Inspiring: Priest In Cameroon Uses Soccer As Tool To Spread Gospel of Joy

Imagine having to walk barefoot for three hours through the African bush for church.  

Then imagine the look on your face when you realize the service you're attending has no air conditioning, restroom facilities or a building for that matter, it's just a dusty field in the middle of a jungle.

That's what some 60 children look forward to in Mamfe, Cameroon. For them, it's the highlight of their week, and the smile on their faces easily makes up for the shoes missing from their feet.

There, Columbian missionary Father William Cañón uses soccer every Sunday as a tool for joy. 

"After going to the Eucharist, we gather and provide a time of Christian formation; then, with my limited knowledge of sports, we play soccer," Father Cañón told 'El Tiempo.' 

Upon his arrival in 2014, he was assigned to begin evangalizing to a parish who had not heard the Gospel message. Father Cañón discovered a people that still practiced customs such as polygamy, and a culture of machismo.  

They also faced many diseases, had very little food, and a lack of electricity and safe drinking water. 

 However, Father Cañón noticed that the kids in Mamfe had a special love, similar to his, for soccer.  

That's when he decided to use the sport to bring the kids closer to God. 

Father Cañón's favorite soccer team is Independiente Santa Fe, which won last year's Copa Sudamericana.  During a trip to Colombia he asked them for donations for his Cameroon team and being so moved by his missionary work, they gave him soccer balls and Santa Fe uniforms for the boys.

For some of the kids, Sunday is the only time during the week that they get to have fun and dream. However, for Father Cañón, working as a missionary in Africa has always been his dream. 

"I am very grateful to God for this beautiful opportunity that he's given me.  And to Santa Fe, for the uniforms. From here, I continue to support my team."