Here is a brand new video from our very own Jeff Scott. He and his family just recently left everything in Tennessee and moved to Charlotte to be a part of this ministry. We are so thankful to have them on board.
New One7 Video
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One7 U17 Julian Brown Champions
This past weekend, One7 entered three teams into the Julian Brown soccer tournament. It’s one of the biggest events we participate in each year. It is an awesome platform to share Christ with everyone we come in contact with.
At the end of each game, win or lose, we share with the other team and give one of their players a man of the match award. It’s usually an iTunes gift card for the opposing player who demonstrated the most sportsmanship. After the gift presentation, one of our players shares about God and One7, usually giving a short testimony. As with anything that involves people hearing about God, there are always different reactions. Some don’t pay any attention while others are captivated by the stories from our young warriors.
We’ve seen teams completely change their attitudes toward us during the course of a tournament. A couple of years ago, on a team we played against, the boys were cursing and speaking racial slurs towards our guys throughout the entire first game. It was a very rough, physical game with many fouls. At the end, our players shared like they always do. The next day, we played the very same team once again. This time, it was completely different. They were respectful and even had tape around their ankles that said One7. It was amazing to see how God works.
Our U17 team made it to the final and won the Julian Brown tournament. During all four games, we never had one goal scored against us. The U17 group is undoubtedly the best team we’ve ever had on a soccer field. Below are some pictures after we won the championship.
One7 Behind the Net
Take a look behind the net at what One7 is all about. This is a great, new video from our friend, Jeff Scott. We are a non profit organization dependent totally on donations from amazing people like you. None of this would be possible without our church partners, volunteers, and supporters. We are profoundly grateful for all that you do. God bless.
Everyone Has a Story. Meet Soli
At One7, our goal is to raise up a generation of Jeremiah’s who will go out into the world and share the Gospel of Christ. The beauty of grace is that God can use an imperfect vessel to illustrate His ultimate perfection. The youth of One7 would be the first to tell you that they are not perfect. They make mistakes. They struggle. They fall. The good news is that they get back up and keep moving forward because, when they are weak, God is powerful.
Meet Soli. She is from Ethiopia and started attending the One7 Academy this year. She is one of five children living here in the US. Like most refugee families, they escaped their country hoping to make a better life here in America. While on many levels, they do indeed have it much better than in the past, but they still face hunger, pain, and rejection.
Here is her story…
My name is Soli, and I am from Ethiopia. I came to the United States when I was eight years old. I have two sisters and two brothers. We all grew up without a father. When we first came to America, life was very hard because we didn’t know how to speak English. All of us lived in a two bedroom apartment. It was so small and not enough room for us to live. We didn’t have anything in our apartment, not even furniture. My mother had to work to support us and often times left just us kids alone at home. I was the oldest child, but even at such a young age, I was forced to take care of my brothers and sisters.
Life was so difficult at times that my mother tried to make us all drink bathroom cleaners so we would die. She tried to make me drink it first, but when I opened the bottle, I knew it was something that we shouldn’t drink. At one time, my mother lost her food stamps and was it was so hard to get food. My cousins would give us food so we wouldn’t go hungry.
Before we moved to America, it was very hard for my mother to take care of us. We were so poor that she had to carry two of the kids around in a book bag. We lived in a refugee camp in Ethiopia for several years. Life inside the refugee camp was horrible. So many people died. There was no hope, only pain and devastation. I didn’t think we were ever going to make it out alive. School was also very hard. I didn’t like it at all, but my mom would beat me if I didn’t go. If we were late to class, the teacher would make us get on our knees and hold up heavy rocks for several minutes. There would also hit us with rulers. Some kids were beaten so severely that they died right there in the classroom.
Sometimes, we wouldn’t leave the house because we were afraid that people were going to try and kill us. They would also do witchcraft and put curses on us. One time when my mom was pregnant, someone put a curse on her, and she lost the baby.
My mother dropped out of school when she was in fifth grade and still doesn’t know how to speak English very well. I have to try and translate for her when we read the mail. It’s very hard for me. She pushed me so hard to get my schoolwork done because she doesn’t want me to drop out like she did.
Recently, my mom got really sick and the doctor didn’t know what was wrong with her. She was becoming very stressed which caused me to lose focus on my schoolwork. She went back to the doctors many times before they finally realized she was five months pregnant. My brother was facing the wrong way inside, and they were unable to turn him. Because of that, my mom had to have a C section. My new brother has a heart murmur, and my mom wanted to sell him because he didn’t come out perfect.
Life is better now, but still so hard. This is my first year at the One7 Academy and I am doing well. I look back and remember how much worse life was in the refugee camp, and I thank God for allowing us to live in America.
Everyone Has a Story. Meet Bria
At One7, our goal is to raise up a generation of Jeremiah’s who will go out into the world and share the Gospel of Christ. The beauty of grace is that God can use an imperfect vessel to illustrate His ultimate perfection. The youth of One7 would be the first to tell you that they are not perfect. They make mistakes. They struggle. They fall. The good news is that they get back up and keep moving forward because, when they are weak, God is powerful.
I want you to meet Bria. She was born in Vietnam and grew up in a Christian home. After seeing the many ways God protected her family, she surrendered her life to Christ at the age of eleven. She told us a story once about a time when she was eight years old, and the Vietnam police were trying to find them so they could kill her entire family. It was four in the morning, and they had been searching for them all night. Bria’s family left their home earlier to sleep at a cousin’s house. Her father woke them up and told them all to hide under the beds. Bria said her dad hid under one across the room from her and the other children, but she could see one of his legs sticking out where it would be visible to anyone who entered.
Terrified, she prayed that somehow God would blind the eyes of the men looking for them if they were to enter the room. The soldiers came in to search, but they never noticed her father’s leg, nor did they discover anyone hiding under the beds. In a different house, her brother cowered under a bed as well. Bria said the soldiers would take large knives and thrust them under beds in case anyone tried to hide. Miraculously, they never hurt or even discovered, her brother. She thanks God for His protection.
At the age of nine, Bria and her family were forced to flee Vietnam because they were not given freedom of religion inside their own country. Anyone who professed to be a Christian would be killed immediately. She said many pastors they knew were either murdered or placed into prison. Bria’s family traveled to Cambodia, which proved to be a harrowing experience in itself. As they fled for their lives, Bria saw many people along the road who had been killed in a variety of ways. There was a giant river they had to cross in order to make it to safety. It was full of crocodiles, and many of the people were unable to swim. A lot of people lost their lives while trying to help others reach the opposite shore. They spent almost a year in a refugee camp before people from America showed up and helped them get out of the country.
Once safely in the US, Bria told me that she struggled in high school and returned home crying every day. It was hard for her to learn English and make friends. She quit attending school after the first week, but returned and will now be graduating this year. She thought life would be so much easier when they left Vietnam, but that has not been the case. Although her parents profess to be Christians and believe in God, they constantly belittle her and say things like they wish she had never been born. Life is a constant struggle, but one that she is making her way through with the love and support of everyone at One7.
When you pray, please remember Bria, and all the other inner city kids we work with, at night before you close your eyes and fall asleep. Everyone has a story. All we have to do is take a moment to listen.
Join Our Family
One7 is made up of people from different corners of the globe. We live, laugh, cry, and follow Jesucristo together in community. Our mission is to be the hands of feet of Christ and spread the Gospel to the hurting and lost people all around us. We do that by providing food, clothing, shelter, and love to those whom the world has given up on or just simply tossed aside. We invite you to be a part of this mission.
Everyone Has a Story. Meet Pablo (Part 2)
At One7, our goal is to raise up a generation of Jeremiah’s who will go out into the world and share the Gospel of Christ. The beauty of grace is that God can use an imperfect vessel to illustrate His ultimate perfection. The youth of One7 would be the first to tell you that they are not perfect. They make mistakes. They struggle. They fall. The good news is that they get back up and keep moving forward because, when they are weak, God is powerful.
Last week, we introduced you to Pablo and let him share his testimony. We wanted to post another segment in this young man’s story, because it’s incredibly awesome. He heard about a college scholarship, and went for it. We’ll let him tell the rest of his story.
It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving when I found out I had received the Golden Door Scholarship. Although I wish I could take credit and boast about my achievement, I know I had almost no control of my award. The story begins many years ago…
For as long as I can remember, my family has had economical problems. Over the last ten years, we have lived in two different countries, three different states, and seven different houses. Often times, we had little to no food at all. Although my family had always been close, there came a point where my parents would fight every night because we were simply not making it through. It was a time in my life where I felt a lot of pain and hate. My hate did not target my parents, but instead, my anger was directed solely at God. I felt like God had put my family in a situation that was unfair and unjust. I despised Him and wished that He would just leave us alone.
During the summer of 2009, I decided to join the One7 soccer team. Through soccer, I got connected with the ministry side of One7. During one of our mission trips to Tennessee, a pastor preached about Jesus. I had heard the story of the crucifixion many times, but this time, my heart melted as I heard the words, ” He loves you!” That same night, I dedicated my life to God and begged for forgiveness. I knew that I had blamed Him for everything, so receiving grace seemed impossible. God proved to me once again why He is perfect, and He forgave me the way no human being can do.
Ever since that summer, my life was completely turned around. Life was no longer about me. Every breath I took was for Him and His glory. Even through mistakes, falls, valleys, and lows, I could still feel His presence and love. I am aware that I am not perfect, that my life is not prefect, and I am bound to sin, but I am even more aware of the love He feels for me.
During the month of November, I found out about a scholarship specifically for undocumented students like me. Scholarships like this one are considered extremely rare, so the competition for these is fierce. The scholarship began with writing two essays explaining in detail what type of person I was. Out of 500 students, only 40 were chosen to move on to the next round. I was selected, and the next step was a 20 minute phone interview. During this interview, I was asked personal questions about my life. As much as my teachers and counselors at school advised me to keep God out of the conversation, I made the entire interview about how God had changed my life. To my surprise, I was chosen as a finalist.
For both the 3rd and final rounds, we had seven 20 minutes personal interviews. As we sat in the lobby waiting for the scholarship people to get ready, I got the chance to meet some of the brightest kids in North America. There were kids from all over the world who had impeccable school records and amazing backgrounds. The more I spoke to them, the less I felt like I had any chance at receiving the scholarship.
Just like in my phone interview, I stuttered along all of my responses. I was extremely nervous, and I began to get a migraine. I pushed through the interviews, but by the time all of them were done, my mouth was dry and I felt horrible. It seemed like every time I talked about me, I would sound boring, dull, and unimportant. I finally realized what was going wrong, and I switched the conversation to be all about Jesus.
I left the company where I had been interviewed knowing I did not win. There was no reason to choose a kid like me to win and represent this scholarship. When they asked me the final question “What sets you apart from the other contestants?” I responded “Jesus”. Obviously, to non Christians, that answer baffled them. In full honesty, I did not have anything worldly that could separate me from the other contestants. Compared to all of the other kids, I was not much. These kids were captains for sports teams, leaders in multiple society movements, national champion debaters, valedictorians, and many other great things. I walked into this scholarship with nothing but Jesus on my side.
God proved to me why He is Lord of all things. Something that at first seemed impossible, God made possible. I am now blessed to say that I am going to college as an undocumented immigrant on a full ride scholarship. Jeremiah 1:1-7 speaks about a boy being set apart before he was born. I was not the only winner of the scholarship. There were about 10 winners chosen, but unlike their stories which began when they joined the chess club or debate team, my story began many years ago.
It began 17 years ago in my mother’s womb where God was already setting me apart to do great things.
