Mike first joined us on in Burundi and has traveled with us to Austria and Peru. Now married to Kelly (Lotz) they are now in a rural village in Uganda. Mike will be coaching a men’s soccer team, and one of his goals is to also start a soccer academy for the youth/orphans there. He firmly believes in the importance and structure that youth sport offers, in building character and providing a positive environment outside of school. Mike has a huge heart for mentoring young men, and helping point them to God. As mentioned earlier, working with an orphanage has always been one of our deepest desires, and while the school is up and running for the many orphaned children in this community, there is yet to be an actual orphanage. Laying the groundwork for building an orphanage is something we would love to be a part of! There is a medical clinic at this time, but no medical personnel to run it, so as a registered nurse, Kelly will be able to provide some services to the community. This is in the very early stages as there are very few medical supplies at this time, but we know God will provide the resources we need so we can be used at our greatest potential! There are also opportunities for prison ministry and additional children’s ministries. This may sound like a lot without much structure at this time, but the needs are endless and we look forward to jumping in and joining the work that God is already doing there.

Having played soccer at Judson University, Mike went on to play professionally in Sweden. During his time there he joined a Surge international soccer team for a 2014 tour in Burundi, Africa with the purpose of promoting peace in the aftermath of tribal genocide. Mike is currently providing personal professional soccer training to athletes in the Sacramento area.