July/August 2023

"Love to Jesus is the basis of all true piety, and the intensity of this love will ever be the measure of our zeal for His glory. Let us love Him with all our hearts, and then diligent labor, and consistent living will be sure to follow." -Charles Spurgeon

Another year has come and gone since the start of Tenfifteen Ministries in the summer of 2019. We have been blessed to be a part of a ministry where we get to share our faith in Jesus using soccer. We could never have predicted all the ways God would work through this ministry. Each year we have grown and changed. This past year marked a big change in how we view ministry. We believe that ministry should be done and people should be sent through the local church. That is why we have come under our local church, ONE Church. The context of a believer consists of being an active member in their local church, so why would ministry be any different? With ONE church we have been able to do more together. We have done soccer clinics, food drop offs, and we are planning a futsal tournament and fall festival together with our church and the ministry- always with the purpose of sharing the gospel and making disciples through soccer. We can do outreach using soccer, and we can do it together with our church. Several of our players have been attending ONE Church on Sundays. So not only do we partner in outreach, we are able to point our adult players to a church home to be taught what it means to live out their faith and follow Jesus daily.

In July and August, Tenfifteen FC has been preparing for our third season in the UPSL. The last two seasons have not gone our way. In the beginning of August we participated in the tournament the "Heineken Cup". This tournament also did not go our way. We have had a disappointing year so far, as far as the soccer is concerned. We have lost a lot of games that we think we should have won, but that is how it goes sometimes. We have been encouraged by the consistency of a core group of about 11 players. They have consistently showed up to two trainings a week and mostly every game for two years now. We believe soccer teaches a lot of lessons. One lesson is consistency and commitment. Not many people are able to stick with the same thing for too long anymore. We live in a world where it is perfectly normal to quit your job because you want to, or stop showing up to a commitment you made because you 'aren't feeling it'. The world tells you to 'be true to yourself' and not to do anything you don't want to do. We feel blessed to have something that we can offer to our players that is consistent and has been for years. They can learn consistency and commitment simply by showing up training after training and game after game. Our consistency is fueled by our love for Jesus. We are able to be excited to go to training after training and game after game because we love Jesus and we are passionate about sharing our faith with these players. Many of the players are not believers, and so their commitment and consistency is not fueled by love for Jesus, but love for themselves. That is probably why people have a hard time sticking to their commitments nowadays. Either way, we love Jesus and will continue to proclaim the gospel boldly to our players.

Some exciting soccer things are coming up for Tenfifteen FC. We have been accepted into the Open Cup. The Open Cup is a single game elimination tournament that if you keep winning, you could potentially play a professional team. It is a cool tournament because amateur teams can enter and see how far they get. Also, to give some perspective on the tournament, Messi and Inter Miami are playing in the Open Cup final at the end of September. So, theoretically speaking, we could be playing against Messi next year. It is not easy for amateur teams to make it into the knockout rounds against professional teams. The tournament starts for us on September 30 and we will play one game per month until we lose. If we make it all the way into the spring, we will start playing USL teams, and if we keep winning, we will play MLS teams next summer. The team is excited to have an opportunity to play in this tournament.

Something you can be praying for a meeting that Zach has this Thursday at 2pm with some of the organizers of the TST (the soccer tournament). That is the 7v7 million dollar tournament that Zach and I played in this past summer. It was so fun, and we started dreaming that it would be awesome to take a 10//15 FC team there next year.

Lastly, although expectations were not met in the Heineken cup, we were able to debut our new all white kits and the team loved them! They look very nice with our two jersey sponsors (thank you ONE Church and Tetelestai Renovations). We are thankful for everyone's support and prayer! Please keep praying that God would open eyes and soften hearts to the gospel!

February 2023

This month we said goodbye for now to our friends the Gamboa's, who have moved to Costa Rica to live. Daniel and Sarah have been an integral part of Tenfifteen Ministries since we met them in 2020. Daniel came out to one of our Covid pick up groups in July of 2020, and he has been with us ever since. He has attended nearly every Tenfifteen Ministries event including helping us start the competitive club- Tenfifteen FC- in 2021. To say that we will miss them is a big understatement. We not only did ministry with them, but became very close friends and did many things together with our families. We will be praying and staying in touch with the Gambao's as they seek to serve and to share the gospel with communities in Costa Rica using soccer.

Tenfifteen FC

Aside from the Gamboa's moving away, February has looked similar to January as far as Tenfifteen FC is concerned. The team continues to prepare for the upcoming UPSL season. The first game is April 1st against one of the best teams in the nation, FORO 360. The team has been working hard during the offseason. Mostly. we have been having them running a lot of fitness and working on attacking patterns. We have been sad to see some of our players move on from the team for a myriad of different reasons- starting a family, moving away, focusing on career...etc., but we have been pleased to welcome some new players that have made an immediate impression. Each Tuesday when training is over, Zach has been reading a chapter in the book of Mark and expanding on it briefly. Coming up in March, the practice schedule for the team will be changing to trainings on Mondays and Thursdays. This opens up Tuesday nights for us, so we will be hosting a team bible study at our house on Tuesday nights for players from the team. Several of the players have expressed interest in learning how to read the Bible or be a part of a men's bible study, so the new schedule gives the opportunity to serve the players in this way.

Beautiful Feet

Pray for the opportunity to serve the youth by sharing the gospel and making disciples in our community by using soccer clinics 1x a month together with ONE church. We are hopeful to have the first clinic on March 11.

Thank you for your continued support and prayer!!

January 2023

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16

New year, same purpose.. sharing the love of Jesus Christ and making disciples through soccer. I love new years resolutions. Many people look down on them, because they usually get broken so quickly, but goal setting can be very helpful, serving as a good kick-start for many people. For that reason, we had the men's team, Tenfifteen FC, share their new years resolutions and goals with us in three areas- soccer, career, and spiritual. I will not be sharing any of the resolutions/goals here, so as not to betray trust and be manipulative. The purpose of collecting these from the players is to show them that someone cares about their future, to hold them accountable to their goals, and to offer assistance in reaching them. Tenfifteen FC is more than just a men's league team. We are creating a culture of family and trust. In this type of culture, we can genuinely share the good news about Jesus and be taken seriously. This spring, every Tuesday before training starts, we are reading a chapter from Mark, and Zach shares something from the chapter- something that the Holy Spirit illuminated to him or context around the text. What is our purpose if we are not being intentional about sharing the good news, reading the Scripture to the team, and praying for and with the players? None, there is no point if Christ is not at the center. We do not fool ourselves, it is not we who will change anyone, but only God- "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:7). But we can live in a way that is obedient to Jesus - "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments." (1 John 2:3).

God has granted each believer gifts to exercise. Many believers are consuming too much and not exercising. They are becoming overweight in their consumption when they should be exercising their faith. Ask the Holy Spirit for illumination and conviction. Where should you be serving with your gifts- starting with your local church? Are you using all that God has given you for His glory- outweighing your life to serve others? Being like Jesus, "...who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8). Can you relate to this kind of humility? I cannot, without God changing me daily (Romans 12:1-2).

By God's grace, we continue to move forward in expectation and excitement around 2023. We have come under the authority of our local church, ONE Church. We believe the ministry should be a part of the local church- to accomplish the Great Commission in the right context. There are several opportunities this year we are praying for that ONE Church would come alongside Tenfifteen Ministries and we can serve together. For one, several of our players who have expressed interest in being discipled by men from our church. Another opportunity we are praying through is starting a Beautiful Feet soccer clinic (youth outreach) 1x a month. We would be transporting kids in from underserved areas to the fields. Lastly, we are praying about an international soccer mission trip to India in December! Please continue to pray with us for the players on Tenfifteen FC, and the all the other ways we can use soccer to share the gospel and make disciples while we continue to serve the community here in Dallas. Thank you for your support and prayer!

Disappointment and hope

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light... for unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:2,6

Tenfifteen Fc men's inaugural UPSL season came to an abrupt end the first weekend in December with a 5-1 loss to DKSC. DKSC went on to win the final 5-1 against former UPSL champions, FORO, so we know we lost to a good team. Either way, losing 5-1 and the season ending so quickly is hard to swallow. The team suffered a disappointing loss. Navigating through defeat and disappointment on a soccer team may sound fickle compared to the heavy events of the world, but there is much to be gleaned from these kinds of disappointments. At the forefront of my mind is Advent. The Christian carries suffering and hope together. Although circumstance or situation is hard, we are able to "count it all joy" (James 1:2). Why? Because we have so much hope for the future. The Jews groaned under the weight of persecution of the Roman Empire, and at the right time, Jesus came, as a baby, as the prophesied Messiah on the first Advent ("arrival"). We know that Christ has already come once to take away the sins of the world. Now, we wait, groaning once again, under the weight of the world and the pain of suffering, injustice and sadness... to name a few. However, we are waiting with longing and hope because we know that "he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23), and He will come back to judge the earth, and wipe away every tear (Rev.21:4). So as Christians, we are able to hold joy and suffering together, because we, like Paul, can "...consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18).

So what does Advent have to do with Tenfifteen FC and a season closed out in disappointment. Well, not a lot, except that Christ encompasses every part of our lives, so as we live to please God, we use every opportunity we can to share the gospel and make disciples. So, in the team's disappointment, we shared about Advent and the true hope and joy that we have in Jesus, no matter the circumstance. Despite the disappointment, the team looks forward to the next season starting in April. They had some fun at training the other day making the 10//15 Christmas card, and we want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15

This past Tuesday instead of a usual training session with 10//15 FC, the players and coaches met at ONE Church in Lake Highlands to take part in our annual grocery drop offs. The purpose of the food drop offs is to get the team together off the soccer field and show them the importance of giving back and serving the community; which we hope ultimately points them to Christ- "For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45).

This year was special because we were able to partner with our church, ONE Church. Members from our church welcomed the players Tuesday night and we ate pizza together followed by Pastor Ying sharing a message with everyone. He shared about wisdom and foolishness using Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." He went on to share about our ultimate hope in Jesus. After the message, players were split into groups. There were five groups that would be sent to different parts of Dallas to deliver food and pray with families. Then the fun part came, going to Costco all together to pick up all the food. This is always fun and a little chaotic, but we got it done before Costco closed!

Each group departed to its destination to drop off the food to families in need. This year we were able to provide groceries for 10 families. One drop off location the past two years has been Newport Landing apartments. Several refugee families that live there go to our church. The guys from the team introduced themselves, then Zach prayed for the families. It is cool for the young kids in the apartments to see these young men serving. We need more young men being leaders in their communities! It is a small thing that we do this once a year, and require our players to go, but we pray that God will bless it and grow the seeds we are planting, and that many would come to know Christ and follow Him with their whole lives. We are thankful for the opportunities we get weekly to share the gospel and live it out!

Costa Rica 2022

An entry from Zach:

What a trip! God continues to amaze me by the way he can use the game of soccer to make Himself known and change lives. Our team for the trip was Daniel Gamboa, Roberto Zatarain, Eric Luna, Gabe (my son), and me. When we arrived we spent our first night playing at a local futsal court. After the pick up game, the guys we played with invited us to their home for dinner. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Almost every night we were invited into a family's home, and it was during those times we got to know them and hear their stories. God used those times to encourage us. We also hosted youth soccer camps in two different cities. One was in La Carpio, which is a city whose population is 90% Nicaraguan refugees. The other city we hosted a youth camp was called La Heredia. In La Carpio we met some Christian missionaries who shared the same vision we have for soccer and discipleship. They had a green space in the middle of the city at a place called Renuevos. The kids came out everyday for a few hours to play and hear a message. We built a strong bond with this group during our trip.

Before we went to Costa Rica we had been praying for a location and people we could come alongside and share the gospel using soccer, and that is exactly what happened at La Carpio. I was encouraged by the missionaries' love for the kids in the community, and their love for Jesus. We were able to help them organize and execute actual training sessions with drills, because they had previously just been doing pick up with the kids everyday.

The trip was amazing and we were so blessed to have had the support of local churches and donors to make the trip happen. The original trip was planned for March 2020... needless to say, we have been praying about this trip for a long time. The next steps for us to stay connected at La Carpio is to take the coaches and missionaries through our Tenfifteen Ministries Coaching Course. This course is a 6 week curriculum that lays a blueprint for how to do soccer and discipleship anywhere. We developed the course through 10 years of experience in sharing the gospel using soccer and we hope it will bless and equip the men who will be taking the course via Zoom with Roberto and Daniel.

Please pray for the coaching course and our continued partnership with the missionaries in La Carpio. Also, enjoy the amazing video edited by Gerardo Ortiz and video footage and photos taken by Eric Luna. We are so grateful to have such talented young men who have a passion for soccer and discipleship and use their gifts to bless our ministry!

End of Summer update

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Summer came and went quickly, but the one thing that remains is God's love and the Texas heat. It has been an eventful summer for Tenfifteen Ministries. Our men's team won the league again, we hosted open pick up several Fridays during the summer where testimonies of God's faithfulness were shared each time, went to Costa Rica for a soccer mission trip, served with Love Is Ministry and the Summer Soccer League, the Youth Academy has been playing in indoor leagues all summer, and we have continued to share God's message of hope in Jesus Christ to all who would hear.

Tenfifteen FC // Through much discussion, planning and prayer, we have decided to turn our focus to one men's team (we had two this past spring) moving forward. We plan to expend our efforts in coaching, tactics, fitness, leadership training, and discipleship on a focused group of 30 proven players. What I mean by "proven" is mostly proven to be committed. We have learned a lot since launching our soccer club last year at this time. One thing is the importance of committed players. We have also landed on a good rhythm for leadership training and discipleship. Travis Loyd, team chaplain, leads the discipleship of the team through deep messages every other Wednesday before training. He also holds Chapel before every home game, and most of the team shows up to this. Leadership training looks like reading a book per season, and each player presenting an assigned chapter with their assigned group on every other Wednesday during the season.

The men's team will be competing in the UPSL, which is a national league with hundreds of teams participating in the league all over the country. If we win our league, they go to regionals and nationals. Also, the team will be competing in the Open Cup, which is a tournament that if they can keep winning, they potentially could play against professional teams in the USL and MLS. Needless to say, the guys are very excited about the Open Cup.

Lastly, we got a cool new logo for our club.

Prayer request: We are looking for sponsors for the men's team. Mostly, jersey sponsors that would want to support the team financially, and we have been praying for churches and Christian organizations and churches to meet with. Please pray for these meetings, or if you know any faith-based organizations that would be interested, reach out to us.

Tenfifteen FC Academy // The Youth Academy will be competing in another competitive league this fall. We will be focusing on skills and learning the right time to pass/how to get open. They have improved so much since we started last year. The discipleship looks like memorizing Scripture together as a team. They have memorized John 3:16 and Colossians 3:23. We will be working on one verse per month during the fall.

Prayer request: On Wednesdays the Youth will be training on the grassy area in front of our church, One Church. We have some ideas circulating about soccer, discipleship and tutoring during this time for kids in and surrounding the neighborhood. You can be praying for God's will to be done with these ideas.

Beautiful Feet // This summer we partnered with Love Is ministry and the Summer Soccer League. The league hosts hundreds of refugees from ages 6-18, sets them up in teams according to their age, and puts on a 6 week tournament where they have one game each week at a field located by Sam Tasby school in Dallas. Our players have been volunteering as refs, coaches, water boys..etc. each Saturday.

Craig and Jacqueline Noguez have not been able to do soccer at Sienna Springs apartments as much this summer because of the heat, but they continue to stay connected with the parents and kids through ESL classes and prayer walks.

Prayer request: Please pray for our Youth outreach through soccer this fall, for more opportunities and more volunteers. Just like the previous request, pray for the ideas about soccer, discipleship, and tutoring at our church. Also, pray for Sienna Springs apartments, that they would be able to stay connected with the kids that were committed throughout the spring/summer.

Costa Rica // I have intentionally not done an update on Costa Rica because we are waiting for the final video from the trip, and an update written by one of the people that went on the trip. It was an amazing trip and there are many exciting details to share, but I will wait for that post... coming soon.

Praise report // We are amazed at the monthly support and donations at different times throughout the year given by many to make Tenfifteen Ministries happen. We are so thankful for our supporters and our shared mission to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and make disciples through soccer! Thank you!

Ministry Updates & Prayer requests

"Pray without ceasing" 1 Thessalonians 5:17

With this update we are inviting you to pray with us for several upcoming events during the summer with Tenfifteen Ministries.

1. Costa Rica- 6 of our staff is going to Costa Rica on July 5-11. The purpose of the trip is to establish 10//15 FC in Costa Rica. We will do this by equipping some very committed volunteers from a church we are connected with down there and forming a team from the boys they have already been doing soccer and discipleship with. We created a Coaching Course that we will be taking the coaches through for 3 days of the trip to equip them to know everything that 10//15 is all about, and also further their coaching education. There is a U14 boys team that we will form into 10//15 FC. Our staff has been fasting one meal per day the entire month of June to take time to intentionally pray for specific things regarding the trip. For example, week 1, we prayed for the volunteer coaches who will be leading the new team. We prayed for their abiding in Christ, because from that comes everything in life. You cannot serve if there is no abundance of the Holy Spirit to draw from. If you are not abiding in Christ and serving a lot, you are drawing on your own strength. The second week we prayed for the players who will be on the team (about 15 boys)- that they would know Christ as their Lord and Savior and be discipled by their local church. And for the last two weeks before the trip we will be praying for the details of the trip- that they would be worked out- things like transportation and stay, and the itinerary. We pray that everything would honor and glorify God. This trip has been postponed and changed since March 2020, so we are very excited that it is finally happening! Will you please take time to pray for these things with us?

2. 10//15 FC- We currently have two men's team and a youth team in 10//15 FC. Our top men's team is competing in the league final this Sunday. Our U23 men's team have their last game this Saturday. The Youth boys team is in-between summer seasons. We will be making some changes for the fall. We are dropping the U23 team and focusing on one men's team. We added the U23 team because of an over abundance of young players that were asking to play on 10//15 earlier this year. The player's commitment level did not meet our standard, so we are dropping the team for now to focus on the Senior men's team. The Senior men's team will be joining the UPSL in the fall, which is the highest level a men's team can play before going pro. We feel confident that this is the right thing to do for the ministry for the next season. We will be able to accomplish more things with just one team to focus on and make the experience all-around more professional and focused for our players. Please pray for the transition. Please pray also for a youth team to be added from Sienna Springs apartment this fall. Craig and Jacqueline are trying to form a team of some Afghan and African refugees to compete in LHSA in the fall. They are having some trouble with the Afghan kid's parents because of the gospel messages being preached and the Bible being read.

3. Beautiful Feet- Please pray with us as we partner with Love Is Ministry this summer in the Summer Soccer League. Love Is Ministry is a refugee ministry in Dallas that Zach and Casey served in extensively for 4 years. The Summer Soccer League is put on by many volunteers and local churches coming together to serve local refugees with soccer for Christ. The league runs Saturdays from 10-12 all summer. The players form their own teams from age 7-18 and they compete in the league at a field near Sam Tasby middle school. Gospel presentations are scattered throughout the summer. So please be praying for logistics and details to come together- it starts this Saturday- and pray for enough volunteers (coaches, referees, registration, nurse, uniform manager, trainers, water volunteers, transportation). This is an amazing event that will host a couple hundred kids. Pray that their hearts would be softened to hear the gospel and discipleship if there are kids who accept Christ. Also, pray for the players of the men's team of 10//15 FC because they are required to serve at this event at least one time. Pray that their hearts would be softened to the word of God as well as they serve and hear gospel messages.

4. Summer Pick Up- Every Friday we have open pick up. We get around 50 young adults out there each time. At the end of pick up they hear a testimony and gospel message. Two weeks ago they heard Zach's testimony. You know it's powerful when all the young adults have their phones away and are listening intently. This week they will hear Summer Chaffin's testimony of God's faithfulness in completely transforming her life from a "child of wrath" to "daughter of the king". We will have different believers sharing their testimony each week, so please pray for their stories to resonate with the group and, again, for hearts to be softened to the gospel, and for God to open eyes to the truth of the gospel.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

Career Day recap

"The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth." Proverbs 19:24

This past Saturday One Church hosted our first ever Career Day. The event involved 7 speakers and about 30 players attended. Some players saw it as an opportunity to present themselves well and dressed in suits. We took headshots for Linkedin accounts, and had really good engagement throughout the whole event. Travis kicked the event off with a message about "work" from a Biblical perspective. He explained that work is good and God designed us to work. He then gave some very practical advice which was echoed by many of the speakers about "getting busy" and working hard. For the 99%, there is no such thing as get rich quick, there is a lot of hours and hard work involved in every career path. One problem we encounter with young adults today is their unwillingness to work hard. All of our speakers did a great job outlining the hard work involved in any career. Also, they opened up the idea that college might not be the best option for everyone. Many grow up being told you must go to college to get a good job. The idea was debunked quite a bit throughout Career Day. Our hope with Career Day was to equip our players with some new options and ideas for a career path. We care about their maturity and development into responsible, hard working young men, and this was something we could do to assist them in that way. We also take every opportunity to point people to Jesus, so we intentionally started the day with a gospel message that Travis delivered. Career day also opened up more conversations between us and the players about different career options. One of our speakers, Keegan, offered a 6 week class on his topic of entrepreneurship that many of our players are very interested in. At the end of the day we thank God for all the different ways we can reach people for Christ.