APRIL 2022 - Bringing Christ to Coatia
The next stop on our 2022 world tour of Sports Outreach Institute (SOI) ministry sites is Croatia, a Balkan country of roughly four million people. SOI has been involved there since 2020, with Dino Bajric overseeing several exciting ministry opportunities. In this newsletter, Dino gives a brief bio, as well as a recap of all that is happening in Croatia.
“I was born and raised in Split, Croatia, and played both baseball and American football. I got saved in 2009 when the coach of my American football team shared the Gospel with the team. In 2014 I went to Hungary to study theology and got my degree in 2018. I went to school in South Africa in 2017 and learned how to do sports ministry. I then served and did sports ministry in Hungary, Serbia, and South Africa, but have been back in Croatia since 2017. I have been doing sports ministry in Split and Gracac, a small town north of Split, where there is church planting taking place. In Split, we minister through American football and softball, and in Gracac we are serving a pastor who is planting churches through sports ministry.”
Baseball
In Gracac, a lot of people struggle with alcohol addiction. Families are suffering, and young adults are spending time in bars, as there is little for them to do. There are not a lot of sports teams or playing fields, as the government is not investing in the city. There are no Bible teaching churches and people do not know what the Bible says about salvation. Three years ago, we started doing baseball camps in Gracac and it is amazing to see how God is using sports ministry for church planting and discipleship! As a result, God is opening doors for a local pastor to connect with parents through their kids. Just this past summer he and his wife started reading the Bible with one mom who is turning away from alcohol and toward freedom in Jesus Christ!
American Football
God has also opened the door for us to share the Gospel and make disciples using American football. We have been able to meet with the players from the local Split American Football team before every practice, to share something from the Bible and testimonies of how God is working in our lives. We are also inviting people to come to the church for Bible study. It is awesome to see how God is working in their hearts and minds as they see the love of Jesus lived out!
Co-ed Softball
Recently God has opened the door for a co-ed softball ministry. Prior to practices, various Christian members of the team share Scripture and what God is doing in their life. There have been opportunities to share the Gospel, and one player from the softball team received Christ during our Bible study in the church! Praise the Lord!
SOI COACHES CORNER
Kendall Alvey: Domestic Coach (Brookhill Wesleyan Church, Forest, VA)
I have been blessed to continue to serve in connection with my local church, working in the community where I live. These past few months I have spent time working with the kids at Brookhill Wesleyan, training SOI coaches with Coach Danno (Dan Narvaez in NC), working with our Croatian coach to bring him to the USA for an April visit, and preparing for spring and summer ministry. A special outreach that I got to take part in was ministering to Afghan refugees who the U.S. brought in when troops pulled out of Afghanistan this past September.
Right now, one of my major focuses is the Brookhill Community Garden which is a partnership between Sports Outreach and Brookhill Wesleyan Church. I love living and serving in this community, and I am thankful for the prayers and support of so many people who have come alongside me and my family. We are excited for the warmer weather that is just around the corner. I love spring and summer because my family gets to do ministry together in the garden, at camps, and at the church. Please continue to pray that the Lord would lead us and open doors for His Kingdom in our community.
