This whole summer I was acting FIFA Co-Director for Camp Langano. I absolutely LOVED my job!!! My general responsibilities were to plan, manage & run all of the futball activities as well as to publicly award campers with outstanding character. I had the pleasure of working very closely with 7 Abesha (Ethiopian) summer staff coaches. Together we taught the campers a variety of technical skills, and ran the Camp Langano FIFA World Cup. Each day I would leave the house a couple minutes after 6:00 am to meet up with the coaches to prepare the field for morning exercises for the campers. Whether it was teaching a drill or taking advantage of a teachable moment, the coaches were awesome at loving on the campers. It didn’t take long for the guys to start joking around with me. One thing is for certain – regardless of the culture, boys will be boys!!! :) These guys are my dear friends and they have truly been a blessing to my life, so I figured I would tell you a little bit about each of them.
From left to right:
Buchi – He is Boche’s best friend (0ne of the other summer staff coaches). The pair have been best friends since childhood and are practically inseparable. Buchi was the best futball player at camp and is very blessed athletically. He plays futball professionally in Addis. He is a great coach, and his authority on the futball field was unmatched. At one point this summer with tears streaming down his face he told me, that he was so happy that some of his campers understood the Gospel and made decisions to follow Christ.
Yigerim – He is also a 28-yr old fulltime SF denominational coordinator who manages a couple of hundred SF projects as well as coaches a number of teams. One time his team was playing and broke a window, the authorities got involved and wanted to take the kids to prison, but Yigerim intervened and volunteered to go to prison for the kids. This act enabled Yigerim to discuss Scripture and the Gospel with many of the boys’ families. He is very soft spoken, shy and has a true servants heart.
Boche – He is a 21-yr old mommas boy who is playing futball professionally in Hawassa. My favorite thing about Boche is his desire to share the truth of the Gospel with the campers. He loves the truth in the Scriptures and is stoked to share it with the kids. He has a gentle and loyal spirit. His ability to relate to the campers and connect with them was truly special. Right now he is in the middle of contract negotiations with his club about the upcoming season.
Yonas – He is a 28-yr old fulltime SF denominational coordinator. He manages over 300 SF projects in his denomination and coaches 4 teams. Each week he would be at camp Monday thru Friday, then on Friday he would return to Addis (5-hr drive) so he could coach his teams on Saturday and preach & lead worship at his church. Then he would return to camp on Monday and start the cycle all over again – his drive, strength and dedication were amazing. He loved to mess with my head by speaking to me in Wolitina.
Assebe – He is a 25(ish)-yr old who works fulltime as a women’s hairdresser. He is such a character, but he has a powerful testimony about how the Lord saves not based of our merit. He has worked at camp for the last 5 summers. He loves Camp Langano, but he is a city boy at heart.
Minaye – We went to one of his trainings 2 years ago!!! :) He just graduated (last week) from university with a degree in Medical Laboratory Technology. He was the camp nurse down at the football field, but he is also a phenomenal goal keeper. The patient care he exhibited was amazing. Regardless of the bump or scrape the kids came to him with, he treated everyone with patience and compassion. He is currently looking for a job, while continuing to coach is futball teams.
Ashenafi (not pictured) – He is a 20-yr old university student. He is studying to become a social studies teacher for grades 5-8. I am so proud of him. It was so fun to see him grow over the course of the summer. The first few weeks he was shy and timid. Week 4 it was like everything started clicking, and he had become a different person – full of confidence, energy and leadership. Each week he wanted more responsibility and excelled at all his roles.
With tears in my eyes, I hated to say goodbye to these guys at the end of the summer. They are truly an amazing group of guys and I was honored to work with them and to be able to call them my friends.
Buchi – He is Boche’s best friend (0ne of the other summer staff coaches). The pair have been best friends since childhood and are practically inseparable. Buchi was the best futball player at camp and is very blessed athletically. He plays futball professionally in Addis. He is a great coach, and his authority on the futball field was unmatched. At one point this summer with tears streaming down his face he told me, that he was so happy that some of his campers understood the Gospel and made decisions to follow Christ.
Assebe – He is a 25(ish)-yr old who works fulltime as a women’s hairdresser. He is such a character, but he has a powerful testimony about how the Lord saves not based of our merit. He has worked at camp for the last 5 summers. He loves Camp Langano, but he is a city boy at heart.
Yigerim – He is also a 28-yr old fulltime SF denominational coordinator who manages a couple of hundred SF projects as well as coaches a number of teams. One time his team was playing and broke a window, the authorities got involved and wanted to take the kids to prison, but Yigerim intervened and volunteered to go to prison for the kids. This act enabled Yigerim to discuss Scripture and the Gospel with many of the boys’ families. He is very soft spoken, shy and has a true servants heart.
Boche – He is a 21-yr old mommas boy who is playing futball professionally in Hawassa. My favorite thing about Boche is his desire to share the truth of the Gospel with the campers. He loves the truth in the Scriptures and is stoked to share it with the kids. He has a gentle and loyal spirit. His ability to relate to the campers and connect with them was truly special. Right now he is in the middle of contract negotiations with his club about the upcoming season.
Yonas – He is a 28-yr old fulltime SF denominational coordinator. He manages over 300 SF projects in his denomination and coaches 4 teams. Each week he would be at camp Monday thru Friday, then on Friday he would return to Addis (5-hr drive) so he could coach his teams on Saturday and preach & lead worship at his church. Then he would return to camp on Monday and start the cycle all over again – his drive, strength and dedication were amazing. He loved to mess with my head by speaking to me in Wolitina.
Assebe – He is a 25(ish)-yr old who works fulltime as a women’s hairdresser. He is such a character, but he has a powerful testimony about how the Lord saves not based of our merit. He has worked at camp for the last 5 summers. He loves Camp Langano, but he is a city boy at heart.
Minaye – We went to one of his trainings 2 years ago!!! :) He just graduated (last week) from university with a degree in Medical Laboratory Technology. He was the camp nurse down at the football field, but he is also a phenomenal goal keeper. The patient care he exhibited was amazing. Regardless of the bump or scrape the kids came to him with, he treated everyone with patience and compassion. He is currently looking for a job, while continuing to coach is futball teams.
Ashenafi (not pictured) – He is a 20-yr old university student. He is studying to become a social studies teacher for grades 5-8. I am so proud of him. It was so fun to see him grow over the course of the summer. The first few weeks he was shy and timid. Week 4 it was like everything started clicking, and he had become a different person – full of confidence, energy and leadership. Each week he wanted more responsibility and excelled at all his roles.
With tears in my eyes, I hated to say goodbye to these guys at the end of the summer. They are truly an amazing group of guys and I was honored to work with them and to be able to call them my friends.
