Arnold Onyango | Midfielder
Nairobi, Kenya | Liberty University
What has been the biggest influence to your faith?
"Many situations have played an essential part in the growing of my faith. I will mention just a few of them. First, I will say soccer has been the biggest influence in my faith. My coming to Christianity was influenced by the team I was playing for. The team was from a Christian academy, and everyday they used to speak about God. They also prayed before and after practice. I'm appreciative to God for giving me the talent of soccer and using it to bring me into a relationship with Him. Soccer is a sport that unites a lot of people, and I think it can also be a great platform for evangelizing to people." (Matthew 28:19)
"Lastly, I would say losing parents at a younger age made me dependent on God. I thought life was unfair when my parents died. I had no hope. Despair weighed more than hope in my life. But it takes faith to stay positive with the Word of God when things go wrong. Moreover, it takes faith to stay optimistic when the world is pessimistic. God was faithful and blessed me every single day. He was there when I needed Him most, so that’s why I would rather dwell in His kingdom than somewhere else." (Psalm 84)
How does your faith intertwine with your soccer career?
"Like I have said, soccer is my biggest influence in my faith. Being able to share the Word of God with my fellow teammates is so cool. Sometimes, we allow soccer to define our identity because we value it more than the Word of God. "The truth is that we put much more time into soccer than the Word of God. It’s not a bad to get better at any sport, but we should not allow that to define ourselves." (Matthew 6:33)
What is your favorite verse?
"I like Romans 8:37-38, because every time I’m going through hard stuff, I know that I am more than a conqueror and that God can provide a way out."
"I also like Psalms 84:10 and 1st Corinthians 1:27-29. I’m a living testimony of how God used me when I was nothing and turned me into something."