Rachel is 17, lives in extreme poverty and has been raised by her single mother after her father died. Through Rachel’s childhood, her mother washed clothes, fetched water, and cleaned pots to earn enough to feed their family once a day. Rachel would wake up between 2am and 3am every morning just to wait in line at the well to get water to help her mother. Life was hard.
But one day, Rachel was invited by a Sports Friends-trained coach to play netball. She loved playing and joined Bangwe Trinity Netball Team. Today, four years later, she is the captain.
Rachel was always the most respected player on her team, but she still felt ’empty in her heart’. She longed to know the same Jesus her coach, Chisomo, shared with the team every week. From the time she was little, Rachel had attended a local church every Sunday, but she had never personally experienced the genuine love of God the Father.
Rachel questioned her coach about the goodness and sovereignty of God. “How can God be a good and loving father if he took my father from me?” she asked. “We struggle so much and live in poverty because we don’t have a father bringing home food and money to support us. How can the gospel be real if we struggle so much? Why couldn’t God choose someone else to be an orphan?”
Coach Chisomo didn’t feel she had the perfect answer, but she continued to love Rachel, pray for her, and serve as a source of stability and encouragement. Rachel was wrestling with God, but she was not wrestling alone. Her coach was wrestling with these questions and issues with her, and did not give up on her.
At one point, the Lord led Chisomo to share with the girls about how God is a good father. Chisomo told them: “Even if we don’t have a biological daddy anymore, we have a much better heavenly Father who is the founder and Creator of everything, including you! He cares about you and sees you where you are now.” It was in that moment that the gospel truly came alive to Rachel. She knew the truth.
It has not been an easy journey, but now Rachel studies God’s Word and is keen to learn and even share with her team-mates. She understands that she now has a good Father who loves her and has given her the Holy Spirit. Rachel went from questioning and wrestling, to knowing and loving Jesus. She is no longer fatherless!
Source: Serving in Mission
