Fall Ministries Underway in Ukraine

After a longer than usual break, sports ministry in Ukraine is underway. Besides the usual rugby and football (soccer) ministries, this fall we've begun helping a local church with floorball ministry with several different groups of youth. Our goal is to start a small floorball league and have a camp in the spring. Currently, our focus with these groups is to train the older ones to run floorball training sessions and lead groups, and to prepare the groups for a floorball competition in Poland in December. Several of the trainers are planning to go to Finland at the end of next month for a "train the trainers" training, if visas and funds arrive in time.

In addition to floorball, we have started a bi-weekly girls' club for the older rugby girls (ages 14-15) to talk heart-to-heart with them about things that are of interest to them, such as love, smoking, drinking, guys, life goals, dreams, etc. This ministry was started in response to the need to help these girls make wise choices in life, as many of these girls come from broken homes and are beginning to be strongly influenced by the street.

Please pray that God will guide and direct these newly started ministries, that He will give wisdom to us as we minister, that He will help us to prioritize our lives and to be lights for Him in the darkness, and that He will work out the details of visas, financial support, and working with local administrations. Pray too for God to light a fire of desire in the hearts of people in local churches to reach out to the hurt and needy in their communities.

Odessa Football Camp - Live Like a Champion!

With a team of 3 Global Challenge participants, OM staff, and volunteers from local churches in Rivne and Odessa (18 total), we prepared for the opening program of camp. On Saturday, we had a “Get to Know Us” family evening in a village outside Odessa named Vizirka, where we introduced our team, met the children and their parents, and enjoyed a puppet show performed by a local Christian professional puppet theater. On Sunday, the team shared testimonies and songs at one of the local churches planted by the OM Odessa team.

On Monday, the first day of camp, we were awakened at 3 AM by a very close, long-lasting thunderstorm. Although we were sleeping in puddles in our tents (free waterbeds!), everyone awoke with a good attitude, eager to begin the camp. We left for the camp that morning in the rain and clouds, but no sooner did we arrive in the village than the weather broke and no rain fell until after we had everything packed back into our team's van and were starting to depart for our home base that evening. The rest of the week we had clear, sunny skies and energy-sapping heat, but God gave us strength to lead the camp and provided a tent for shade and plenty of clean water to drink.

We had heard that this village was a spiritually dark stronghold, so we fasted and prayed prior to the camp. In answer to many prayers, God opened the hearts of the children and villagers and we had a higher attendance than anticipated, with new children who did not attend the earlier camp (possibly since ours was a football camp). We had a total of about 20 girls and 20 guys throughout the week, about 5-16 years old. Perhaps surprisingly, the girls were more faithful than the guys to come regularly and we had at least 14-18 girls attend each day.

The children from this village were so hungry for love and affection. Most come from broken homes and very difficult family situations. When we arrived on the field, they swarmed us and hugged us and hung on us like little monkeys, not wanting to let go. Each day we had the privilege of loving them and spending quality time with them. Several of the children even “adopted” different ones of us as their mama or papa for the week. The needs of the children here were very tangible…

On the last day of camp, we had a special day and ended with a huge “campers vs. trainers” crazy football game! Then, we summarized what we had taught them during the week and presented them with prizes and Picture Bibles. They were delighted to receive the bibles, which had been donated by a widow in the US and asked for extras to give to their friends.

We saw how much God worked in the lives and hearts of the children to really change them by the end of the camp. Many of the children gave their lives to Jesus. The next day, several of the children shared testimonies of how the camp was ending, but their life was just beginning, their new life with God. One little girl, Sabina, said that she had been scared by something in the middle of the night, but then she remembered that God was with her, so what did she have to be afraid of? She said that since she had asked Jesus to forgive her sins and gave him her life that she knew that God was with her and that he was her defender like we had talked about when we acted out the bible story of Daniel & the Lion's Den during the camp. She is just one of many who gave their hearts and lives to the Lord and have begun a new life with Him. Please pray that these children who have given their lives to the Lord will be protected and strengthened, that they will grow in their new faith, and that they will truly live for God in the coming years. This village has many problems and it is not going to be easy for them to live their faith without support and prayer.

Praise God for His answers to prayers and for His work through us in this camp! :-) Of all the camps we have participated in, this one was where we saw the children most changed, most open, and most accepting of the love God showed through us. We pray that we can go back to this village next year to do another camp and to see how God has continued to work in this village through our OM Ukraine team in Odessa.

CESC 2007 - Sports Training Conference & Outreaches in Moldova & Ukraine

After some “adventures” getting through the borders between Ukraine and Moldova on a bus via Transdnestria, several of the OM Ukraine team, along with 3 Global Challenge participants, arrived in Chisinau, Moldova for the 3-day Central European SportsLink Challenge (CESC) 2007. There they met with 5 Global Challenge participants from various countries and 3 OM Moldova staff members.

The first day of the CESC was combined with LOVE Moldova, a large conference followed by a huge outreach to many villages throughout Moldova. Despite the additional chaos this caused, the CESC participants were able to bond well as a team and receive practical and theoretical sports ministry training from Saron Mack (OM SL Ukraine) and Silas Mullis (OM SL Moldova).

Beginning with ice-breakers and short team-building games which helped the participants from England, Germany, Moldova, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the US get to know each other, the sports ministry training included topics such as: What is OM Moldova/OM Ukraine?; What is SportsLink?; What is Sports Ministry?; Case Studies in Sports Ministry; Team-Building Games & Experiential Learning; Sports, the Church & the Bible; Philosophy & Methods of Coaching; Global Community Games; What is the International Sports Coalition; and Sport Ministry Resources.

In the evenings, the group played sports together and watched an inspiring Christian sports film, “Facing the Giants.” On the last day of the training conference, the group split into their respective teams (Moldova and Ukraine) to discuss specific plans for the sport outreaches and undergo some basic language and culture preparation.

Time in Japan

Hi All,

Batman is back! Back home in the UK. It was a great trip with a great group of people wanting to learn all about sport and ministry. We spent two afternoons out with a school taking basketball and football coaching.

It was after school hours and they expected 20 kids to come to an English class.
When we arrived there were 80 kids there, all looking forward to seeing us!
Welcome was written in about 12 languages!
We had a chance to develop some skills, but the best was that the people who were learning could practice helping kids to develop through sport.

I'll catch up more in the future. It's good to be back!

Batman

Japan - hot drinks at vending machines...trains that leave 0 seconds after their scheduled time.
amazing country...very warm people...God bless them!

Ukraine Rugby Camp is a Hit Despite Rainy Weather

This year’s rugby ministry ended with an 8-day long primitive tent camp next to the forest in a village called “Holy” in northwestern Ukraine. Thirty-three boys and girls, ages 11-14, from different schools attended the camp, sleeping in tents in one of the village’s shared fields.

Despite intermittent rains and high winds, the group stayed dry thanks to new tents donated by a church in the US. The daily program began with a morning run and stretching followed by breakfast, songs and fun games, and then a rugby training session and swimming in a nearby lake. After lunch, the group headed into the forest where they participated in team-building games and ropes course elements, including a “zip-line” on the last 2 days. Afterwards, there were usually relay races and then a big camp game in the evening either just before or just after dinner. The day ended with singing around the campfire, a slideshow of the day’s photos, and sometimes skits, a movie, or an evening party. Food was cooked over an open fire and the kids helped with peeling potatoes and carrots and washing their own dishes after meals.

When asked what part of the camp they liked the best, the unanimous answer was the team-building games in the forest. Through this type of games, the kids learned to help and encourage each other and that true success isn’t about whoever is fastest or strongest, but about the entire team completing a task together, each helping the others to accomplish it. When asked whether they had grown closer as friends, the kids answered that they had become closer friends with many of the campers, especially the ones who slept in the same tent. The campers already asked about next year’s camp and are looking forward to seeing us again in September when rugby ministry begins again.

Batman in Japan

8 June 2007

Arrived at the airport. Another adventure. I decided a long time ago that there are different ways to view life. It could be an adventure to be lived out, or an experience that kind of happened to you, where you just let it flow over you.
Most days I look forward to the adventure. Travelling is definitely part of that!

Footballs to Japan. British Airways allow you one bag, I have two. One with a little clothing and training materials for the seminar I am giving in Japan. The other – 15 footballs from Paul in the FA. Good bloke. You need to find the good blokes of the world and remember their names. And their secretaries names...his is Emma.

But BA allow you just one bag.
The check in lady looks friendly, I start my story, bags, charity, balls for children...no problem! PTL! She has a flag saying she speaks Spanish and Italian. “Any Spanish blood?” I ask. Pues si, mi madre viene de Andalucia. So we chat in our best Spanish, until she returns to the best accent in the world, Mancunian, to tell me the gate, etc.

I get on plane. As we arrive in London, I realise I have been sitting next to Graeme Souness. One the most successful managers in Britain in the last 15 years.
He’s probably thankful I didn’t notice. It saved him a long conversation about mutual acquaintances! A great supporter of our work is Bill, working at Liverpool FC for 20 years. Graeme managed there.
Never mind, God’s in charge.

And now to row 50 of a jumbo jet. Tokyo here I come! And 3 hours on a train to get to the place of the training...let’s hope I find my way.

Ciao,

Batman

FCA visits Ukraine

Recently, four members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) visited OM SportsLink Ukraine's team on a vision-casting trip. Dan, Bethany, Shane, and Kimmie got to see and participate in the work that God is doing through the OM SportsLink Ukraine team. The kids were excited to meet this group from the US and to interact with them despite the language barrier. The FCA team saw a variety of current ministries, including basketball, baseball/softball, floorball, football (soccer), and rugby. They also heard about the sports camps that are planned for this summer. Already they are sending a team to work with OM Italy in June to do sport outreaches. The OM SportsLink Ukraine team is looking forward to seeing more of the FCA group in the future and enjoyed their visit with us here in Ukraine.

Extreme Leadership Training Camp Impacts Ukrainian Youth

We just finished hosting our first "Extreme Leadership Training Camp" for local Ukrainian youth. The 4-day programme began 29 April and finished 3 May. About 20 youth from Rivne and Vinnitsa endured the cold temperatures in tents and primitive conditions to learn more about leadership. The participants learned to work together as a team through team-building games, low & high ropes courses, and experiential learning sessions. Despite the cold, windy weather, the teens and young adults thought that it was a week well-spent. One participant, Bogdan, said, "I came to learn how to be a good leader, and God taught me humility. I thought that I could live the Christian life by myself - just w/ God, but here I realized that we (brothers & sisters in Christ) need each other and that what is very difficult for one man to do is much easier as a team." Another participant, Yulia, said, "I was excited to come until I arrived at the mission and was waiting for the bus. Because of the cold weather and not knowing the other participants, I almost decided not to come after all. But, I'm so glad I came. I learned a lot about myself and about how God can help me to be a better leader. There were a few times that I thought that I couldn't complete one of the games, but the team encouraged me and I was able to do it. It was such a time of growth for me." Participants learned to face and overcome fear on the zip-line and trust falls. They also learned what it means to work together as a team and to help each other through difficult tasks. The OM SportsLink leaders learned how to better lead the next camp, planned for 7-15 July and are looking forward to leading more of these type of camps. Through these camps, we can see God visibly working to shape young leaders' lives and hearts. God touches each one of us through these camps and our vision is to share these kind of camps with others in Ukraine.

Moldova Football Coaching Seminar

4 members of OM SportsLink Ukraine attended the 3-day football training in Chishinau, Moldova. It was primarily lead by Vesku, a coach from Finland. Each morning began with a bible study lead by Matthew, the OM Moldova field leader. Then, Vesku trained the ~40 participants in football coaching. Following the classroom session, everyone went to a local football pitch and applied what they learned. After dinner, there were various activities. On the last day, the weather was too bad to play outside, so the group practiced in the meeting room. For the Ukrainian team, it was a worthwhile trip - not only because of the training we received, but also because of the fellowship with each other on the journey. We grew closer to each other as a team and feel better equipped to plan and lead our football camp in August.

Welcome to SportsLink Bloggers

Welcome to SportsLink Bloggers - where you can read the latest happenings from all over the SportsLink world!