Kick'n Back follow up.

Well, our first outing for the Kick'n Back foundation was a HUGE success!  At the CAK vs. Hardin Valley game, we were able to collect over 75 pairs of cleats, 20 balls, 30 pairs of socks, 30 pairs of shin guards, and many jerseys and shorts.  And that was just at our first game!  2 of my players (seen in the picture to the left) came to the game with me.  Both enjoyed watching the match (though they were rooting for Hardin Valley... booo!) and were very honored for the donations that were given.

James Logan and I were able to clean and sort all of the gear the next day.  We filled over 4 bins with the cleats, tied each pair together, and sized each so that they were easy to read and pick out.  It took us most of the morning just to go through the cleats.

That Sunday, we went to our Burundi practice and brought the gear with us.  The guys were so excited. We took a $5 donation for the pairs of cleats, and a $1 donation for any socks or shinguards.  All of the proceeds go back into the Kick'n Back foundation, which will help pay for their future expenses.  This provides ownership of the gear to the guys.  Studies have shown this works much better in the long run, as opposed to just handing the gear out.   The whole team was able to purchase cleats at a cost that they all could afford.  We had a great practice that day, because everyone had their own shoes!

Our next venture as a Burundian team is our game schedule.  We will be playing 2 scrimmages over the next month.  The first will be against a team of American college students.  Most all are former CAK players who attend at UT.  The B.F.C wanted to get an 11 a side match before they play their rival team in Charlotte.

The second scrimmage will be against another Burundian refugee team in North Carolina.  Our challenge now, is to find a way to get them to Charlotte.  With gas being so expensive, and bus or van rental even more, this provides a difficult task.  However, we have started a nice money base with the funds collected from the cleats.  If any of you would like to help out, however, we would love it.  All donations are tax deductible.  If you have any questions, please e mail me.

We are hoping to have our second promotion at a Farragut soccer match next week.  We'll keep you posted!  Thanks so much for all of your prayers.  We really appreciate them. 

Next blog will share the updates with the Brazil mission trip.  We are in 3rd gear, ready to shift to 4th!  2 new tour members were just added yesterday!

Kick'n Back

Isn't it neat, when you have a dream, to actually see that dream or vision start to come true?  For me, living a life in sports ministry is the dream.  To serve my Lord using a sport that I LOVE to play and LOVE to coach is something I have always dreamed of doing. 

And that dream grows bigger in reality every day.  Starting with the Charlotte Eagles, it has now moved to include working with the Knoxville Force professional team, into a new foundation called Kick'n Back.  Not only does it "recycle" soccer gear to the refugees in and around Knoxville, but it also allows businesses and people to "kick back" their skills and resources to help those in need.  How awesome is it, that the the CAK soccer team is now working with a church and Robert Hodge to help the same Burundian refugees that I have been coaching!  They will be helping the refugees in building their gardens to help feed the people around the Londsdale complex.

WBIR did a news clip on their garden just this weekend!Burundi garden

And at senior night at the CAK vs. Hardin Valley game, the schools have allowed us to come and collect soccer gear for our African friends.  Free admission to anyone who donates.  What a blessing for us, and for the Burundians. 

When we played last week, several of the guys had different cleats on, and different sizes.   Most asked to wear my cleats when I wasn't playing, because they had nothing.  Many have sent me messages of "please find size 11s!"  I would give them mine, but I wear a 9.5!

John Russell, owner of Johnny Longs soccer academy saw the needs of those boys.  As we were training at his location (which he so graciously allowed us to use at no charge!) he quickly went to his lost and found and brought over the cleats that were left in there.  "Let them use these.  And we'll find some more for them to use!".  He later came with t shirts and shorts for them, too.  He called me that night and had an idea for hosting a soccer tournament to aid the guys.  How incredible is that?

Our first donor saw the need for things and wrote us a check for $1000!  The husband and wife wanted the guys to have the same opportunity and gear that most Americans take for granted.  The boys and I proudly wore our new pennies to practice, and kicked around our new soccer balls (which included over 30 balls donated by another group!). 

Things are really going full speed with so many things in our lives now.  The Charlotte Eagles tour is getting ready to get under way, with the addition of a greatly needed keeper for the women's team!  I got to coach a middle school game today, and will be coaching an AYSO practice tomorrow.  Life is GOOD!  And God is even better.  While he has blessed me with an ability to use a soccer ball and direct people around a field of grass, I am honored to "kick back" those skills in His name to win something so much more valuable than a championship ring. 

My new team!

Well, I managed to remain "retired" from coaching for a few months, but God has directed me to my new team.  They look a little different from my last squad, to say the least!  But what an outstanding group of young men!

A few months ago, I received an e mail from a friend, who received an e mail from a friend, and I came close to deleting it (whenever I see 2 FWD's in the subject line, I tend to lean towards the trash can icon as most of us do).  It was from a University of Tennessee professor, who represented a group of Burundians refugees that live in Knoxville (and YES, I too had to look up where Burundi actually is,too.  See if you can find it!).  I had no idea that we had refugees in Knoxville, let alone over 200!   They were looking for a Christian coach who could mentor them, and train them to prepare for their season with the African soccer league (again... we have an AFRICAN soccer league in Knoxville???).  Turns out they travel around the south east, playing other refugee teams!  I e mailed back that I might be able to help, not knowing at that time, what on earth I could do outside of being  their coach. 

This is what I have been wanting to do, but thought I would have to wait until I came on to full time staff with the Eagles.  But an opportunity arose with the Knoxville Force, which is the new semi pro team here in Knoxville.  The were looking for someone who could use soccer as a ministry in and around Knoxville!  What an amazing "God" thing!  I met with the president of the Force, and proposed working with the refugees.  They loved the idea!  So I met with the  African team last week.  About 15 young African men came to the meeting, somewhat skeptical on why I would do this for them.  They kept on asking "what do we pay you?" and "you mean you would even come to practices and help?".  I told them that God has always supplied my needs, and that all I wanted from them was an opportunity to build relationships with their community.  I further explained that I was a missionary, of sorts, that used soccer as the platform of my work.  They seemed to understand that. Once they saw that my motives were genuine, and I really wanted to help, they were very excited about the possibilities!

We have our first "practice" this weekend.  There is a long road ahead of us, with budget proposals, and approaching local businesses to see if they would like to pair with us in this local outreach.  But it is a step.  The first step, in what I hope to be a long walk towards building a relationship with a culture that I didn't even know existed here in Tennessee.