Where Jesus becomes King, things are done differently. And where the predominant culture is influenced by worldly ways, the Jesus way can be striking—even shocking—to those who witness it. That’s what took place on a Ugandan soccer field. The setting was the Masaza Cup Tournament. One team and their fans attacked another team during a game, and everyone expected retribution during their next match. But where violence was expected (and extra security was on standby), there was peace, because the team was doing things Jesus’s way. And the shockwaves of that gospel peace extended far beyond just the players involved, to the whole country of Uganda.
Watch as Coach Moses Mawa shares about that powerful moment and what led up to it:
The opportunity to proclaim the good news of Jesus through deed on the soccer field took place because of the ministry of AVA Mission Africa, one of Novo’s global partners. AVA Mission Africa serves Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Kenya, with a focus on children up through young adults in their early 30s. One of their thriving ministries is the Sports Mentorship Program.
The Sports Mentorship Program has more than 60 soccer academies with 1500 athletes. Some are for children (age 17 and under) and others are for young adults aged 17-25. “Sports mentorship is more than training,” shared Coach Moses, the program’s director. “It's more than coaching these children … It is you becoming a role model into their lives. You become someone who guides them, someone who directs them in their personal challenges and direction.” They aim to impact these young people mentally, spiritually, and physically, in order to transform their mentality and life.
Coach Moses and the other AVA Mission coaches use Discovery Bible Studies (DBSs) as a tool to help soccer players understand what it means to follow Jesus. As soon as Coach Moses experienced a DBS he knew this would be an amazing way to teach young people the Bible. It was so simple and easy to understand. He realized the ways he had taught the Bible before had focused on what he thought, what he wanted to teach. With DBS, the players were discovering what it meant to follow Jesus for themselves—and discovering it for themselves made the impact much more profound. “[DBS] enables the player to discover for himself what God is speaking to him,” Coach Moses said. Young people started changing because they were obeying what the Holy Spirit showed them in the word of God, not because Coach Moses was trying to alter their behavior.
In the region of Uganda where the Masaza Cup Tournament takes place, soccer players started taking prayer home and calling more young people to engage in Discovery Bible Study (DBS). The elders in the area noticed significant behavior and character changes in the soccer players. They notified the county chief, who was so amazed at the changes in these young men that he contacted Coach Moses to discuss how they could take the mentoring and DBS programs beyond the town council sports teams into other areas.
The county chief also gave Coach Moses the honor of forming a team of soccer players to compete in the Masaza Cup Tournament. Participating in the tournament would give AVA Mission a much bigger stage to witness about Jesus within the Ugandan sports community.
Sadly, the soccer world in Uganda is plagued with bad sportsmanship. Bribing officials to call things in your favor is common, and teams practice witchcraft before the games Ava Mission players have learned a different way. Instead of witchcraft, they precede games with prayer and prayer-walking. They entrust themselves to God rather than trying to control results.
That’s what the AVA Mission team did during the Masaza Cup.
They prayed. And they committed themselves to God and God’s ways. However, as you heard earlier, during one of the games they played, a dispute arose about one of their goals. The opposing team (and the team’s fans) lashed out in violence. They attacked the players on the field, damaged their vehicles, etc. The police had to fire shots to clear up the fight.
That was an away game, and the next match the AVA Mission team had against those who attacked them was on their own home turf. Everyone connected to the Tournament expected the AVA Mission team to seek revenge. Extra police officers were called in for protection, and none of the opposing team’s fans came to the game out of fear or reprisal.
The way the AVA Mission team handled themselves shocked everyone. The team’s choice to follow Jesus in the path of peace impacted the other team, the fans, and the members of the media who were there. Their strong character was a testament to all the Ugandans who watched or heard about the match.
Coach Moses loves sharing about the ways he’s seeing God touching and transforming lives on and off the soccer field. This isn’t about winning matches and sharing Jesus on a big stage for him. It’s about how the students are encountering the love of God in the midst of whatever’s going on in their lives. Here’s a testimony he shared from one soccer student from a Muslim background:
I'm standing here today grateful for God's strength and love. Losing my father was one of the toughest experiences … [His] passing left a void in our family, especially for my mother and my two young sisters. I felt the weight of responsibility. I took care of them. It's challenging balancing my own grief about the passing of my father while being strong for my family.
But through prayers and seeking guidance from God's Word, I have found comfort. One training session, Coach Moses shared a Discovery Bible Study on Psalm 34:1-20. My verse that stood out for me was verse 18. This is what it says: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
In times of sorrow, God's presence is a constant source of hope. I am learning to lean on him. I trust his plan because of that Discovery Bible Study.
I will continue to trust in God's goodness and stability, but most of all, I will continue to study the Word of God because it has strengthened me.
Coach Moses and the other AVA Mission sports coaches will continue to mentor and guide children and young adults toward the peace and hope of Jesus. And as young people in Uganda encounter the Living God through his Word and choose the Jesus way, there is no limit to the level of transformation that could take place, both on and off the soccer field.
ABOUT THIS STORY
Moses Mawa grew up playing soccer and came to know Jesus on the soccer field himself. His passion is to help other young players discover Jesus like he did. Following a sports injury, Moses became certified as a soccer coach and began coaching and mentoring vulnerable youth in the ghetto. He called his program the Life Eternal Football Academy, which is how AVA Mission Africa discovered him. They introduced him to DBS, and Coach Moses immediately knew he wanted to use it with his players. Eventually, AVA Mission invited him to join them in their work to launch gospel movements across Eastern Africa. Coach Moses loves being part of AVA Mission Africa, and loves helping other coaches catalyze gospel movements among the soccer players of Uganda and beyond.