‘Ball missionaries’ testify with soccer

Fifty campers and a handful of parents clapped and sang along in Portuguese with nine men in neon yellow jerseys, self-proclaimed “ball missionaries.”

The men had come from Brazil to Central Baptist Church in Lowesville for three days of soccer instruction and Christian testimony.

The final song the group sang on the last day of camp, July 16, meant “Jesus is my superhero.” It was halftime of the two-hour session, and under the shade of the pavilion, children and teenagers listened to co-pastor Chris Harbin translate Joao Alberto Lucero Fagunde’s story of giving up idols, and finding sanctuary and peace through Jesus Christ.

Then Aselmo Alves, a chaplain for Brazilian National Team players, led a short sermon.

“God is pulling together a team on Earth, and Jesus is the coach in this game of life,” Alves said through Harbin. “You can leave here knowing you are a champion in life.”

After a short prayer, it was back to the lawn of the church for scrimmages and games. The campers spent the morning learning ball skills and how put them to practice, said coach Paulo Henrique, a former professional player.

“Our main purpose is not to play soccer, but to share Jesus’ love with everybody,” Henrique said.

The group is composed of former pro and semi-pro players. They have been coming to Virginia churches for 10 years through a partnership between the Parana Baptist Convention (in Brazil) and the Virginia Baptist Convention. The camp is free for participants, and Henrique said the coaches pay their own way, with some help from the church. This was his vacation, he said.

After 22 days traveling around Virginia and hosting camps, the group would be flying back to Brazil the next day. Henrique said they had held camps in Fredericksburg and Virginia Beach. Central Baptist Church had been on a waiting list for three years.

“It’s a way to give the kids something positive to do,” Harbin said. “And it means a lot for the kids to see that someone came from another country to teach them soccer and share Jesus Christ.”

On the soccer fields, it was not a big deal that many of the coaches couldn’t speak English. Sports have a way of transcending language. The youngest group, ages 4 to 9, ran around with their coaches in a scrimmage, red sashes tied around their foreheads to determine teams.

“To work with kids, you need to have special people,” Henrique said, gesturing to the chaos.

After a penalty kick shootout between the two teams, the children headed back to the shade for water. Darren Beachy, 9 — who had come for this, his first soccer camp, at the church just eight minutes from his house — raced off the field, barefoot and flushed.

“They’re fun,” he said. “They teach us a lot, like how to kick with the side of our feet. They taught us some exercises.”