Have you ever heard the idea that “If you’re early, you’re on time; If you’re on time, you’re late; and if you’re late, you’re rude".”

Leland Schipper lived by those rules - but not anymore.  Leland’s a h-s soccer coach – and he was jumping on one of his player’s for being late one day when the player said “You couldn’t do what I do every day.”  Leland wasn’t gonna let some kid say that to him – so he took the challenge.

The player, MJ, is from Sudan, and he’s been in the US for just a couple of years.  He’s still learning the language and how things usually work here, so he didn’t even realize how odd his daily schedule was.

To start each day, MJ has to catch a city bus at 6:30. The first bus.  He takes that bus to another bus, which gets him to school at 7:40 – 45 minutes BEFORE school starts.  It’s either that or 5 minutes late. 

Then he spends all day at school – practice after school – then, open gym at 8:00 every nite.  That puts him home after 11. 

After spending an entire day with MJ, Coach says he learned the lesson to not judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.  Read more about their marathon day HERE.