Dear Team,
* Note: I am not mentioning the name of the country I am in, intentionally. If you don't know where I am, reach out to me and I will let you know privately. It is illegal to share the gospel where I am, therefore communication with the outside world about what's going on is limited. It must not be on social media in any way. Keep this in mind as you read. I personally am not in danger, the worst that could happen to me, at least legally, is to get deported. The ministry and for the missionaries I work with however, this is not the case. They could be arrested and disappear if info got out, because of this I must be careful.
Imagine with me for a moment that you are 12 years old again. Imagine you are sitting around the dinner table with your family eating the food your dad worked hard to provide and mom worked hard to prepare. You and your siblings are smiling and laughing, everyone discussing their day and telling stories. It's a blissful time of love and peace inside your childhood home located in your native country. Suddenly, out of nowhere, gunfire rings in your ears… its piercing noise causes you and your siblings to scream as your dad yells at you to lie on the floor. You can tell it’s not just one shooter but hundreds shooting from all different directions all around your home. Some of which seem to be right on the other side of the wall. Soon, bullets start flying through the walls of your home sending dust and debris flying and showering your family as you lie together on the floor for safety, your father putting himself on top of you hoping to shield you from stray bullets. All night you continue to hear the screams and shots knowing many people in your community, that you know and love, will die before the morning or have perhaps died already. You are sick to your stomach as your friends, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all come into your mind and you realize they could all be dead from the gunfire. Eventually, after hours and hours of lying on the floor in terror, the gunfire subsides… you still hear the occasional shot but not the bombardment of rapid-fire assault rifles fired back and forth at each other like before.
Your dad then tells you “Stay put”, and he runs into the other room grabs one small backpack, and tells you to hurry and put on your shoes. He had been expecting that something like this may happen… Soon your whole family is out the door hurrying down the alleyway behind your house in the pitch black night. You have run down dark streets for what must have been a mile following your Father as He leads the way. It is so dark you can hardly even see your hand in front of your face. Suddenly, your foot hits a large heavy object and you fall on top of it. It is not hard, but soft, and covered in some sort of cloth. The cloth is wet, this is shocking because where you live water is scarce and it hasn't rained in a very long time. Soon you stick your right hand out to push yourself up and your hand touches something not covered in cloth, something cold, you then realize that you feel a nose and eyes and this cold wet object covered in cloth is no object at all… it’s a person. And the liquid, it's not water, it's blood. You jump backward letting out a scream and suddenly vomit on the ground. Then out of complete shock, you continue screaming and and doing so loudly. Your dad scoops you up covering your mouth so tightly you feel you can't breathe and he tells your family, “We must run”. Still carrying you and covering your mouth your dad runs for miles through the darkness, your family in tow until you reach the nearby mountain wilderness. There he finds cover and tells your family you will wait here until daylight. When daylight comes you can see the look of terror on your whole family’s faces. Your sister’s face is tear-streaked. Your mom, who is usually calm in every situation life throws at her, looks frantic. Your dad is steady but is very deep in thought and you can tell he is worried about what might be coming next. The group of you then begin hiking up the steep mountain terrain and right before you crest the ridge your dad pauses and looks back at your hometown. Several buildings are on fire and many strange trucks are driving around the roads. Suddenly you realize, “ This is the last time I'll probably ever see this place… as well as all my loved ones that live there…” How are you going to begin to process all this… After all, you're only 12…
This is my best attempt at imagining what some of my new players have experienced. The reality is however their real experiences are likely much worse. They are likely much more extreme, graphic, and gory and are vividly burned into their memories forever. These experiences uprooted their lives and placed them in another country where they were mistreated and hopeless. There is no hope for them in their homeland and no opportunities for them in the new country where they've fled to for survival. These are the experiences of the refugees from Sudan I now coach. The war in Sudan is just as bad as Ukraine or Israel yet never makes a headline on the news. You likely didn't even know Sudan is experiencing such a war, most people don't. It's a bloody civil war leaving 5 million people internally displaced and well over a million seeking refuge in the surrounding countries. Many Sudanese refugees have fled to the country where I am located. Once they somehow manage to get here however their situation remains bleak. In this country, you must have “papers” to legally seek asylum. However many Sudanese either didn't have papers to begin with or were unable to bring them when they had to flee their country. The process to get papers is long and very very expensive and most Sudanese don't have the money for such tasks. So, while it’s impossible for them to safely return home it's also impossible for them to safely live here. Because if a police officer asks them for their papers and they can not provide them, they will be taken to jail and no one will see them again. Therefore these refugees can't get jobs, can’t travel, and can’t do life as it needs to be done. So they are stuck, with no opportunities, in poverty, and in constant fear of getting asked for papers. Not to mention just simply culturally they are discriminated against because of their dark skin and nationality.
So, how is a 12-year-old in this situation supposed to survive? How are they supposed to cope? How do you think they feel? How would you feel in this situation? How did you feel as you read? What do you think they long for? What do you think are their greatest needs? What do you think they want most? I think they seem to need 3 things… Of course, they need food, water, shelter, etc. but beyond that, there are three great needs for every Sudanese boy. Number 1, they need some kind of escape. They need a way to get their mind off of their situation for a bit. Number 2, they need hope. Hope for the future, hope that life can be good again, a reminder that there is something worth living for. Number 3, They need Jesus. They desperately need Jesus! Only He can provide true hope in their terrible situation. Some Sudanese have found him, most however are Muslims. And as far as their greatest want… this is no debate… their greatest want… is to play “football”! (or what we uncultured Americans call “soccer”) God is using me and a team of guys here to provide them with all four of these things. Three things that they desperately need are now being provided in a package they deeply want: Football.
Side note: I have developed an affinity for calling it “football”. The whole world does it and they do it because it makes the most sense. It's a game played almost 100% with one’s feet… hence the name. Yet we as Americans come along and name our game “football” which uses feet, if I am generous, maybe 15% of the time, and rename the sport that uses feet 100% of the time “soccer”. Don't get me wrong, I love and miss America but that is just quite idiotic…
Since long before I arrived here and after up until two weeks ago we have been planning to start a football academy for the Sudanese children like the other academy I coach. I am happy to announce as of March 1st we have begun and it is going great! We have separated our players based on skill level and age now into three different teams and they are doing and playing very well. Their smiles and joy while playing are quite heartwarming. We have been having practice 2 days a week and they are loving it! Each practice we also get to share with them in what we call "character session". These are our greatest gospel opportunities. Last week I even got to share part of my Iam story with them. (This is a story I first told and wrote down last fall in order to portray God's heart as it is presented in scripture in a modern relatable context.) I explained through this that God loved them so much that He was willing to give up His only son for them. This communicated to them that they had value! This is something they never hear due to their situation and treatment in this country. Also, last Wednesday, we actually had our first friendly match against another academy and 2 of our 3 teams won their matches. They all seem to be improving very rapidly and are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to play. If it was not for our academy they would have had no such opportunity to play on a team because it would cost money and require papers, two things we have intentionally not required. Now, and for many years, they have 3 things and an opportunity for the 4th. They now have an escape! They now have hope! They now have an opportunity to play football! And they now have an opportunity to hear about and accept Jesus Christ! They couldn't be more happy!
Thanks to all who are praying and encouraging as well as those who have supported financially to make this happen! This couldn't be done without you! You are a very important part of this team :) I hope you enjoy all the pictures. May God use their faces to encourage your souls!
Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus! He's well worth your time!
Sincerely, Gage
