February 2021 - We're Back!

Dear Friends,

Well, it’s a new year and in all of our areas of ministry programs are starting back up!

We hope you’ll be as excited as we are at the continuing opportunities God places before our coaches and leaders in these interesting times. Here are some very encouraging happenings!

Kids playing soccer on the field at the new Kibera center in Nairobi

Kenya: We have a very exciting development to share! Our Director, Francis Juma, has been able to secure the use of a small school building in Nairobi’s Kibera slum. SOP (Sports Outreach Programme) Kenya had done feeding programs there, but then the school had to close. The owners respect our ministry to the point that they have rented the building to us for a very reasonable price! It has a small open field as well — quite a luxury in the slum. Juma and his team will be starting sports programs there soon.

Uganda: Over the New Year’s school holidays, New Foundation Community Church at SOM Uganda’s Koro Farm ministry center in Gulu held its 11th Annual Youth Conference. Two hundred teens and young adults participated in this week-long conference. The group received great teaching from John 8, along with opportunities to do sports ministry, learn about agriculture and serve people in the area around the farm. (NFCC is the mother church of New Foundation Community Ministries which has planted 17 churches in the past six years.) Seven young people came to faith during the conference!

The first girls in the vocational program are arriving!

Two major programs that help to rescue and empower abused teenage girls have started their 2021 sessions at the Koro Farm. The Sports Outreach Polytechnic School started on February 4th with 15 young women learning sewing and hair care, and receiving room and board at the Nicky’s Village compound (a place where girls can stay while pursuing training or transitioning from Christine’s House). These girls will be trained in computer, entrepreneurship and agriculture skills in addition to their primary vocation. They receive counseling from the Christine’s House counselors where necessary. It is a strong program that imparts the love of Christ, amazing skills, and hope to these young women. Also, later this month, Christine’s House will take in 16 girls for their next session.

El Salvador: In December 2020, our team of Sports Outreach coaches were able to begin many of the soccer programs again, which was exciting since many kids had not had the opportunity to play in a long time. And these programs always include times of evangelism and discipleship. An encouraging development that happened last month was the re-institution of one of the girls’ training programs. In 2019, after some hiccups with city authorities, the program had dwindled to only a handful of girls. It has now started back up again with 15 girls participating! Please pray that our soccer programs would not be interrupted by closings of the public and private fields where we do them.

India: Coach Muan continues to do soccer training and discipleship sessions. In the past few months he has also begun planning and reaching out in the community with chess ministry and other opportunities for ministry. Recently, he met with two non-Christian gentlemen who are chess aficionados to share their common love of the game. His request to us: “Please pray for us that God would open doors to share the Gospel with these men.” What a great example of how our coaches always put the Good News at the forefront of all their activities!

Thank you for the part you play in our ministry work!

I hope you’ll be praying for us regularly as the new year has so many amazing Gospel opportunities.

For consideration this month, if you’re not giving on a monthly basis already, would you consider becoming a monthly Sports Outreach donor? Monthly donations are the backbone of our ministry funding – enabling all our day in day out sports ministry, education, feeding and vocational training programs that provide the opportunities to spread the Gospel, restore hope, transform lives and build leaders. Please use the enclosed reply card or visit our website at www.sportsoutreach.net/donate.

Yours in Christ,

Terry Tolbert, Sports Outreach President