Another Victory!!!

Our second game against São Bernardo was very exciting. We didn’t know what to expect, except that they are one of the best teams in Brazil. Last week went so well, during and after the game, so we were praying for the same outcome with this game. The game started off a lot faster, with them having most of the possession. We scored first however, with a free kick, but they answered with a goal off a corner shortly after. We came back to make it 2-1 at the half. In the second half we had two more goals for a 4-1 result. It was so exciting to have the victory, but more then that, it was obvious that God was playing through us.

The entire São Bernardo team joined us for prayer after the game and we were able to share with them the reason we play the way we do, and the hope that we have in Christ. After the prayer, each of our players had the opportunity to share the gospel on a more individual level with one of the girls on the other team. 

In this picture, Pati “Ursinho”, one of our athletes who received Christ as her savior less than a year ago, is praying with a player from São Bernardo, as Adriana (in the background) is explaining the message of salvation to their number 13.

We know that God has given us the talents and abilities to play soccer, and it is truly rewarding to use them for His glory. I encourage you to evaluate your own life and to recognize the talents that God has given you. It is much more fulfilling when you use them for His glory.

 

Eagles Youth Tour

We would like to thank Mark and Jess along with the girls of the Eagles youth tour for stopping to spend a few days with us while they were here in Brazil on a sports missions trip. They were able to come watch our first game in São Paulo, and provided awesome fan support and encouragement for our team. They even got a taste of how things function in Brazil as they were asked to come out of the stands and play a friendly at the last minute because one of the teams dropped out of the tournament!

On Thursday, the Eagles tour got to be a part of the culminating work over the last 2 months between our team and the U-18 team here in Praia Grande. Four of our players (Mafé, Adriana, Giselle, and Kemily) are responsible for coaching this U-18 team in exchange for scholarships that they receive from the city to study at the local university. As coaches, they are able to incorporate the Biblical principles that they are learning in our discipleship training into their practices with the younger girls. After their practice on Thursday, one of the players from the Eagles youth tour shared her testimony of how God has changed her life. They also brought us some “wordless book” bracelets from the US, which is a fun way to explain salvation. So our girls from Eagles Brasil split into small groups and used the bracelets to share the message of salvation with the entire U-18 team, and several of the girls from the younger team accepted Christ as their savior and are now being discipled by our players!! It is truly amazing to see God at work here, and to be a part of bringing more lives out of darkness and into his marvelous light. 

Our First Game

By God’s grace we were able to enter into the tournament called “Copa Futebol Mulher” (Women’s Soccer Cup) and now have games scheduled every Wednesday until the 15^th of July! Last Wednesday we made the trip up to Sao Paulo to play in our debut game for Eagles Brasil. We were all very excited and nervous to see how the last 3 months of training, both physically and spiritually, would pay off as we stepped onto the field representing a vision that is so much greater then ourselves.  

We praise God for the result that we had, not only in the 2-1 victory over Palmeiras, but also in bringing the light of God’s love into such dark surroundings. If you are not familiar with soccer in Brazil, the playing environment here is not at all a peaceful one. The fans, your coach, and even your own teammates, not to mention the other team, are yelling and swearing at you the entire game. The fouls are dirty, and every aspect of the game is dishonest as players and coaches try to win at all costs. These athletes grow up in this hostile environment and are taught to take dives, foul the other team, and to curse out the referees if they make a call that you don’t agree with.

For the past couple of months we have been teaching and training our girls to play in such a way that brings glory to God, which is entirely opposite of everything that they have ever learned. Breaking years of bad habits only comes as a result of a desire to change, and the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us.  It was amazing to see God’s power at work on the field last Wednesday. Our team played with a different spirit and unity that everyone present couldn’t help but notice. As a result of the way that our players conducted themselves, playing with good attitudes and Christ like character, we had the opportunity to pray with the entire Palmeiras team after the game, something that never happens here in Brazil. Because our athletes allowed God’s love to shine through them on the field, the other team was eager to hear an explanation to why we were so different, and several of the players from Palmeiras accepted Christ as their Savior!

 

The Coach and the Captains:

From Left to Right: Maria Fernanda "Mafe", Coach Tina, Lilian 

Name: Maria Fernanda de Campos

Age: 23

Home Town: Carapicuiba, São Paulo

Favorite Verse: Psalm 67:1-2

How Has God Impacted Your Life Through Eagles Brasil?

“Tenho tido a oportunidade de conhecer mais a Deus. O ministério do Eagles Brasil tem me levado a ter um relacionamento incrível com Deus, e talvez se não estivesse aqui eu não estaria desfrutando de tudo isso. Por isso louvo a Deus por sua presença constante e por me permitir servi-Lo com aquilo que eu amo fazer que é jogar futebol.”

“I have had the opportunity to grow in my knowledge of God. The ministry of Eagles Brasil has helped me to have an incredible relationship with God and if I had not come here I would not be enjoying this new fellowship with Him. For this reason I praise God for His constant presence and for allowing me to serve Him with the thing that I love to do, which is play soccer.”

Name: Coach Tina Murphy

Age: 31

Favorite Verse: Job 19:25

What is your motivation to come to Brazil and be a part of a project like Eagles Brasil?

“I believe in the vision and mission of the Charlotte Eagles Soccer Club, of which I was a player for 8 years on the women’s team. The greater purpose there, I believe is to make a difference for Christ in all areas of the world. Since 2002, I have played on and off in Brasil as well, for periods of 4 months each year. I saw what an incredible difference it makes to stay longer than 2 weeks in a place, (like most short term mission trips), and live with the people there, and just come along side of a kid like Lilian (below) with your Bible.

When I met Lilian 7 years ago, she was just a kid who came out from the ghetto to play soccer. She is now one of my 2 captains in this ministry because of what God has done in her life. If she is not the future coach of this team, I am positive that she will be starting another Eagles ministry team somewhere else in the world. (She thinks God will lead her to Hawaii!)”

Name: Lilian Angela Cuentro  

Age: 27 

Home Town: São Paulo 

Favorite Verse: Romans 8:28 

How Has God Impacted Your Life Through Eagles Brasil? 

“Foi através da grande paixão pelo futebol que conheci o maior amor da minha vida, Jesus! Há 7 anos atrás Deus usou a vida de algumas jogadoras do Charlotte Eagles para me ensinar o que significa ter uma relacionamento pessoal e verdadeiro com o Deus e isso tem me motivado ao desejo de que Ele use a minha vida para que outras vidas também seja transformados e busquem dia a dia conhecer esse Deus maravilho que nos ama e quer agir in nós para que sejamos cada vês mais parecidos com o Seu Filho.” 

“It was through the great passion for soccer that I came to know the greatest love of my life, Jesus! Seven years ago God used the lives of a couple of players from the Charlotte Lady Eagles to teach me what it means to have a personal and truthful relationship with God. This has motivated the desire in me for Him to use my life so that other lives can also be transformed. And that they would daily seek to get to know this wonderful God that loves us and wants to work in us so that everyday we can become more like His Son.”  

Our Brazilian Partners

Fernando and Pati Monteiro, with their children Vitoria and Timoteo. 

The Monteiros are missionaries with Athletes in Action here in Brazil and serve as our team ministry leaders. 

God's Faithfulness at Work

The main tournament for women’s professional soccer here in Brazil runs from April through December. One week before the games were supposed to start, our team was informed that we were ineligible to participate, because we are a first-year club and don’t have sufficient funds to enter our team. This was a huge disappointment for our players, who have participated in this tournament every year with their previous clubs. It also meant that our team would be training for the entire year with no games to play besides one, weeklong tournament in July. These girls were looking at 10 months of Coach Tina’s training, and only 3 or 4 games to play! Our players had willingly given up opportunities to play for big name teams and receive salaries. They left their homes, families and a few even quit their jobs, in a response to God’s calling to be a part of Eagles Brasil. We shared this news with them, asked each of them to pray and gave them the option to leave if they wanted to join a team that would be able to give them a salary as well as an opportunity to compete in this tournament. Acknowledging the struggle that they would face, each one of them stood firm in their commitment to be a part of this foundational, building year regardless of the circumstances. They understand the sacrifice and work it will take in order to build something here that will make a lasting impact in Brazilian soccer and in the world.

God continues to teach us to trust Him and believe that He is the one that opens His hands to satisfy all of our needs. A week after receiving the discouraging news, we saw God’s faithfulness at work. A brand new tournament formed this year, and a random friend of one of our players called to tell her that they were looking for one more team that could play, because one had dropped out at the last minute. Enter Eagles Brasil! Now we have games to play in, opportunities to reach other teams with the gospel, and to put into practice all that we are learning. What’s more, this tournament has no entrance fees and actually includes prize money for the top four teams! Praise God!