I’d like to tell you about a man called Phil, who used to be something of a rogue. He was involved in the world of Welsh rugby, which is a tough scene that allures rough-necked characters, and for many years, Phil was one such man.
Then, one day, Jesus took hold of Phil’s heart, and transformed him from the inside out. The hard edges were slowly being shaved off as Phil’s heart was consumed by the love of God, and the power of his Holy spirit. Where before he was sold out for rugby, now he was sold out for God.
However, the transformation of his life wasn’t the end of Phil’s story. In fact, it was only the beginning, because God had big plans for him, and a dream that only God himself could turn into a reality.
Drawing from his experiences in sport, Phil began to consider a way of reaching out to the youth of the Welsh Rhondda Valley. He noticed how so many of them lacked motivation. They felt their lives weren’t going anywhere, so they turned to addiction, hanging around on street corners drinking and smoking because there just didn’t seem to be anything else to do.
Phil began to imagine young Christian men and women going into the local schools, encouraging children to see themselves as God sees them – to dream big dreams and find their identities in a relationship with God, just as he had.
For this dream to succeed, he would need workers willing to go into the schools and work amongst the PE teachers, and they would need to stand out, so the children would start asking questions about why they were there. He felt that to begin with, these Sporting Marvels would need to be brought in from other countries. By looking and sounding different, they would have more of an impact on the teenagers of the Rhondda.
And so, the mission of Sporting Marvels was birthed. With much prayer and financial backing, the first missionaries were brought from south Africa, America, Nigeria, Malawi, and anywhere else committed Christians who were passionate about both God and sport could be found. There was a lot of red tape to sort through. These people needed homes, finances, and cars to get around, but each time a need arose, God provided.
The schools started seeing the benefit of sporting Marvels, as the tough walls built up around the teens began to come down. Children began asking questions about more than sport; they wanted to know why these people had come such a long way to work with them, and the missionaries were able to tell them about Jesus, and introduce them to their dearest friend.
This is a recent story, because it only happened at the start of this millennium, and since God was in it, it’s still happening today. However, now the Sporting Marvels don’t come from south Africa, Malawi, Nigeria and America anymore; they come from the Rhondda itself, because the youngsters who were touched by the lives of the first missionaries have become Christians themselves, and sought an active role in the work of sporting Marvels.
Phil’s dream became a reality because first and foremost, it was God’s dream. So, if God has given you a dream, and if you’ve prayed, and you’re sure it’s of him, then Phil would tell you to step out in faith, and believe God will give you the tools to make your dream into a reality.
To find out more about the mission of Sporting Marvels, please check out their website here: Sporting Marvels