Leif and Jean have been on staff with Athletes in Action since January 1998. Originally from Minnesota, they have three daughters: Linnea (16), Bayley (14), and Annika (11). Since 2002, Leif and Jean have served at the AIA Ministry Training Center in Xenia as trainers for new campus staff. Before this role they spent two years on STINT ( Short- term International) in Kazakhstan, helping to begin sports ministry in Central Asia. When the couple originally came on staff with AIA, they trained with the pro and campus ministry with the Chicago Bears and at Northwestern University.

What did you do prior to coming on staff with AIA nine years ago?

Prior to coming on staff, Leif was a youth pastor in a church in Chicago for 10 years. Before "kids," I (Jean) was a 1st grade teacher. After/during kids, I was an adult leader in the youth ministry and also led the church's home-school group.

We joined staff with AIA because God really led us. Leif always loved when his youth ministry would intersect with sports; he felt like a kid in a candy store. When we got to know John and Missy Maurer (AIA staff), who attended the same church at which Leif was a youth pastor, we were intrigued with how "fun" that would be to use the passion Leif had for sports and ministry every day. The Lord actually spoke first to my (Jean) heart about it and then to Leif. We looked into a variety of sports ministries, but felt the Lord leading us to AIA. It has been a fabulous fit.

What do you love most about being on staff?

What we love most about being on staff has been the amazing influence we get to regularly see that AIA has worldwide-and that we have some small part of that is simply exhilarating. We've worked with professional athletes, college and international athletes and coaches, heads of international Olympic committees, and others. To watch the spread of the gospel through the vehicle of sport never gets dull. Now we have a passion for the development and building up of our staff-to see them be more spiritually, emotionally, and ministerally healthy, so they can do the same 'building up" of athletic influencers worldwide. Now, that gets us pumped!

What is the Anderson family's favorite thing to do together?

What we love doing as a family is really different than when our girls were younger. When they were little we loved going to Chuck E. Cheese and those types of places-basically playing together. Now that they're mostly in their teens, we like going out to eat at fun restaurants together and just talking. We also really enjoy going to various nature preserves with our dorky dog, Crush, and walking-enjoying the beauty, and getting some fresh air.

Do you have a favorite memory about being on staff?

It would probably have to be our time in Kazakhstan on STINT with the Maurer family. There were thousands of times when being in a different culture with a different language was frustrating and difficult but also hilarious. One time I (Jean) was trying to say the word "cool" in Russian to a bunch of female student-athletes at our weekly meeting. One girl had shared a neat story, and I was trying to comment back. Instead, I said the word "pear," because in Russian those two words sound similar. They all looked at me like I had three heads and then burst out laughing. 

Another time Leif came home after a long dinner meeting with John Maurer and some martial arts national team committee members. They met over a very typical Kazak meal in a restaurant with all of the cultural traditions. One of the traditions is for the eldest member of the party to eat the "ear" of the sheep head that is brought out. Yes, you guessed it. Leif was the eldest member so he ate the sheep ear.  It was a long night!

What is the greatest spiritual lesson you have learned while being on staff with AIA?

The greatest spiritual lesson we have learned is the importance of listening to the Lord. John 15:5 says "...apart from me you can do nothing."  We live "apart" from him if we are not able to hear distinctly what He is saying to encourage us, empower us and direct us. We are passionate about teaching our new staff and our own children how to pierce their ears, and hear the Lord's voice in their lives. Once we hear Him, it's a whole lot easier to obey Him. When we don't hear Him, chances are we are not walking in obedience to Him.