It's Unbelievable!

Yes. It is unbelievable. But, it is true.

Have you got time for a short story from a football fan? Not soccer, but American football? Good! Let me share it with you if you haven't already heard. True story ... but unbelievable!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the process professional football teams go through to upgrade their teams with better players, it is a mechanism called the draft. The most outstanding players from colleges as well as others are put in a pool and then each team has the opportunity to draft the players they think will benefit their season when it is their turn to choose.

The National Football Team is composed of 32 teams that are allowed to have 53 active players for each game played during their season. Not all players taken, even toward the top, make these rosters. Some are great and expensive disappointments. But, as they say, there is always next year.

There are seven rounds each year in the draft, meaning that 259 players are chosen each year. And, of course, those who are chosen near the top are, theoretically, more likely to be starters and stars of the highest level of football played in the world.

The last player taken in the 2022 NFL draft was 22-year-old Brock Purday. He was taken by the San Francisco 49ers. As a quarterback ... the position most critical to the success of the offense. Though he and his family were ecstatic about being drafted, the rest of the football community gave him the lifetime label of Mr. Irrelevant.

The label of Mr. Irrelevant carried an identity of "while he was drafted it is not likely he will ever make any impression on the football world." However, it was NOT an identity that Brock Purdy was willing to wear. He instead was all about making the 53-man-roster and not just being drafted. He was all about working hard to develop his skills and being diligent to be ready when his name was called to actually quarterback the San Francisco 49ers.

In his first year as a professional, injuries to the two quarterbacks in front of him required the Head Coach to insert Brock. He played in 5 games in his first season ... winning all five of them before an injury in the playoffs prevented him from finishing the season. This year Brock finished the season with 17 wins and 4 losses and went on to engineer wins in all playoff games before losing by three points in overtime in the championship game at the Super Bowl this past Sunday!

I like to think that Brock Purdy surprised everyone. Small for his position. Unknown. The last player to be taken in the draft. Humble. A Christ follower. He came from very far back to be the starting quarterback in the 2024 Super Bowl.

Why do I love these kinds of stories? Because I love rooting for the underdog. The unknown. The neglected. The minimized.The unbelievable stories.

On January 29, 2024, the Board of Directors of Next Generation Ministries appointed Rebecca Hunter as the Executive Director of the organization. Effective immediately. Why was she chosen for this position? No one expected anything from this village girl. Was it because of her "resume?

• An orphan from the age of three with a spotty education
• A tiny girl from deep in the village
• A fair childhood but a tragic adolescence
• A runaway on the streets of Kampala at age 18
• Abused, neglected, minimized
• Struggled to survive physically
• Tortured by thoughts of whether she mattered ... to anyone
• Without a promise of a meaningful future

But then God ... God intervened. He was there all the time.

As Rebecca testified at her commissioning this past Monday night, "I believe I was born again without knowing I was born again. I heard a simple gospel song and made it my prayer. The song says "... make me what You want me ... I give my life to you ... change my lifestyle ... let me live for you."

Rebecca's history up to that point certainly didn't indicate she would travel to the United States for four years of education, be accepted as a candidate in medical school, live a life of humility and devotion to God that would endear hundreds of people to her, and eventually be assigned to direct an NGO in the nation that she loves so much.

Rebecca has never forgotten where she came from and where the Lord has brought her. God loves her. She loves God. He has a great destiny for her. God has positioned her for a huge impact on her nation. He gently guided her from the streets of the capital of Uganda into His loving arms, providing all she needed to study for four years in America, and nearly five years of medical school in Uganda.

This tiny village girl has the kind of character God can use ... a devoted heart to Him, a love for people, a strength made to lead, a teachable spirit, a humility to accept responsibility for wrong decisions, a discerning spirit, and a heart to dream, with a willingness to serve and sacrifice.

Rebecca has always been a dreamer since becoming part of God's eternal family. Her medical ministry is titled SOZO Dream Foundation. Rebecca has been given the freedom to dream. It is her first order of business as the newly appointed director of Next Generation. God will get the vision for NGM and she will cast it to all. 

Here's the deal, and, it is what makes some stories unbelievable. Others do not get to define us. God is the only One qualified to define us. God can see in people what other people do not see in them. God's favor rests on Rebecca. He has a great destiny for her life. No one can imagine what that looks like. But, what we know now is that He has brought Rebecca from very far and the story He has authored seems "unbelievable!"

I believe Rebecca's story is bigger than that of Brock Purdy. I have been to the village from where she came. I have met a relative who made a slave of her. I witnessed how backward, insecure, and depressed she was. But I have also watched her grow, be faithful, tackle challenges, develop a mature character, depend on God, remain uncompromising with her calling, and be grateful to the core for all that the Lord has done for her.

Please welcome Rebecca to this challenging position ... even as she finishes her last year of medical school ... all the while dreaming and directing Next Generation Ministries. It's unbelievable how far she has come. To God be the glory.