Alan is Hope

Once a pro soccer player in the Dominican Republic, Alan turns away from fame to follow a higher calling. Through faith and sport, he finds a new mission: reaching young lives with purpose, one goal at a time.

September 3, 2025 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Hannah Drewieck, Hope Channel

Alan’s story started in the streets of the Dominican Republic with a soccer ball and a dream. Raised by a single mother alongside three siblings, he found purpose early in sports and studies. By 13 he was trying out for the national team. By 17 he was competing in World Cup qualifiers and signing with professional clubs. Football became his life, his identity, his escape, and his future.

He was raised Catholic and even studied in seminaries to become a priest, but the calling never fit. Still, he respected God and gave Him what he thought was enough.

Then came the invitation that changed everything. Through an Adventist teammate Alan was invited to a Sabbath service. He went. Something clicked. The warmth, the truth, the way Scripture came alive. It all settled in his heart like something he hadn’t known he was missing.

Then came the dream. A quiet instruction: “Get baptized.” Alan obeyed. He didn’t tell his teammates. He didn’t tell his family. He just showed up one night at the church, ready. There was no baptism planned. Not even water in the baptistry. But God had gone before him. The church members filled the tank that night, and Alan was baptized.

That moment of surrender didn’t fix everything, but it changed everything. Suddenly the Sabbath became a line in the sand. His team couldn’t understand. His family pushed back. Contracts were offered, then withdrawn. Everything he had worked for was on the table. But Alan didn’t flinch. He wasn’t defiant. He was steady. His peace came from knowing whom he belonged to now.

Eventually he walked away from professional football. Not in defeat, but in faith. The dream wasn’t stolen. It was surrendered. And that’s when God gave it back, transformed.

Today Alan coaches at one of the top youth football schools in his country. His team doesn’t compete on Sabbath. They pray together. They study the Bible. Nearly half are Adventist. And through sport, they share a message that echoes louder than any stadium: hope lives here.

Alan didn’t plan to be a leader or a preacher. But that’s what surrender does. It opens your life to something bigger. He used to run onto the field for his own glory. Now he walks onto it for God’s. Every whistle, every practice, every prayer—each one is a testimony. Because Alan didn’t just find hope—he also gave God permission to rewrite his story.

Alan became hope. And through him, so many others have too. We are all hope.

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Hannah Drewieck is the communication coordinator for Hope Channel International.