As our QFC coaches have increased in number for the past few years, God has put the desire in our hearts to bring them all together for a time of teaching and fellowship. That dream became a reality this month. We brought 30 Quechua FC coaches to Tarapoto, where we spent a weekend studying scripture, encouraging each other, hearing testimonies, and sharing coaching wisdom. The weekend was a huge blessing. Rick Robinson (Faithe’s dad) was a guest speaker for the weekend, and he shared things he’s learned in his 30 years of coaching experience. His central theme was “Being a Kingdom Coach,” discipling through sports. He talked about having priorities in order on and off the field, creative ways to motivate your team, and helping your players reach their full potential. His presentations also included specific advice, such as “Always arrive first for practice, and have all your materials set up in advance. That way you can greet each player as they arrive instead of setting up at the last minute.” Quechua FC head coach and regional director Manolo Sinti taught the group what he’s learning in his B-license course with the Peruvian soccer federation. Quechua FC coach Elmer Ramos shared knowledge from the C-license course he recently completed. Miguel led Bible study times that served a double purpose: learning more about God together, and demonstrating ways that the coaches can lead Bible study with their teams. I (Faithe) taught a few new drills that the coaches could use at their academies, and shared what I’ve learned in my 5 months of professional soccer at Sporting Cristal.
We heard lots of news from our coaches about how things are going in their academies! We would love for you to rejoice with us and pray with us as you read through some prayer requests and praise reports.
Praises:
Our group of five volunteer coaches in Tununtunumba have a wonderful companionship, constantly encouraging each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. They also count on their pastor’s full support, as he is like an honorary extra coach who attends most practices, hangs out with the players, and shares devotionals.
Coach Elmer just finished his Peruvian Soccer Federation coaching license course, and got excellent grades! Throughout the coaches workshop, he used his new knowledge to teach a brief lesson on child psychology—for example, your U-6 players don’t have the capacity to think about anything except chasing the ball. These details were very useful to our other coaches, and we were happy he was able to share his knowledge!
The local pastor in Chazuta prayed over our Quechua FC All Star team before all their games, making them feel more welcome at the local church.
Our Tarapoto team has been able to build a relationship with the owner of the field they rent for training, and she has been very kind to them. She gives them discounts, protects their time slots, and even gave one of our coaches a part time job!
Our Sisa region locations recently pulled together their own All Star team to compete in a local tournament! So far, they’ve won all their games!
Prayer requests:
Both QFC Tarapoto and QFC Chazuta have trouble getting support from their local churches and leaders. Both groups have a lot of turnover; one week they’ll have 50 players, the next week they’ll have 10. We reminded them that sometimes it’s not about the numbers, and that maybe God is calling them to invest deeply in a small group instead of generally in a large group!
There’s been a lot of controversy lately at Quechua FC Machu Picchu, and we appreciate your prayers for Coach Simon, his family, and his wonderful group of young people!
Quechua FC San Isidro is enduring criticism from a secular soccer academy nearby. The other academy has been spreading mean rumors about Quechua FC in an effort to steal our players for themselves. Pray that our coaches there won’t get discouraged, and will stick to the vision, not getting pulled down into petty arguments.
Thank you so much for supporting our coaches in prayer! They are on the frontlines of the spiritual battles of evangelism and discipleship. The enemy doesn’t like to see the Gospel advance, so he puts roadblocks like these in the way at times. Above all, pray that our coaches keep the faith, and keep moving forward!