CM grad helps spread faith on mission trips through playing soccer | News, Sports, Jobs - Lock Haven Express

CM grad helps spread faith on mission trips through playing soccer | News, Sports, Jobs - Lock Haven Express

Central Mountain grad Sam Lofton (right) poses for a photograph between two young players during a clinic on a mission trip with the Ambassadors. The group spread faith through soccer on trips to Mexico, Peru and Rwanda.

For The Express

While in Rwanda in January, one of the smallest countries in Africa’s mainland, Sam Lofton and some soccer teammates of hers met a man who told them that he never saw the point of his daughter playing any sports before he had met them. Lofton and her teammates were in Rwanda doing what they love: playing soccer and through that, promoting the game to young girls in the area.

After watching this group of former American professional soccer players compete, the man’s daughter then had his support for the first time and for Lofton, that was something that made the trip to Rwanda more than worthwhile.

Lofton is one of many former women’s soccer players that is part of the Ambassadors, a group that is committed to spreading the game of soccer and help with mission trips throughout the world. The group Lofton was a part of went to Mexico, Peru and Rwanda throughout January and February.

The Ambassadors started in England and is a Christian-based club. The North American program is based in Cleveland. Lofton ended up getting involved through a friend who played against her while Lofton played professional soccer in Iceland. The group goes to other countries and holds clinics for young girls to play soccer and the Ambassadors members spread love and the word of God while playing soccer.

“Being able to promote soccer to young girls in different countries is the greatest gift I could ever imagine. These trips have been huge in helping me transition from playing full time to retiring,” Lofton said. “I’ve met some of the sweetest little kids and hearing how I’ve changed their lives, even in broken English, makes me emotional every time. … Many of these kids don’t have much, and to inspire them to play sports is so humbling.”

The Ambassadors mission is to provide opportunities for high-level women soccer players to use their talents as a tool to serve and play soccer with a bigger purpose of sharing the word of God and Jesus to people.

The organization began having playing tours in the early 1990s when the Ambassadors took both women’s and men’s teams to play soccer and use it as a platform to share their faith.

At each stop in various countries, the Ambassadors would play either professional or national teams. In Mexico and Peru, Lofton was able to play against some professional level teams, usually the champions of the country and a professional team that’s available. They played against a youth national team in Peru. The group played five games while in Peru and four in Mexico.

But in Rwanda, Lofton had an enormous privilege by being part of the first American team ever to play in Rwanda.

“Being the first American team to play in Rwanda was a huge honor. Rwanda has always held a special place in my heart after learning about the tragedy they went through in the early 90s,” Lofton said, referring to the Rwanda genocide of 800,000 people over 100 days in 1994. “Getting to be there and have a historical impact in such a special country was truly an honor. To help get the ball rolling on the national stage for women’s soccer is more than I could have ever imagined.”

In photos Lofton took during her trips, you can see her smiling ear to ear as she poses with young girls during the trips. It was a moment that wasn’t lost on the former Central Mountain standout. During the mission trips, Lofton and others would walk throughout the town and tell kids to come to the soccer field in an hour for a clinic.

“The kids will just start running down the hills. It’s fun to see them so excited about a clinic,” Lofton said. “Yes, sometimes we definitely end up with more kids than we think we can handle. It’s a lot of fun for everyone and it reminds you of the joys and innocence of the game.”

Lofton was an all-state soccer player at Central Mountain, went on to play for four years at James Madison University, became the first – and to date only – local player to be drafted in the National Women’s Soccer League and spent a few years internationally playing soccer in Iceland. But that entire career she believes has led her to where she is now.

“It’s crazy to say that I believe my years of dedication to soccer and training daily has possibly been mostly to lead me to this,” Lofton said. “Of course I personally had a wonderful experience getting to play Division I and a few years professionally, but when I go on trips like this, they fulfill me in ways that just playing for myself never could.

“I learn and grow so much in such a short time, and although we are the ones doing the work, I think we get just as much out of it if not more as the other countries do. I am eternally grateful and humbled that I get to be a small part of this world-wide initiative.”

Lofton remembers being a young kid and looking up to older players. It left a mark on her and now the roles are reversed and she’s the one these younger players are looking up to. Consider it something that has now come full circle.

“It would impact me for years (meeting older players). I still remember them today. Even if I just talked to them for a few minutes or if they came to my practice, I was hooked without even fully understanding their talents,” Lofton said. “For it to come full circle and now I get the chance to be that influence is just incredible. A lot of these girls have never met a professional athlete and for it to be a female who plays the same sport as them, I know that can change their life. I’m so honored to be a part of that.”

2020-03-04 07:31:15Z
https://www.lockhaven.com/sports/local-sports/2020/03/cm-grad-helps-spread-faith-on-mission-trips-through-playing-soccer/

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