Waiting.
It’s a tough thing to do. Like for example, waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting for the work day to end, or even waiting for your favorite TV show to start it’s next season.
But what about waiting to leave the country to begin an adventure of a lifetime? Yeah. That’s really hard.
About a year ago, the Lord used close friends, scripture, and prayer to reveal to me a new and radical mission for my life. It was a mission that I never would have dreamed up on my own. To be honest, I was scared to death. God was calling me to become a missionary.
I have aways had a passion for soccer, and I loved being able to play it as a kid and coach it as an adult. In college, majoring in Sports and Fitness, I was given the opportunity to partner with the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) on a summer missions trip called IMPACT. The first time that I attended the trip I was a student, but I knew God was calling me back so I returned the following summer as a co-leader. This was the first time the thought had crossed my mind that maybe the Lord was calling me to become a full-time missionary. We learned about using sport to share the gospel and how it can be used to impact the lives of people around the globe. Daniel Thomae, a current missionary in South Africa and partner with IMPACT, approached me about joining his nonprofit “training4changeS,” and he invited me to come alongside him and his wife Kendra as a coach for the young girls. Daniel’s mission has been to open a futsal academy for the local primary school kids in the Western Cape of South Africa. He has wanted to raise up young leaders and coaches to impact the nation, which he hopes will help to prevent the cycles of poverty, fatherlessness, and violence from reoccurring amongst the people.
My heart felt right at home.
I have this dream to help young girls all over the globe realize their worth and value. I want them to know that they are loved beyond measure by a Heavenly Father who will never let them down or disown them. I want them to develop life skills and values that will change their lives and their families lives forever. I want to share the grace and love of Jesus Christ by teaching them about the Bible and using the sport of futsal to do it. (By the way, futsal is a 5-a-side version of soccer that is played on a hard court without walls, using a smaller ball than regular soccer and a standard match consists of two 20-minute halves.)
The crazy part? The Lord has blessed me by giving me an opportunity to do it.
The journey begins now, by spreading the word of this mission, by raising support, by prayer, and by letting the Lord lead the way.
The wait is almost over, but there’s still a lot of work to do. Join me on this adventure.
Donate to the cause at: http://ssmfi.org/missionary/samantha-stokesberry/
Learn more about training4changeS and their mission at: http://www.training4changes.org/
Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Habakkuk 1:5 “Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
– Sam
