Janine - "I'm IN!" with Sports Outreach
Please read this testimony from Janine Filippin, a long-time Sports Outreach friend, board member, and supporter. We hope her story will be a great encouragement to you.
“In 2009, I went on my first trip to Kampala, Uganda with Sports Outreach. At the time, I was a full-time mom, raising four young boys. I had never been away from them, much less out of the country. Little did I know then, how deeply this experience would change my life or that of my family. Seeing first-hand, the devastating effects of poverty, sickness, homelessness, and utter desperation, I broke. Literally, I broke down sobbing. Had I really lived in such a bubble my whole life that I was so oblivious to how the rest of the world lived? Had I not paid attention to those around me suffering and alone? Was I really that shallow and self-centered?
“Did I fail to recognize how blessed I was to have a husband, a home, food on the table, money in the bank and healthy children? Apparently so. I always knew what the Bible said, ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me,’ but never had I really honestly thought about it. That is just the cold hard truth. I was great at lip service and raising my hands in church but was I really seeing people? Was I really striving to make their lives better? I wasn’t . . . .
”That first trip was rough . . .really rough. I missed my boys, I cried constantly over the horrible living conditions, I felt tremendous guilt for all that I had, and I was a little angry. Angry at the people I knew back home who had more than enough and yet were constantly complaining or searching for something to fill the void, make them happy. Sadly, I realized I was one of them and yet I couldn’t figure out how to move forward from this experience and make a difference here at home and in East Africa. I vowed that day to change, to be grateful, to commit my life to serving others—and Sports Outreach was the perfect vehicle.
”We committed our finances to Sports Outreach and knew without a doubt that our contributions were strengthening families and providing food and much needed medical care. Our faith has been exercised and our trust in the Lord has only been strengthened. That once empty void has been slowly filled with a peace that I didn’t have before. In giving, I was genuinely worshiping the Lord and I was free.
”It’s been 11 years now, and I can honestly say, through the grace of God, my life looks so much different. There is joy where there once was frustration and bitterness, there is deep appreciation for what the Lord has blessed me with, and there is knowledge that what is mine is to be shared with those who have none. True happiness and joy don’t come from material things but from a transformed heart—a heart that seeks to love and encourage others. “I’m IN” because God has a wonderful plan and I hope to be a part of it. I hope you will too. “
Want to say “I’m IN” and join the Sports Outreach team? Click here