Day One of UTC is in the books, and I have a feeling all our happy campers will be sleeping well tonight. Many traveled from several time zones over, so they’re feeling it by now. We kicked off with a 6:30 staff meeting to pray over the time ahead, then it all broke loose!
Staff formed a crazy receiving line to usher athletes into the meeting room while the band pumped everyone up with their rendition of “Let’s Get it Started” (see previous post for a video preview!!). Then JB and friends rocked worship for the group before Jon, our camp director, introduced the week and the basic foundation for the Principles. We broke into small groups for some discussion time, then gathered again for the craziest session of Minute to Win It that I’ve ever seen. Teams went from station to station attempting all manner of stunts ranging from the near-impossible to the “I got this” variety.
I’ll let the photos here speak for themselves. ~ Teresa
May 21, 2012 01:10 by UTC-2012
A bit of background: Tigran and Lusine are the couple responsible for most of the work behind this medical conference. Lusine is a physician, and Tigran a futbol enthusiast who is heavily involved in ministry at the Physical Institute. In their work with New Life Armenia/AIA, they have developed the vision of resurrecting sports medicine in Armenia as a platform for ministry. With independence from the Soviet Union, the sports medicine structure collapsed and there is currently no specialized medical training available in that field. Much of the knowledge and treatment is left over from the Soviet era.
We sat down after the Saturday conference session with our Armenian hosts and New Life staff members to discuss these efforts and evaluate how the conference was going. Tigran feels that this tour has been the turning point in getting this process started and that he and the other staff will be able to connect with doctors and more students at the Physical Institute as a result of the conference. He described our team as the key that unlocks the gate to this opportunity.
We were privileged to host professionals from numerous ethnic and professional backgrounds. Members of our team were able to connect with several young physicians. Nikita and Ben engaged in a deep conversation with two traumatology residents from India, and Jackie had a great talk with a surgeon named Armine. I was able to spend some time listening to Paul discuss medical practices with a group of experienced, female sports medicine physicians. These ladies were in attendance every day of the conference and brought a tremendous amount of gravity and wisdom to our proceedings. I was excited to collect contact info from many of these people, and look forward to continuing these relationships while praying for Tigran and Lusine’s outreach efforts.
Katy M.
May 21, 2012 00:49 by SP-Armenia-2012
On our flight over, we were given a set of reflections over John 1:1-4, 14. We have focused on the role of the Word in our lives and the ways it is revealed to us as we pursue the concept of “talmeed” (disciple). These times of fellowship first thing in the morning have been very sweet for us as a team, and are allowing us to be spiritually filled and prepared prior to the day’s ministry.
It is funny what you learn about your AIA team members while in the trenches of international travel. Some sleep like the dead. Others attempt to climb any mountain/hill/cliff face available. Some tend to ruin pictures with emphatic hand gestures. Others have a long history of practical jokes (and must be carefully monitored), or sport a wicked ping pong serve. And some may have a small obsession with a certain chocolate hazelnut spread. Regardless of our quirks, I find a certain beauty in the way that God brings his followers together for a specific need at a specific time. While we had a few Skype conversations prior to departure, we basically were a group of strangers when we met up in London. Yet we allowed ourselves to be clay in the hands of our Maker and six separate pieces have been molded into one unit. Seven days ago I had never set eyes on these brothers and sister, yet I know our relationships will continue as we all move forward in serving the Lord. The laughter and encouragement we share is truly a blessing.
The first day of our conference was rather hectic at times, but the audience became engaged with the material, and we soon found that the Armenians were willing to teach each other as well as interact with us. At one point I became a total bystander as a podiatric traumatologist gave a crash course lecture to a futbol coach. Those of you familiar with our setting can appreciate how remarkable that was!! Our Armenian hosts had repeatedly turned away believers who wanted to attend the conference because they wanted to focus to be on connecting with non-Christians. The dean of the Physical Institute that we met with earlier in the week had promised to send 30 people. Well, it didn’t really work out that way. Tigran, in particular, was very disappointed in the low turnout. He felt that so much work had not produced the results that we had hoped for, and that we would not be able to reach as many. But once again, God orchestrated the situation perfectly. Had the group been larger, we would not have had the chance to make such close connections over coffee or lunch. We finished the day encouraged and ready to see what would develop over the course of the weekend.
Katy M.
May 21, 2012 00:36 by SP-Armenia-2012
It’s Sunday, and we’re all ready to go at the UTC. We’re expecting God to uh-mazing things, and we’re excited to meet all our campers.
This morning, we spent time in prayer for the week ahead and heard testimonies from a few interns and staff members about their experiences as campers years ago. Camp director Jon framed it all with an illustration about planning a surprise trip to New York, correlating it with the fact that God has been orchestrating these two weeks since before the student-athletes were born, knowing He had something important to do in their lives.
An important part of the week is our worship band, really helping us set the tone to hear from God. During afternoon rehearsals, the band shares all of our sentiments…
May 20, 2012 17:54 by UTC-2012
The Athletes in Action wrestling team has a tour of Mongolia planned for May 31-June 15. The agenda includes participating in the John Peterson Invitational Wrestling Tournament and hosting a week-long training camp, but the main goal is to pour into the lives of local athletes and share the love and good news of Jesus Christ.
"This will be a tremendous opportunity to reach reach those who may have never head the name of Christ," says Gene D., director of AIA Wrestling. "It will also be an excellent opportunity to sow broadly and pour into local staff members and give them chances to learn better how to speak out boldly for the Lord in their country."
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May 20, 2012 12:25 by Wrestling-Mongolia-2012