Six friends are heading out on a journey to be part of what God is doing in northern Haiti. Matthew Hulst, an urban missionary with Urban Skye and leader with Coram Deo — Lafayette will be part of a group that will head to Haiti between June 13-23. The team will be helping launch a long term soccer ministry in Cap-Haïtien. The project will be lead by local Haitian leaders who have a heart to disciple and mentor youth and the team orienting from Colorado will come alongside to aid and support the launch. Hurst shared with me,
Their vision is to use soccer to plant seeds of hope and empower the youth to future embrace their role as future influencers in Haiti.
Matthew Hulst, Trip Leader
The team will be partnering with a couple local non-profit organizations including the local expression of YWAM and a ministry called Street Hearts Haiti. YWAM will help facilitate the soccer ministries and is led by local Haitians. Street Hearts Haiti is a street kids home that the team will focus on with hope to organize a soccer team from these group of orphans for a local tournament.
Currently, Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and there is a lot of political, societal, and spiritual brokenness. The youth the team is going to invest in are among the poorest in the nation, it is estimated that in this region a family of six will gross under $800 per year. A number hard to imagine that is even possible. The team is expecting the local tournament that they will help to setup will, itself, involve 100-150 young men and many younger kids for soccer camps during the day.
In addition to playing soccer and providing meals for attendees, the team will be looking to share the Gospel in various ways each day. Further, by working with these local organizations the team is hopeful to develop long-term relationships and be able to provide discipleship. Hulst further shared,
Our desire and prayer for this time is to invest hope, identity, and love into the youth who will be involved in these soccer programs.
Matthew Hulst, Team Leader
To make all this happen the team is in need of financial support. The teams looking to raise funds for the clinics and tournament. In addition to financial donations, the team is collecting old uniforms and other soccer equipment to bring to Cap-Haïtien.
Specific to the request from Soccer Chaplains United, the team is looking for the following donations: 15 soccer balls, 4 sets of jerseys (adult sizes), shin guards / socks (as many as possible), 4 pairs of goalie gloves, 4 goal keeper uniforms, stop watches, corner flags, 4 sets of pennies, cones.
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