> Reflections

12/02/2013 - Testimony of my brother Jorge de Amorim Campos

Pr. Jayme de Amorim

At that moment, the eleven Brazilians in the field were showing clear signs of weariness and physical exhaustion. We needed victory, but how could we win at an altitude like that? Playing in Bolivia, more than 3,500 meters above sea level, is not easy. You breathe in the air, but it doesn’t come.

 

Bebeto got the ball near the area and I could tell he would pass it to the far end. We were already used to making that play in Flamengo: he would get the attention of the defenders and I would show up as a surprise on the wing, receiving the pass and crossing on the back of the defenders, catching the defensive men totally unaware. In the Maracanã stadium the set up play had worked many times, but would the same happen in Bolivia, with my body reaching total exhaustion?

 

I took a deep breath, ran and prayed. “Lord, I need to get to that ball.” Bebeto passed it. The ball looked like a speedy rabbit, wanting to go out of bounds. I begged while I ran, “Lord, just this last sprint”. Higuita left the goal, but I arrived first and sent the ball inside. It was the tying goal for Brazil! With determination we broke the tie, held the score, won the tournament, and qualified for the Olympic games in Seoul.

 

From that day on, there were so many games, so many disputes, so many trips that I lost count. I thank God for making me a part of so many successful teams, like Flamengo while Zico and Bayern Munique were players, not to mention participating in one Olympic Game and two World Cups. I thank God that I was able to play on the Brazilian National Soccer Team, preaching his Word wherever I went. This Word and this God, I met through true miracles which occurred in my own house.

 

I was born in Rio de Janeiro and barely knew my father, who passed away when I was very young. My first experiences were of difficulties and problems, mainly those caused by my older brother Jayme, who was an alcoholic and would always come home tormented, breaking everything in sight. When he was drunk, Jayme seemed to have an unnatural force, and making him stop was a real test of physical and emotional resistance. How many sleepless nights did we face because of his drinking problem? Our strength was long at an end.

 

It’s as if the score was 10 to nothing in the closing seconds of the second half. We couldn’t do anything and we didn’t know if we could make it through one more night. But God could change this score around.

 

The Lords first intervention was to save Jayme from death after he was hit by a car on Brazil Avenue. I’ll never forget the day I saw the coroner’s car coming to pick up Jayme’s body. The medics were shocked that he was still alive, since both his friends had been killed instantly. The second intervention came when Jayme was set free from alcoholism. One night he came to the family and said, “Starting today, I don’t drink anymore. Jesus set me free from this addiction.” In fact, from that day on, aside from changing, Jayme never again put a drink of alcohol in his mouth.

 

Yes, God worked in my brother’s life. How can one deny such fact?

 

And He worked in my life as well. In those days I trained all week and on game day, minutes before the game, I would feel my body lock up. I couldn’t even walk. How could I run after a ball that way? There was nothing that could set me free from those pains. For Zico’s come-back game I was physically fine and very up to playing in that commemorative event, which would include soccer starts like Maradona, Falcão, Rummenige and Gentile, as well as other great players from all over the world. The 1986 World Cup was getting closer and that game was a great opportunity to show my best, but I barely touched the ball. The pains came back, my body locked and I had to leave the game on a stretcher, crying. That same night I decided to follow Jesus Christ.

 

He transformed my life in a radical way: the pains vanished, never to come back! I could carry on with my career, certain that I wasn’t prematurely done with the game of soccer. Believing in Jesus Christ, I was just beginning a long journey of victories and accomplishments. I had been a bad boy, getting red cards right and left when I played for Flamengo. But I entered such a great state of peace of mind that it showed in my game, and as a result I was awarded, several years later, the Fair Play award from FIFA as the most loyal soccer player in the world. I had played 4 seasons in the German soccer league without obtaining one single red card.

 

Ones testimony can save the lives of many, for the miracles God worked in my life profoundly impacted my family. Try to meditate on Book of Acts 9. 32-35.

 

In Christ

 

Jayme de Amorim Campos

> Today´s Message

Update Profile
 

> Agenda
  • No events scheduled.
 
Copyright 2013-2014, International Grace of God Church
Ongrace.com