Evelyn Aguilar has a joyful smile she is quick to share, and a light of the Lord that exudes from her.

You don’t want to come up against her on the flag football field, though.

The receiver will cut and run and catch the ball so quickly that you don’t have time to take a step.

And as a safety, she’ll cover you like two-sided tape and refuse to let the ball come close. She wears the number 14 in honor of her late aunt Gladis Sierra, but she represents the Lord first in her play.

Evelyn is passionate about the sport and shows it in the way she competes for the Panteras Flag Football Femenino HND, a regional club team in her home city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Yet, as much as her passion for sports spreads, her passion to glorify God is even greater.

**

Growing up, sports were a refuge for Evelyn when her parents temporarily separated, and she sought solace in football. It wasn’t until three years ago, however, that she found flag football when her boss told her about Panteras and suggested she check them out. She joined the team and found out she really enjoyed it.

She also discovered she was particularly good at it.

Evelyn was the MVP of her first tournament. In 2023, Panteras won a championship, and she was awarded Defensive MVP for her work as a safety and was considered an offensive All-Star. When Panteras placed third in another tournament, Evelyn won an MVP award.

Sharp on both sides of the line of scrimmage, flag football became more than just a sport for Evelyn. It was a source of fulfillment and a way to express her faith. As her passion for the game grew, so did her desire to glorify God on the field.

**

While things kicked up on the field, Evelyn still had to balance the rest of her life. Her job, her life as a wife and the demands of training at a high-caliber level left her little time and margin.

“I had to sacrifice many things,” she said. “But I wasn’t doing well in my life. I wanted to continue dreaming about playing, but there was so much pressure.”

She wrestled with whether to continue or give up her dream. After prayer, though, she felt it wasn’t time to leave. The dream nestled in her heart was still hers to hold, and her confidence grew that the Lord had brought her to the sport and would continue to supply her needs.

Evelyn continued with a renewed vigor to engage her teammates with God. She prays at practice and gives every touchdown to Him. Her teammates know her as one who believes in the Lord.

“We have to demonstrate Jesus in the places we are,” she said. “To demonstrate to the team, on and off the field, that He is the source of my strength.”

She also wants to prove that having faith in God isn’t something to stay away from in sports.

“I want to show that you can be a high-performance athlete and also be a Christian.”

Her desire to combine her faith and her play merged when FCA Honduras Leader Marlon Santos visited Evelyn’s pastor and shared his vision of sports ministry. The pastor then introduced Marlon to Evelyn, who became a regular at the monthly athletes Huddle and is hoping to lead more women of sport in Honduras.

“We hope to have a Huddle for women this year, and I am praying for her to become a Huddle leader at some point and get her connected with other female athletes in Latin America,” said Marlon.

**

Evelyn has the privilege of representing her country on the first national women’s flag football team as a cornerback. The team is working hard in hopes of qualifying for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

With such lofty ambition, Evelyn knows where her focus needs to be planted.

“We need to have Jesus Christ in our heart and glorify Him all the time, both in victory and defeat. Your team will be watching to see how you react if you have a bad game or lose.”

The two-team athlete may have collected all the accolades, but her ultimate accolade is glorifying Jesus on the field.

Evelyn, Panteras and the nation of Honduras are glad she didn’t give up on her dream.

God is, too.

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Learn more about sports ministry in Honduras here and see how you can get involved.

-FCA-

Photos courtesy of Evelyn Aguilar