Dear Friends,
The new font I’m using for our theme verse is Dreaming Outloud. At Surge International we dream silently, we dream out loud, we pray silently, we pray out loud – that we could connect with people through soccer so that we can meet their needs in Jesus’ name. One of my recent dreams didn’t come true – I didn’t go to Liberia on January 27th with Al Lotz and David Welk. I woke up the night before my flights at a hotel by the Portland airport with a whooshing sound in my ears. At 3:30 am I woke again with a buzzing sound in my left ear. While Susie had supported my decision to go on the trip even though she had fractured her wrist, I knew it was time to cancel my trip and stay home.
She is slowly healing 🙏
As soon as I finished cancelling my flights the buzzing sound stopped, and hasn’t come back. I felt confidentthat I had made the correct decision though I woke up the next morning very discouraged. But God didn’t allow me to stay discourage for very long. Mike Russ, former university coach and supporter of our work in Liberia called. He said, “I’m ready to go to Liberia and I could go in April. So naturally I was enthusiastic and said I would pray about that. ***The next day Jon Ortlip, www.ambassadorsfootball.org called me “out of the blue” asking “Can you come to Liberia in April to help train coaches for our new project?”
Jon was with me at Soccer Friends, Sports Life and Missionary Athletes International. He was one of my players, eventually becoming a leader; and founding Ambassadors in England, then moving his headquarters to Ohio. Jon is part of the fruit of our labor, from your prayers and support. He now has 140 staff in 40 countries and 13,000 primary school children in East Africa in their soccer and discipleship program in partnership with local churches and schools.
And least I forget- Al test launched his online Bible teaching program and David and Al visited a school with our Liberian colleagues and were special guests in the National Stadium for the County Meets Final, along with over 30,000 others – a good promotion for our national ministry.