What We Do


The ministry of BVSA focuses primarily on two things:

 

#1:  Discipling boys and young men.

#2:  Training and sending missionaries/pastors.

 

We also work hard at developing first class soccer programs!

 

Here's some info on what happens inside each BVSA Soccer Academy (which is focused on #1 above), as well as what we do in our Missionary and Pastoral Training Program (which is focused on #2).

 

BVSA Academies


Summary

Each individual Academy works to disciple young men to maturity in their faith in Christ. This develops not only new generations of godly men, husbands, and dad, but also a stream of future pastors and missionaries.

 

BVSA's Academy model allows us to connect deeply with each Rhino.  Most of our boys enter the Academy around the age of 10 and graduate around the age of 18, giving them approximately 8 years in the program.  This gives us ample time to share the gospel, teach the Bible, and disciple those that come to faith in Christ. Our prayer is that during these critical years, as the gospel is preached, young men come to faith, and are discipled to maturity. 

 


Bible Teaching & Discipleship

Every boy that comes through BVSA will hear the clear gospel and be taught the Bible. Approach may vary depending on country and context, but in all cases we believe that proclaiming the gospel, teaching the Bible, and discipleship, is the most important thing that we do.  

 

Loving relationships must be formed in order for discipleship to work.  At BVSA we open our lives, families, and homes to the boys. They watch our families function on a daily basis and see firsthand the example of a Christian home.  We love and care for them as if they are our own.

 

Each academy has a lead pastor, and uses a rotation of bible teachers, according to the missionaries and staff we have available.  Opening the Bible and talking about faith and life have led to some of the sweetest moments in BVSA history.  Our greatest joy is to see hearts softened, the bondage of sin broken, and lives surrendered to Christ!


Soccer Training

Sports provide powerful teaching opportunities.  Intense sports training also builds trust between teammates, coaches, and support staff.  With that trust in place, the time off the field becomes much more meaningful.

 

The coaching staff at our Rhino FC academies have high standards on the field.  We aim to compete at a high level, and are committed to training.  Our teams may come from an unknown village of extreme poverty, but over time can gain the reputation as a high-level futbol club, bringing a true sense of pride to their village.

 

Teams from our Rhinos FC Academies have played in tournaments all around Central America and the USA.  Several Rhinos have gone on to play NCAA soccer (Div I, Div II, and NAIA) in the USA, as well as professionally in Guatemala and Honduras.


Education

All BVSA Academies provide study hall hours and tutoring for students who attend local school.  For those who are not in school, we often teach reading and writing, as well as offer additional bible study curriculum.

 

Many of our boys go home to tough environments, where it is hard to find a quiet place to study. We also provide internet and printing resources for the boys.

 

In addition, we work hard to build friendships with local schools so that we can work together to help each boy reach their academic potential.


Nutrition

Poverty and malnutrition tend to go hand in hand.  For our Academies that are located in places of extreme poverty, we provide our daily Training Table, where our Rhinos are able to eat a large, nutritious meal each day.  Including the Rhinos and our staff, each academy's Training Table feeds anywhere between 700-800 meals per month.  This is a huge blessing to the boys, and has led to significant improvements in their overall health, as well as improvement in the classroom. 

  

We always need help with this facet of the ministry, as it is our largest line item in each academy's monthly budget.  If you are interested in making a donation to help out, please be sure to note "nutrition" on your donation.  Thank you!

 


Hygiene

Each BVSA Academy has a locker room equipped with clean bathrooms and showers.  This gives us a unique opportunity to improve hygiene, which is a ministry in and of itself in impoverished areas.  In some of the areas where we work, the most common health problems could have been prevented with basic hygiene habits.  While it sounds simplistic, this is an important facet of the ministry intended to teach the boys life-changing habits that they pass on their children.


Continued Education

In areas of poverty, it's rare that a child studies beyond 6th grade. For every boy enrolled in our Academies who shows reasonable potential academically, we do all we can to sponsor them so they can advance with their studies.  We work together with local schools to help the boys continue beyond middle school.  And for the ones who show even more potential than that, we seek to find individual sponsors to help them go to high school, trade school, and even university.

Training and Sending

Summary

BVSA's Missionary and Pastoral Training Program works to train and equip Spanish speaking individuals to be sent out as missionaries and pastors to tough places around the world. 


Missionary and Pastoral Training

We train and equip future missionaries and pastors in Spanish. We have developed our own Systematic Theology curriculum, and also use a variety of resources that are available through 9Marks, Ligonier, Bethlehem College and Seminary, and Masters Seminary. The key for us is preserving the beauty and depth of foundational doctrine, while making it understandable and relatable for those with a limited educational background.  The truths themselves cannot be compromised, but it doesn't land well with too academic of a delivery.  We work hard to strike the balance. 

 

We love sending out missionaries and pastors who aren't formerly accustomed to the comforts of suburban America.  But they must have a deep love for the Word of God, understanding of the whole counsel of God, and be grounded with a deep foundation in the most critical biblical doctrines.


Church Planting & Partnership

We desire that a BV Church Plant or partnership exists in every community we're in.

 

Our aim is that wherever boys and young men are being discipled through a BVSA Academy, there would be a healthy local church to continue growing under biblical preaching, and to serve, grow, and participate in the functioning local body. We envision the two working hand and hand, and serving one another, in the continued effort to proclaim the gospel and make disciples in all nations. 


Other Activities

These initiatives are based on staff, culture, and unique community needs.

 

*Recreational Summer League for boys and girls of all ages:  We open up summer leagues for kids of all ages.  This allows us to love on all the kids in the community, and also gives the Rhinos a needed break in between seasons.  Many Rhinos love to come and volunteer during the Summer Rec Leagues.

 

*Girls team (Las Rinas):  We love the girls in our communities, and want them to feel welcome here!  At most of our academies we run a seasonal girls program under a reduced schedule. Usually one game per week with a bible study.

 

*Men’s tournaments:  Hosting occasional soccer tournaments is a way to reach out and build relationships with local men. It also gives the adult Rhino graduates in the community opportunities to invite friends to be around Christian community.