Phoenix Eagles

Allison Moen

About me:

I grew up in Minneapolis, MN and moved out to Phoenix in 2018 for college. I graduated from Grand Canyon University (GCU) with a BS in Business Management and Marketing. Right after graduating I worked in finance for almost a year and a half until starting with the Phoenix Eagles. I enjoy being outside and staying active, reading, and spending time with my friends!

What brought me to MAI:

While a student at GCU I was involved in an on-campus soccer ministry, at the time was called Cosdecol USA. This ministry was started in 2018 as an extension of a soccer ministry and club in Medellin, Colombia called COSDECOL. After graduating I had the opportunity to take on a leadership role and continue to serve with Cosdecol USA. As the ministry in Phoenix continued to grow, we were able to develop a relationship with Missionary Athletes International through COSDECOL. In January 2023, by the grace of God, we officially became a non-profit organization through Missionary Athletes International and are now the Phoenix Eagles.

I am so honored to be an Eagle and work alongside those who share the same goal: to glorify God and to see others transformed by the gospel. Each person I have met at MAI has challenged me to trust the Lord with every part of my life, which led me to leave the corporate world to pursue a full-time position with the Phoenix Eagles. God gave me a passion for soccer, to be able to use that passion to share the love of Christ is a gift.

Bernardo Ortega

About me:

I am currently a senior at Grand Canyon University studying Business Administration with a minor in Supply Chain and Logistics. I was born and raised in a Christian household where my parents taught me how to build a relationship with God. I spent all my childhood in Mexico until my senior year of High School when I came back to the United States. I played soccer my entire life so coming back to the U.S. was a big opportunity for me. Soccer was my biggest focus in life, I wanted to dedicate my time to go play college and hopefully professional, but God had other plans for me.

What brought me to MAI:

In 2023, I started volunteering at High School Soccer ministry here at GCU and became close to many of the leaders. Not long after that, applications to their annual missions trip to Colombia opened up. The chances of me going to this trip were low since I was new to the program, but I still decided to give it a shot. It was a great blessing when I received the news that I got accepted, that was my first experience with MAI. In the trip I met Cristian who offered me to coach the Eagles Club team, this job was the key to opening my heart to serve. All this time with the Eagles has been nothing but a blessing and a life changing experience for me and the people we have served.

Cristian Gomez

About Me:

I was born and raised in Medellin, Colombia and like many of my closest friends and family members, God used sports ministry to save my life. I grew up playing for COSDECOL, a soccer club in Colombia affiliated with MAI, a ministry that God used to rescue me from many troublesome paths and to direct me towards God’s will for my life. I played in Cosdecol’s city wide recreational league for a handful of years and joined COSDECOL’S All-Star Team when I turned 11. Playing at a higher level gave me the opportunity to travel abroad through COSDECOL’S exchange student partnership with Mount Airy Christian Academy in Maryland, USA. In Maryland, I had two different host families who treated me as their own and changed the direction of my life by doing so. With their help, I not only graduated high school & learned English, but also got to attend Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona & graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

What brought me to MAI:

As a student at Grand Canyon University, I saw the opportunity to become a coach & invest in the high schoolers in the community. Because sports ministry introduced me to the gospel, I knew this was a chance to use my passion to share the gospel. Within a 1-mile radius of GCU there are hundreds of youths with a passion to play, they simply lack the opportunity to be a part of a team. So, in 2018 my roommates and I started a soccer ministry called COSDECOL USA! After organizing this ministry unofficially for more than 4 years, we reached out for help as the program grew beyond our resources. In 2023, thanks to answered prayers and connections made between COSDECOL and MAI, we officially rebranded to Phoenix Eagles coming under the umbrella of MAI. This positioned us for success and gave me the opportunity go from a volunteer coach to a full-time missionary.

Sierra Frerichs

About me:

I grew up in Southern California where I played competitive soccer up until an injury took me out of the game however my love and passion for the game soccer never went dull. In 2021 I moved to Phoenix to attend Grand Canyon University where I graduated in three years with a bachelor degree in sports management. I now am just starting up with the Phoenix Eagles and I couldn’t be more excited to see how the Lord will move in this ministry!

What brought me to MAI:

In 2019 I got a really bad head injury that changed my life forever. Growing up all I desired to do was play soccer in college while studying medicine, however the Lord had different plans. This head injury resulted in me being told I’d never play soccer again let alone go to college. The Lord was faithful and by His grace I had the opportunity to attend Grand Canyon University. I had no idea what I wanted to study anymore nor what I was even capable of studying. God guided me in choosing sports management as I felt He was called me to “communicate the love of Christ, through the universal language of soccer.” I had no idea what that looked like so I kept praying for clarity on what that entailed.

It wasn’t until my last year at Grand Canyon when I first heard about MAI and the Phoenix Eagles actually through my roommate Jersti. She was telling me about how she was going on a mission trip with the Phoenix Eagles to Colombia that summer. I went out on a whim and asked if there was anymore room for me to come despite me not knowing anyone but her. The next thing I knew, a few months later I was in Colombia.

The first day of the trip we got to play in a game against some locals. May I remind you this was my first time playing soccer since my head injury 4 years prior. 20 minutes in, I complete ruptured my acl and partially tore my meniscus. I decided to stay in Colombia and serve despite what had happened to me by which I experienced the Lords love more than ever before. Recovering from this injury has been a challenge for sure however it’s been used to refine my faith and produce perseverance with me.

Fast forward to this last summer, I was praying fervently for a nonprofit opportunity in hopes to “communicate the love of Christ through the universal language soccer” and that’s when Cristian called me. We were catching up when I told him how I didn’t have a full time job yet and that’s when he offered me a position with the Phoenix Eagles and I couldn’t have been happier as the Lord is so evident within this whole situation and I am incredibly blessed to be apart of the Eagles family!