Athletes in Action News and Commentary

Volleyball-Brazil-Clinic& Game II

What up its Abby Smith from Ohio!!! So today is the day of our second clinic and game and we are all way excited for it! Well first we had an awesome team time in the morning and had quiet time. Lunch has become everyone’s favorite time of the day because Rosalie is probably the best cook ever. After a short walk back to the Skalla Hotel we got ready for our clinic and game that evening. It was only a 45 minute drive to the clinic where we were met by 40 kids of all ages! It was so much fun to do the stations with the kids. They were so receptive to our coaching and truly happy to have us there to encourage them. I know I and others on my team love to work with children and today was the perfect opportunity for us to enjoy just being with them. They had told us before the clinic that most of these children have came from broken homes. This was something we had to take into account while coaching the children, to really show God’s love throughout the clinic. It was so great to hear Dana share her testimony at the clinic with the children! She did a fantastic job and I’m so proud of her!! After the clinic we went quickly to our game, which was located about 10 minutes away at a sports club. We played against a team of girls with ages from 13 to 17. Although they were not experienced volleyball players they did really awesome for their age. They put up a great fight but we won in 3 games. We did really well throughout the game but the best part is much fun we all have! It is honestly so fun every time we step on to the court with each other, and winning is not so terrible either J So after the game we ate with the other team and presented them with string bags, stickers and CD’s from the World Cup. The girls were so great and very talkative! We ate, played games, and most importantly shared the gospel. I feel truly blessed to be a part of this team and play for God’s glory with some of the most amazing people I have ever met!! Tomorrow is another day and I’m so excited to see what God has planned for us!

Volleyball-Brazil-Laughter

HAHAHAHA

^ laughter is ALL that’s been coming out of me since I’ve been on this AIA trip. My team is HILARIOUS and I’ve been filled with joy. Each person has such an amazing unique personality and it’s amazing to see how God unifies us – not just through volleyball but definitely because we all share the same faith (and yes, DEFINITELY b/c of His grace) … we’re solid. J

A quick recap of today – we ran a clinic for about 25 girls and played against a local women’s vball team. We won 3-0 and the best part of the clinic and game was sharing our faith and hanging out with them afterwards. Each day so far has been kinda like today ….

I can’t say that each day has been “life-changing” … BUT what I CAN say is that each day has been filled with life-long lessons that I know I’ll apply to my life. I’ve been able to hear my teammates’ life stories and see the evidence of God’s hands all over their lives. It’s so encouraging to be surrounded by people that love Jesus and volleyball and continue to live a lifestyle that is pleasing to God. I’m so humbled to be part of God’s amazing plans and see how much He loves the people in Brazil. My continuous prayer is that God will open my eyes/ears to see/hear the depths of His love for them so that I’ll be able to go with boldness to share the gospel.   

Last thought of the night … God’s kingdom is HUGE and it’s been a tremendous blessing. My prayer and hope is that one day, I’ll be able to see all those people I’ve encountered here in Heaven. 

Volleyball-Brazil-Happy Sunday

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s!!

Everyday so far has been perfect weather. It has been so beautiful. My team and I went to a Portuguese church service. It was absolutely incredible. The people were so welcoming. The service was taught in Portuguese and then translated by, Rogerio, an AIA staff member. We then ate at Bira’s home after church whom is the AIA director. Immediately after stepping foot into Biras’s house we all felt at home. The smell of the food cooking was delicious. We ate till we couldn’t eat anymore. Following lunch Bira showed our team a video that shared the vision for AIA in Brazil. Words cannot describe how grateful my team and I are to partner and help build the vision for AIA in Brazil.

Being in Brazil has truly been a life changing experience. Jesus is alive and is moving so much. It is a JOY to see lives impacted by the love of Jesus. My team and I are bonding so well on and off the court. Worshipping Jesus together on the court and off the court has been extraordinary. There is still a lot to happen in these next days and we are all ready, expecting God to do great and mighty things.

Day 1: Clinic and Game

Today was an amazing day in Brazil. We went to a city called Atibaia an hour and a half away from us to host the children’s volleyball clinic. The clinic went really well, we divided up into four groups to coach the different skills of volleyball. The children ran into each drill so excited to play and get some attention. After the camp we sat them in the circle and shared with them about God’s love and how amazing he is. The children seemed to open up to this idea whole heartedly. It was so amazing to be able to see how well they were listening to the lesson. After the camp we then competed. We played on the same court that we had the camp on which was a big concrete outside court with stands surrounding it. The net on the court was a little flimsy, normal height on the outside, low on the middle, and high on the right side. Around 200 people were in the stands including the children we coached and their families and friends. All of us were eager to see who we were going to be playing and then we saw a group of men in yellow jerseys walk up called the team of Terrapreta. Although intimidated at first, we all put trust in God and in His plan. We played the team and had so much fun. I think we also learned so much about each other as teammates because we went 100 %. The first game we won 28 to 26 and just fought to the end. After that we played a second game and lost 18 to 24 but we all still had a blast. After the game we were able to talk to the men about God and Coach Jeff shared with them his testimony. This whole experience has been so amazing and heartwarming. Everyone on our team has been so flexible and sweet to the kids. Please just keep us in your prayers as we go through this trip to make an impact on the people we make relationships. Also pray that we keep a flexible heart for things that are unexpected like we experienced today.

By: Lindsey Bryant

The Beggining of the End

Well it is hard to believe today is our last day of training camp. It just seemed to fly by! It is so interesting looking back to the first day we all met on Friday and seeing how far we have come as individuals and as a team. We have all grown so much in God and it seems like we have know each other more than five days. The day started with a team time in which we were able to hear Terry’s testimony. It is just awesome to hear someone’s story of how they came to know Christ. It really opens up doors into seeing who that person was and is now. Then a group of us went to Walmart for some last minute things. We are all learning so much about Christ and letting Him fill us with pure joy and love, it is just pouring out of us and onto each other and even other people. It is neat how God works, Sara felt the need to pray for a greeter at Walmart. She listened and followed through and prayed for this greeter’s back. After the prayer, the lady was immediately healed of the pain in her back! God is so awesome when we let him use us. It was also a great bonding time for our team as we took a trip to the laundry mat J. Tonight was also our first scrimmage and first time really playing as a team in a game. We played Sports Express Volleyball Team which is made up of mainly seventeen year old girls. We played four games and the results were 2-2. All the games were close. Our team struggled a little bit at first, but as we kept playing and talking more on the court we came together and played for God, our Audience of One. Sometimes it is hard because we get focused on the score or mistakes and it is then we constantly have to remind each other of the principles and really playing only for God. After the game, Jeff and Sharon’s son made a wonderful dinner for us and the other team. We were able to share about AIA with the other team and talk with them about Christ. It is truly wonderful to be serving such a powerful and yet personal God who cares about our daily lives and gives us strength throughout every day. Keep praying for our travels throughout the next few days!

~Hannah Hewitt