Each team was given some equipment to start with.
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Training in Cabaret in the North
Here are some pictures of the training that went on up in Cabaret on Saturday.
Each team was given some equipment to start with.
Each team was given some equipment to start with.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Training this weekend
Ronald William just arrived this morning up north where he, Sylvain, Debreus and Orvil will be conducting a training session for a group of 24 young men in Cabaret in the Northwest department who are interested in volunteering with AIS-Haiti.
Ronald had to get up very early this morning to take the bus up to Port de Paix and we were glad to get the call that he arrived there safely. Now, to get to Cabaret where they will hold the training day, Sylvain will be working out transportation for them which involves crossing (through!) several rivers, some of which are at flood levels. One especially is quite difficult right now. Please pray that they get safely there and then for Sunday when they will return.
A CrossWorld missionary who works up in that area has asked us to be in "serious prayer because there is so much potential" Also, the area is very heavily influence by voodoo.
Some of the participants will be trained to be coaches, some to be chaplains, and others to be administrators of the teams.
Ronald took a big bag of equipment with him to help 8 teams to get started. These teams will be associated with UEBH Christian schools in the general area.
Here are some pictures to show you what it's like crossing the rivers up north.
Here's one taken from a side window looking at a very full river.
Ronald had to get up very early this morning to take the bus up to Port de Paix and we were glad to get the call that he arrived there safely. Now, to get to Cabaret where they will hold the training day, Sylvain will be working out transportation for them which involves crossing (through!) several rivers, some of which are at flood levels. One especially is quite difficult right now. Please pray that they get safely there and then for Sunday when they will return.
A CrossWorld missionary who works up in that area has asked us to be in "serious prayer because there is so much potential" Also, the area is very heavily influence by voodoo.
Some of the participants will be trained to be coaches, some to be chaplains, and others to be administrators of the teams.
Ronald took a big bag of equipment with him to help 8 teams to get started. These teams will be associated with UEBH Christian schools in the general area.
Here are some pictures to show you what it's like crossing the rivers up north.
Here's one taken from a side window looking at a very full river.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The Sad State of Soccer in Haiti
Two soccer games this week indicate the sad state of soccer in Haiti.
One was an adult game, and another was between two Christian schools here in Port-au-Prince.
Each Thursday night I join with about 24 men from the professional class in Haiti to play 6-a-side soccer. These men are all businessmen, doctors, lawyers, and artists, who are well known in Haiti. During the day they are dressed in suits and ties they are making important decisions; and even when they are under a lot of pressure, they have to act professionally.
But something happens when they put on shorts and a soccer jersey. They revert to when they were boys playing in their neighborhoods. They tease each other when they miss a shot, they make fun of how someone dribbles and they laugh at each other’s antics. They waste a lot of time arguing over hand balls, penalty shots, and blaming each other for letting the other team score a goal. And, I would say, take everything a little too seriously. You would think it was the World Cup the way they go at it!
Of course, teasing is viewed differently in different cultures and there is room for friendly teasing, but where do you draw the line?
During the last game, things got out of hand and a player and the goalie got into a fist fight (yes, two guys on the same team) when the goalie missed blocking an easy shot from mid-field. I was closest to them, and tried to break it up, but could not do it alone, so others came to help me. This stopped the play for the evening and we all went home disappointed that this had happened.
In another game this week, between two Christian schools, there were so many fouls committed that the lone referee could not control the game. He would have had to have called a foul every minute. They were literally wrapping their arms around the opposing player on corners and holding them so they could not move. They were tripping, and pulling jerseys, etc. – basically doing anything they could to get the advantage over another player – and these where supposedly students from Christian Schools!
In addition to the rough play on the field, there were flagrant violations of the tournament rules. For instance, the teams were supposed to be made up of players who were 18 or younger, but some were in their twenties. Then one of the teams had brought in two players who did not even go to their school! This is really sad because it is the coach’s responsibility to abide by the rules.
This game was part of a soccer tournament that was held at Quisqueya Christian School so after the game I got the organizers of the tournament together with the players and coaches to discuss the game and rule violations. First I asked anyone on the teams involved to raise their hands if they were over 18. Not a single one raised their hands, even though we know there were several who were above that age. Then the one team cited the two players who did not attend the other school. This turned into a circus with each coach hurling accusations at the other, even after it became evident that one of the teams had used players that were not from their school. There was no remorse, only attempts to justify their actions, such as “You have sinned just as much as we did”, etc.
The saddest part is that these are Christian Schools, and all of this arguing happened in front of the players. What example did this set for these young men?
Although this is not what we always see, it is unfortunately very common. And, judging from the World Cup games, Haiti is not the only country where this occurs. Americans can be found fighting, at least verbally over peewee soccer games. And I also, at times, lose my temper…..
What do these two stories tell us about soccer in Haiti? Do anything you can to win! All’s fair in love and soccer! Winning is everything!
This is so ingrained in the psyche of the Haitian soccer player that even when they are older and just playing a “friendly” match, they still argue, foul and even end up in fist-fights. Proverbs 22:6 says “Teach a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it.” Unfortunately, this goes for negative behavior as well as positive behavior! It’s so important for us teach and model good character from a young age.
This attitude is also seen in business in Haiti where competitors are sometimes threatened of killed, or their stores robbed or destroyed. Sports often reflect a microcosm of society at large. (This is the theory of the bestseller “How Soccer Explains the World”)
So as you can see, Ambassadors in Sport – Haiti needs to not only teach soccer skills in Haiti, but also change the way Haitians view the game and life…that Christianity is not about how you act on Sunday morning, a major part of it is about how you treat everyone every day. And children need to learn that how you treat others should not depend so much on how they treat you as it does on how God treats you. This amounts to changing the culture, which is impossible without God’s help. That is why our job is so important here in Haiti, and why we need to start with younger players and teach them “Fair Play” and to play by the rules.
It is also a reason why we need to train more soccer officials and work with Christian schools that ought to be an example of fair play.
Finally, it is the reason we include Biblical instruction in our program – because without the Bible as a standard, everything is relative, and rules don’t mean anything.
So please pray for us – we’re not only trying to use soccer as a tool for evangelism in this country, but actually change the way it is played through God changing the hearts of the players!
One was an adult game, and another was between two Christian schools here in Port-au-Prince.
Each Thursday night I join with about 24 men from the professional class in Haiti to play 6-a-side soccer. These men are all businessmen, doctors, lawyers, and artists, who are well known in Haiti. During the day they are dressed in suits and ties they are making important decisions; and even when they are under a lot of pressure, they have to act professionally.
But something happens when they put on shorts and a soccer jersey. They revert to when they were boys playing in their neighborhoods. They tease each other when they miss a shot, they make fun of how someone dribbles and they laugh at each other’s antics. They waste a lot of time arguing over hand balls, penalty shots, and blaming each other for letting the other team score a goal. And, I would say, take everything a little too seriously. You would think it was the World Cup the way they go at it!
Of course, teasing is viewed differently in different cultures and there is room for friendly teasing, but where do you draw the line?
During the last game, things got out of hand and a player and the goalie got into a fist fight (yes, two guys on the same team) when the goalie missed blocking an easy shot from mid-field. I was closest to them, and tried to break it up, but could not do it alone, so others came to help me. This stopped the play for the evening and we all went home disappointed that this had happened.
In another game this week, between two Christian schools, there were so many fouls committed that the lone referee could not control the game. He would have had to have called a foul every minute. They were literally wrapping their arms around the opposing player on corners and holding them so they could not move. They were tripping, and pulling jerseys, etc. – basically doing anything they could to get the advantage over another player – and these where supposedly students from Christian Schools!
In addition to the rough play on the field, there were flagrant violations of the tournament rules. For instance, the teams were supposed to be made up of players who were 18 or younger, but some were in their twenties. Then one of the teams had brought in two players who did not even go to their school! This is really sad because it is the coach’s responsibility to abide by the rules.
This game was part of a soccer tournament that was held at Quisqueya Christian School so after the game I got the organizers of the tournament together with the players and coaches to discuss the game and rule violations. First I asked anyone on the teams involved to raise their hands if they were over 18. Not a single one raised their hands, even though we know there were several who were above that age. Then the one team cited the two players who did not attend the other school. This turned into a circus with each coach hurling accusations at the other, even after it became evident that one of the teams had used players that were not from their school. There was no remorse, only attempts to justify their actions, such as “You have sinned just as much as we did”, etc.
The saddest part is that these are Christian Schools, and all of this arguing happened in front of the players. What example did this set for these young men?
Although this is not what we always see, it is unfortunately very common. And, judging from the World Cup games, Haiti is not the only country where this occurs. Americans can be found fighting, at least verbally over peewee soccer games. And I also, at times, lose my temper…..
What do these two stories tell us about soccer in Haiti? Do anything you can to win! All’s fair in love and soccer! Winning is everything!
This is so ingrained in the psyche of the Haitian soccer player that even when they are older and just playing a “friendly” match, they still argue, foul and even end up in fist-fights. Proverbs 22:6 says “Teach a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it.” Unfortunately, this goes for negative behavior as well as positive behavior! It’s so important for us teach and model good character from a young age.
This attitude is also seen in business in Haiti where competitors are sometimes threatened of killed, or their stores robbed or destroyed. Sports often reflect a microcosm of society at large. (This is the theory of the bestseller “How Soccer Explains the World”)
So as you can see, Ambassadors in Sport – Haiti needs to not only teach soccer skills in Haiti, but also change the way Haitians view the game and life…that Christianity is not about how you act on Sunday morning, a major part of it is about how you treat everyone every day. And children need to learn that how you treat others should not depend so much on how they treat you as it does on how God treats you. This amounts to changing the culture, which is impossible without God’s help. That is why our job is so important here in Haiti, and why we need to start with younger players and teach them “Fair Play” and to play by the rules.
It is also a reason why we need to train more soccer officials and work with Christian schools that ought to be an example of fair play.
Finally, it is the reason we include Biblical instruction in our program – because without the Bible as a standard, everything is relative, and rules don’t mean anything.
So please pray for us – we’re not only trying to use soccer as a tool for evangelism in this country, but actually change the way it is played through God changing the hearts of the players!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Haitian leaders help the UW team succeed!
From June 27th to July 7th, a team of 18 people from Unchartered Waters Sports Ministries partnered with us to train 9 schools in Jacmel on how to start evangelistic soccer teams, and also worked with over 300 children through sports camps in Port-de-Paix, Archaie and Fermathe, Haiti.
AIS Haiti leaders Ronald William, Sylvain Nelson and Jean Paul Noel taught the classes for the training and Lucasse Henrilus helped out as a translator. Ronald also facilitated everything for the team and did a great job with all the logistics from food and lodging to teaching materials.
We hope to have more news and some pictures in a few days.
AIS Haiti leaders Ronald William, Sylvain Nelson and Jean Paul Noel taught the classes for the training and Lucasse Henrilus helped out as a translator. Ronald also facilitated everything for the team and did a great job with all the logistics from food and lodging to teaching materials.
We hope to have more news and some pictures in a few days.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Soccer Coach Training
Today we are having a training session for some of the coaches at the Delmas 48 (Petionville Club) IDP Camp.
We were suprised to find three AIS players in the country checking out what they could do to help Haiti. Richard asked them if they would consider doing a training day and they said "yes."! Since we had already done interviews in the Delmas 48 camp, we called the coaches (or potential coaches) and most of them were available.
One of the challenges in the country these days is where to play. Richard asked to use Quisqueya Chapel and that is working out.
Please pray for this preparation for ministry in Delmas 48. AND for so many homeless Haitians who had to endure a night of heavy rains last night. Many of them must get up and stand through the rain to avoid getting wet. Their belongings get wet, too. I'm not sure about those in tents either...if the tents held up under that long, heavy rain Most tents are not on top of tarps because there are so many people who still don't have their own tent or tarp.
Also, pray that the training will go well in spite of mud at the field.
We were suprised to find three AIS players in the country checking out what they could do to help Haiti. Richard asked them if they would consider doing a training day and they said "yes."! Since we had already done interviews in the Delmas 48 camp, we called the coaches (or potential coaches) and most of them were available.
One of the challenges in the country these days is where to play. Richard asked to use Quisqueya Chapel and that is working out.
Please pray for this preparation for ministry in Delmas 48. AND for so many homeless Haitians who had to endure a night of heavy rains last night. Many of them must get up and stand through the rain to avoid getting wet. Their belongings get wet, too. I'm not sure about those in tents either...if the tents held up under that long, heavy rain Most tents are not on top of tarps because there are so many people who still don't have their own tent or tarp.
Also, pray that the training will go well in spite of mud at the field.
Friday, February 26, 2010
The work in the Petionville Club Camp
To start the ministry in the Petionville Club Camp (the large one), Ronald and Jean-Paul went to the camp to interview people to be trained to work as coaches and as spiritual leaders. There have been a few people who came to the interviews who were a real encouragement because of their strong faith and knowledge of the scriptures. However, there were only a few like this, and we need a lot of people to take on such a big camp. One of the people who came to interview to be a coach is a young woman who is on Haiti's national women's team. One person that Ronald talked to came to understand the need to accept Christ personally and did that during the interview!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Training Trip to Leogane
Tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 11, 2009) we are going to Leogane just outside of Port-au-Prince to train the leaders of 9 teams how to start an evangelistic soccer ministry at their schools. On Friday afternoon we work with the coaches, stay overnight and then all-day Saturday we teach the administrators, chaplains and coaches the basics of starting a team. On Sunday we meet with the regional committee and prepare them to follow up on the training.
Please pray for us and those we will train this weekend! Thanks!
Please pray for us and those we will train this weekend! Thanks!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Update on Trip to Verrettes
Sorry we haven't posted about the things you've been praying for...we've been having problems with our internet. So, for now, here's a quick update on Richard's trip to Verrettes.
The trip went well--no problems with travel. 4 young people and 1 adult trusted Christ, even though sharing the gospel was not the objective of the trip.
There was a special training session for the team administrators.
Everyone who was trained seemed to appreciate the new curriculum and we're praying that many players will learn how to better deal with conflict in their lives. Most of the team chaplains will be starting this training right away.
Thank you again for your prayers!
The trip went well--no problems with travel. 4 young people and 1 adult trusted Christ, even though sharing the gospel was not the objective of the trip.
There was a special training session for the team administrators.
Everyone who was trained seemed to appreciate the new curriculum and we're praying that many players will learn how to better deal with conflict in their lives. Most of the team chaplains will be starting this training right away.
Thank you again for your prayers!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Soccer Clinic
Yesterday was a holiday in Haiti - commemorating the Battle of Vertieres.So, we went out to the Croix des Bouquets area to an area called Champbrun. The little village there is only 20 kilometers away from Port-au-Prince, but is pretty much isolated with no electricity, no water, etc. A few years ago, God used Pastor Esperandieu Pierre, his wife and friends to begin a work there to help the people there who live on the edge, providing for themselves the best they can by raising goats and sheep.
Apparently about 40 years ago there were lots of trees in the area, but now it's like a desert with cacti and low thorn bushes. It took a long time for Pastor Pierre and his crew to clear some land, painstakingly digging thorn bushes out of the ground. They now have a church
and a school which has grown in the past 4 years to the point where they have 350 students that they feed every day.
Apparently about 40 years ago there were lots of trees in the area, but now it's like a desert with cacti and low thorn bushes. It took a long time for Pastor Pierre and his crew to clear some land, painstakingly digging thorn bushes out of the ground. They now have a church
and a school which has grown in the past 4 years to the point where they have 350 students that they feed every day. 
We had about 42 children officially participate in the clinic, but we counted 70 playing by the end of the day! We divided them into 7 groups of 6 players by age and rotated them through different training "stations": heading, shooting, dribbling, etc. The exciting part was that we had 5 student soccer players from Quisqueya Christian School helping us, plus Ecdes, who lives with us. This was the first time Ricky and his friends have helped us with a soccer clinic and it was neat to see how well they got along with the kids.
At one of the "stations" we shared the Gospel through a "3 ball" illustration as well as through a Gospel analogy that talks about a little Haitian boy who loved to play soccer. We didn't have them fill out response cards, we just sowed the good seed and pray that God will touch the hearts of the children.
After the soccer clinic, Ricky and his buddies got to drive a "go cart" around the dry desert-like sand and do lots of "donuts". It was a great time of combining ministry with play!
After we left about 2:30 PM we decided to stop at the National Soccer Training Center of Haiti. There we got to see the Haitian U-17 girls national team boarding the bus for a game. We also got to talk with some of the players of the Haitian U-15 national team and we gave each one a Gospel tract and we gave one of their leaders "Pilgrim's Progress" in Creole. Once again we sowed the Good Seed!
We were all tired, dirty and sweaty after a full day of ministry, but happy that we were able to distribute almost 100 tracts and share Christ through stories and illustrations with the 70 that participated in the clinic!
Friday, November 6, 2009
First Training Trip a Learning Experience
This year instead of doing one big (and expensive) training of Haitian leaders just after Christmas as we have done for the past two years thanks to AACH and AIS, we have decided to visit each of the 7 areas where we have set up a regional committee and see how they're doing and also train the local team chaplains in Ken Sande's The Young Peacemaker, which a fellow Crossworld missionary has translated into Creole.
Three people went on this trip: Richard Mears, AIS Haiti Director, Ronald William, AIS Haiti Board member and Coaching Supervisor; Sylvain Nelson, AIS Head Administrator and Chaplain Supervisor.
Our first trip was from Oct. 31st to Nov. 4th and we went to Gonaives. This was the town that was underwater just one year ago. This year they are having the opposite problem: They haven't had rain for over 2 months!
We were thrilled to find the 9-member Regional Committee eager to share their experiences from the summer and also willing to learn how to prepare quarterly reports and learn more about budgets and finance.
After a full day of discussion and training, we presented the Regional Committee with 11 pairs of cleats, 11 pairs of sneakers, and 24 soccer balls – enough for each of the 6 local teams to have 4 balls. (Can you imagine a soccer team in the US trying to function with only 4 balls?). They were happy to get the material and will be responsible for lending out the sneakers and cleats whenever there is a soccer tournament. While there we also did an inventory of the equipment we had given them before the flood and found that they still had most of what we had given them, in spite of the fact that the office where the equipment had been kept had been flooded.
The next day we did training with the 6 chaplains and 6 coaches, one from each team in the region. In the morning we introduced all of them to “The Young Peacemaker” curriculum and then in the afternoon, we had a separate seminar on coaching while the chaplains continued learning about “The Young Peacemakers”.
All throughout the two day seminar we would call a participant out of class so that we could do a personal interview with him. Since we really did not know these volunteers personally, we wanted to get to know them better and also make sure they were Christians who were assured of their salvation and were qualified and “able to teach”, as 2 Tim. 2:2 says. Thankfully, all but one of the volunteers were solid in their faith and we asked the Regional Committee to follow up with the one who was questionable.
Here are a couple of testimonies from these interviews:
“A robber entered our house and killed my father and cousin. I was very upset about this but my Mother said that I had not been killed because God has a plan for me, and so I decided to trust Christ and become a Christian.”
“My Father was very sick and the doctor sent him to Port-au-Prince for an operation. My whole family prayed for his recovery, and the operation was successful! I saw how God answered our prayers and put my trust in Him.”
It never ceases to amaze me how, when you share the vision God has given you with others, and they, intern, get others involved, the work of God can multiply rapidly. In the case of Gonaives, we trained two people through our TREC training program and now there are over 27 leaders involved in the AIS Haiti program there, most of whom we just met for the first time this past weekend!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Shipment Arrives!
Yesterday morning (Oct 12), Ronald William (in white T-shirt in the picture) and I made a place in our storage room for the 31 boxes we shipped from the US.
Then in the afternoon we drove outside of Port-au-Prince to pick up the shipment of soccer equipment. We drove out with two pickup trucks and made good time in the sweltering heat of mid-day.
When we got there, they simply loaded one pallet on each pick-up with a fork lift, and since they were still shrink-wrapped, we just secured them with bungy cords and drove away!
When we arrived, we had lots of help from Ecdes' brother and cousin and we were able to unload and put the boxes in storage in less than an hour.
Now the exciting part: We get to distribute the equipment! We have several hundred soccer balls, and 5-6 boxes of sneakers plus some clothes to send to our regional committees.
Many thanks to Christian Aid Ministries for handling all the details of the shipment and customs, and to Jason Hoeckele for helping us gather and pack the equipment in the US. And of course, we thank all who donated equipment this summer, and appreciate the many individuals (especially Ian Moore) and organizations that are still collecting things for us such as AACH, Germantown Academy and Calvary Chapel in Philadelphia!
If you have some things to donate, please e-mail me and I will tell you where to send the items.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
A busy weekend of soccer tournaments
This past weekend (Sept. 11-13) AIS Haiti sponsored teams in three
different tournaments. On Friday, our under 16 team from Borel won the
final game 1 to 0 to become the winners of an U-16 regional tournament
sponsored by the Haitian Soccer Federation. We gave out Bibles to
several of the tournament organizers and the team will participate in a
service of thanksgiving at their local church on Borel.
Also on Friday, our regional committee in Jacmel hosted the final of a
“Ti Kan” (3 per side) tournament. There were lots of people there and
the Pastor shared the Gospel clearly during half-time. Lots of
response cards were collected, but so far not one indicated that they
trusted Christ. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will draw people to
Christ as the evangelism counselors follow up with those who filled out
response cards.
On Sunday Elysee Vaillant, one of our key leaders on the AIS Haiti
board, led his team made up of former Lemuel players into the final of a
“Ti Kan” (3 per side) tournament. Even though they lost 6 to 3, Elysee
was able to share the Gospel with the players on the other team and give
several community leaders who attended a Bible. In addition, over 500
evangelistic tracts were handed out to those that attended the game.
Over 1,000 lbs of Soccer Equipment is on its way to Haiti
This summer, thanks to the help of a summer intern named Jason Hoeckele,
we were able to collect and ship lots of soccer equipment and sneakers
to Haiti. We received a generous donation of balls and sneakers from
Ian Moore, the director of the Alliance of Christian Athletics of Haiti
who also gave us a generous donation towards the cost of the shipping.
The rest of the cost of shipping came from the money raised at VBS by
Northampton Presbyterian Church who also collected 36 soccer balls for
Haiti! Please pray that the equipment, which is being shipped by boat,
arrives safely.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
On their way to Port-de-Paix and Jean Rabel
Richard, Daniel, Sylvain and Elysee were off to the north yesterday. We got up at about 4:30 after a big night at school (Ricky in talent show & our BBall team winning the Championship...maybe another post). We packed books, soccer equipment, speakers, generator, food and water. They left at about 8:30 from our house, picked up Sylvain and Elysee and arrived safely in Port-de-Paix 10 hours later. For those of you who don't know Haiti so well, you're wondering how that can be in this small country. It's a matter of bad roads and loading and unloading people and luggage along the way.
Please pray for them to have a safe trip to Jean Rabel today and for the ministries up there to receive the encouragement and training they need. Also, be praying for the outreaches to be held this summer.
Please pray for them to have a safe trip to Jean Rabel today and for the ministries up there to receive the encouragement and training they need. Also, be praying for the outreaches to be held this summer.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Great Trip to Gonaives and Verettes
We just got back safely from our trip. Daniel Jean-Louis, Ronald William and Jackie Klamer (who helped us with the Jen@biz business training seminar last October) went on a long roadtrip to visit with some business leaders in Gonaives who are trying to hold a conference to encourage more people to start businesses in Gonaives after they suffered their second flood in 3 years last November.
I also visited with the Ambassadors in Sport regional committee that lost all the soccer equipment we had given them in 2007 in the flood.
I was very impressed with the 9-member committee in Gonaives and their enthusiasm for the work. On Tuesday morning at 6 AM I did a soccer training with them on a dusty field and also got to share Gospel with them and another team that we invited to train with us.
During a team meeting I told them my personal testimony of how my Father died when I was only 11 years old and also did a Bible study with them on how to live at peace with others.
Our next stop was Verettes where we did a training on Tuesday afternoon for the U-14 team we have their (That made 2 soccer coaching sessions in one day for me!). Then in the evening we had a meeting with 5 members of the Regional Committee in Verettes.
Out of the seven teams that we trained and gave equipment to, only five have participated in planning events in the past year, so we are going to try and encourage the other two teams to be more active.
Then this morning (Wednesday, April 8th) we did another soccer trianing with the boys and girls teams and then did a Bible study with them on peacemaking.
The girls team in Verettes were particularly thrilled to be able to play with Jackie Klammer since they don't often get to see women soccer players as role models.
Thanks to all who prayed for our safety!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Frustrating news
After waiting from 8 am until 2 pm, Richard and Obias were disappointed when Obias was quickly denied the visa to go to the US for to train and minister with AIS International this summer. We're not sure if it's worth applying again this year. Getting visas for Haitians to go to the US is very difficult at this time.
This was particularly disappointing because all of Obias' expenses, from his plane ticket to his room and board for the summer had been provided by AIS and one of our supporting churches.
This was particularly disappointing because all of Obias' expenses, from his plane ticket to his room and board for the summer had been provided by AIS and one of our supporting churches.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Good meeting in Leogane
Yesterday Richard went to Leogane to meet with the newly formed regional committee. They had done a great job of putting together a proposal for a tournament and they worked on revising the budget so that the tournament could be done with a minimum of funds. Then they were given a challenge to raise 50% of the funds locally and they accepted the challenge.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Miracle by the Airport
We have been trying to get 5 boxes of soccer equipment out of the airport customs office since last August. We had the stuff air-shipped to Haiti special so we could give out uniforms for our summer soccer tournament in Leogane which was held from Aug 8 to Aug 20th.
We partnered with the Haitian Soccer Federation for this tournament and asked them to help us get these uniforms out of customs duty-free since they are a tax-exempt organization in Haiti.
We thought this was something they do all the time since the Haitian National teams need to import equipment all the time. But it was now December 15th and the stuff was still stuck in customs.
So after two failed attempts to go through the Federation, we decided we had to take matters into our own hands and plead our case with the Director of Customs.
So this morning (12/15) we went to the customs office with a letter requesting a meeting with the Director of Customs. We were just going to drop off the letter and hope that he would honor our request to speak with him 2 days later. But when we arrived at his secretary's office, there he was, signing some papers!
He overheard our tale of woe and stoped and looked at our paperwork. His first reaction was that he could not reduce the fees. But then his secretary piped up and pleaded our case. He waved his hand and told us to start the paperwork and come back to his office!
So we got the paperwork typed up and then went to verify that the stuff was still there after all these months, and it was.
Tomorrow we will find out how much they will charge - so keep praying!!
To be continued...
We partnered with the Haitian Soccer Federation for this tournament and asked them to help us get these uniforms out of customs duty-free since they are a tax-exempt organization in Haiti.
We thought this was something they do all the time since the Haitian National teams need to import equipment all the time. But it was now December 15th and the stuff was still stuck in customs.
So after two failed attempts to go through the Federation, we decided we had to take matters into our own hands and plead our case with the Director of Customs.
So this morning (12/15) we went to the customs office with a letter requesting a meeting with the Director of Customs. We were just going to drop off the letter and hope that he would honor our request to speak with him 2 days later. But when we arrived at his secretary's office, there he was, signing some papers!
He overheard our tale of woe and stoped and looked at our paperwork. His first reaction was that he could not reduce the fees. But then his secretary piped up and pleaded our case. He waved his hand and told us to start the paperwork and come back to his office!
So we got the paperwork typed up and then went to verify that the stuff was still there after all these months, and it was.
Tomorrow we will find out how much they will charge - so keep praying!!
To be continued...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
A SOCCER TEAM AT A CHURCH?
On a bright Sunday morning I walked into a church in Borel, in the Artibonite Valley and what did I find? Eighty boys and girls in soccer uniforms sitting quietly in the pews being encouraged in spiritual things by local community leaders and church leaders. I had gotten up at 5 AM to drive the 2 and ½ hours from Port-au-Prince to Borel with two of my other leaders-in-training: Ronald William who is on the AIS Haiti board, and Lucasse Henrilus, a former Lemuel player who works in the AIS office and helps me out when I travel. We arrived just as the service was starting.
The president of AIS Haiti's local committee, Wattnec Milfort is also an elder in this church and started a community soccer school as a way of reaching kids in the area with the Gospel. He has been coaching kids for a long time and two of his players have played on Haiti's national teams. His team was in the final of a soccer tournament he had organized that afternoon, and he wanted the church to encourage his players emotionally and spiritually before the game. And did they ever!
Some of the youth sang a song they wrote that said: “Jesus is happy when we pray. His grace is sufficient. Depend on Jesus. Be strong and of good courage.” Another song had a verse that said “Run straight towards the goal”.
I was asked to say a few words and used 1 Cor. 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink of whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” to encourage them to play for God's glory that afternoon. I also shared with them a dream I have of Haiti someday sending some soccer players to Senegal to help the youth of Senegal come to know Jesus through soccer outreaches.
Wattnec's younger brother gave the sermon appropriately based on 1 Timothy 4:12 “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, in purity.” He used the example of Maradonna, the famous Argentinian player who got in trouble with drugs to show how we can either be a good example or a bad example to others.
The team must have taken the good counsel to heart because they played well and did not let their emotions get the best of them, even when they lost in a penalty shoot-out. Sometimes we learn more spiritually when we lose than when we win!
But in the end, God was glorified because 17 people indicated they trusted Christ through the evangelism that was done at half-time of the match!!
Tig se Tig (A Tiger is a Tiger)
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The Haitian proverb above means that a son is just like his father. We would say “The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.”
As I have become like a Father to many of my Haitian leaders, it gives me great joy when, on their own, they begin to put into practice the things they have learned from us.
Recently we had the privilege of being invited to attend the final game of a week-long U-15 tournament in the Artibonite valley. As you may recall, this is the area where we started a pilot project last year and started soccer teams at eight UEBH Christian schools.
Wattnec Milfort, the president of the local committee we organized to work with these eight schools has enthusiastically embraced our strategy of using soccer to share the Gospel with young Haitians throughout the Artibonite valley. In fact, on his own, he organized a tournament and just asked us to help him with the evangelism at the final game.
Wattnec raised the funds, motivated the teams to participate, hired the referees, and did everything make the tournament a success, both physically and spiritually. He also did not do it alone. Following what we taught him about the importance of forming a committee and delegating responsibilities, he called upon several other members of the local committee that we had trained to help him.
The soccer results were that his team made it to the final game and lost in a heart-breaking penalty shoot-out.
The spiritual results were that 270 people filled out response cards, 17 people indicated they trusted Christ, 55 asked for more information before trusting Christ, 51 were already Christians, 59 said they would like to be involved in a Bible study, and 46 asked for prayer.
In addition, we gave out 3 Bibles as prizes and over 300 tracts to the spectators. PTL!!
As I have become like a Father to many of my Haitian leaders, it gives me great joy when, on their own, they begin to put into practice the things they have learned from us.
Recently we had the privilege of being invited to attend the final game of a week-long U-15 tournament in the Artibonite valley. As you may recall, this is the area where we started a pilot project last year and started soccer teams at eight UEBH Christian schools.
Wattnec Milfort, the president of the local committee we organized to work with these eight schools has enthusiastically embraced our strategy of using soccer to share the Gospel with young Haitians throughout the Artibonite valley. In fact, on his own, he organized a tournament and just asked us to help him with the evangelism at the final game.
Wattnec raised the funds, motivated the teams to participate, hired the referees, and did everything make the tournament a success, both physically and spiritually. He also did not do it alone. Following what we taught him about the importance of forming a committee and delegating responsibilities, he called upon several other members of the local committee that we had trained to help him.
The soccer results were that his team made it to the final game and lost in a heart-breaking penalty shoot-out.
The spiritual results were that 270 people filled out response cards, 17 people indicated they trusted Christ, 55 asked for more information before trusting Christ, 51 were already Christians, 59 said they would like to be involved in a Bible study, and 46 asked for prayer.
In addition, we gave out 3 Bibles as prizes and over 300 tracts to the spectators. PTL!!
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