I was following the story of the Thai soccer team trapped in the caves this morning, and I was reading about their soccer coach , Nopparat Khanthavong, who is said to love the team players “more than himself” and I thought of Ali and the soccer team I am sponsoring, along with the Army Of Good.

Khanthavong is 37 years old is the coach of the Wild Boar Soccer Team, and reading about him makes me think of Ali.

A former Buddhist Monk, he is said to be utterly devoted to the members of the team and gave them most of his food so they could survive. He is said to be emaciated and weak.

In America, there would already be a spate of lawsuits against him, but the Thai soccer team parents  send their coach a letter saying it was not his fault, and they did not hold him responsible. They said they loved him and were grateful to him.

The photos of the players remind me of the Albany Warriors (formerly the Bedlam Farm Warriors), they seem gentle, courteous, close-knit and appreciative. I can certainly see them wanting to go explore caves underground, I doubt Ali would let them.

Ali told me this morning that he and the team members here have been praying for the Thai soccer team and thinking of them all week.

Ali said his heart was breaking for the coach.  He knew the anguish he must be feeling, along with the parents.

He said our team is especially blessed, because they are given the support to go to safe and known places, he said his team would probably love to explore a cave, but he would be wary of a trip like that.

He said they are tough and strong, and he knew they would stay calm and work hard to get out. “We would make it out of those caves, I know they will too,” he told me.

I related to the stories coming out of Thailand, because I have seen the absolute love and  dedication Ali and the soccer team players have for one another. I have no doubt he would lay his life down for them if necessary. My heart was in those  caves all  week, and also with our team, now the Albany Warriors.

I felt the need to talk to Ali and I called him  and woke him up to tell him that four of the boys had been rescued from the caves and were safely outside as of this morning, he said he gave thanks to God. He said he would pray for the rest.

Ali also said he wanted to give thanks to me and the Army Of Good for making it possible for the team to go to safe and known places, he said this made the team safer, and his heart was with the players in the cave and their coach.

Soccer teams in Asia and other countries are not just about sports, they are about something much more than that, and I see that every time I visit Ali and the team I am blessed to sponsor, along with the Army Of Good.

There are stories and books  all over the world of the use of soccer to help outcasts, immigrants and refugees band together, drawn strength from one another, and assimilate into their own countries.

This is the story of Ali and the Albany Warriors, and I am proud to sponsor them, and grateful for your help. They are important.

This morning, I wake up feeling confident they will get those children out of the saves. There is much suffering in the world, sometimes it is overwhelming. How wonderful to focus on one piece of miraculous news that gives all of us hope.