Missionary Spotlight: Kevin & Jenni Verstraeten

Meet Kevin Verstraeten, Coordinator for the SportQuest Belgium team.  As a 16-year-old kid in Belgium, Kevin began following Christ at… Read more Missionary Spotlight: Kevin & Jenni Verstraeten

Meet Kevin Verstraeten, Coordinator for the SportQuest Belgium team.  As a 16-year-old kid in Belgium, Kevin began following Christ at a SportQuest camp.  Now 15 years later, he is giving leadership to the very ministry that introduced him to Jesus!  Over the last several years, Kevin has grown in experience and maturity through what started as an internship with SportQuest, then coming on staff with SportQuest in the U.S., and later spending 3 months in South Africa at the International Sports Leadership School.  Now, he and his team in Belgium are partnering with local churches to use sports to reach a whole new generation of Belgian youth.

Tell us a little about yourself and where you are from.

My name is Kevin Verstraeten, 31 years old, and I live in Genk, Belgium. I am married to my beautiful wife, Jenni, and we are expecting our first baby in August. I was born and raised in Belgium but lived in the States for 6 years while working for SportQuest in Indianapolis. I met Jenni one week after arriving in the U.S., and we recently celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. In 2016 we decided to move back to Belgium and are enjoying serving the Lord here in the land of chocolate, waffles, and fries. Since the start of this year I have taken on the role of SportQuest Belgium Coordinator. I am passionate about basketball — I love to play, coach, and referee games and have a heart for the basketball community. We have two adorable cats — Po, who came with us from America, and Nina, a Belgian cat. We are also youth leaders in our church for the 11-15 year-old group.

Why did you choose to serve with SportQuest Ministries?

The funny thing is that I never felt that I chose SportQuest at all. SportQuest found me. When I was a 16-year-old boy I was invited to a SportQuest camp in Genk. It was during this camp that I was really introduced to Jesus. The coaches made me feel at home, they cared, and they showed me what the secret ingredient to life is — having a relationship with God through His Son Jesus. After making that decision I wanted to do everything I could to help SportQuest reach the people who needed to hear this message. I became a SportQuest coach in 2005 and have been involved every year since then. In 2009, I was part of the first SportQuest team that came from Belgium to do a project in the U.S., and I fell in love with America. In 2010, I was invited to come back to the States to do an internship in the main office in Indianapolis, IN. The internship lasted 1 year, but, as mentioned in the previous question, I met Jenni. We decided to get married 8 months later, and I became a full-time member of the SportQuest team. In July 2013, the Lord spoke to Jenni and told her that we needed leave the States to move to Belgium. It was a big step in faith and took 3 years to accomplish, but the Lord has been so faithful and has given us so many blessings through SportQuest. I know His blessings will only continue here in Belgium.

What is your favorite thing about your ministry in Belgium?

The thing I love the most about our ministry in Belgium is the loyalty of the people we are working with. Some of our partnering churches have been with us for more than 15 years.  We have seen some kids literally grow up from a teenager to adulthood. We see them coming back every year to meet the team and hear our message — whether they choose to believe or not. Another thing I love about being in Belgium is the fact that we have key leaders in every location that have been impacted by SportQuest in the past. They are the ones who keep SportQuest going in their community. It’s a true missional community!

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

The biggest challenge has always been to find enough people to come alongside the SportQuest team to serve here in Belgium. In the past we have always been very fortunate having a big team coming from the United States, but in recent years that number has significantly decreased. We are investing more in Belgian and European athletes to contribute to that team, but it is a process. The Lord provides every year and we are extremely grateful, but please pray for wisdom and connections to keep exploring ways to find new athletes who will join us in Belgium.

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