SportsLink Bloggers

Futsal Tournaments in Moldova

2009-04-04T09:33:00.002Z

This winter and spring OM Moldova's sports ministry focus was on soccer teams. During the summer months, churches around Moldova coach soccer teams in their local villages and share with them the Good News. It is a great opportunity to reach out to Moldovan youth.

So, instead of ending the work with the teams during the cold winter months, we organized a few futsal tournaments (a type of indoor mini-football) and the kids were so excited to be part of them! At every tournament we had a person share the Gospel.

Please pray that the Message that they heard will bear fruit in their hearts. Also, please pray for the coaches to be godly examples for the kids as they continue to work with their teams this year.

~ Eugen Ciumac

Adventure sports blesses churches

2008-10-15T11:02:00.003Z

At the end of the summer, OM Ukraine's sports team was asked to help with a church youth camp in the Vinnitsa region.

Saron Mack and Anton, a volunteer from a local church, were requested to teach a daily class in ropes and rappelling (abseiling). After traveling many hours by train with several heavy bags full of ropes and equipment from another camp they were helping with, the team arrived in Vinnitsa and traveled by bus and on foot to the camp site, several kilometers away from the main roads.

On the first day, only a few timid people came for the class. However, after that the word spread quickly through the camp and each day more and more campers came to try their hand at rappelling. "God really answered prayers and blessed us with strength and safety during this class each day," said Saron, who was weak from an illness and was relying on God to provide for her needs. The class lasted anywhere from 4-6 hours each day, and it was interesting to see how people learned to overcome their fears and trust the ropes and God to keep them safe on the cliff.

Quite a few of those who were boastful at the foot of the cliff were suddenly scared and reluctant at the top. But, those with humility and a willingness to learn something new were able to enjoy the experience of sliding down the cliff face. The class was a blessing to the camp and added an element which challenged people to face their fears and overcome them with God's help. In these situations, one's faith becomes more real because one's life is literally on the line!

OM Ukraine plans to continue to provide this kind of experience for local churches in the future. If you're interested in helping with this kind of work, please contact the SportsLink office at office@sportslink.om.org.

CESC & Outreaches in Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine!

2008-08-25T15:10:00.003Z

The 2nd Central European SportsLink Conference (CESC) and outreaches happened in July in Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. Participants from various countries, including Canada, Moldova, Romania, Switzerland, UK, Ukraine, and USA participated in the 1-week pre-outreach training in Brasov, Romania at the OM Romania headquarters. Following the training, three teams did outreaches in Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine, using KidsGames and football to reach out to local villages. Read more about the individual outreaches on our site at: http://www.go2sportslink.org/news/. SportsLink plans a 3rd CESC for July 2009, to be hosted in Ukraine. Email info@sportslink.om.org for more information.

Sport Ministry Training in Moldova

2008-06-05T19:53:00.001Z

This past weekend, FCA and SportsLink presented a trial run of Level 1 sports ministry training, in Moldova. Sports people and trainers from Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, UK, and the US attended the training.

The full version of this training will be presented at the CESC (Central European SportsLink Challenge) in Romania next month to train sports people before summer sport camps in Hungary, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine.

Extreme Leadership Training camp creates unity

2008-06-05T19:33:00.004Z

At the end of May, SportsLink team members and volunteers from a Rivne youth organization led a 3-day intensive leadership training camp in the forest in the Vinnitsya oblast. The training uses team-building games and challenge courses to teach leadership and teamwork to participants.

Fifteen young people from Vinnitsya and Rivne attended this Extreme Leadership Training camp and were challenged to grow personally as well as to learn to work well together as a team. At the beginning of the camp, it was chaos, but by the end of the camp, the entire group was working very well together, encouraging and listening to each other throughout each of the games.

One participant said, "I learned to not look at the obstacles, as a team we can do it and it's not necessary to worry, because what you see at first glance isn't how it really is." Another said, "God showed me what it means to be a team and that in a team there isn't anything that is impossible, and that a leader really needs the support of the entire team, their strength and knowledge in order to be victorious." A leader participating in the camp wrote, "This camp was helpful for my life and leadership because I realized that unity brings victory."

The SportsLink team realized the value of this kind of training for strengthening and equipping churches all over Ukraine, and plans to host 2 more of these trainings in the fall. If you're interested in participating or helping - let us know!!

Ultimate Frisbee, Floorball, and Team-Building Games in Ukraine

2008-04-15T13:58:00.002Z

This past weekend, OM SportsLink Ukraine presented sports ministry, particularly team-building games, floorball, and Ultimate (frisbee) to over 100 Baptist churches at a pre-camp training seminar. The seminar attendees viewed a short presentation and lecture about sports ministry and then were able to participate in the games and get to know them "hands-on." The following day, the team presented floorball and Ultimate frisbee to a local church in a nearby city. Already, one church has asked the OM team to help lead such games in their upcoming summer camp.

Pray that more churches will see the value of adding sports ministry to their church's outreaches, to reach the new generation in Ukraine. And pray that God will strengthen and give wisdom to the team in Ukraine as they seek to equip and encourage the local Church in sports ministry.

Swedish Team Helps in Ukraine

2008-04-03T11:03:00.001Z

This week OM SL Ukraine hosts a team of 43 teens and adults from more than 6 different churches and cities in Sweden. The group is helping with floorball and orphanage ministries in Rivne. Besides giving hands-on training and playing friendly floorball matches against teams in the city, the Swedish group donated 150 floorball sticks and balls for the ministry here in Ukraine, among other items. The group has also been working with over 200 children in various orphanages, presenting small gifts, playing sport, and interacting with the children (some of whom are disabled or have special needs), as well as helping to make much-needed repairs in a local orphanage and a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.

When asked what they thought about their time in Ukraine, the Swedes responded that they were excited to be here and were very touched by how happy the children in the orphanages were, even though they had so little compared to those in Sweden. Many of the teens expressed their realization of how materially blessed they are in Sweden. Several of the group have been challenged by this experience them to become more involved in missions after returning home. One girl told her mom, "This is the best day of my life! Thank you, thank you, thank you that you let me come." Tears came to the eyes of one of the leaders as she watched the teens and orphans interacting and saw how this experience was really touching the hearts of her group and blessing both them and the orphans. Overall, this experience is one that has challenged, changed, and blessed the lives of those involved.

UPI Baseball Training in Hungary Defies Imagination

2008-03-26T12:00:00.005Z

The UPI Winter Baseball Training also was more than we could have imagined. We had great group of guys: Russ Ortiz, Mike Davis, Darin Blood and UPI founder Tom Roy. These guys’ testimonies in life and word were clear. The turnout was more than we thought possible. 27 Hungarian coaches, 70 teenagers, 30 kids, and 50 adults over the course of the 4 days of training received HIGH quality baseball instruction and heard the Gospel presented by professional baseball players!

A Sports Envisioning Day was great as about 60 people, mostly Hungarian church leaders, showed up to learn about doing Sports as Mission. We are forming a Sports Ministry Network with the Hungarian Evangelical Alliance!

Jim Leininger has arrived to help us with coaching for a month and our Spring Baseball Camp. We will be teaching baseball this week in Hungarian schools! Pray for the many opportunities we will have to share our lives and about Jesus.

Praise the Lord, the local government has given us land to build a baseball field! It only took 5 years. Read all about it at the following website: http://www.studylight.org/baseball/
Now we need to raise the $22,000 to build it. Already $5000 has come in! Please pray about giving for the field at the above site even if it is a small gift.

Terry Lingenhoel
Serving through Sport – SportsLink Hungary

Fall Ministries Underway in Ukraine

2007-10-31T16:17:00.000Z

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!

2007-09-03T09:50:00.000Z

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

2007-09-02T14:20:00.001Z

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

2007-07-02T21:05:00.000Z

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

2007-07-02T15:07:00.001Z

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

2007-06-18T12:50:00.000Z

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

2007-06-09T19:56:00.000Z

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

2007-05-08T12:03:00.000Z

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

2007-04-22T20:57:00.000Z

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

2007-04-22T20:28:00.001Z

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