A Coach and Team
A Coach... Did you have one?
I did. Starting at 5 years old I had adults come into my life who I called ‘coach.’ Sports played a significant part in my life for as long as I can remember. It started with soccer and baseball. Soccer holds a fonder memory for me, because I was better at it. Baseball...well, let’s just say I was stuck in the outfield where the ball rarely made an appearance. I was on the field for many years, but later I found myself in the pool. Swimming and water polo took up my high school years.
While the sports changed, one thing didn’t: an adult figure who invested in my life. Obviously some were there solely to win games, but for others it was truly an investment. They cared for me and my teammates on and off the field. Through encouragement and direction they instilled in us values that I believe still manifest in our lives today. How about you? Do you remember your favorite coach?
A Team... Did you have one?
I did. There’s something special about being on a ‘team.’ Showing up for practice every Tuesday and Thursday to kick a ball down a field or running laps because we were messing around. Early morning workouts in the weight room when the cold winter weather made us question the worth of that extra session of lifting. Extra laps up and down the pool and having to practice lay-ups again and again. To say that it was all enjoyable would be ridiculous. To say that we wanted to be the best team, to work hard together, to win? Absolutely, and we knew that this took all of us.
It was our teammates that we sweated with, laughed with, we celebrated and ran extra laps with. That’s what made the extra time worth it: our team. Having a group of friends that fought for a common goal. A team sure makes it better.
I can’t imagine not having had coaches or teams. Both were such a big part of my childhood and I wouldn’t want to trade them for anything.
‘As a iron sharpens iron, so one friend sharpens another.’ ~ Proverbs 27.17
‘Como el hierro se afila al hierro, así un amigo se afila a su amigo.’ ~ Proverbios 27.17
Building a team along the border.
The idea of not having a coach or a team is hard to imagine. However this is the reality of many kids along the border. So in 2021 we began a jiu jitsu club in a rural community across the border in a small rural community outside of Ciudad Juárez. We partnered with a local neighborhood church who provided us the space to layout our mats have classes throughout the week.
I laced up my shoes and began walking the neighborhood knocking on doors. A 51 year old white guy walking through the dusty streets of a Mexican neighborhood inviting families to have their children start training Jiu Jitsu. Thinking back now it seems absolutely ridiculous, but God has blessed our meager efforts and desire to invest into children. We have over 60 children training Jiu jitsu, learning an amazing sport and experiencing the reality of a team and a coach who wants the best for them!
In the next few months we will start our second club in another neighborhood. We have identified a new partner church who is providing us space and soon it will be time to lace up my shoes and start knocking on new doors!
“I need some teammates of my own...”
I want to serve these families. In particular, I want to help the children in those difficult situations. I want to give them the chance to experience a bit of what I did as a child: to enjoy a group of teammates. I want to pour into their lives like so many coaches poured into mine and share my love of Jiu Jitsu and the love of Jesus.
For this to be possible I need some teammates of my own. I can’t reach this goal alone. I believe that there are people who will join with me to make sure groups of children in underserved communities will get to have a coach and a team and will learn for themselves that in the midst of sweat and strain, that they have a God who loves them.
If that is you, if you want to be a part of a team that is changing lives we would love to have your support. Donated Gis or a financial donation will be such a blessing to us and help us continue our mission of changing lives along the Mexican border! You can find more info here!
#coach #team #sports #jiujitsu #bjj #ministry