"We've been on many mission trips around the world," said Torrey Babb, who started the mission organization Frontline International with his wife, Heather. "And almost in every place we've been, we've played soccer with kids."
And from that sprung an idea. What better way to spread the gospel than put the message right on those soccer balls?
"So a kid who just has a soccer ball, as they're sitting, waiting to play, they just start looking at the soccer ball and start reading the different things and start reading God's word, Scripture," Torrey Babb said.
"And hopefully we can work with the churches to progress from there," Heather Babb said. "Leaving soccer pumps with the church, so the kids can come back and get their balls pumped up by the pastor, and the pastor can work with the kids."
They're calling it "the mission ball."
"We have things simple like the 10 commandments, "Torrey Babb said. "We have a salvation message for people to know what it means to be a Christian or to know who God is. And then there's just different various Scripture takes directly from the Bible."
"Because people will come to us," Heather Babb said. "We don't have to go to people. And everybody loves to play soccer. Looking at the video, everywhere we go, anybody plays soccer, and I think that's why it's going to be so effective."
"They're so receptive to the sport," Torrey Babb said. "And something that we take for granted, like a soccer ball, they just don't. And so when you can present a gift to someone of a free soccer ball, we really think that we're going to be able to pass these out by the thousands."
Right now, the Babbs have had 100 made, in English. But those balls are only tools to get the ball rolling, so to speak, on a bigger project.
"We'll take these 100 soccer balls, and we'll start sending them to people we know or people we know who knows someone else to try to generate support," Torrey Babb said.
They need to raise $40,000 to buy 10,000 balls, with the words written in foreign languages. Then churches and mission organizations will be able to take those balls all over the world.
"The main focus of the ball is to spread the word of God and to teach people and to share the gospel with people," Heather Babb said. "And so this is just an easy way to get it into someone's hands."The Babbs have other future goals for the mission balls. Eventually, they'd like to be able to provide the raw materials, and teach underprivileged people in those countries to sew the balls and earn money for themselves as well.
If you'd like to donate and help the Babbs fulfill their goal, or would just like to know more about their organization, Frontline International, click here to go to their Web site.
