Category Archives: AIA Global Sports

“It really touches my heart…”

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“This is special that you would give me this thank you card.  It really touches my heart that you would come all this way to thank us.”  A Sports Physiotherapist at the Olympics 

This sports medicine professional’s reply was typical of the response AIA Global Sports staff experienced as they greeted many in the Westfield Mall in London.  It was a place where people celebrated, relaxed, and escaped during their Olympic experience.  It was a safe place to connect with people from all over the world.  AIA staff greeted athletes and sports professionals and handed out small gifts and thank you cards made by the Kardia Foundation, thanking them for their contribution to the Olympic effort.  Our goal was to share God’s love and make connections.  These connections led to conversations with people, such as team physicians from many different countries.  Through these relationships, we pray God will create ministry opportunities to serve these countries through Sports Performance.  In each case, God’s love will be shared while we serve, and conversations about holding future projects within these countries can take place.  It’s through this desire to serve that God will send His message of salvation to many around the world.

You are a vital part of this team by supporting AIA Global Sports.  We appreciate your partnership in the gospel.  Since athletes are heroes to many people around the world, those who know Jesus have unprecedented opportunities to be His ambassadors, and we, together with you, get to help facilitate that.

1 Million watched them in person!

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Source: Reuters

A million spectators attended the trials and finals of the men’s and women’s road cycling races at the 2012 Olympics.  Cycling as a sport and recreational outlet continues to grow in popularity.  In the US, it’s strongest growth is in the larger cities and in the western states, especially among 25 to 64-year-old men.  So how popular is cycling?  Who does not know Lance Armstrong?   Yet, according to a 40 year veteran AIA staffer, “cyclists are the biggest unreached group in the world of sports.”

Source: Oakley.com

Imagine how many lives might be touched with the message of God’s love if Lance Armstrong were a Christ-follower?  Be encouraged; God is moving.   He has raised up an insider to this world who is starting a ministry through AIA Global Sports.

Todd competed in the world of cycling for six years before God called him into a ministry to his fellow athletes.  He is keenly in touch with the pioneering reality surrounding God’s call to this sport.  “Cycling is a very ego-driven sport

Source: BBC

because you are out there on your own and these guys have sacrificed so much of their lives in training for this sport that it is hard for them to rely upon anyone or anything other than themselves.”  However, Todd has connections to a  small core of talented upcoming cyclists who are Christ-followers.  This is critical to have an impact in cycling.  You must start at the top with the heroes everyone is trying to emulate.

We will share more about this new ministry.  In the meantime, please pray for Todd and all those who are stepping into this pioneering ministry.

Their reaction was worth the entire trip! / October 2012 Newsletter

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It was the last day of the Ugandan Girls basketball project and they were helping at the Peace for Children Africa (PCA) orphanage.  The PCA was one of the places the project served between the scheduled basketball-related outreaches.  You can catch more about the project at “What about right now?” and “AIA 2012 Ugandan Project“.  The orphans were excited to thank the team by showcasing their singing, dancing and acrobatic skills.  They were outstanding!  Afterward, our team gathered to give the kids one last gift.  Each child was invited by name to receive a backpack as the team sang “Mighty to Save”.  For us, this is not a big deal, but to them, it was huge because their reaction was worth the entire trip!  You could tell they were not expecting anything.

You may know the saying”We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.” Faith is what saves us and it’s  always connected with good works.  This is why AIA’s Global Sports includes as much physical aid as possible for projects.  The gospel message comes in many forms, and compassion aid is a critical part of our projects.  AIA Global Sports is very mindful that sports activity is a doorway through which the life-changing message of the gospel moves.  Why use sports?   Nelson Mandela said it the best, “Sport has the power to change the world.  It has the power to inspire in a way that little else does. ”  Want to know more about AIA compassion aid? Click here.  Thanks, Katie for your help!

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

Uniquely Impacting the World / August 2012 Newsletter

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“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?”

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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.

How do they do it? / July 2012 Newsletter

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“The impression left by our players is so positive that it makes people wonder how they do it.  They are doing such a good job of living out their faith in word and action.”  Coach G.

It was evident that God was at work from the very beginning with the Brazilian Basketball Project.  Their focus on playing for an Audience of One clearly brought the team together for His purposes.  Even before leaving for Brazil, the team played a game in a maximum security prison where they engaged inmates on a personal level.  Andrew shared his testimony, and the inmates responded with a standing ovation.

God used this focus on serving Him and each other throughout the project, constantly drawing people to them to find out why the team was so different.  The response during the clinics?  “The kids loved it.  They just love to be close to our guys and they (the AIA team) do such a great job of demonstrating what a Godly man is supposed to look like.”  This made the athletes’ testimonies more effective with everyone attending.  Brazilian players and coaches made decisions to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior during the tour.  The Holy Spirit led the way using relationships and conversations at games, practices, or during after-game activities to open hearts to a relationship with Jesus Christ.  One Brazilian player/coach attended every game the team played for over a week and then accepted Christ.  (Photo Source: http://atletasaea.blogspot.com.br/)

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

Connecting people to God’s work

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Do you remember the moment?  That moment of discovery when you realized you would never be the same? In an instant, God opened your eyes to the revelation of living your life for His Glory.

For me, it happened not only when I accepted Christ, but when I realized that my talent for problem solving in business could be used for God’s plan of reconciliation.

For Kenya, it was his role of sharing the gospel during a project.  “That experience was very powerful and life-changing as I obtained the boldness for the Lord that is with me today.  I had the privilege and responsibility to share how I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.”

For many others, it was the day they accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

My role as the Communications/Logistics Manager for Athletes in Action’s (AIA) Global Sports Teams gives me (Rick) a small role that will contribute to over 30 missions projects each year.  These projects connect hundreds of college athletes and adults to a life-changing experience of sharing the gospel around the world.    What a privilege it is to use the gifting God has given me in His service.  Just as important is your role as a ministry partner.  Your gifts and prayers result in countless changed lives each year.  Together, we are a part of God’s plan for reconciliation.

Want more details about how we are working together click on our new blog page “Our Role“.