Good News - August 2018

GoodNewsFL.org 27 AUGUST 2018 WORLD Two months ago, Coach Rick and his team went to Guatemala with Light- house Community Church. “We were able to train 12 coaches in Guatemala then those 12 went out to three different ministries…We go, we train and it con- tinues to run. And it’s run by locals, so Guatemalans get a job and Haitians get a job as SAINTS coaches.” SAINTS also orchestrates short-term mission trips for families, including a father-son trip to help with the SAINTS program in Haiti three months ago. Min- istering through activities, they strategically love them, play with them, enjoy, laugh and on the fourth day they share the gospel. “Since they’ve experienced the love of Christ through these people, the Salvation statistics are off the charts,” said Coach Rick. “We can set up activities in an open field anywhere in any coun- try and kids just come out of the woodwork… Games are cross-cultural. I can’t speak their languages, but I can say ‘Jesus loves you’ in Creole, in Swahili and in Spanish.” He has participated on 30 short-termmission trips since his first trip in 1990 serving on the Billy Graham Crusade as a youth counselor throughout Scotland and England. Raised in a large family as the second youngest of eleven siblings, Coach Rick attended Catholic School for eight years before attending public high school where he was recently inducted into the Saugerties Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments on and off the field. “Because I had six older brothers and three older sisters, I always felt incredibly loved as a little boy,” Coach Rick said, adding, “It’s the voice of a big person to a little person. It’s just, you can do it. Good job. I’m proud of you… The power of life and death is in the tongue and I pray that I can speak life.” Coach Rick’s younger sister Ruth died of Multiple Sclerosis at 38 years old and was bedridden for the last 13 years of her life. “She loved Jesus and always had joy through all she went through. She was my hero,” said Coach Rick, and his inspiration. In her honor, he has run 19 marathons wearing a shirt with “Go Rick Go” on the front and his sister Ruth’s picture displayed on the back. He is often present at Multiple SclerosisWalks, carrying his Olympic Torch and helping to raise money for a cure. When things get difficult, Coach Rick remembers what he calls his life verse: Hebrews 12:2, “fixing our eyes on Jesus…” He explained, “When the storms of life come and when troubles come, I fix my eyes on Jesus. He’s the author and perfector of my life.” Coach Rick testifies, “My life is not one of a success story, but more one of a Faithful Heavenly Father.” It’s the testimonies of children that are the highlights of his life. Travelling to Guatemala two months ago, he encountered an 18-year-old boy who stopped him at the airport and said, “Your name is Coach Rick. You spoke at my church when I was eight years old... When your mission team shared the gospel at our church in San Andreas, Guatemala, I accepted Jesus as my savior.” While he has no biological children of his own, Coach Rick said that when people ask, “Do you have any kids?” he smiles and says, “Yes… a few thousand!” An inspirational speaker at homeschool conventions, Coach Rick’s message is “God is faithful” and he believes the greatest message is the value of children to God!. He has an amazing way of communicating from the heart of God to the heart of a parent about the heart of a child. Coach Rick added, “I am very grateful for my home church at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. And we know you don’t have to get on an airplane to serve chil- dren. SAINTS is privileged to partner here locally with 4Kids of South Florida, One Hope Min- istries in Pompano Beach and also God’s Little Acres in Coconut Creek. To get involved with SAINTS of Florida Homeschool P.E. and SAINTS Inter- national Sports Ministry, please… * Pray for their staff and ministry * Consider sponsoring a “SAINTS in a Box” to be implemented in another country or to be used as an afterschool program here in the United States. * Host a SAINTS Sunday at your church where they can share the vision. * Partner financially by donating online at SaintsOfFlorida.com. SAINTS International Sports Ministry is a qualified 501C3 nonprofit organi- zation, and 100 percent of your giving is used to enhance the life of a child. SAINTS of Florida Homeschool P.E. is now registering students for its 2018- 2019 season. For details, visit SaintsOfFlorida.com. Coach RickAndreassen can be reached at 954-494-6812 or [email protected] . e h r u o y n e p O i K S D I K 4 a s a e m o h d n a t r a Y O d e e n s d . y l i m a f r e t s o f ! U For 20 years 4KIDS r homes to serve has been helping 4KIDS.us/FosterCare e! earn Mor L TM Christians open thei , Coach Rick Andreassen encourages kids during SAINTS of Florida Homeschool P.E.