So yesterday, after we went to the big rock, we went to Alex's house for dinner, to hear his testimony, and then we had a "friendly" pickup against one of the team he coaches. Alex is one of the main coaches at the CDUC and is currently in school to become an athletic trainer for the club. Here is a bit of his story, the best I can remember it:
Alex's father was and still is a very powerful man in some of the bad ways in Colombia. Alex is one of five sons from his mother and father, but his father had a total of 26 children. The main purpose of having so many sons was to have a close group of people around him that he could trust. Alex began cleaning and taking care of his father's guns and other weapons from a very young age. His father even made him a special belt that Alex could hold all of his guns in order to get past security guards, as they wouldn't frisk an 8 year old. A couple years later, at the age of 14 or 15 I think, Alex began to be a part of his father's following full time. He would do whatever we needed to be done, whether it was killing, kidnapping, etc. Alex became his father's "best man," and was feared by many throughout Medellin and this area. Alex said he was addicted to guns. At the same time, he was also addicted to soccer. He played on many different high level teams, and it was a key part of his life. One day, a friend asked him to come to a practice for a "different" team. this was a Christian sports union club team, and Alex thought no way. His friend continued to bug him for two years, and Alex finally went, just to please his friend. the practice started with the coach sharing a ten minute testimony, which Alex was confused by, as he was there to play soccer. But those ten minutes turned out to be a key point in his life. The coach read and talked about John 3:16, replacing "the world" with Alex's name. "For God so loved Alex..." hit a soft spot, as no one had ever said to him that they loved him. He became more and more curious, and kept going back to practice. Eventually, he accepted Jesus as his Savior, but continued to hold on to his guns and some other problems. One day, his father told him to go and kill someone, and Alex suggested simply talking to them and seeing if they can work things out without the killing, but his father became furious, asking him who had been telling him these things and eventually kicked him out of the house. Shortly thereafter, his father's group was out to kill Alex, so Alex surrounded himself with a group of guys to protect him too. After some time, Alex realized that he was still relying on himself and his guns, so he recommitted himself to the Lord and trusted in his protection. There are a couple other small stories that go along with this, but this is getting really long. Eventually his father was relocated out of Medellin, and Alex and his family were safe. He soon became a leader at CDUC and asked to be a coach, so Alex became a mentor and coach for kids in the very neighborhoods where he was once feared. The story goes on, but Alex continues to coach and mentor to several teams, sharing the gospel with them, just as it was shared to him. He has also reconciled with his father, whom he goes to see twice a year, and shares with his father's men, who are allowed to leave and go back with Alex if they choose. His father is still involved in many bad things, so keep him in your prayers that the Lord will draw him closer to Him.
Alex is currently married and has three children. We ate and hung out at his house and then went to a nearby turf field and played a friendly against one of his teams, who all happen to be a part of a gang in that area. It was somewhat scary, but an awesome experience none the less. All around where we played, the mountains and views are amazing, and it was truly a great night.
