Hello everyone!! This is Courteney (Junior/Women’s Basketball) and Jake (Junior/Men’s Basketball). Today was our second day of sports camp and it was so awesome to welcome the kids from the day before. We have developed relationships with them and even made some sweet secret handshakes. On the first day, kids slowly trickled in throughout the morning, but today, several children were there right when the gates opened for registration at 8am and immediately the first dodgeballs were starting to be thrown. There were kids playing soccer, volleyball, and practicing their basketball skills before the camp officially started. Before the kids arrived it was calm and we had just finished our morning devotion. The quietness of the early mornings here on the base is a stark contrast to the fun and laughter had by hundreds of kids when camp is in session. This base has been here for over 10 years and has grown to heights bigger than imagined. Matthew 13:31-32 is an accurate description of Poetice.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”
In the morning, we started with the core and stretching, strength and conditioning, speed and agility and education stations. The education station has been a favorite of the kids both days. Today they learned about first aid: concussions, sprained ankles, and how to care for cuts and scrapes.
Following the morning stations was time in the worship center. David got to share his story with everyone, and we would like to thank him for having the courage to step up on short notice to talk in front of 100 kids. After David spoke, Coach Kopas shared Philippians 3:8-14 with the group and Coach V shared how the verses apply to our lives and also correlate to sports. A life of following Jesus is greater than anything else in this world, and may call for sacrifices along the way that we have to press through. Then, we headed to lunch!
We had the privilege of teaching basketball today. We got to cover everything from ball handling to lay-up lines. The enthusiasm on the concrete where we played was so great and was one of the favorite sports stations. Even though the kids don’t have much experience with the sport of basketball, their energy and eagerness to learn were evident.
Once the sports stations were done, we had to get ready for the Poetice Kids and Youth, their Wednesday ministry for the communities that surround them. Approximately 500 kids were at Poetice late this afternoon! Our team split up half with the kids (infants-12) and youth (13-17) and each group talked about a certain sermon. The kids lesson was about the story of Abraham and Sarah and it was super interactive. The youth lesson was on marriage and relationships and what the Bible says about both. The youths ideas were expressed in small groups. Witnessing the power of God shine through these kids as they learned about the Bible was memorable. Their faith is incredible.
We wrapped up this day with some team time and our daily debrief. Our team has grown significantly both individually and as a team and we are able to share many more things now during our debriefs and morning devotions than we did when we shared our stories in Holland. It’s amazing how fast these friendships have formed. We cannot wait to see how God moves in all of our lives the rest of the week!
Courteney & Jake
A: Because they are shellfish.
Q: What did the buffalo say when his son went to college?
Thanks for passing this along for all of us to enjoy. Great to keep up with what is happening on this trip. Something you will remember for ever.
Way to go gang! Keep it up.