MicroLeague Update

Micro League is one of our Urban Ministry models. This program aims to reach young children, teaching them to love soccer and the Lord in a family-focused, Christ-centered environment. 

These are two EXCITING hours of my week...buckle up to hear what's been going on!

Indoor Micro is off with a bang! I am working at our West Chicago location, and it turns out that I LOVE winter MicroLeague! 

We have two winter locations with two age sessions at each location. Because we are inside and split across four sessions, our numbers are much smaller and the kids are younger. This has turned out to be one of my favorite aspects. We get to talk to the kids in much smaller, more focused groups, and we get a lot more one-on-one time with them. 

My favorite age is still our four and five-year-olds. I typically have six-10 kids on my court at a time, and it is the perfect number. They are high-energy yet surprisingly focused for their age. They are the cutest.

We are still talking about who Eagles are and what it looks like for us to live following Christ. So far, we have discussed topics such as excellence, growth, and respect. The kids seem to be grasping the ideas, remembering the Bible verses and stories, and having really good conversations. Prayer over each of our kiddos and their families is always so valued. We are praying the Lord would use the seeds being planted here to grow great fruit in them, their homes, and beyond!

We are now halfway through our MicroLeague Season. WOW! It has actually flown by.

I am still with our 5 year old girls, and boy is that an interesting experience each and every day. I am learning a lot about the attention span of 5 year olds. Although we have focuses and activites we are supposed to play each session, we typically end up in a giant game of Sharks and Minnows or Red Light, Green Light. You would not believe how invested such tiny people can get in being a minnow.

I have been surprised to find that one of my favorite aspects of Micro is actually interacting with the families of our players. It has been such an unexpected blessing to get to know our parents and volunteers. 

We are still talking about who Jesus is, and I have loved learning from the kids. So often, I make assumptions about their capabilities and don't even consider the wisdom they can bring to conversations. It has been so sweet to see Jesus through their eyes more.

As we move into the second half of the season, we would love prayer over each of our kiddos and their families. Several of our families have been dealing with various struggles and hard circumstances, and we have been praying over this tough season for many of them. We would greatly appreciate you joining us in that!

Our Micro League Program officially started today! 

Micro is essentially an hour-long version of soccer camp that we hold twice a week for children ages 4-13. This season, I am serving at our West Chicago location. This week, I coached our five and six-year-old girls. It was such a sweet, precious time! We played A LOT of sharks and minnows, some red light/green light, and tried to play something resembling a "scrimmage." 

We had 16 girls in our group alone, and across the entirety of our Micro program, we had about 100 families participate. What an incredible blessing! It was such a joyful sight to see fields full of families playing the beautiful game and sharing the Gospel!

Throughout our fall season, our Micro curriculum is titled "Jesus is..."

We are talking about Jesus's characteristics and sharing about who Jesus is! This week, we talked about how Jesus is the Word. It was incredible to watch the kids absorb the story of Creation and participate in conversations about Jesus being both WITH God and BEING God. I am learning that they are capable of understanding far more than I often assume!

We would LOVE prayer over this season and this program, as well as each of these kiddos and their families. Micro is a super unique opportunity to connect with both players and families simultaneously, and this is not something I want to take for granted! I already love this ministry, and I would just love to watch seeds planted here grow into beautiful, fruitful futures. I trust that God will work this for His glory! Prayer over the kids and their families, their safety, and endurance and energy as this program continues would all be greatly appreciated!