Ashley's Story: Rooting Young People in a Solid Foundation

August 25, 2022

How Ashley's SQ Experience Still Impacts Her Life Today

3 young adults on bikes in Belgium

As SportQuest continues to spread the Gospel of Christ through sports, Ashley (Fisk) Feister couldn’t be more delighted. Reflecting on her last experience with SportQuest about fourteen years ago, Ashley shares her insight into how SportQuest continues to positively impact her life years later.

 

Ashley’s passion has always been to spread the Gospel. When she moved from America to Belgium as a missionary kid, her biggest challenge was sharing the Gospel with her unsaved friends. Ashley grew up playing basketball with friends who had never met a Christian before, and through the sport, she tried her best to share the Word of God, but it was hard to do it alone.

Sports mission team in Belgium

“I was burdened for my unsaved Belgian friends to witness the power of the Gospel and felt lonely in my efforts to tell them about Christ.”

 

That was until a team of SportQuest missionary athletes came to her hometown, Ghent, to teach basketball and share the Word of God. Ashley was thrilled. “These clinics provided amazing opportunities for us to use a common interest, sports, to reach people with the Gospel. I was thrilled for my friends to finally meet other believers and witness their joy in Christ. By God’s grace, I too was challenged to pursue holiness through God’s Word and the testimonies of other believers.”

Sports mission team singing together

Ashley didn’t hesitate, joining her first SportQuest project in 2004, and she continued to serve alongside other staff members, Rance Bland, Stacy Bland, Kent Susud, and Kevin Verstraeten, as often as she could until 2008.

What has SportQuest got to do with plants?

David and Ashley together

Today Ashley is married to David Feister, and they have five children. Fourteen years later, she still cannot forget how SportQuest built a solid Christian foundation in her life. She learned how the church could use sports and adventure as tools to connect with people and have spiritual conversations that lead to life transformation. SportQuest inspired her to pursue her passion which had been rooted deep in her heart since she was just a young girl.

Family

“SportQuest modeled how the church can effectively use sports and adventure for evangelism and discipleship. This gave me the confidence and clarity to pursue the ministry God had put on my heart so many years ago.” 

 

Through their shared interest and background in farming, outdoor activities, and discipleship, Ashley and David are launching a one-year program called “Planted Gap Year” at His Thousand Hills Camp in the beautiful mountains of Pennsylvania.

 

Planted Gap Year’s mission is to cultivate a love and knowledge of God in young adults (ages 18-24) through biblical training, hands-on development, outdoor adventure, and life-skill development in the soil of an intentional community for service to Jesus Christ.

Boys doing construction in a house

Their first year-long internship (gap year) program started on August 1st, 2022. If you know a young adult who might be interested in a Gap Year program, tell them about Ashley’s ministry.

 

To apply for Planted Gap Year, click www.plantedgapyear.org/apply.

Girls working in cabin

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Sports Camp in Ukraine

By rance.bland • November 8, 2023
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Soccer, Faith and Fitness Bring Families Together in Venezuela

By angela.blackwell • March 31, 2022
For Yackencys Domínguez Trías, enrolling her 10-year-old daughter Georgette Medina in a SportQuest soccer program resulted in several unexpected benefits. While watching her daughter practice, Yackencys saw a group of women exercising and learning about Christ. She wanted to join this community of women and decided to get involved. Today, Yackencys is part of the Vida Fitness Team and works out while Georgeth learns soccer skills. Both mother and daughter have embraced Christ and are becoming devout followers. More than 90 children participate in the SportQuest soccer academy and fitness program located in Maturin, Monagas in eastern Venezuela. SportQuest Partner Cesar Daniel Bermudez runs the program and has a dream that it will grow to serve 500 youth. Residents in this community face many challenges including poverty, dysfunctional homes, alcoholism, and drug addiction. “We have seen how the different sports and fitness programs have allowed children and their parents to play sports and go to church together,” Cesar says. “Children and youth play sports and are discipled. Mothers attend daily fitness training and learn the Word of God. Fathers are invited to participate in games to connect with their children and also to learn about the Lord. As a result, several participants have made their confession of faith, have been baptized, and attend church regularly.” Santiago Salazar met Jesus through soccer. At 14 years old, in the middle of a biblical teaching, Santiago accepted Christ into his life. In December 2021, he was baptized and today he attends church on a consistent basis. As prepares to be a professional soccer player, he is also learning how to share his story and his love of Christ with others. Great things are happening in Venezuela through sports and fitness while learning about Christ. Praise God!

Panama City Partners Bring Together Kids of All Ages to Play and Pray

By angela.blackwell • February 4, 2022
The Pacora Gardens community is a quiet, impoverished neighborhood on the east side of Panama City, Panama. The area is known as a “dormitory city” as residents work in the city during the day and return to the community late at night to sleep. There are many children and teenagers who live in this area with their parents and are often left alone at home during the day. Seeing an opportunity to share the gospel through sport ministry in Pacora Gardens, SportQuest Partners, Enrique and Zuleyka Catalan, are helping to build a faith community where children, teenagers, and parents can all grow in the knowledge of God and His purpose for their lives. “A large number of children and young people identify with sport; it is universal to play soccer or basketball,” said Enrique. “Play is a magnificent tool that has allowed us to establish relationships within the community and share the message of hope through Christ. Ultimately, our goal is to establish a church in this neighborhood of about 500 homes.” The Catalans and 20 members of their own church coach and minister to the children each week. The children range in age from 4 to 15 years old. About 30 to 50 boys and girls meet once a week to play games, learn the fundamentals of faith, and what it means to be a follower of Christ. Five-year-old Angel Navarro was reluctant at first to learn about the Lord. But, as the days and weeks went by, he continued to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ and to be free from sin. He enjoyed playing with the other kids and after a few weeks, he asked Christ to come into his heart. “We hope that Angel can continue to know and grow in God through this mission,” said Enrique. “We’re excited to think about what God has in store for his life.”
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