemala to reach individuals and entire communities with the Gospel. The Valor team returns to work with Vida Abundante Church in the impoverished areas of Zacapa, Guatemala and will look to use futból (soccer) as an instrument to reach out to children and teens of various villages. Brooks and his team of students will look to engage communities to come out and play soccer with and use this community building time as a platform for sharing the Gospel and connecting them with the local church.

Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015 Goals

Parque_Central_Zacapa_450pxBrooks and his team are requesting EvangeBalls to share the Gospel and will leave behind the balls and soccer equipment for the local church to continue to use in outreach to the surrounding villages. The team from Valor will also have the opportunity to travel house to house in villages, praying for families and, in some cases, leaving behind a special gift of a soccer ball.

The Valor team would also like to raise enough money to transform one particular soccer field by building soccer goals with actual nets for one of the local fields close to a village of mud houses.

Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015 Summary

20 Evangeballs = $16/each

20 regular soccer balls = $15/each

2 full sized soccer nets = $150/each

Any other soccer equipment available.

$100 donation to build soccer goals at Grama Tierra field in the Canal Village, Zacapa, Guatemala

Total Amount requested = $1000

Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015 Timeline

Supplies needed by May 23

Team departs June 3

Team returns July 3

If you would like to make an additional contribution to this project please note (Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015) in your donation or if you would like to support future Timothy Project ventures, such as this one, please use the Donate Now link to make a secure PayPal donation. Your financial gift helps to secure additional equipment, sponsor a missionary or organization in an outreach effort, and to cover associated costs of providing bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

#TPT

Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015

Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015 in Zacapa, GuatemalaFor the better part of this summer, Valor Christian High School Spanish teacher Danny Brooks will lead a team of 15 students to Guatemala to reach individuals and entire communities with the Gospel. The Valor team returns to work with Vida Abundante Church in the impoverished areas of Zacapa, Guatemala and will look to use futból (soccer) as an instrument to reach out to children and teens of various villages. Brooks and his team of students will look to engage communities to come out and play soccer with and use this community building time as a platform for sharing the Gospel and connecting them with the local church.

Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015 Goals

Parque_Central_Zacapa_450pxBrooks and his team are requesting EvangeBalls to share the Gospel and will leave behind the balls and soccer equipment for the local church to continue to use in outreach to the surrounding villages. The team from Valor will also have the opportunity to travel house to house in villages, praying for families and, in some cases, leaving behind a special gift of a soccer ball.

The Valor team would also like to raise enough money to transform one particular soccer field by building soccer goals with actual nets for one of the local fields close to a village of mud houses.

Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015 Summary

20 Evangeballs = $16/each

20 regular soccer balls = $15/each

2 full sized soccer nets = $150/each

Any other soccer equipment available.

$100 donation to build soccer goals at Grama Tierra field in the Canal Village, Zacapa, Guatemala

Total Amount requested = $1000

Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015 Timeline

Supplies needed by May 23

Team departs June 3

Team returns July 3

If you would like to make an additional contribution to this project please note (Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015) in your donation or if you would like to support future Timothy Project ventures, such as this one, please use the Donate Now link to make a secure PayPal donation. Your financial gift helps to secure additional equipment, sponsor a missionary or organization in an outreach effort, and to cover associated costs of providing bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

#TPT

Timothy Project: SGA Haiti 2015

stephane actionThe Timothy Project launched out it’s first project fulfillment of 2015. A couple boxes of soccer equipment for the Stephane Guillaume Academy (Timothy Project: SGA Haiti 2015) are currently on their way to Florida, where Stephane will pack items to take to the children back in his home country of Haiti. CrossTraining supporters will recall last December’s story which featured the former Colorado Rapids player who is currently playing for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Stephane has always had a heart for giving back to his community and the children where he grew up.

Timothy Project gear for HaitiAmongst the donations sent to Stephane were a mix of new and used boots (shoes), shorts, training tops, socks, and balls – as well as about 50 copies of The Prize to be given away to the children that are part of the academy. CrossTraining will update this Timothy Project with pictures and stories once the equipment arrives safely in Haiti – so please pray for a good journey!

Stephane GuillaumeIf you would like to make an additional contribution to this project please note (Timothy Project: SGA Haiti 2015) in your donation or if you would like to support future Timothy Project ventures, such as this one, please use the Donate Now link to make a secure PayPal donation. Your financial gift helps to secure additional equipment, sponsor a missionary or organization in an outreach effort, and cover associated costs of providing bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

#TPT

Timothy Project: Stephane Guillaume Academy

Stephane GuillaumeMeet Stephane Guillaume. This tall, speedy striker hails from the country of Haiti and was part of the Colorado Rapids during the 2005 season. He currently plays for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, but his heart is always thinking back to home and to the children that are growing up with a love of football – much like he did as a child. That is why he started the Stephane Guillaume Academy.

Stephane Guillaume Academy

Guillaume runs a soccer academy for kids in his home town of St-Marc, Haiti. At any given time, there are as many as 90 children that are involved with training in the Stephane Guillaume Academy every week. As Guillaume continues to play in the United States, he is always looking for ways to give back to the children of St-Marc – whether by collecting donations, or equipment. His trips home to oversee the academy his hands are usually full with as much equipment as he can gather. And his presence is a great delight for the children that look up to him (see video below). When Guillaume is not in Haiti, he relies on others to coach and train and take charge of the kids. Two of the people assisting him are coaches that spend countless hours with the children.

Stephane Guillaume Academy St-Marc, HaitiThe Need

The Stephane Guillaume Academy needs all kinds of equipment to help these children not only grow in their love and ability as soccer players but also to encourage them to stay in school – soccer balls, tennis shoes, cleats, cones, quick feet equipment, flags, and more are needed for the soccer side. And the children also need things like school supplies – notebooks, school bags, pencils, and pens, to help motivate them to stay in school.

How You Can Help

Perhaps this Christmas season, as you open new gifts – maybe a brand new pair of soccer cleats is underneath the tree or maybe you need to clean out the garage and storage – maybe there is something that you can donate to help Guillaume’s Academy or maybe you just want to help out by contributing financially. Funds are needed for equipment as well as for the cost of shipping items to Haiti. You can make a donation below via our secure PayPal – just mark your gift SGA-Haiti in the notes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRJPWyrc13A

If you would like to support future Timothy Project ventures, such as this one, please use the PayPal link below to make a donation. Your financial gift helps to secure additional equipment, sponsor a missionary or organization in an outreach effort, and cover associated costs of providing bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

#TPT

Timothy Project: One Shoe

Screen Shot 2014-11-28 at 6.58.18 PMThere it sat, at the bottom of the donation bin – one, lonely, size 9 boot. One measly cleat. It had been used by it’s professional football owner and probably now tossed out as some new, shinier pair arrived. The studs were still good; the leather, still fairly supple; the laces were still in good condition, but where was its partner? Where was it’s other half? It’s mirror twin? And what good could just one be without the other?

What  good is one shoe?

At least, that’s what I used to think, until a few years ago. It was a Timothy Project – a donation to Africa, I believe. We only had 5 or 10 pairs of shoes to send down with a mission team. When the team got back, they shared an interesting story. It seems that when one of the children got a chance to wear boots – whether new or used – they find their size and then they only take one cleat for their dominant foot. They leave the other boot for someone else to wear and use. I found this story amazing – that children, in poverty, would only take what they need in order that others can play.

So while, I might have liked to see two shoes, instead of one, I know that even the one shoe – through the Timothy Project, will be a great blessing to someone else in this world.

If you would like to support future Timothy Project ventures, please use the PayPal link below to make a donation. Your financial gift helps to secure additional equipment, sponsor a missionary or organization in an outreach effort, and cover associated costs of providing bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

#TPT

Timothy Project MX 2014: Mexico by Storm

Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.38.22 AM For Ann Nerney and her team headed down to Juarez, Mexico, there were smiles all around as they took donated soccer gear on the latest trip to Juarez as a result of a Timothy Project application this past fall. With the back of her truck packed full of balls and shoes and shinguards and clothes, Ann Nerny drove away excited for the joy that she knew would be felt by the children that the team would be working with. Much of the gear was donated by the local youth soccer club Colorado Storm headed by Dave Dir.

Nerny shared this update from the trip:

The trip to Juarez was absolutely wonderful, and the children were so blessed by the generous gift of the soccer equipment.  Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.31.44 AMAs you can see from the pictures, we had soccer shoes, shin pads, clothing and soccer balls for 60 children!  Before the children arrived, we sorted all the equipment in the room as well as the clothing.  They came after school, and lined up outside the building.  To keep order, we brought them in 5 at a time, so we could help them get the shoes fitted properly.  Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.31.28 AM

While they were trying on shoes, we sized them up and selected the clothing for them.  They got a bag with the clothes, and headed over to select their soccer balls.  They were very selective!  Some knew the proper number of ball for their age group, and wanted to be sure they got the right size.

 

 

 

 

Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.39.14 AMAfterward, we saw soccer shoes and clothing the rest of the week.  The clothes were worn to school the next day, and to church the following evening.  Everywhere we turned, soccer balls were being kicked around. The church property has two goals without nets, and this was a gathering place, active with kids playing their beloved sport.

Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.38.59 AMIn the spring we will head back and will serve an orphanage that currently has 89 children residing there.  We hope to ask again for your generosity to be poured out to this impoverished community.

God bless you and your group for your generous gift!

More pictures are below!

If you would like to support future Timothy Project ventures, such as this one, please use the PayPal link below to make a donation. Your financial gift helps to secure additional equipment, sponsor a missionary or organization in an outreach effort, and cover associated costs of providing bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

#TPT

Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.38.44 AM Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.38.34 AM Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.38.02 AM Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.37.48 AM Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.32.44 AM Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.32.53 AM Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.32.02 AM Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.32.23 AM Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.32.33 AM Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.40.21 AM Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.40.06 AM Screen Shot 2014-11-14 at 9.39.50 AM

Timothy Project KE 2014: Keeping Up With Kenya

Recently, Pastor Mike Klassen of the Neighborhood Church of Littleton, shared this letter with CrossTraining after the team’s earlier trip to Kenya.

Thank you CrossTraining for helping make The Neighborhood Church’s mission trip to Kenya an overwhelming success! August 7-20, our church sent a team of five people to share God’s love with children living in two orphanages—one in Kitale (on the western end of the country) and one in Nairobi. Before I left, I asked Brad Kenney if CrossTraining could find some soccer equipment to donate to the two orphanages. “No problem,” he replied. “Just give me a few weeks to round it up.”

A few days before our departure, Brad asked me to meet him at his house to pick up the supplies. I arrived early and waited in my truck. Then down the road, I spotted a Honda Pilot meandering my direction. I could see Brad behind the wheel, but his car was filled to overflowing with soccer equipment. I mean, it was so full that soccer balls and jerseys were falling on his head. The fact that Brad arrived in one piece is evidence of God’s existence!

photo 2“Take as much as you want,” Brad advised me as we sorted through stuff. It was far more than we could transport, but I collected enough to fill an oversized duffel bag in addition to two backpacks that we would carry with us on the plane.

That was just the beginning of the blessing.

IMG_0111The children at the orphanages were over the top excited about receiving the sports gear. After trying on the jerseys and shorts, they immediately started kicking around one of their new soccer balls…thanks again for collecting the supplies and helping make our mission trip a blessing to others.

Mike Klassen
Co-Pastor, The Neighborhood Church
Littleton, Colorado
Tnc3.org

Timothy Project HT 2014: Helping in Haiti

ImageFor the team at Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church today’s mission trip to Haiti represents an exciting return to a country that has been wrecked and ravaged by so many things – from natural disasters, like earthquakes to extreme poverty and a lack of natural resources. For Pastor Gary McCusker the trip to Haiti wasn’t part of his original plan.

For the past two years, I have led a Parker High School’s Baseball Mission trip to the Dominican Republic…due to the success of these trips, we expected to return this year with a larger group than the past two years combined.

But, as McCusker shares, the doors of opportunity closed to Dominican and a different door – one to neighboring Haiti, opened instead.

To be honest, I was very disappointed and discouraged, but needed to trust God’s timing…God has opened up an opportunity for me to be a part of our church’s second annual trip to Léogane, Haiti to work on the Gran Svan School. The community, located outside of Port Au Prince, was partially destroyed by the 2010 earthquake.

Image 1The school is for those who have been orphaned by impoverished families – leaving their homes and families to work for those who are part of the wealthier population of Haiti. These children are often never able to attend school because of their work responsibilities.  McCusker and the PEPC team will be focusing on construction projects on the school to reach these children, some who are attending school for the first time in their teenage years.

Image 2While at a recent Presbytery of the West meeting, Pastor McCusker approached CrossTraining Director, Brad Kenney, and inquired about whether there might be some soccer gear to take with them.

The PEPC team will be serving in Léogâne Arrondissement, Haiti. The team’s work will be detailed and logged on this blog site. Please pray for the team while they are in country and keep up to date via the blog site.

If you would like to support future Timothy Project ventures, such as this one, please use the PayPal link below to make a donation. Your financial gift helps to secure additional equipment, sponsor a missionary or organization in an outreach effort, and cover associated costs of providing bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

#TPT

Timothy Project MX 2014: Back to Mexico

For Ann Nerney, the trip to Juarez, Mexico in a couple of weeks will be a return to a place where she encountered God moving amongst the poor of Juarez and she is excited to go and minister there again.

We all went to Juarez together to build a house for a family in 2013…When the family received the keys to the house, they were not the only ones crying with joy.  It has filled our hearts with a love of the people of Juarez and gives us a reality of how God blesses each of our lives.

With Juarez being one of the most severely depressed and impoverished areas so close to the United States, the impact of seeing the poverty of the people and yet, also witnessing their simple faith in a God who will provide has made a lasting impression on Ann and several members of her team that will traveling to Juarez to do more work amongst the people September 28-October 2. Ann recalls her reflections on returning to the States after that first trip:

I came home to my little townhouse, and realized that God has blessed me with purpose to serve and help.  The people of Juarez also feel joy in their lives, even living in poverty.  Their simple dependence on God’s provision is an eye opener for all who live in the luxury of a clean house with running water, food to eat, and warmth in the winter.  One of the Missions Ministries workers said “When God is all you have, God is all you need”.  The people of Juarez are a testimony to this.  They have absolutely nothing.  Houses made from scraps – plywood and pallets – are everywhere.  There is a blue tub out front where the water truck comes by and dumps polluted water for their use. They have no heaters for their homes in the winter.  Yet, they smile, they worship, and they are thankful people.

It’s the thankful, worshipping hearts that have created a tug on the hearts of Ann and others and has led them to request soccer gear for a local church there that has some land available to convert into a playground and a soccer field for the children to play on and stay out of trouble. The team is hoping to fill a trailer with soccer gear and equipment to support upwards of 100 children or more that live in the area.

I realize that if God had given birth to me in Juarez, I would still be there…I would be there working to make a life, to figure out how to feed my children, and get the money for their medicine when they are sick.  The people of Juarez are just as smart and talented as I am, but they have not been blessed in the financial ways that I have been.  This is the pull of God on my heart to go back, and to share this miracle with my Colorado friends.

If you would like to support future Timothy Project ventures, such as this one, please use the PayPal link below to make a donation. Your financial gift helps to secure additional equipment, sponsor a missionary or organization in an outreach effort, and cover associated costs of providing bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

#TPT

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