The Kids Alive (Vida Para Niños) soccer team, Unión VPN Fútbol Club, is making its mark in regional tournaments across the Dominican Republic. Based in Jarabacoa, the team recently hosted games on the Kids Alive soccer field at the Ark Jarabacoa campus. For many of these kids, this is an exciting, rare opportunity. They get to meet for practice multiple times a week. Many are students at ANIJA School, a place where education, faith, and mentorship go hand-in-hand.
Leading the team is Coach Johanders—an ANIJA School graduate who now mentors a new generation of student-athletes facing difficult circumstances outside the classroom. His story has come full circle, returning to pour into the same community that once poured into him.
For Johanders, soccer is more than competition—it's a ministry. The field becomes an extension of the classroom, where players live out lessons learned in devotions and Bible classes: kindness, self-control, gentleness, perseverance, and honest communication.
Sometimes, challenges arise. Johanders shares that many of the boys struggle with self-control and how they treat one another. Most come from homes without consistent discipline or a father figure. His responsibilities often extend beyond coach to role model and mentor.
Johanders is committed to shaping not just skilled athletes, but young men of character. With a focus on discipleship, he teaches his players to work as a team, respect officials, and embrace discipline. Recognizing the emotional and behavioral needs of his team, he has invited Rosanny, the school’s social worker, to integrate team-building exercises into practice.
Together, they are creating a supportive and structured environment that fosters unity and long-term transformation—on and off the field.
Through soccer, Coach Johanders is planting seeds of character, leadership, and faith. As the team competes and grows, we pray that these young athletes develop into Christ-like men who lead with integrity and serve with compassion—just like their coach.
