Monthly Archives: August 2012

Uniquely Impacting the World / August 2012 Newsletter

Posted in AIA Global Sports, Hard Copy Newsletter by

“I realized how dramatically sport can facilitate growth and change. It’s a tool God provided me that had the capacity to help me uniquely make a difference in the world.”  (Jessica)

Right now, a team of collegiate women basketball players is spreading fire seeds in the spiritual darkness of Europe, specifically in the  Czech Republic.  They are participating in pre-season conditioning, on-the-court drills, and scrimmages with professional women players from the Czech Republic.  They will have Bible studies and a great deal of hang out time together.  You can join this team over the week by lifting them, and all those they interact with, in prayer.  You can follow the team’s blog here.

Your prayers will have a vital role, not just in the lives of the Czech players and coaches attending the project, but also in the lives of girls who comprise the AIA mission team.  Don’t take my word for it;  take a minute to hear from Jessica and others who shared from the 2010 project there.

God has a unique plan for each of those attending the 2012 project, just as you saw in this short snippet from two years ago.  God is truly working in the most difficult parts of the world to reconcile this world to Himself again.  See the bigger picture at Breaking through the Spiritual Darkness.

Thanks for your partnership in our ministry with AIA’s Global Sports Teams.  My role includes facilitating communications and logistical support for projects just like this one around the world.

Please review our prayer page and support needs links and lift up our ministry to the Lord.  Click the following:  August 2012 to print a hard copy newsletter.

“What about right now?”

Posted in AIA Global Sports by

It’s Wednesday (day 10) for the Athletes in Action Ugandan Women’s basketball project.  The team started the day visiting the Peace for Children Africa’s drop-in center. (Photos: Peace for Children)

Joel and Katie started talking with Isman, a fourteen-year-old boy.  As a part of any conversation, staff always ask what they can pray for someone.  They learned Isman had been living on the streets since he was seven and had been visiting the drop-in-center for over six months.  Isman was waiting for a sponsor who will help pay for his school expenses.  Their conversation ranged from football to the Bible.  Isman did not understand that Jesus had died for him.  “Joel explained how Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin because He loves us, and asked Isman if he had ever prayed to thank Jesus for dying for him.  Isman said, ‘No, but I would like to do that sometime.’  Joel asked him when he was thinking he might do that, and Isman basically said he’d do that any day now.  Naturally Joel suggested, ‘What about right now?'”  Read the rest of the story here.

That afternoon their game was played at a Muslim high school for girls.  The opportunity illustrated the power of sports to cross spiritual and cultural barriers so the gospel can be shared.  After the game, all the AIA players gave gifts to the girls from the school and talked about their faith in Christ.

These two stories are just a snippet of what God accomplished on this trip.  Pray for Isman and the growth of so many others.