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Football Made It Possible
“All I could think was, ‘how in this lifetime did I end up in some random village in post-war Croatia drinking Turkish coffee with a family that doesn’t know me from Adam?’” Well, football made it possible.
In spite of its popularity in the US, American football has been slow to catch on in Europe. So when Justin (Juice) Ortiz discovered a local football team shortly after his arrival in Croatia, he was excited to participate.
Juice has taken every opportunity the football team has thrown at him. He has played with them against teams from other countries. He has refereed games, traveling to villages on the edge of Croatia’s border. He has encouraged team members to attend a Christian football camp in Michigan. And now Juice teaches a weekly football class to 12-20 boys as well as helping with football presentations for local schools.
American football has even lead to opportunities off the field. One Saturday he spent several hours visiting with relatives of one of his teammates in a distant village. Another time, the father of one of the players invited Juice to a café to discuss the details of his son going to a football camp in Michigan. Spending time in the café is foundational to relationships in Croatia and Juice was “stoked” to get to know this parent better.
The next play in Juice’s playbook is to start a pee wee football program for 9-13 year olds called Football of Piglets. The goal is to develop the sport of American football and, more importantly, to build relationships and open doors into the lives of the youth.
You see, relationship is what it’s all about for Juice—relationship with God and relationship with people. Yes, he loves playing football but it means absolutely nothing without Jesus in his life. Football is a tool that God is using to connect Juice with Croatians and create opportunities for sharing the gospel. Juice has moved to Croatia to reach these youth with God’s love.
This process can take a long time and it may be years before Juice sees anyone come to faith. But God is already at work. Two of the kids from the program are brothers. The first couple of weeks of practice, their mom was not very personable. But after a couple of months, she now greets Juice with a smile and is happy to see her kids being able to enjoy something fun. God is breaking down walls and preparing the way for the gospel.
“[My wife] Beth and I have come for a purpose, and it’s to reach into the lives of Croatians who are far from God. Please pray for our football friends, and that our relationships and conversations with them will count for Jesus. Please pray that their hearts will yearn for God in their own lives.”
In spite of its popularity in the US, American football has been slow to catch on in Europe. So when Justin (Juice) Ortiz discovered a local football team shortly after his arrival in Croatia, he was excited to participate.
Juice has taken every opportunity the football team has thrown at him. He has played with them against teams from other countries. He has refereed games, traveling to villages on the edge of Croatia’s border. He has encouraged team members to attend a Christian football camp in Michigan. And now Juice teaches a weekly football class to 12-20 boys as well as helping with football presentations for local schools.
American football has even lead to opportunities off the field. One Saturday he spent several hours visiting with relatives of one of his teammates in a distant village. Another time, the father of one of the players invited Juice to a café to discuss the details of his son going to a football camp in Michigan. Spending time in the café is foundational to relationships in Croatia and Juice was “stoked” to get to know this parent better.
The next play in Juice’s playbook is to start a pee wee football program for 9-13 year olds called Football of Piglets. The goal is to develop the sport of American football and, more importantly, to build relationships and open doors into the lives of the youth.
You see, relationship is what it’s all about for Juice—relationship with God and relationship with people. Yes, he loves playing football but it means absolutely nothing without Jesus in his life. Football is a tool that God is using to connect Juice with Croatians and create opportunities for sharing the gospel. Juice has moved to Croatia to reach these youth with God’s love.
This process can take a long time and it may be years before Juice sees anyone come to faith. But God is already at work. Two of the kids from the program are brothers. The first couple of weeks of practice, their mom was not very personable. But after a couple of months, she now greets Juice with a smile and is happy to see her kids being able to enjoy something fun. God is breaking down walls and preparing the way for the gospel.
“[My wife] Beth and I have come for a purpose, and it’s to reach into the lives of Croatians who are far from God. Please pray for our football friends, and that our relationships and conversations with them will count for Jesus. Please pray that their hearts will yearn for God in their own lives.”
