On Sunday 28 June The New Zealand Herald featured Paki Afu, a 24-year-old former Mormon missionary who is "tantalizingly close to realizing his NRL dream."
The NRL, or National Rugby League, includes professional teams from Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Afu has come a long way since he won a New Zealand secondary schools rugby championship in 2007. Part of his journey included two years volunteer service as a missonary in the Philippines.
Excerpts from the New Zealand Herald article describe some of his experiences as a missionary:
"Afu was sent to the Philippines, serving in the central region of the Visayan Islands. Life was basic and extremely disciplined. He slept on a thin mattress on the floor and woke at 6am every morning to complete a few hours of study before hitting the streets from 10am until nightfall. That was the routine, except for 'prep day', when they washed their clothes and cleaned their apartment ("the only time off was when we slept").
"Afu was allowed a phone call home each year on Mother's Day and Christmas Day and could email friends and family for an hour once a week. Rice was the staple diet, along with anything else they could grow in the gardens outside their accommodation. It wasn't an easy life, especially in tropical conditions, but it was a humbling experience and, as he walked the streets, he encountered an incredible generosity of spirit among locals.
'"A lot of people had nothing but would give everything,' he says. 'I went there to change people's lives but I didn't realise it was changing my life for the better as well."'
Read more at the New Zealand Herald.