Barak Stockeland

My two passions are Jesus and soccer. Not much else truly excites me. I have been training with my coach, Nighson for over three years. He pushes me to my physical limits, sometimes to the point of throwing up. I love it! He’s one of my best friends, but I always worried for him, as I knew he wasn’t following Jesus. I prayed and prayed that he would put his faith in Jesus, to the point I would cry. During one of his games he was severely injured and rushed to the hospital. His foot seemed to be broken or worse. As one of the greatest athletes in our town, it was devastating. We invited him to stay at the mission compound for a while, since his home is only accessible by foot and up a steep, steep mountain, and he couldn’t walk. I was scared for Nighson’s future as an athlete, and he was also very upset. I think he began to think more about his life and realized soccer isn’t everything or guaranteed. I could see Jesus stirring his heart. He went to my dad and said he doesn’t want to leave this place without knowing Jesus. The next morning my dad and another pastor explained the Gospel and Nighson prayed to accept Jesus as his Savior! It was one of my greatest moments ever!