A Texas High School Tradition

Rewind to a year prior, when Blake found himself on a plane headed to the African continent where he found a world starkly different from his own. Instead of an easily accessed faucet with clean running water, hot or cold, Blake found communities lacking access to clean water altogether. When he returned home, he could not stop thinking about what he witnessed while abroad.

(Photo by Enrique Macias on Unsplash)

“[He] had really gotten this heart for the people there and noticed that there was an issue with the clean water, there’s a lack of access to clean water. It was something that he couldn’t get off his mind and couldn’t get off his heart. It was just always there in the back of his mind…every time he took a sip of water or washed his hands,” says Jeff Johnston, marketing communication manager with e3 Partners.

Inspired by the “I Am Second” video and passionate about the need for clean water, Blake set out to use the homecoming traditions of mums and garters for a bigger purpose. Johnstone says high school football in Texas is as important as college football is for the rest of the United States. Homecoming is an even more serious matter; students will spend between $100-400, or more, creating their mums and garters.

(Learn more about the mums and garters tradition here and here.)

“I Am Second” Inspires Generosity

Rather than spending hundreds of dollars creating mums and garters, Blake proposed a different idea. What if these resources were spent on providing wells for communities in need instead? Thus, the Hope for Africa club was born at Blake’s school.

(Photo by Riley McCullough on Unsplash)

“He decided he should use his high school’s homecoming as an opportunity to really raise money for these people in Africa that need water, to raise money to build wells to get them clean water,” Johnston says.

“Blake’s idea was…he made these little pins that you can just put on your shirt…He started putting the word out across his high school and across other high schools. ‘Hey, instead of spending money on a garter or a mum this year, why don’t you donate that money to go to clean water for people in Africa to build wells for clean water, and instead just wear this pin’.”

Blake’s idea flourished. The Hope for Africa club raised over $6,000 during homecoming from the pin sales. The tangible result was two wells in Southern Sudan.

(Listen to Blake’s story with “I Am Second” here.)

Get Inspired and Pray

For Johnston, Blake’s story is what e3’s “I Am Second” is about—inspiring people for Christ. Will you dare to be inspired and put yourself second? Find your inspiration through “I Am Second” here.

Pray “I Am Second” videos continue impacting people live second and to live for Christ. Ask God to use “I Am Second” videos to make His love known to believers and non-believers alike.

Header photo by Carlos Delgado on Unsplash.

Thailand (MNN) – Rescuers are still working hard getting the remaining boys out of the flooded cave in Thailand.

On Sunday, four boys were confirmed to have been evacuated from the cave. On Monday, rescuers were able to get a head start on operations when the rain subsided a bit. They headed back into the cave around 11 am local time.

(Photo and header photo courtesy of Compassion International)

Piyamary, or Oo, of Compassion International spoke to us Monday evening from Thailand. She says people waiting near the cave watched as two helicopters took off to the hospital yesterday evening. Later it was confirmed that four more boys had been taken out of the cave on Monday.

That means four boys and their coach remain as of the early hours this morning.

During a press conference, Oo says the mayor told them they would be bringing out whichever boys were ready. Originally, it seemed that they would bring out the weakest first, but that has not been confirmed since operations began.

According to the New York Post, yesterday’s rescued boys were healthier than the first group had been upon exiting the cave.

“He only said that whoever was ready, they will bring out first. Also, they haven’t [reported] about the names of the boys brought out,” Oo said on Monday.

The mayor has been keeping a tight lid on which children have been rescued so far, out of respect for the families and those left in the cave.

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

Meanwhile, rescue workers have been working non-stop. When diving operations are put on hold, they are preparing for the next excursion into the cave.

After the first rescue operation, Oo says, “They had to rest and refill all the oxygen tank and re-rope it, like re-set up for the whole thing. And that will takes 20 hours, for them, for the team to set up and be ready to go in.”

This is the process they are going through now while they prepare to re-enter the cave today.

“From what I heard from the announcement at the press conference, it [sounds] like they expecting to bring the [boys] out every day that they can. But how many boys can they bring out each day? They can’t tell.”

One of the team members is a Compassion International sponsored child. His family has been waiting outside the cave since they learned that he was trapped. Despite the high-risk situation, Oo says they are doing well.

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

“They said that they are very happy and they’re doing fine. They are at the cave site, [staying] there to wait for the signal or a sign that they can go to the hospital.”

Compassion team members have been supporting the families in any way they can.

“We pray with them and we help them to bring them back to the church where they’re staying in town to get [changed] or to get lunch or to get rest because for the last couple weeks, they really—it’s kind of [exhausting] to be at the cave the whole time. So, we always there with them, make sure they’re doing ok, and make sure they get what they need.”

Once it’s confirmed that this boy is at the hospital, Compassion will ensure that he gets good medical help.

There’s not much else for anyone to do than pray.

Oo says, “My prayer right now, personally, I’m praying for the weather can hold up until they get everyone out from the cave. That would be my prayer. And, water would not increase.

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

“And the rescue team, also their strength. Because it can be really [exhausting]. Without them, I don’t think the boys can get out. So, praying for all the divers that are working really hard—90 of them volunteer. So, they have been working really hard for the last two weeks and every day now.”

Because the rescue operations are well underway and there’s not much else to do, Oo is heading back to the office today. She hopes and believes that the rescue operations will finish up today or tomorrow.

(Photo courtesy Operation Mobilization)

Brazil (OM) — All Operation Mobilization (OM) Brazil needed was a futsal court and a group of children and teenagers with too much free time on their hands. Both were readily available in a slum of São José dos Campos, where OM Brazil is based.

With an open heart willing to serve and share God’s love through football, OM team members started a futsal ministry in November 2014.

OM Brazil named the project Agape FC. Futsal–a type of football played on a smaller court–was developed in Brazil in the 1930s and 1940s, and is still a popular sport in the country.

The neighborhood where OM opened the futsal school is a slum like any other, with drugs, violence, and no hope for the future. Nevertheless, OM SportsLink Brazil saw an opportunity.

Through the futsal school, team members aim to reach children and teenagers between 6-16 years old. The goal is to serve the community by offering a healthy activity after school, seeking a practical way to relate to the kids and share about the true Life.

“They feel that we’re trustworthy and that they can put their trust in us to open up and talk about private subjects,” said Maria Fernanda Campos (a.k.a. Mafê), sports coordinator at OM Brazil. “They even ask us for advice. And in all this, we have the opportunity to walk together and to teach them according to the Word of God!”

The results speak for themselves. In just a few months of work, around 85 kids from the neighbourhood have joined the project.

“These results show just how impressive the doors are that sport opens,” said Mafê. In such a short time, the relationship between coach and players went past the game of football and formed a strong bond between them and their families.

“Our dream is to serve these kids and teenagers with excellence,” said Mafê. “We want to promote a healthy environment, to walk together, and to see them being transformed by the power of the Gospel that gives life!”

Working with sports is a constant challenge for OM team members. They strive for the best to overcome obstacles on and off the court. Please pray for the project, the work, and the children and their families. Are you interested in joining OM Brazil to reach people through sports? Go here!

(Image courtesy Wikipedia)

USA (BCS/MNN) — The Big Game in the U.S. is just days away, and everybody is getting into the swing of preparations.

For as much festivity as there is, there’s a dark underbelly, too. Bill Blacquiere, president and CEO of Bethany Christian Services, explains, “Many people are ushered into these events for sex work. The Attorney General said the Super Bowl is known as the single largest human trafficking event in the United States.”

According to the 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report developed by the U.S. State Department, as many as 27 million men, women, and children are trafficking victims at any given time. While there are no firm statistics on how much the forced sex and labor trade expands during the Super Bowl, it has been estimated that more than 10,000 prostitutes were brought to Miami for the 2010 Super Bowl and 133 underage arrests for prostitution were made in Dallas during the 2011 Super Bowl.

Bethany Christian Services, the leading global family preservation and child welfare agency committed to protecting vulnerable children, is calling for greater awareness. Blacquiere says, “That’s the real issue here. People are unaware. I think especially as Christians, we need to stand up and to protest what’s going on. We need to urge our lawmakers, our law enforcement, to take action, to not let this type of activity go on.”

Blacquiere adds that human trafficking is an issue that many of us think takes place on the other side of the world. However, the Super Bowl has proven otherwise. “ The unfortunate truth is that it’s happening right in our backyard. Bethany is committed to reducing, if not eliminating, instances of child trafficking in the U.S. and around the globe.”

(Image courtesy Wikipedia)

How? “Bethany’s work with child trafficking we see as ‘prevention.’ We do get involved when children or even adults are rescued.” Specifically, Blacquiere says they intervene before the children become victims. “Bethany does a lot of foster care work with children who are abused and neglected, through mentors, to get jobs, to get them into college, because they’re so vulnerable when they’re 17 or 18 and they’re on their own.”

Blacquiere notes that when foster kids age out of the system, they’re often not ready for the challenges of real life. “For them to find shelter, to be able to get jobs, it’s just very difficult. So they’re very susceptible then to be taken in by somebody to engage in drugs, in sex work, etc.”

(Photo courtesy Bethany Christian Services)

However, because Bethany intervenes at the right time, the kids are better prepared, which makes them less vulnerable to social predators. Plus, they’re prepared spiritually, too. “I think because they interact with staff at Bethany, mentors, and Christian foster parents, they see firsthand what it means for somebody to love them and care for them…something that maybe they have never experienced in their life.” It’s about a forever hope. “In addition to demonstrating that, they’re also being told what we believe and why it’s important for them to explore.”

Blacquiere adds that their efforts to prevent child trafficking and human trafficking don’t stop at U.S. borders. Bethany currently works with governments in developing nations, including China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, South Africa, and Uganda, to implement sustainable social welfare services that will unite orphaned children with loving families. The kids might otherwise become the targets of trafficking rings. Bethany also considers “re-homing” a form of child trafficking. Re-homing is the practice of unregulated placement of children by their adoptive family into another family without proper oversight. In 2013, Bethany called for greater oversight from federal and state governments to protect those children.

For more information on Bethany Christian Services, or to support its anti-trafficking efforts, visit www.bethany.org.

As families gather around a turkey tomorrow, Native Americans are probably far from their minds. Ron Hutchcraft of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries explains why the November observance holds meaning.

“It’s very significant that we be honoring Native Americans…as an incredibly important part of our history,” says Hutchcraft. “We’ve all seen the pictures of the first Thanksgiving, with the Indians around the table, with the pilgrims.

“Here in this month when–at least on a calendar–Native Americans are remembered, this would be a wonderful time for God’s people to say, ‘I need to open my heart, and I need to add to my prayers the First People of this continent.'”

Hutchcraft says Native Americans played a vital role in the founding of the United States.

“You’ve got story after story of the contribution of Native Americans to our history,” he states. Hutchcraft points to Squanto and Sacajawea as examples.

Historians know little about Squanto’s life, but he is best known as an interpreter and guide for the Pilgrim settlers. Squanto acted as a liaison between the United States’ first settlers and the Wampanoag tribe in modern-day Massachusetts. He held a seat at the very first Thanksgiving table.

The daughter of a Shoshone chief, Sacajawea played an irreplaceable role during the Lewis and Clark expedition in the early 1800s. She was the only woman to help the explorers find a route to the Pacific Ocean and acted as the group’s interpreter.

“They met 50 Indian tribes for the first time of contact; she was the bridge,” Hutchcraft explains. “Sacajawea’s name is on more public things in America than the name of any other woman.”

Today, Native American youth are becoming a “modern-day bridge” to their people through the ministry of On Eagles’ Wings (OEW). It’s a peer-to-peer evangelism ministry that equips and mobilizes Native youth to share the Gospel with their age group.

“They are the ones who are bringing the message that John Elliot brought 400 years ago–and subsequent missionaries since then,” says Hutchcraft.

Sports, Christian music, and personal stories of hope give Native young people throughout North America an opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. OEW teams tour the U.S. and Canada during the “Summer of Hope.”

Click here for stories from Summer of Hope 2013.

Throughout the year, OEW youth are mentored, discipled, and trained. There are several ways you can help them bring the Gospel to Native America.

“We’re about to have a conference to help the On Eagles’ Wings team members be discipled and strengthened–and to learn Christian leadership–right after Christmas,” notes Hutchcraft.

“There might even be somebody (in MNN’s audience) who, as part of their year-end stewardship, would want to contribute to help these warriors become strong leaders for Christ in this generation.”

Here are some specific ways you can help. Above all else, please cover OEW teams throughout the nation in prayer.

“Please pray for the spiritual protection of these young warriors of the On Eagles’ Wings team,” requests Hutchcraft. “They have invaded the darkness; the enemy is extremely angry about it.

“I’ve never seen such a concentrated attack on any group of people in my life as I have seen on these Native American young people.”

Find more ways to pray by vising HopeForNativeAmerica.com.

Wally Kulakoff with Russian Ministries says Christians in Ukraine will be sharing Christ. "We prayed, and the Lord impressed upon us to print 100,000 New Testaments for this event–soccer and evangelism."

Kulakoff says Russian Ministries isn't working alone. "We're having ten partners [and] many churches involved with us and doing evangelism in the four cities — or even more cities than the events are taking place."

Russian Ministries trains Next Generation church leaders to be creative in opportunities to tell people about Jesus Christ. Kulakoff says Fun Zones have been created. "They will have live broadcasts of the soccer events. During half-time events, they will have water, games, social events, and during these times there will be evangelistic events where the Gospel will be shared and people will be given a New Testament."

Kulakoff adds that this Scripture will be specific to those they're trying to reach. "[There will be] 40,000 in the Russian Language and 60,000 in the Ukrainian Language. Ukraine is still a country that is bilingual."

These New Testaments to be given away were "specifically designed for this event. They have a Ukrainian appeal, a Ukrainian look to them. But it's the Gospel message, and I think it'll be appealing to many young people."

They are designed to help readers with everyday problems. "People will be able to turn to sections where they feel lonely, and read a verse of Scripture. When they feel sorrowful, they can read a verse of Scripture. When they feel angry, there's a verse of Scripture. [All of this is designed] to address all of the emotions people go through. And then, also, the plan of salvation."

Funding is still needed for this project. "We are still lacking over $20,000 for this project. We're praying that the Lord will provide it."

When you make a gift today, a generous donor will match your gift dollar-for-dollar. If you'd like to help Russian Ministries complete this project, click here.

Forced prostitution is common in Ukraine, where some of the Euro Cup games will be played. Ukraine is one of the largest source nations for trafficked prostitutes in the world. It has seen at least 400,000 women and children trafficked out of the country in the last 10 years. Many women, children, men and even families are coerced out by the promise of better jobs and richer lives, only to find a life of slavery in a foreign land.

Come June 8, though, Ukraine will not be a source but a destination for human trafficking.

Ukraine has been sprucing up its streets and buildings for the coming international event, but EFCA ReachGlobal missionary Amy Richey says the facade can only hide so much.

"While they're very busy working on the outside embellishments, there are a lot of hurting people both here in Ukraine and, unfortunately, people that will be brought into Ukraine against their will that will live a nightmare because of the game."

It's hard to know just how many people will be brought into Ukraine or how many have been prepped within the nation for this large event. But past international — and even national — sporting events have proved that the numbers of prostitutes in Kiev will skyrocket.

At the 2010 World Cup, many innocent victims were abducted, misled and otherwise forced into labor and sex slavery. (Read about it here.) Richey says the number of ads for prostitution in the five-months preceding the January 2012 U.S. Super Bowl shot up by 1,000%, indicating that the number of prostitutes and trafficking victims exploded there also.

Richey expects nothing different for the Euro Cup. And the Ukrainian government agrees.

Although Ukraine has been sheepish in its reports of trafficking in the past, a week ago the Ukrainian government made its first statement about the issue surrounding the Euro Cup. Richey says, "They recognize that there is a potential problem, that there are challenges, and that we need people to get involved."

Richey is more than willing to oblige. She has been training Ukrainian churches for the last two years how to look for, speak up about, and prevent human trafficking. Because street children and orphans are at such a high risk of being trafficked (that's the fate for 50-60% of them), Richey often helps churches get involved with outreach to orphans.

In further preparation for the games, Richey has attended trainings for hotel staffs to learn how to spot forced prostitution, she and will also be partnering with the Salvation Army during the games themselves. The Salvation Army booth at the games will function practically to give out water, maps and directions, but on a deeper level, their presence serves to let soccer fans know the signs of trafficking and that engaging in it will not be tolerated.

The most imperative movement to prevent trafficking at the games will be prayer: prayer for fans to guard their hearts, for victims to be safe, and for Christ's light to shine in a dark place. Ultimately, Richey hopes that each step of involvement will mean spiritual chains broken for enslaved girls.

"There are places that we live, and there are places that we go [in which] Satan has a stronghold, and that he prepares his people, and that he gets ready for," Richey notes. "But we need to get ready for it, and we need to shine Christ's love and Christ's light in these dark places."

To get a prayer guide for the June 8-July 1 games, e-mail freedomforeurope@efca.org.

International Mission Board missionary Brady Nurse has played for the Lisbon Crusaders football team for three out of the four years that he's been in Portugal. He's both the quarterback and coach of the team. IMB volunteer Grant Shields coaches alongside him.

"It is a spiritually hard state here in Portugal. There is a big spiritual dryness," Nurse told IMB. "Football has been a great way for us to get into the lives of the Portuguese people."

Nurse says less than 2% of Portuguese have any kind of relationship with Christ, and that football is only just starting to take off in Europe. Nevertheless, he and Shields have seen nearly 30 football players in Portugal come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

One player, Emanuel, has played for the Crusaders for three years. He grew up in the Catholic church, but he grew bitter toward religion when his mother struggled through cancer and then his girlfriend left him.

Emanuel says he was depressed and alone when he saw a flier for tryouts with the Lisbon Crusaders. He had enjoyed watching NFL games on TV, so he decided to try out. He made the team and fell in love with the sport.

As Emanuel got closer and closer with the team, Grant asked him to be a part of his Bible study.

"It was really different [from my Catholic upbringing]," Emanuel told IMB. "The Catholics prayed to many different saints. The saints are not God, but in those [cathedrals] they were. One thing I realized with Grant was that it's all about God and He is the only one who matters."

Emanuel accepted Christ as his Savior and continues to meet with Shields and other members of the team for weekly Bible studies.

The Crusaders team has opened the door for Shields and Nurse to pour the Gospel message into these men. The competition and teamwork builds a camaraderie that makes open and honest conversation possible.

"Football has had a big role in opening my eyes," Emanuel said. "I don't feel empty like I did a few years ago."

Pray for Nurse and Shields as they continue to reach out to lost people in such a unique fashion. To find out how you can get involved with the growing football ministry in Portugal, visit imbeurope.org.

Prior to joining e3, Jason Elam was the Denver Broncos kicker*.  Along with five others, he has been inducted
into Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2011.

Elam recently joined e3 Partners in an official capacity after several years
of assisting Middle East Region Director Tom Doyle on many e3 expeditions. He
will continue to focus his efforts on leading the strategy in Israel.

The "e" in e3 stands for Equip, Evangelize and Establish. In the context of evangelism, they're working
to equip 10 million Christians with the tools and training to evangelize one
billion people and establish four million multiplying churches.

E3 is trying to encourage people to participate in a larger
Kingdom effort to see simple churches started in every community among every
language and people group in the world. Their goal: to raise up 1,000
prayer warriors for each country where they are working in the Middle East and
Central Asia. 

*Elam was a member of the Broncos from 1993-2007 and won two Super Bowl
titles with the club. He retired with the fifth-most field goals (436) and
points scored (1,983) in NFL history. A member of the Denver Broncos 50th
Anniversary Team, his 236 games played for Denver are a club record, and his 15
seasons with the Broncos are tied with center Tom Nalen for the second-most
seasons with the team in franchise history behind Pro Football Hall of Fame
quarterback John Elway.

Starting quarterback for Michigan State University Kirk Cousins was on the campus of Cornerstone University to talk about his faith and football. Cousins believes he knows why God has given him this opportunity: "to use that platform to glorify Him and to point back to Him, in a world where a lot of people really aren't following Jesus and aren't choosing to honor Him above all else. In a culture where it's really about sports, God can take something that's broken and use it to point back to Him."

According to Cousins, God has given him a great opportunity to serve Him. "There's not many things where 75,000 people come and watch you, and they boo and cheer you depending on how you do. So there are pressures. But that only causes me to stay even closer to the Lord and that much closer in my faith walk."

Cousins says it isn't easy to be a Christian surrounded by the hype of football. That's why "it's very, very important to surround yourself with other believers — not to huddle only with believers — obviously you need to be light in darkness, but to make sure you're being sharpened daily by people who are walking with the Lord."

How does he do that? "I've done it with Athletes In Action, a ministry of Campus Crusade [For Christ], which has done a great job working with athletes to develop us. [I] spend a lot of time with other teammates who are Christians and have good friends on campus at Michigan State who are Christians who are sharpening me and encouraging me to stay close to the Lord."

Cousins is challenging young athletes to honor God in everything they do and develop relationship where they can share their faith. The end goal is to see people turn to Christ. "Sometimes things happen over night, but a lot of times they don't. It takes time and effort over a long period of time. When you choose to honor God above all else and try to make a difference in guys' lives, it doesn't return void."

Pray for Cousins and other Christian athletes that they'll have a platform not only to honor God, but to share their faith and lead people to Christ.

Michigan State's Green-White Spring Scrimmage will be Saturday April 30 at 1:30 on the Big Ten Network.