Yuri’s Story
Not many people would consider growing up in fourteen different orphanages a blessing, but as Yuri Lopez simply says, “When it’s God’s plan, nobody else can get in the way.”
Born in Honduras, Yuri was separated from her siblings and twin sister at the age of two, leading her to question God’s plan for her at an early age. But the call on her life to serve has been equally as evident as the struggles of life from day one.
When Yuri was six years old, missionaries with Operation Christmas Child came to her orphanage in San Pedro Sula. Each child was given their own personal gift, and when the time came to open them Yuri was overjoyed to see a set of pencils, a toothbrush, and a note to go along with other items. To many, this shoebox of stuff wouldn't seem like much...but to a six year old who had previously used one pencil all year and shared a toothbrush with 25 other girls, it meant the world. The note simply read, “Jesus loves you, and I love you too.”
“I still have that note with me today,” says Lopez.
It was this note that reassured Yuri of the plan God had for her life at the age of 13 when she again questioned God’s presence. Yuri admitted that when her orphanage wouldn't let her play soccer because she was a girl, a sport she was incredibly passionate about, she began to wonder why God had let all these things happen to her. Why had God allowed her twin sister to be separated, and why had she been put somewhere where she wasn't allowed to do what she loved? It was at this moment when she remembered the box she had received when she was six. Seeing the note once again, “Jesus loves you, and I love you too,” Yuri decided to once and for all give her heart to Jesus Christ.
“That day, not only did I receive Jesus into my heart, but I also received something special to me, which was my own Bible. When I first opened my Bible, the verse I opened to was Jeremiah 29:11, ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future.’ This was when I was sure He was with me and had a good plan for my life.”
At the age of 16, Yuri was moved from an orphanage to a girls home called the Eternal Family Project, or EFP for short. Yuri tells of the unique experience EFP gave her to continue her education, and also describes how EFP is where she first felt a strong desire to serve her own community, and got some opportunities to do so. “Thanks to the missionary Allison Alexander, I learned how to serve others well,” Yuri says.
Another life altering thing happened while Yuri was at EFP, when a family from Dayton, TN came to visit for missions in 2005. The family fell in love with Yuri and ended up adopting her as their own in 2008.
“In 2008, the Lord gave me the opportunity to come to the states to play soccer at the college level and also continue my education at Bryan College,” Lopez said.
In Tennessee, God’s hand was still guiding Yuri’s steps. She continued to answer the call on her life to serve through organizations such as Chattanooga Sports Ministry, serving at risk youth, and was even able to take some of the Bryan College women’s soccer team to serve in her home country of Honduras.
During this time Yuri would regularly attend a home church service that some friends hosted. One week when Yuri was not at the service, but actually in Honduras for missions, a man named Jorge Vallejo from Atlanta, Georgia, who had also formerly attended Bryan College, came to share his heart to serve children.
Yuri and Jorge got connected and Yuri eventually accepted an internship to go to Atlanta and serve with Jorge’s FCA team in the summer of her junior year of college. She ended up going back for her senior summer as well, feeling that there could not have been a better fit. In fact, Jorge and his team regularly took missions trips to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, (where Yuri was from) to serve at orphanages and utilize the platform of soccer before they ever even got connected with Yuri.
“It really was God just writing the story and putting it all together,” says Yuri. “After graduating, I really felt like God was calling me to continue doing missions and serving with FCA, where I was getting to use the platform of soccer to share the gospel.”
Since graduating in 2012, Yuri has been a crucial member of the full-time staff that drives UPPER90 (formerly FCA Soccer ATL).
“If you know about soccer, UPPER90 is about the message that the greatest goals to score, are also going to be the hardest to score. This is what we try and teach these kids. That sometimes it’s not going to be easy to accomplish your goals in life, but when you trust God, He will always be there for you and He will guide you along the way, much like He has with me.”
As of today, UPPER90 is serving 500+ kids in at-risk communities around Gwinnett and the surrounding counties, where 44 different countries are represented within that population.
“Not only do we get to teach and coach soccer, but God allows us to continually have a platform to spread the gospel, here locally and also still in Honduras,” said Lopez. “I always look forward to returning every year to EFP and visiting those girls in that home where I grew up.”
Proverbs 16:9 says that in their hearts, humans plan their ways, but in the end, the Lord directs their steps.
Yuri’s story is tangible evidence that God always Has a plan that is far beyond anything we could ever imagine. Although early on she questioned God at times, and wondered about her purpose, she remained faithful and trusted in Him, continuing to walk in her calling to serve even when she didn't see Him working. Years later, Yuri’s story inspires many, and her servant's heart has and will continue to reach souls for Christ all over Georgia, Honduras, and the world.
