Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Beautiful Feet: Former Farmington Athlete Plans Mission Trip To Africa
FARMINGTON — The feet of former Farmington High School and Hendrix College athlete Josh Williams have propelled him to extraordinary feats, now he’s going global.
A born-again Christian, Williams got serious about developing his faith as a member of the Chi Alpha campus ministry while attending Hendrix College.
“For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall,” 2 Samuel 22:30.
Williams can literally say he has witnessed and done this on the football field. During his senior season at Farmington a long interception runback put Williams and the Cardinal defense in a bad spot against Huntsville. They closed their ranks, stopped a drive, and forced the Eagles into a field goal attempt. One of Williams’ teammates leaped over a wall of blockers and blocked the kick, which Williams recovered.
Using his track and field speed, Williams ran through all 11 Huntsville players returning the blocked kick 75 yards for a touchdown. The defensive touchdown turned out to be the difference in Farmington’s 28-20 victory.
Williams’ present focus is on Romans 10:14-15 (NIV):
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”
Spiritually speaking the historical chief export of the United States involves deploying missionaries bringing the gospel or good news of a divine plan to reconcile mankind unto his Creator.
Traditionally volunteers for such an undertaking represent a fraction of the global population — yet Americans privileged to dwell among a society with a standard of living far above much of the world have always been willing to go.
Williams, a 2016 graduate of Farmington High School where he started as a defensive back in football and excelled at track and field, is one of the newest among the ranks of Americans venturing into a foreign mission field, something he caught a vision for while participating in the Chi Alpha campus ministry. Michael Richardson, a leader of the Chi Alpha ministry at Hendrix, will accompany Williams on the first two weeks of the mission evangelizing unreached bush people in Tanzania beginning in mid-May.
“He’s really helped me grow in my faith and has been right by my side the whole time while I was at Hendrix,” Williams said.
The second leg of the trip which wraps up in mid-June features opportunity to work with college-based ministry in Nairobi, Kenya, where Williams will be joined by his fiancée, Kayleigh Johnson of Conway, and other Hendrix students.
Williams feels he and his future wife have been commissioned as a team. Both felt the call to go on the mission trip.
“She is my team now that I’m not doing sports anymore,” Williams said. “What we kind of like to keep our eyes on is putting God first and then each other.”
Recently while sharing Bible study over the phone the couple has read in the Gospel of John about how human hearts are filled with evil desires, but through the power of the Holy Spirit men and women are allowed to truly love others.
“We don’t know real love without the Holy Spirit inside us,” Williams said.
He means to take that message to Africa and wherever he goes.
Still, embarking on a global expedition has never been cheap. Williams needs to secure $4,600 to meet the cost of the mission trip. He prefers not to use the term “fundraising,” explaining that those, who choose to contribute towards the mission trip are making an investment.
“They are investing in my spiritual walk, not only in me, but also into the lives of those I’m ministering to,” Williams said.
Donations can be made by accessing the weblink http://www.iamchialpha.com/project222.php, then entering Williams’ name and amount of the contribution.
“It’s kind of one of those things Romans 10:14-15 is talking about,” Williams said. “How can we go if we’re not sent? You can’t just go wandering off somewhere without having any money to go.”
Williams invites those interested in supporting or curious about his faith and the mission trip to contact him at jdwilliams0568@gmail.com.
“I’d kind of like to get to know them and let them know how the (mission) trip goes after I get back.”
For the former track and field star, who became part of a record-setting relay team at Hendrix before his recent transfer to Northwest Community College, having the chance to share his testimony and win converts to Christ in the far reaches of Africa — his feet couldn’t get any more beautiful.
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”
Romans 10:14-15