A Day in the Life of an AIA Volleyball Player

Jimmy Lundgren, a student from Azusa Pacific, had the opportunity to play with the AIA volleyball team in Brazil. Here is a first-hand account of his experience on the trip:

June 19, 2010, will go down as one of the most memorable days of my life. On that day I was able to see God work in me in a way that I had never seen before.

The day started off very difficult and frustrating. I was playing a new position, the libero. I was enjoying it but on this particular day I was not playing well at all. After practice, I got back to my room and was down on myself and very frustrated and embarrassed by the way I had played. I prayed for God to give me confidence and strength in whatever my role was going to be for the team that night at our match.

That night, I got to start and played the entire game. My teammates continued to compliment me and lift me up which gave me the confidence to play well. At this point, I knew that God was working through me to play better. We lost in a close match but I played to the best of my ability and gave Him the glory. It was awesome.

After the match I had the opportunity to meet with one of the Brazilian players and I also gave him a [wordless gospel] bracelet because he is in the process of coming to Christ. He said he wants to pursue God and learn more. By the time we were done talking, he was crying and so appreciative of my teammates and me for the love and support we offered him. As we parted he hugged me hard for a long time.

Later that day I met up with him again because he wanted to give me a gift. He gave me his grandmother’s rosary necklace and said, “Take this, my brother.” I was in shock and awe and started to cry as I hugged him. It was an amazing moment as I saw the love we both had for each other and the connection we had made. When we said our goodbyes we hugged each other again and he said, "I love you, my brother,” and I said the same to him. Simply amazing.