MANILA, Philippines - Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow was born at the Makati Medical Center in 1987 and the pro-life National Football League (NFL) star will never forget the circumstances surrounding his arrival.
Tebow’s parents Bob and Pamela were Christian Baptist missionaries living in the Philippines at the time of his birth. When she was pregnant, Pamela suffered an infection with a pathogenic amoeba and fell into a temporary coma. Her dysentery made it worse. Doctors supposedly recommended an abortion to protect her life as the fetus experienced a severe placental abruption. But Pamela left her fate to God, refusing the abortion despite the possibility of the baby being delivered still-born.
Providentially, Tebow, the youngest of five children, was born healthy although he was described as “somewhat scrawny” in the delivery room.
“All his life, from the moment he could understand, I told him, ‘You’re a miracle baby,’” said Bob quoted by Austin Murphy in Sports Illustrated. “God’s got a purpose for you and at some point, I think He’s going to call you to preach.”
Tebow, 24, lived the first three years of his life in the Philippines then relocated with his family to Florida, growing up on a 44-acre spread outside Jacksonville. But his connection to the Philippines stayed strong. His father established the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association in Mindanao in 1985 and today, the organization has a staff of 52 Filipino pastors ministering to more than 15 million people. The ministry has opened 10,000 churches and established an orphanage in Surallah, South Cotabato, where about 50 streetchildren are sheltered.
Since their return to the US, the Tebows continued to make regular trips to the Philippines. It has been the family’s commitment to introduce Christianity to as many remote villages in the country as can be reached. Since 1994, the Tebows have brought thousands of American high school, college and graduate students to the Philippines. The traveling missionaries preach the gospel in schools, offices, public markets, malls, barangay halls and places where people can gather to listen to the Word of God during the two to five-week immersion visits. A few years ago, the Tebow ministry started a boat campaign where a skipper took two evangelists and a church planter to small islands in the Philippines to sow the seeds of faith.
Before enrolling at the University of Florida in 2006, Tebow spent the last three summers working in the orphanage and doing missionary work in Mindanao. There will always be a special place in Tebow’s heart for the Philippines which is, after all, the place of his birth. A cherished memory is preaching to 10,000 high school students in Digos, Davao del Sur.
In the telecast of Super Bowl 44 two years ago, Tebow was shown in an ad endorsing the pro-life position supported by the organization Focus on the Family. How appropriate that he has backed up the pro-life campaign particularly as he would never have been born if doctors aborted his mother’s pregnancy.
Tebow, who signed a five-year contract with the Broncos stipulating a base salary of $11.5 million as the team’s first round pick in 2010, is a symbol of virtue. In college, he often visited the underprivileged and even prisoners to talk about a Christian reawakening. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,” Tebow would say. “In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path.” In 2009, he admitted in an interview to being a virgin – a commitment to celibacy until marriage.
If NBA star JaVale McGee is known for “planking,” Tebow is revered for “Tebowing,” a word derived from his propensity for kneeling and praying. There is a website where fans submit their own interpretations of “Tebowing.” In a way, “Tebowing” delivers a strong message to be prayerful and to trust in God.
On the field, Tebow is just as impactful as a player. He’s the first underclassman ever to capture the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore in 2007, finishing the season as the only 20-20 player in major college football history with 29 passing and 22 rushing touchdowns. Tebow led Florida to a pair of national titles and turned pro after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in family, youth and community sciences.
This year, Tebow has worked wonders as Denver’s quarterback. He rallied the Broncos from a 15-0 deficit in the last three minutes to beat Miami, 18-15, in overtime – a comeback that was unprecedented in NFL history. Then, he led a 95-yard, game-winning touchdown with less than six minutes left as Denver came back from a 13-10 disadvantage to stun the New York Jets, 17-13. Tebow was also instrumental in carving out Denver’s come-from-behind 16-13 overtime win over the San Diego Chargers and the Broncos’ 35-32 road win over the Minnesota Vikings. Somebody up there must like Tebow whose charmed life is a treasure chest of miracles on and off the football field.