In the summer of 2008, Julianne Bruining was able to demonstrate her faith through a soccer ball. Bruining, a junior at Cornerstone, participated in a unique mission’s trip to Brazil, where she played for the Chicago Eagles, a Christian-based soccer team.

Bruining had first heard about the program from friend and fellow teammate Mary Koscielniak. Koscielniak had participated in the experience the summer before, and was completely ecstatic about it, thus inspiring Bruining to follow suit.

“I was really attracted to the idea of going. I felt God’s tug on my heart. It was just the right time and the right place. Even my funds came in at the right time,” Bruining said.

Bruining began the program in Chicago on May 28. After going through some thorough training, the group set off to Brazil on June 2. They began their journey in Guyana, a rural area of Brazil.

For a week, the crew lived out of an abandoned hotel, which was being used for pastoral ministries. During their stay, the students participated in a program called “Project Grow,” an after-school program for children.

“The program was basically designed to get kids off the streets after school. We would do some loosely organized soccer camps with them. Sometimes we would play volleyball with them too, or share one of our testimonies with them,” Bruining said. “It was a really cool little ministry opportunity, and the kids just adored us. They would always ask us for our autographs and stuff because they thought we were huge soccer stars in America. It was a really cool honor to have.” 

After finishing their work in Guyana, the team then headed off to Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest cities in Brazil.

“It’s a lot like going into Mexico city. The buildings are very dirty and close together, and there are people everywhere. We were there during their holiday season too, so it was very dangerous to wander outside of the church we were staying at,” Bruining said.

The crew ran a soccer clinic for children, and continued to share their testimonies with others. They also made a stop at an extremely impoverished neighborhood in Rio.

“The kids just wanted us to play with them and hold them. We had a guy in our group who had grown up in the Chicago slums, so he shared his testimony with them. A few people even got saved that day,” Bruining said.

Aside from their hard work, the crew was also able to enjoy some vacation time as well. They were able to make a visit to Cocoa Cabana beach, where they enjoyed beach sports and worship, and did a little shopping. They also participated in some soccer tournaments of their own with other Brazilian teams.

“Their teams are amazing, because their players are ranging in ages from 13 to 30. They are pretty fierce athletes too,” Bruining said.

Bruining and her teammates were also required to make some adjustments over the course of their trip.

“We never really got to eat regularly, because they eat at completely different times from us. They eat a big lunch and then a small dinner, so we always felt like we were starving at night,” Bruining said. “The country is really spread out too, so we would spend hours traveling from place to place in this old beat-up trolley. Needless to say, we learned how to be extremely patient.”

The team returned to Chicago after a little over two weeks in Brazil.

“Coming back to Chicago, it was just processing through the whole trip. I knew that God wasn’t done with me yet, because he continued to use me through the camps we did in Chicago after Brazil,” Bruining said.

“I made a lot of great friends across the country, and have a lasting impression of what it can mean to share the gospel, and how simple that can be through a medium such as a soccer ball. This trip is outstanding, and I would recommend it to anyone,” Bruining said.

Fellow CU soccer teammate Breana Brendsel, who made a similar trip to Brazil in 2003, agrees with Bruining.

“There is just something amazing about that country.  As He did for me, God worked wonders in her life there and it was a blessing to hear stories of her trip and be reminded of the way God worked in my life back in 2003,” Brendsel said.