Noel Zimbeva connects.
He connects to people, and he connects them to the word of God and to soccer.
Zimbeva, from Harare, Zimbabwe, is a junior at Kansas Wesleyan, majoring in Sports Management and Business Management.
A dedicated soccer player, he was looking at universities in Africa and Europe, where soccer is more prevalent than in the U.S. But on his birthday, Oct. 18, 2022, he dreamed that he saw the world cycling.
“When the world stopped, my house was in America,” he said.
“God wants me to go to America. I don’t know how,” he told his father in the morning.
How was indeed the question, but things began to fall into place.
Bruce Palmbaum, then Kansas Wesleyan’s men’s soccer coach, saw a showcase video with Zimbeva and called to recruit him.
“Best phone call I ever had,” Zimbeva said, so he knew then that God wanted him to go to KWU.
Still, how?
“Someone heard me speak about my faith; they said you don’t have to worry about tuition,” he said.
Others helped with airfare, getting his student visa, navigating the complicated processes of enrolling and traveling.
Speaking about his faith, the word of God, is central to Zimbeva’s life. He nearly died in 2019, and it changed his life.
“When I was younger, I just wanted to play, play, play, play,” he said. “It only helps you with 20 percent of the success. Most of the success is how you connect, how well do you present yourself, attitude, stuff like that.”
“Most of the time, I go one-on-one. If I’m going to speak to a guy, I just sit and start talking. That’s how I connect with them, that’s part of the campus ministry,” he said. “I speak more like a colleague, like a friend. People listen to friends.”
He became involved with KWU’s Campus Ministry almost from the start of his first year, said Scott Jagodzinske, KWU campus pastor. Jagodzinske is also connected with Zimbeva as team chaplain for the KWU men’s soccer team.
His first year, Zimbeva was an intern for Jagodzinske at First United Methodist in Salina, working with children and youths. In the summer of 2024, he traveled with Jagodzinske to Washington, D.C., pastoring youths.
He is in demand as a speaker and was a featured student speaker at KWU’s 2023 Scholarship Gala, invited to speak about his faith and how Kansas Wesleyan helped to grow that faith.
“Whenever they need someone to speak, I’m more than willing,” he said. “I’ll stop everything to say something about the word of God.”
For Zimbeva, there’s Campus Ministry, the organization, and campus ministry, the informal sharing of faith.
“One thing that’s been on my mind lately is how can we improve campus ministry,” he said, “that people want to join without committing to something, that they just join the movement. It’s not like signing up for a class. Be part of the movement — be part of campus ministry without being part of Campus Ministry.”
Jagodzinske supports that.
“We have our formal stuff, and that’s to help bring community together and help train leaders to follow their passion and calling. Noel does some Bible study with different people who haven’t plugged into us officially. He’s got this infectious personality. He uses that to help share his story, but his story is what God’s been doing in his life and how God opens his eyes. He’s really an extension of what we’re doing.”
Zimbeva is still working with youths as a coach for the U8 team, Central Kansas United (CKU) Coyotes.
His own soccer career is thriving.
For the KWU men’s soccer team, Zimbeva is a team captain and starting midfielder. He leads the team in prayer before each match and is like an assistant chaplain, Jagodzinske said.
With 10 goals, Zimbeva was the top scorer on the team this season and was named a First Team All-KCAC pick. He was also chosen to the 2025-26 Academic All-District Men’s Soccer Team for NAIA. Besides outstanding performance on the field, those student athletes must carry at least a 3.50 GPA.
In addition, he just signed a semiprofessional contract to play in the United Premier Soccer League with CKU.
For Zimbabwe, Zimbeva has been named to the short list to qualify for his country’s team for the Olympic Development Program, a path to the Olympic team.
Zimbeva’s reach is international. He has 68,000 followers on TikTok, 6,000 on Facebook and almost 2,000 on Instagram, many of them from Zimbabwe.
In January he launched his brand “bagO,” a contraction of his given name Baba Thiago (Noel is his American name).
“Mine is more like a movement, like a mentorship, like a better my lifestyle, my faith,” Zimbeva said, “a mentorship for the young athletes. They call me, ‘Bado Thiago, how did you reach this, what is the process? I want to be like you.’ Instead of answering every comment, I want to create a platform where they just share my platform. I want to open the mindset.”
This is, he would tell you, “part of my ministry in the word of God.”
He cites Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
“I’m trying to let them know, this is what you need to do, this is what helps you to elevate your dreams. I don’t sell anything; we sell dreams, we sell the vision. That’s how I’m going to minister to these guys through the connections I have. I have to speak what I experience. I have to find a way to connect with them, then lead them to the light.”
Story by Jean Kozubowski
