Faith

"Had I not found God, I would probably be a good-for-nothing drug-addict, or even worse, dead" says Zoltán Gera. The head of the Hungarian national football team was unable to live normally for years until the day he visited Faith Church and heard of Jesus Christ. It was there that he found God, broke out of poverty and into fame.

Several years after quitting football, he started to play again, only with his friends to start with. And he made a promise to God: "One day as I was going home from a game of football, with the ball in my hand, I started to pray. I said 'help me, God, that I may become a good player'. I honestly told God that I wanted to become a successful player, that people may see that there is a way out of the mess that I was in, that there was hope for them too..."

Zoli offered his entire life and career to God and decided to play football only for the glory of God. A few days later Zoli was approached by one of his old friends who asked him if he wanted to start playing professionally again in the team of Kinizsi. Zoli took this as a sign from God and happily agreed.

However, it was easier said than done. Initially he did not qualify even to the county team. "I looked like a skeleton. I remember that I often had to stop training, because I had pain in my joints. And it took time for the pain to go away..." - he recalls. "When I started to play football again, many thought that because of my poor physical condition I would only make it to the 4th class." Some said that Zoli had lost one of his lungs to smoking and drugs, and will never be able to become a professional player. Even his father admitted that when his son restarted football, he only hoped that Zoli would make it to national 3rd class.

The doubts of others only strengthened his determination and he asked God for His support. "The Bible says that whatever the locust, the ??? and the worm have devoured, God will restore" - believes Zoli, whose football carrier started taking off, and his health was fully restored.

"After my encounter with God I had no doubts that I would become a 1st class qualified football player who will play in 1st class teams. There were no more downturns in my carrier, I was making progress day by day" - says Zoli, who takes his faith very seriously: "I pray to God every day. I read and study the Bible. I go to church, which is very important for every believer, as you hear the preached Word of God, which strengthens you."