Seahawks Quarterback Visits Orcas Campus

Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks quarterback, visited Orcas Christian School (OCS) recently to talk about his relationship with Christ and how a mission trip he took to Jamaica changed his life.

"If you ever have an opportunity to serve others on a mission trip, do it! It will change your life, and you will be the one that is blessed," Hasselbeck said. He was attending Boston College on a football scholarship when a friend suggested he go with him over the summer to serve in a leper colony in Jamaica.

In Jamaica, Hasselbeck met a leper named George Mcfee, who had lost his sight, hands and feet to the disease but was very vocal about his love for Jesus and how Jesus had blessed him with so much.

"I was disappointed and frustrated that I was not the starting quarterback at my college that year and totally unhappy in my life, and here was George, who had nothing but a harmonica to his name and was the happiest person on the earth because Jesus loved him!" Hasselbeck said. "It changed me forever, and I vowed to get to know the same Jesus that George knew.

From that moment on, instead of playing for my coaches, the fans and a paycheck, I started playing for one person, the Creator of the universe. There is nothing in this world as important as being bold for Christ and seeking Him in all you do. Whether it's school, sports, your marriage or work, do it for an audience of One!"

After Hasselbeck's talk, he answered questions from the 90 students on things like life in the NFL, being a Christian in the locker room and going to the Pro Bowl.

OCS is a 12-grade Adventist mission school located on Orcas Island in Washington's San Juan Islands.

Featured in: July 2005

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