This July NorthStar Soccer Ministry had an amazing opportunity to host with Inspiritus a soccer camp for refugees. We had six countries represented and dealt with many challenges and blessings. We had 25 kids through the week, and they were from Columbia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, and South Sudan. Most of the children did not speak English so we were able to bond over the sport of soccer. In an interview of two of our coaches, Cora states, “the language barrier was definitely the hardest part of the week, however by the end of the week, the kids were communicating with hand motions and even began to call each other by name.” We also had the opportunity to have junior coaches, most of them are NorthStar soccer players that were helping and developing more of their leadership skills. This was a learning opportunity for them; however, they were such a huge asset that helped our camp tremendously.
Not only did we bond with the game of soccer, but we communicated with it, we learned with it, and we taught with it. The language barrier held many difficulties, however the beauty that was uncovered through this sport was worth it. To see God’s children laughing, learning, and loving each other through a simple game that the Lord gave was incredible. A huge thanks to Inspiritus for helping us put on this camp! To top off the week all the kids and coaches got go to the legion game and meet their team captain! Check out these photos to get a glimpse of our fun week!
Read this article that made it on AL.com about this camp! Here is the link: https://www.al.com/sports/2023/07/goodman-finding-refuge-on-a-soccer-field-in-birmingham.html
- Laney Bishop (Summer Intern)
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