In May 2024, our East Asian team did a life-coach training for church leaders. The purpose was to build them as coaches so that they could then effectively build youth and children through outdoor sports. The following is a testimony from our East Asian team leader, edited for clarity.

One of the church networks we were working with recommended two young men for the training. In this training, we focus on building youth workers and church leaders to be life-coaches, not youth themselves, so these young people didn’t fit our usual criteria. One is 16 years old and the other is 17. We were hesitant because of their age, but we had space so we invited them to come.

On the first day, when everyone introduced themselves, we quickly realized that these two young men were very troubled. They were hostile, unhappy, and only interested in video games. But God had brought them here, and we treated them like we treated everyone else.

On the third day of the training, I was walking back from the field to the hotel when the older of the two boys approached me and asked if he could add me as a friend on social media. I told him I was honored to be invited as his friend. He commented that he was surprised that everyone loved him so much here, and then he started talking about his background.

This boy had experienced severe depression for more than two years, dropping out of school the second year because of it. He completely immersed himself in computer games and didn’t even go out anymore, just staying in and eating, sleeping, and playing computer games – for two years! His parents were so worried and stressed. He wanted to kill himself and attempted it several times.

Once in a while, he would go to church with his parents. He found that the people at the church were always very nice to him but he thought that was only because of his parents. When he came to the training, he couldn’t figure out why everyone – none of whom knew him or his background – was being so kind and loving to him. Through us just doing our best to serve, encourage, and cheer him up, he was touched by the love of God! He was really overwhelmed. Through tears, he told me:

I want to keep in touch with you and stay in this community. The love of God touched me and changed me here. I don’t want to go back to my old lifestyle. I want to keep moving forward. There are so many young people like me, and I want to help them. I don’t want them to fall into the ditch that I fell into. I want to be like these life-coaches and help my peers.

We continued to encourage him over the next few days. On the last day, everyone stood up to share what they had learned. When it came to him, he said that he had been totally changed! He intends to talk to his parents about continuing on with school, and he wants to give his life totally to God to follow and serve Him. We invited him to come back and help us during the next sports training as an assistant coach, and he was very excited about the possibility.

The younger boy, who was 16, was in even worse condition. He had severe depression and was deeply troubled. He had also dropped out of school and seemed extremely hostile from the moment he arrived for the training. But he too was totally transformed during the training! On the last day he said, “God found me! God caught me here, and by His touch I’ve been transformed. I want to give my life to God, and serve Him.” In tears, he shared a desire to help other youth as a life-coach.

After the training, these two young people immediately showed real change in their lives. The older one went back to school for the remainder of the school year, studied hard, and got accepted to another school following the summer break. The parents and church leader of the younger one contacted us and asked: “What did you do? What happened? This young man is completely changed. He is always in church, sitting in the front row, repentant and praying, in tears!” He is going to a church-based training program for training as a worship leader in the fall.

We invited them both back to be assistant coaches at one of our programs, even though they are only a few years older than the other participants. They are on fire for God, and have had a real impact on the young people at the training through their coaching. They are both humble and teachable now, and they lead with confidence and passion.

During the sports training, we suggested that these two boys share their own life stories with the young people, and they both jumped on it. The younger one went back that night and, kneeling on his bed, prayed to God:

I want to encounter You, I want to see You. I’m here before You. Speak to me. If You don’t show up, if You don’t speak to me, I will kneel here for the whole night.

God spoke to him and gave him a very clear message. On the last night, what we call “Holy Spirit night,” he shared his testimony.

This was when we first heard how much trouble he had been in, stealing and fighting and in real danger. He shared how the love of God had never let him go, and how his parents had lovingly and patiently endured alongside him all those years, never forsaking him. He shared that the life-coach training had deeply impacted him. Weeping, he shared how God had given him this burden to share his story transparently with everyone, including all of his mistakes and foolishness. Through his coaches and the sports training, he realized how God loved him and what his life purpose was supposed to be. He had found his calling, to love and serve God, and to love and serve the youth!

The older boy also shared his testimony, sharing how he used to be so angry and let his frustration out on everyone, but now was able to approach challenges from the youth on his team with a heart of service. He shared how he had depended on God daily this way throughout the entire training.

I remembered – I’m the coach. I want to serve them. I was just like them two months ago, but God had mercy on me and changed me. I turned to God and asked Him to help me not be angry with them, and to endure. Before I realized it, the days had gone by and I had endured through each of them!

These two boys had a deep impact on many of the young people at the training. One of these was a troubled boy whose mother, who couldn’t handle him anymore, had literally kicked him out of the home three times in a row at 14 years old. The team leader who brought him to the sports training was the same one who had taken him in after he was kicked out. She said that after hearing the older boy’s testimony, this boy had become much quieter and calmer. He was no longer so anxious or angry. The older boy is keeping in touch with him to continue to coach, encourage, and nurture him.

Feedback from other parents has been amazing too. They thanked us for serving the young people so deeply and touching their hearts. One said, “My daughter was crying when she got home, she missed her coaches and team so much. She felt the love of God, and can’t wait to come back to the next one.” Another said, “My child said the biggest thing she learned at the training was that God loves her. She experienced the love of God very deeply! I can see that God was really in the training, moving and working to save and build our children!”

Not long after the camp, one of the kids the older boy coached sent him this letter:

Dear Coach:

Hello!

Time flies like a dream, and in the blink of an eye, the five-day summer camp has come to an end. Over these five days, you poured your heart into guiding us and training us, and I was deeply moved by many details.

Do you remember the morning devotional time on the second day? I was so tired from the first day and felt sleepy, and you gently passed me a bottle of water to help me stay awake. I was both surprised and moved. There could be so many different ways to wake me up and engage in the devotions, including simply rebuking me, yet you chose the most gentle and loving way!

When our team captain was injured, you were the first one to check on him. A teammate was hit by a ball and you were the first to show care. When I had conflicts with a teammate, you helped us to work things out and reconcile. You were so sincere and poured yourself out in building us, you even wept over us and with us…

What touched me so deeply was not only your love and care, but also your great patience. I remember that day when you taught us different strategies for the game. I have never heard of those terms and it was very hard for me to grasp them. You taught them four times; when I still couldn’t get it, you simply taught it again in another way! You never showed frustration. Instead, you always found a new way to explain things until I understood.

You’re the most dedicated and approachable coach I’ve ever met. You are also funny and humorous. It’s rare to find someone who combines authority with kindness so perfectly, but you did it effortlessly, even though you are only 5 years old than me.

Wishing you all the best,

Z

I know that this is God. It’s really Him. Otherwise, no matter what we do, it’s meaningless. My only prayer through all of this has been to cry out to God that He would manifest Himself and let the young people know He’s there, and love them and heal them. With so many troubled young people, it was difficult to touch their hearts. But then God did it! Praise God!