The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by John Earle
Sports World Pro/Associate Pastor Union Church, La Harpe
The excitement grew throughout the week! Was it the Super Bowl?
Maybe. But more importantly it was being able to reach hurting kids on the road with Sports World Ministries.
As a Sports World Pro, I travel all over the country speaking to thousands upon thousands of young people a year. It is different states, cities, towns, and kids, however, I find the same problems everywhere.
It is hard to believe sometimes that a young person right here in our back yard, small town, U.S.A. can have the same questions and deal with the same problems that a young person does from a large city. I see it all the time in my travels.
I have been speaking and ministering with Sports World for over 7 years and have seen God do some incredible things.
A couple of weeks ago my travels took me to Indianapolis, Indiana for a couple of days and then to my hometown in New Jersey for a couple of days.
Going home and seeing my family, friends and getting some good eats is always an extra blessing.
While in Indianapolis I spoke at an all-girls lock-down facility. Their age ranged from 10-18. The look on their faces was evidence that these young girls were going through a life time of hurt already.
One might think, what would a former pro football player say to encourage these hurting young girls? God knew. From the start they were into the talk. They let their guards down and opened their hearts. They
simply wanted to hear how and what could change their lives.
I told them the answer.....Jesus Christ.
After the assembly is when I was blessed. You see, in most cases, I receive the blessing from those in attendance. One of the girls in that facility was taken to a hospital and fighting for her life from a serious illness that had taken over her body.
One young lady asked if I would keep her in my prayers. I said, "Better yet, lets pray right now." With permission from the staff, we prayed while some even held the hands of the girl next to them. WOW!
As we said our good-byes, their smiles said it all. And I heard a voice shout out from the crowd: "John Earle, God gave you a career in football so you could be here today." I simply turned around and said, "I totally agree with that!"
For all of those that are dealing with problems. You are not alone. There is someone out there that is dealing with the same thing as you.
I encourage you to talk to someone, or drop me an email in confidence at jearle@winco.net.
God Bless,
John Earle