Athletes in Action News and Commentary

Aspire to inspire before you expire

So guess what it was another busy unsual day for the great AIA team in Prague! To start it off we share a wonderful breakfast in the hostel restaurant! They surprised us with scrambled eggs that had onions and cheese and bell peppers mixed in! It add ali the flavor to our morninng then we hit it real hard with a lovely team time principle that elaborated on the aspect of victory beyond the competition! We learned to question our talent by asking ourselves about God and our talents. How do we invest in our talents and use them for our benefits and Gods benefits. Ultimately what we have is really not ours to begin with. Everything we have is a gift from God to be used and not hidden. So that was the extent of our morning. We next moved on and traveled to Sparta gym to play a higher ranked team in Prague! So far all the teams we have played, we have defeated but this team was different. Of course they were extra tall, physical, skilled players! And yes it was a battle to try and pullout a win but unfortuneatly we lost! Yah I said it we lost! After having three wins under our belts we took and "L"! Though for me, there is always something to gain. This game, especially having the day off the previous day but walking EVERYWHERE, we all had to push through fatgiue. But after hearing two of the Czech's women's stories fatigue was nothing! First lady from the opposing team, which her name is unknown was definitely different because at 6'7" and a solid 230+ lbs. this women was 37 playin with twenty something year olds. It is amazing how strong and skilled she was as a player and to still be out there dominating at her age. Then there was her teammate that looked younger but you could tell that something had happened to her in her past since she had no hair. She was also very skilled on the court and dominated and later we learned that she was 16 and she had some nerve disease that took all her hair out. It was simply astounding to see these two different women still playing the game they love despite their adversities.

The second part of the day was a little more light-hearted. Now I want you to remember this number: 68. Later I will reveal what this number means at the end of this blog. Anyways we ventured out into Prague and had a little competitive scavenger hunt! Leaders/coaches against players/knuckleheads as our coach would like to call us! We had to take pictures, gather flyers, answer questions, and sing songs all within 2 and 1/2 hrs! Each team had some czech players on it too so that was helpful. At the end of of the hunt my team, which consisted of Kathlyn, Bara, Abby, and I, were victorious! "Take that Homies!" And our winning score was the magical number 68! So all in all, it was another glorious day for the AIA team in Prague topped off with educational videos on Youtube: Mz Peachez fried chicken and Antoine Dodson! Check them out!

Hope as is well,

This is Nico signing off! 

Downtown Prague + Jesus = Awesome Mission Trip

Everyone woke up this morning with a lot of sleep and a great appreciation for a day off to rest our legs.  After sharing breakfast together we were able to learn another one of AIA's team principles with Shannon: how to endure the testing of our faith through hard times.  Joseph was the topic and we were reminded of God's great sovereignty in this man's life.  God used Joseph's trails in a mysterious way to bring Himself glory. Likewise, sports provide us with all kinds of trials - injuries, defeats, frustrations, etc., and we are called to trust in God's provision and ultimate goal to bring Himself glory. After this time spent together we set off for downtown Prague.

Please just try to picture it. Cobblestone streets. Pastel colored buildings. Winding alleys lined with shops. Beautiful cathedrals. Expensive foreign cars. These were all simply snapshots of what we experienced today. If you have ever seen any of the James Bond movies you might have an idea of what the city of Prague looks like - minus the car chases and gunfire.  Be jealous. Billy's wife, Adrianne, was gracious enough to lead our journey downtown today.  We all had several hours to branch out and explore the city.  Crowns (the Czech currency) were spent ferociously on Prague paraphernalia - magnets, postcards, t-shirts, bracelets, bags, Christmas ornaments, marionettes, crystal, etc. All kinds of restaurants were sampled, historical sites were discovered, and museums were explored. People from all different cultures roamed the streets with us, taking plenty of pictures and enjoying the city. Overall the afternoon was awesome and entirely surreal. We gathered together again for dinner and finally got to try a very traditional Czech meal - beef and dumplings with sweet gravy. 

Today was a success on all accounts, but although we enjoyed the day off we are anxious to get back on the court tomorrow and compete again.  Please continue to pray for our endurance and protection from injuries.  We have four games in the next three days and will definitely need to rely upon God's strength for our success.  We have won all three games so far and yesterday's was the closest contest: 73-64.  Please also pray for our interactions with the other teams - specifically the Sparta girls.  We will spend some time with them tomorrow afternoon.  Finally, please know that we are so appreciative of you and the support you've given us!  I think it is safe to say that this will be, in many ways, a life-changing trip for us all. 

- Paige Rudolph

Heski AIA

Before coming on this trip I didn't really understand how playing a basketball game could be used by God.  Our first game went well on the court, but the team we played quickly left afterwards with only a DVD and pin from us in hand.  It was cool that some of the Sparta girls had come to watch us, but there was no connection that I could see with our new opponents.  For our second game I was expecting the same thing.  We travelled 30 minutes outside of Prague to play a team during their training week.  There had hardly been any fans at our first game, but part way through the first quarter of this game I suddenly realized the gym was filled with the voices of young kids chanting the name of the home team.  After the game the court was filled with kids, and the area in front of our bench was full of children staring at us.  We handed out tracts of Bible stories in Czech and smiled at their shy faces.

We shook hands with the other team and I was asked why we were there.  I began to tell her and she couldn't understand why we would come to the Czech Repbulic.  She called it a "coincidence" and "incredible".  Her face was filled with awe that we would come to them to play them and spend time with them.  After handing out DVDs and pins, we headed over to eat lunch with the team.  The girls flocked around us and asked if there was more time to hang out with us.  They offered to bring us back to there apartments to shower and engaged us in conversation the entire time we were with them.  God used a basketball game to give us access to the hearts of girls eager to talk and hear about why we had come.  They were so excited we had come that they plan to come to more of our games to cheer us on. 

It has been so cool to see how God uses this game of basketball that we all love to pursue the hearts of girls in a nation where God is not a reality and hardly given a second thought.  We played our third game that night and were pretty exhausted, but we were given strength to compete and win.  Today is our off day to rest and see more of Prague.  I am so thankful for the opportunity God has given me to see him working in a hard place to win the hearts of the lost.  Thanks for any prayers!

In Him,

Alys Seay

Week One is in the Books

Hey from Prague!

It's hard to believe that our first week is already over, and we are anxious to see what the rest of the journey has in store for us. The past two days have been an adventure for us all, both physically and spiritually. We have been challenged spiritually by our leaders and teammates with morning devotions and sharing of testimonies as well as being taught two AIA principles from Billy and Adrian Crossan (an AIA family doing full-time ministry work in Prague for 12 years). The main focus of such studies was to remind us to use our sport as a form of worship for the Lord as well as to help us focus on the fact that He alone should be our motivation to perform well both on and off the court. It has been amazing to see how quickly our team has formed such close relationships and many tears have already been shed as people have shared their hearts openly and honestly.

Even more, our team has had some great conversations with the Sparta women as we have had a few opportunities to share Jesus with them and answer some of their questions! They seem to be amazed at the fact that we are willing to endure preseason training just to spend time with them and invest in their lives. It has been very encouraging for us to hear them asking us questions on what we believe and why we believe it, and we hope that you can continue to pray that God will work through us and keep their hearts open as we reach out to them. Off the court, we were also able to spend a little time as tourists sight-seeing throughout downtown Prague and were blown away by the beauty of the city. It is truly amazing that a city with so much beautiful architecture can still be such an atheist culture.

Tomorrow is another busy day, and we even have our first game so please keep us in your prayers that we will be safe and play for his glory.

Yours in Christ,

Jenny Johnson

Day 2 - Barefeet, Basketball, & Billy's

A full night's sleep allowed us all to enjoy a great first (entirely coherent) day in Prague.  This morning started with a "track" practice with the Sparta team.  We ran laps and sprints barefoot around a freshly cut football (American soccer) field.  It was a great work out and we are all really enjoying talking and sweating with these women.  They are exceptionally friendly and really excited that we have come to help them prepare for their season.  This was especially evident during the lunch we ate with them after practice.  We really appreciate how open they are in their conversations with us about everything - including what they believe and how they view the church.  Although it was encouraging for them to provide us with their view of Christianity, it was also somewhat discouraging.  A lot of the girls do not feel it is a necessity.  They think it works for us, as Americans, but is not necessarily something they are interested in.  Please pray for the Holy Spirit to give them the desire and need for Jesus that only He can provide.  We are looking forward to asking them further questions about this topic.

After lunch we had our first practice on the court.  All of us were excited to finally touch a basketball and compete.  We joined with the Sparta team for every drill, giving high fives, and encouraging one another in both languages.  Coach Tiff put us through a lot of beneficial conditioning drills that allowed us to work hard and sweat plenty.  We are all really excited to start competing later this week in our games.

This evening was a true blessing.  We were invited to Billy's house for dinner and fellowship.  After a great "American" meal we spent time talking and sharing interesting talents.  Billy's kids performed a musical dance for our pleasure :) We also learned new dance moves - swing, and the pretzel.  This team is definitely talented beyond the hardwood.  After our talents ran out we learned some Czech language and are continuing to be blessed by Billy's knowlege of the Czech culture. 

Today was awesome!  We are all worn out, and looking forward to bed, but are so excited to continue our mission in this place.  These girls will undoubtedly hold a special place in our hearts after this week.  Continue to pray for our strength and endurance we need to compete, and more importantly, for the Holy Spirit to work through our conversations for Christ's glory. 

- Paige Rudolph