Jersey City, NJ -- This spring break the Alliance University women's soccer team went on a sports ministry mission trip to Limeria, Brazil in partnership with Missionary Athletes International (MAI). This trip focused on using the sport of soccer to partner with churches and organizations in Limera to create ministry opportunities for the local MAI partners and missionaries. Our team had the opportunity to share with schools, youth groups, churches, kids' ministries, club teams, and much more. This trip became more than just sharing the sport of soccer. While this was our platform, we saw the impact the game can have. While on the field soccer, or as the Brazilians say 'futebol', transcended language, age, gender, background and socioeconomic differences. Soccer became the tool to bridge these gaps and to ultimately share the 'why' behind what we do. Through our partnership with MAI contacts, Thiago and Marcelo, our team was able to run soccer clinics for a local club, share at several youth groups, schools and church services, support food ministries, help out at several youth homes and play a lot of soccer. Our role was different at each place we visited, but soccer allowed us to find common ground and bring the whole gospel to the whole world. 

While sharing and pouring into these different areas we saw the impact this trip had on our team members as well. Freshman Mia Thomson shared how this trip shifted her perspective. She says, "The biggest thing I took away from the trip was why I am playing soccer and Who I am playing it for. I have always prioritized myself when playing and have only ever really focused on my own improvement." While on the field in Brazil her mindset shifted. Mia learned, "that I should not have that mindset when playing. I should be doing everything for God even when I am playing soccer. From playing with so many different groups of people it taught me that a game is just a game and it shouldn't be my whole life." Our senior captain, Maren Wolf, had a similar experience. Growing up in Germany she did not have the opportunity to go on a sports ministry trip. She says, "The team's mission trip to Brazil has been an experience that I've never had before. While I'd been indecisive in the beginning about whether I should join the team on the trip, I am now, and was during the trip, even happier that I decided to go. It was the first time to see, and get to know a foreign country from a different side, and not as a tourist. We had the chance to get to know Brazil and the Brazilians from their real side and to see how they live. I realized that we take many things for granted that are not available to others. I enjoyed seeing that it does not need much to bring joy to kids and other people and to see that people from all over the world can easily connect through the love of God and soccer."

A primary part of Alliance University's core values is to be personally transforming. This happens in many different ways throughout a student's years at Alliance. Our program is thankful that our Athletic Director, Keith Davie, and Administration is supportive, and encourages our students to step out in the world to experience these unique opportunities. Proverbs 19:21 was a consistent reminder throughout the course of this experience. It reads, "We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God's purpose prevails." This trip was not without its ups and downs, but in every step of the way God's purpose prevailed.