By Shelley Pearson
•
28 Mar, 2023
Hope for an Orphan Simon shared two examples of significant life change. Titus is a 17-year old orphan being raised by his elderly grandparents who are unable to provide for themselves and depend on him to work small jobs so he can buy food for the family. Simon has seen massive transformation in Titus. He says, “He’s a guy who is always at the soccer grounds early. Then he goes to town to do some work, goes back home and prepares meals for his grandparents, and then returns to the soccer grounds.” He is also doing DBS with an older couple and sharing the gospel regularly. Simon said, “He is our example.” Changing the Culture one Girl at a Time He shared the story of another girl who was chased from her home and was staying with some neighbors because she had nowhere else to go. Simon and his team went to the home and asked, “How can you chase away your daughter? We will help her grow and become a genuine Christian who will do more in the ministry.” Simon and his team have worked with her, and her family is now coming to thank them. Big Dreams for the Future When asked about his God-sized goals for the future, Simon said, “We would have 120 soccer players, and by the end of 2023 we would have 1,200 DBS groups. If we are faithful to the calling and faithful to God, it is possible. We have done that in the past. The most important thing is to invest your own time with 120 servants of God and you will see the multiplication in every city. Then every coach and every soccer player will know.” Funding Needs Currently, Simon is receiving only half of his monthly budget. The Lord has always provided through volunteers bringing food for the meals and donating fuel so they can travel to their matches, but there is so much more that could be done. We have a great opportunity to come alongside him so that he can do even more ministry and meet the needs of his family. We can also provide opportunities for him to receive further training and build deeper relationships with the FCA team in Minnesota. How can the Northland Pray for Simon? Simon said, “Pray with us. I work with elite clubs because of the relationships that I have. I do part-time chaplaincy for one of the elite teams and minister to them once a week. There are Muslims on that team. Two weeks ago, I gave them an assignment to figure out who Jesus is, even the Muslims. They are not offended but are very excited. Pray with us as we work with them and as we make sure our Amazing Grace soccer players also have an advantage by taking part in these elite clubs.”