In August of 2008 we (the Johnson family) arrived in Guatemala without knowing exactly what we were going to do there.  Unlike many missionaries, we were not sent by an organized church or mission organization.  Yet we felt the calling strong enough, and it became a matter of obedience.  God was calling our family to Guatemala, and we believed He would reveal more after the first step in faith was taken.

 

We had visited Guatemala in April of the same year - the only time visiting before moving there 4 months later.  While visiting, we met Mynor Leiva.  He was one of the first Guatemalans we met.  Without going into great detail, I can only say our running into each other was one of those crazy God things – and we both knew it. 

 

As I shared our story, my background, and my desire to use sports to reach kids, Mynor’s face lit up.  Already serving as the athletic director at a missionary school, he shared more about his own story with me.  While he was currently using sports to reach youth, his true desire was to be able to focus on the kids growing up in poverty.  While he enjoyed what he was doing (serving the children of American missionaries), his heart was for the poor of his own country, and he hoped to someday start a sports ministry that would reach out specifically to them.  We both sensed a Holy Spirit connection, and began to pray about what God may have for the future.

 

From day one, we have felt as if our calling to Guatemala would be long-term.  Once we arrived, we were eventually led to a specific village and began settling in.   Through a new partnership with Journey Church in Jacksonville, Florida, God initiated a home building ministry, the 12x12 Love Project.  Through this ministry, we were enabled to begin working – serving the poor and building relationships.  God has blessed this ministry greatly, and continues to do so.  Currently we are employing 9 local men with full time work, and building 3 high-quality block homes per month for families in great need.

 

After our first year in the community of Buena Vista, we learned much about the culture and its challenges.  One of the most essential things that we discovered is the troubling nature of the men in the community.  As deeper friendships began to be forged, we found that the majority of the men are abusive.  We could see that the man’s role is clearly one of macho dominance, while that of the woman is primarily preparing food, caring for children, and meeting the man’s sexual needs.  

 

While there are some exceptions, it is highly common for the local men (even ones who seem to be better husbands and fathers) to hit their wives and children.  In addition, unfaithfulness (which leads to the mass spread of STD’s), and alcohol abuse are major problems.  There is little to no value placed on education, which leads to the continued absence of career skills and of employment in general.  Overall, these factors often lead to a lazy, abusive, and selfish mentality, which becomes the status quo that is passed from generation to generation.

 

(Important note: this finding is not necessarily connected to the “Guatemalan” or “Latin” cultures in general.  From what we can tell, it is more closely correlated to the poor, isolated villages.  My belief is that these problems are more connected to poverty in general than they are any specific culture.  We have many Guatemalan friends who grew up in better social environments, who do not share these same characteristics.)

 

Before the completion of our first year in Guatemala, God gave us a burden for the boys of Buena Vista.  We began to look at the boys (from adolescent to teenage years) from a completely different vantage point.  As we spent time with them, and prayed for them, God completely changed our perspective.  Instead of seeing them as "the boys of Buena Vista, we began to see them as “the future of Buena Vista.“

 

We shared this vision with the many friends, families, and church communities.  During one visit from the leadership team at Journey Church, we all shared our concern for the boys, and we sat around brainstorming.  We prayed that God would lead us to begin a ministry that would focus on the boys and make a lasting change for future generations.  This same thing happened again the following February with the annual Men's Team.  We sensed something was happening... 

 

Soon we began sensing God’s hand guiding a new a ministry that would focus specifically on the boys from Buena Vista.  Several friends expressed their excitement to support this type of ministry, and before long the “idea” started shaping into more of a reality.

 

In May of 2011, less than 3 years from arriving in Guatemala, we officially celebrated the beginning of the Buena Vista Sports Academy for Boys.  We are now off and running with an intense daily program.  Boys are in and out all day long, studying, training, helping out, and just stopping by.  

 

It's the beginning of a dream that we fully believe has been provided for and blessed with great purpose from our Heavenly Father!  May He receive all of the credit and glory today and every day going forward!