The largest-ever Sports Ministry trip for Houghton College got underway on Thursday, May 26 with an eight-hour flight from Toronto, Canada to Prague, Czech Republic.

 

Praise the Lord the 49-member team had no difficulties in its travels as we arrived in Prague safely and journeyed by bus another three hours to Brno, where we are assisting Wesleyan missionaries John and Shanda Croft in their work at the Majak Ministry Center.

 

The group, made up of the men's and women's basketball teams, men's soccer team, baseball coaches, a music team, and support personnel, spent Friday getting oriented to our new surroundings and even had a chance to meet some Czech youth who spend much of their time at the ministry center. Much of the week will be spent working with these kids as they come to the center to play basketball, soccer, sand volleyball, or just hang out in the coffee shop. There is much opportunity for getting to know these kids (with the help of the gracious translators) and building relationships. This is our eighth-year helping with the work in Brno, so it's exciting to watch how the Lord continues to bless this city each year.

 

Saturday the group participated in a three-on-three basketball tournament that took up much of the morning and early afternoon. It was a fun event, but tiring under the hot sun. This was followed by some relaxing time talking and listening to the Houghton praise band. It was a great opportunity to get to know each other, the missionaries, and the local kids. The group had its first opportunity to travel to downtown Brno on Saturday night. It was quite an experience taking more than 50 people on trams and city buses. But there were no difficulties, and the team enjoyed interacting in a new culture (and their dinner of KFC and McDonald's).

 

Sunday was a great time of worship and reflection with church services in the morning and evening. Majak also has a beautiful sanctuary used for these services, and though it was quite warm, it was a great opportunity to hear John Croft share (with the help of Milan to interpret for the Czechs) the importance of living a life of active faith.

 

As I write this, the group is relaxing a little and preparing for the beginning of a busy week. Monday after our morning devotionals and time of worship, the women's basketball team will travel to speak at English classes in a local high school and then will play its first game at MU Brno, the men's soccer team will conduct a soccer clinic at Janouskova Primary School and play a game, the baseball coaches will hold a clinic in Kameny Vrch, and the men's basketball team will assist with the work at Majak and play their first game. The rest of the week is similar with games, clinics, school visits, and times to interact with those visiting Majak.

 

I hope to update this as the week progresses. Please continue to pray for the Majak Center, the Wesleyan missionaries, the local Czech workers and volunteers, those who come to Majak to play, hang out and worship, and our work (energy and health) for the rest of the week.

 

Another three days have passed in Brno, Czech Republic, and a lot has been accomplished. Monday began with a 5 a.m. men's prayer meeting that was a great time of reflection and a perfect kickoff to the week ahead.

 

After the rest of the team awoke and grabbed breakfast, we had a short time of prayer and worship, before heading out into the city. The men's and women's basketball teams were able to visit English classes at two local schools and the men's soccer team conducted a clinic at a soccer school. The classroom visits offered a unique way to connect with kids without as much of a language barrier. They were very open to hearing about us, our culture, and the work we were doing. Our baseball coaches were able to conduct a clinic four about six kids, who said they would tell their friends and bring them to the other clinics during the week. Each of the teams had their first games of trip Monday evening, with the men's basketball team and soccer team getting wins and the women's basketball team losing to a tough local club team.

 

The weather cooled on Tuesday, thanks to an overnight rainstorm. And after a full morning and afternoon of activities, the teams returned to competition, with the men's basketball and soccer teams winning and the women's basketball team suffering its second loss, this time to a First Division team. The highlight of the day was a large cookout and concert at Majak for about 100 people after the games. It was exciting to see members of the opposing men's basketball team (and the two officials), as well as a few Czech women's basketball players come to Majak for the event. Vaughn Van Skiver, who is leading our worship team, shared a brief Gospel message for our guests. These opportunities are how the seeds are planted, and hopefully will result in a great harvest for the missionaries down the road.

 

Wednesday the men's and women's basketball teams headed to a local suburb, Kamenny Vrch, to hold a three-on-three basketball tournament at a local school. Close to 100 kids turned out, and we were able to have a full morning of interaction with them and some of their teachers. Each of the Houghton student-athletes was put on a team with the kids. More relationships were built during the games and during some informal interaction (playing cards, soccer, kickball, and talking) following the tournament. We gave out Houghton basketball t-shirts to the top three boys' and girls' teams. Many of the kids put them on right away, which was neat to see. The baseball clinics continued to grow, with more than 25 Czech youth coming out. The basketball teams had a night off from competition, but the men's soccer team played for the third-straight day and overcame a 5-1 deficit to earn a 5-5 tie despite very physical play from their opponent.

 

It's Thursday morning as a write this and the teams are preparing for another busy day: a soccer clinic, visits to local English classes, another baseball clinics, and a full slate of games for each team. Please pray for continued strength as the long days are tiring and some of our players have been hobbled by injuries or illness. We will also have another cookout Thursday night and hope to have more visitors come to Majak. Saturday is the big three-on-three tournament at Majak, and we hope to have a large group of teams from around the city. Pray that their hearts are open to hearing the Gospel and our players and coaches will have the words to share.

 

I hope to bring one more update as we wrap up our work here and prepare to head home.