"We have 2 feet so we can kick a soccer ball, 2 arms so we can catch a football, 2 eyes so we can see the baseball…. God gave us all these body parts for a reason." (paraphrased) Man, that just blew my mind when we were listening to a man speak to some youth kids about sports! This past month in Malaysia our team has been partnered with sports ministries. Going into it we had no idea what that was going to look like. I guess it's looked a little different than what a lot of our team expected. But it's been really inspiring and incredible to be apart of!
In Malaysia and asian countries they have found it harder to get youth together to socialize. To gather youth for church or to just get them to hangout with eachother is not always that easy. Back home in the states it's normal for me to see people playing sports, working out together, hanging out, inviting people to church,etc….Here in Malaysia it's a little different than that. Girls don't really play sports here very often, kids usually focus a lot more on studying than socializing; it's a lot harder to make friendships and to get people together unless it's something organized.
Since a lot of the population in Malaysia is Muslim it is also a lot harder to reach out and share Christ with them. It is a brilliant way through sports. Through sports here it brings people together of all ages, backgrounds, they encourage whether athletic or not, they are able to make friendships with sports in common, loving on eachother in ways that maybe they have never seen before. We have been able to go where the kids are to just spend time with them and get to know them; being Jesus' hands and feet to love them with no strings attatched.
One of the super energetic little boys I fell in love with playing soccer in a small village.
Just to live life with these youth to encourage them when they don't kick the ball right, to give them high fives, to laugh and joke around, to remind them that instead of getting made when someone kicks a ball at their head that there is such thing as forgiveness. We are showing the love of Christ in many different ways in sports and it's been amazing to see! It just reminds me that everything we do we can show Christs love and that everything we do we do it with purpose! =)
Join me as I pray for the youth here in Malaysia, for those that are harder to reach, for the coaches and volunteers involved just loving on those that don't know Christ, that we would all continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus everywhere we go.
