A Simple Invitation from the Chairman of the Board
As we have now stepped into this new year of 2023 and have adopted the vision of “Change for/your Impact,” I want to express my sincere and heartfelt gratitude for each and every one of our faithful partner donors, our incredible staff members, our passionate coaches, our energetic volunteers, our wise and committed board of directors, and—most importantly—for our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have all been called to this mission. Each of us received a personalized invitation to join the Lord in expanding His Kingdom around the globe. On that note, I want to share a bit about the power of "a simple invitation.”
Jesus’ invitation of "Follow Me" transformed the Disciples into fishers of men and continues to transform the world today.
A simple invitation in mid-2011 came from our pastor and his wife, Josh and Angie Blackson, for me and my wife, Kristy, to join them and five other couples on a mission trip with Sports Outreach Institute to Uganda in January 2012. We had no idea when we said "yes” that every aspect of our lives would be transformed as a result of that experience—our world view, our marriage, our parenting, our worship, our generosity, and our relationships with family and friends.
In 2013, a simple invitation for our family to join other families on a mission trip to Nicaragua over the kids’ Christmas break led to missionary fires being lit in our children. Our daughter, Courtney, returned to the mission base as an intern for several summers, which led to her to work for a non-profit Christian adoption agency after college graduation. Our son, Nate, began his personal spiritual journey that continues to this day.
In 2014, a simple invitation came for us to lead a medical mission trip with Sports Outreach in February 2015. Twenty-three team members (doctors, physician assistants, physical therapists, nurses, and other gifted people) were mobilized and subsequently awakened to God’s greater plan for their lives. A total of 2,068 Ugandan men, women, and children received top-quality medical care for the first time in their lives, and untold numbers of lives were quite literally saved both physically and by the Gospel. We learned the true value of each human life and the power of the Gospel to Restore Hope and Transform Lives despite what appeared to be hopeless circumstances. Collectively we all agreed that we would do it all over again for just one life to be touched by healing hands and the power of the Gospel.
A simple invitation to prayerfully consider joining Sports Outreach Institute's Board of Directors came in late 2015, which led to one of the most deeply satisfying and impactful roles in my life.
A simple invitation to worship the Lord through our financial generosity came in 2016. In the process, we began by sponsoring a child in SOI’s Kampala slums for his education, nourishment, soccer and chess training, and Christian discipleship. This, in turn, led to supporting the ministry's general fund so that the mission's reach was extended well beyond our one sponsored child. As a direct result, our worship in this way has brought freedom from self-fulfilling pursuits and delivered an unimaginably deep joy that we did not anticipate. We knew happiness, but we did not know deep joy in this way prior to fully trusting the Lord and releasing our grip on our finances.
A simple invitation to lead another trip to Uganda in 2017 led to both frustration in the preparation and total awe at God's perfect master plan. We later called our team "Team Gideon" since the original 17 team members dwindled down to seven, and we were left wondering if God had a plan. He most certainly did! One of the couples on that team recognized a desperate unmet need at Koro Farm, aka the Good News Community Center near Gulu, and were called to action. When they returned to the U.S., they completely funded the construction of a new village for the continued care of women and their newborn babies. This trip birthed Nicki's Village.
Matthew 28:18-19 says, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
As believers, we are ALL invited into the Lord's mission and the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The invitation has been extended!
Many of us are called to GO INTO THE MISSION FIELD with our God-given gifts and skills. Many of us are called to SUPPORT MISSIONS with the resources that our God has generously given us to steward. All of us are called to PRAY FOR MISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES. Jesus has equipped and gifted each of us uniquely and developed personal passions within our hearts based on life experiences and our God-given predispositions. I have shared how a few simple invitations for us have become a call to join God's purpose and plan. Rest assured that He has also called you into His purposes and plans. It is all for His glory! If you have been sitting on the bench and simply watching the game unfold, I want to encourage you today that you DO have a role to play in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. If you feel a tug on your heart, don't ignore it! Take time to explore how the Lord may want to use you. Take time to discover your unique role and then say “yes” when the invitation comes!
It is never too late to play the role that the Lord has created for you. Be courageous and take the first step to discover the Lord's greatest blessing waiting for you. GO into the mission field on a short-term trip, SUPPORT a missionary organization, PRAY fervently for missionaries that have responded to the call. Trust me when I tell you that you will not be disappointed. You may actually find the joy and peace that so often eludes us. So let me end with this—I want to personally invite you to join the mission of Sports Outreach and to God’s great purpose and plan. Change your impact and make a change for impact!
Abundant blessings in 2023,
Bishop Beall, Board Chairman, Sports Outreach Institute