Basketball Shrinking and Expanding!

As we contemplate what is next in sports ministry, many ideas come in waves and at other times I flounder without ideas. One thought that has come multiple times is that we should be reaching out to the younger children, around 9 and up. By the time youth reach Jr. High, they are not interested in learning a different sport, and basketball is not very popular.
With that in mind, and a prayer, I decided to visit a school that we had visited in the past but had little interest shown by the leaders. Part of my motivation to get moving on this was that we have 4 volunteers coming soon, and we would love to take advantage of the extra help.
The principal was new. He invited me in to chat, unlike last time where we just talked through the fence. He was very interested as I talked about the club we had started in the secondary school, and what I would like to do in the future.
I was invited to pass by the Grade 4-6 classrooms to share the idea for a workshop and the regular practices that we have. I recognized several students that I already had been coaching, which was encouraging and neat. The students were very loud and excited even before I came in as there are so few days til Christmas. When the principal introduced me and talked about basketball, the majority of the students were very animated and interested, asking lots of questions. One classroom had a boy who kept asking about soccer, and I could tell that he would only come if we had a ball with hexagon panels on it and kicked it.
But as I left, there were many smiles, and my heart was light with joy as I anticipated the upcoming event. Pray with me as we prepare for Jan. 3-5th and as many youth as the Lord thinks we can handle!

Language Learning Experiences

Friday - A conference on palliative care is being held at the church we are attending. I attended this evening with as much a desire for exposure to Spanish as for a desire to learn about the topic. It was an ideal evening for this, as they had English speakers for part with a Spanish translator, and a USA Spanish speaker who was somewhat slower and clear. I was happy with how much I was able to understand from the translator as well as the speaker who spoke Spanish and didn’t need translation. I found out when visiting with this man that my understanding wasn’t as good as I had thought. Later I asked him a question, believing he had said he had been in Mexico for 20 some years. He informed me he had only been in Mexico a week, but had visited almost 14 years ago. I am not sure what I got mixed up. :)

A group from the USA was presenting. They used powerpoint to show the steps to salvation and challenged the congregation to consider death. It is difficult to help someone else going through the end of their life if we have not considered our own death. I need to reflect on this as well. I want to live in a way that everyday is lived for eternity. 

Saturday - Today, I spent almost 30 minutes butchering the Spanish language as I ventured into the park with our children to practice and do some homework. One assignment has us asking locals what common practices are in this culture. How do parents discipline their children, what is a wedding like and how are birthdays celebrated were the 3 questions. That went alright, though I was a bit uncomfortable with the first. Discipline can be a touchy subject, and the man didn’t give much detail on the answer. 

I then decided to try and help Keyana out with making friends. She started playing with a girl, and kept coming to me for things to say in Spanish. She then asked if we could invite the girl over to play. I introduced myself to the mother and grandmother. I didn’t beat around the bush, but told her that our daughter has been struggling with making friends and wanted to get together with Melanie. I found out soon that they lived 10 minutes away, and attend the church we attend. The lady was very patient with my Spanish, as I even was fumbling through the dictionary for several words. Overall it was fine, invited the family over for lunch after church, and got their phone number. Keyana was very excited. 

Now we are hoping that Josiah can also have this kind of experience! He is more bold to go to others and ask their name to try and break the ice than he was, and the people seem to love his dark skin. I have received many comments about how guapo (handsome) he is as well as requests to touch his hair. Keyana also has been called muñeca (doll) by more than one lady. Her blond hair stands out and seems popular!

Another experience practicing Spanish was in a skate park where a man offered a boys bike for Josiah and Keyana to use. Josiah did, very timidly as the park had bigger slopes than he was used to. I talked to the man and found out he was a police officer spending time with a boy that needed a positive father figure. He liked Josiah’s hair and skin too, and asked to touch his hair.


We have been blessed with very positive reactions to us foreigners. We pray that we will be able to use the interest and kindness to be a light, but need to learn much more language to be able to share the Good News. We are working hard and praying for the growth of this skill. Join us! We appreciate it!

~Anthony