We use soccer as a way to gain acceptance and build relationships. We customize each trip to the needs and desires of the people but this clip has a good variety of different soccer-related events from a trip to Bolivia where we worked previously for many years. Part of this trip was in support of a new, first of its kind Christian based soccer academy in Bolivia, and part of it was outreach and street ministry using soccer.

We are sometimes involved in events that do not include soccer. We are currently doing a Bible teaching in Peru with leaders of the Shipibo native group. I consider this to be a very important part of what I do as I hope the leaders discipled will carry the truth throughout their river communities.

Soccer Games for Kids
We use soccer-related games to engage the children. Children across the globe are the same in that they love any attention they get. I think of two soccer games we have frequently used that kids love. 1) Super Soccer: place a bunch of balls at midfield and have two teams from each end of the field run in to collect the balls and bring them back to their own goals – no hands of course, all by kicking, passing, and shooting. 2) Sharks and Minnows: Players, each with a ball, line up on a line and dribble across to another parallel line maybe 20 yards away. Choose one or two “sharks” with no ball to be in the middle and their job is to steal the ball from the “minnows”. When the minnows lose possession of their ball they join the sharks until the last one standing is the winner.