Join the Journey with Katie & Taylor

Back from Africa Newsletter “Becoming Less”

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(Click above on blue text to download newletter)

Scroll down to see added videos to old blogs.  IMPORTANT  go to “AIA Basketball” page to the right to see videos and see staff leaders from South Africa and Mozambique.  Also if you feel led to support them financially, get their newsletters feel free to contact them as I put donation information and emails next to their name.  Staff in other countries have a very hard time raising support even though the cost of living might be less than in America.  I pray the Spirit may lead you to continue to invest in these countries in prayer, resources and finances.  Maybe God might call some of you to visit, especially because they need help for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

or click here They play on some computers and don’t play on others.  I think you need adobe flash player 9.

For more videos and inspiritational stories of the olympics go here which was the website of the bracelts we handed out to everyone.

Marshall’s Pics

Click abouve to see many pictures uploaded to a website thanks to our friend Marshall living in Maputo.  He was an instrumental part of some of the contacts with teams we played.

If you are familiar with the story of Caleb and Joshua in the Bible you might understand that we faced this story in many ways.  Caleb and Joshua were the two spies that had faith out of the twelve sent  to check out the “promised land” as the Israelites were coming out of their long testing in the desert.  They saw the land and the Giants of the land and believed that through God they could take the land.  Well  there are many giants in Mozambique.  Campus Crusade has infact labeled their vision “The Caleb Project” (hopefully I can share with you at another time).  The giants include the HIV or Aids virus which is prominent amongst the country.  extreme poverty,  crime, orhpans and many more.  We were confronted this situation and have been sent by God and prayerfully covered by you and thousands of others joined in prayer throughout Mozambique and South Africa to offer hope and make a difference.

Our first with the flood of media we said that we believe one of the solutions to these giants is empowering the athletes in the country particularly the basketball players to use their influence for Jesus Christ and to pour back into the communties.  This was a well received and new concept.  The teams we have played against have accepted our challenge to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and use their talents and other talents to pour back into this awesome country.

With an exception of playing the three time defending national champs we have done very well on the court and we are probably only a Div II  skill level basketball team.  However our clinics and game play has provided a platform of love and truth to challenge the people of Maputo and Matula in Mozambique to seek God to overcome many of these Giants in the Land.  There city is so run down and humbled that they are in a great position to receive the truth and transformation that Jesus can bring to a community and a country.

As a team we did face the Giants of Mozambique at the “Basket Show”.  Let me describe this crazy Mozambique thing.  A basket show is like a glorified high school dance with basketball in the center.  There were 5-6,000 fans and over 3-4 million viewers live on national television.  There were about 5-6 games that went only 2 quarters of competition, then a halftime dance group would perform and then the teams would split up and play against each other for the 3rd and final quarter.  It was extreme chaos!  Well we didn’t shoot well and got worked the first quarter then we had the post 1st quarter show at half court and we taught 5,000 fans to sing a Zulu worship song that we learned in South Africa and they sang it with us.  They went nuts!  So God is very creative.  After the game we were able to share with the Mozambique National team and challenge them with a relationship with Jesus Christ and to use the influence to transform the community.

Check out the crowd going nuts as their national team takes an early lead

Our NJalo Worship Song

….fastforwarding like 4 days.  The last night we were exhausted, played on dangerous conditions in the ghetto of matula, with bad refs, none of us wanted to share anything after the game and go home.  But we were encouraged as our Mozambique hosts and AIA volunteers picked up the slack and ministered powerfully to their fellow citizens.  We saw that God has now empowered them to do the work, they must needed to see from us how to do it.  Please keep them in prayer as their are about 100 people for them to follow up with.

Larry’s Commentary before the game of the Matula Court and Conditions

later,

Taylor

Wow your prayers have been paving the way as our team instantly bonded in training camp in Johannesburg South Africa. We had 3 guys from South Africa and one guy from Bulgaria join with us for 5 days of training. We are in Mozambique and have had amazing impact.

Prayer of the seceratary of Government of Maputo Province in Mozambique. The head of the sports department for the province. National press conference where we shared of purpose of integrating sports and Jesus Christ to empower their basketball players to help transform the community, their province, their country and the world. The concept of mixing sports and Jesus to change communities is new and well received. Bibles are like gold down here as many of the leaders and coaches are receiving the Bibles in Portuguese we ask them to promise to teach their kids.

We have visited an orphanage with Iris Ministries and played against their younger guys and loved on the kids, then shared testimonies. Their spirit is very receptive to the Holy Spirit in prayer looking for great things of God. We will go back to them in a few days.

Tonight we put on a “Basket Show” for over 6,000 fans and play an all star team from Mozambique. We will teach them a worship song we learned in the Zulu language and hope the Spirit of God hovers in the praises of the people.

Our clinics have been excellent in developing the fundamentals of the well talented players. They just need basic drills and discipline, they have been as hungry to learn about Jesus as they have basketball.

I have a lot to say and no time to do grammar check. I tried to load 10 pictures and it took alot of time and failed, sorry I will load them when I get back to the Us.

Our whole trip has been a blessing and our focus is prayer. Thank you for joining with us in making a difference in Mozambique and South Africa. I am grately humbled by the favor, protection and unity God has provided for us and the warm hospitality of the people.

Taylor

Some Lady Lion Love

Shooter

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While the team was practicing the Team Director and I played soccer with some kids coming to a soccer camp for poorer regions of Limpopo the north most province in South Africa.  They were very good and I needed the work out.

JUNE NEWSLETTER

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Prayer Request:

1.Leadership-Unity, Commitment to work through conflict, wisdom and discernment for chaotic situations, Joy (John 17, Romans 14:19, James 1:5, Acts 13:52)

2. Team to learn to play basketball for Jesus Christ physically, mentally and physically,(Luke 10:27, 1 Timothy 4:7-8 )

3. For our AIA Missionaries in South Africa (Agery and Dirk) and Mozambique ( Fernando) to best use our time. (Ephesians 5:16)

4. For the strongholds racism and hatred, social injustice and poverty to be broken down. Jonah, Micah, Isaiah 58, Luke 10:27-35)

5. We will be teaming up with 3 South Africans and 1 Bulgarian and that our racial unity would be a witness that all people are created in the image of God and Jesus loves all of mankind. For the way we interact with each other to be the gospel to others who struggle with racism and wounds from Apartheid. (John 17:23)

6. Pray for the reception of the love of Jesus for the Zambia, South Africa, Mozambique national and local teams as we share our story and the story of the love of Jesus Christ at half times in our tournament in Mozambique. ( Acts 4:31)

7. Pray for us to be a help and empowerment for our AIA staff members already located in those countries. (Ephesians 4, Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Peter 4:10-11,)

8. For leadership development of our teams for these young men to be empowered to be men who fulfilled their purposes in their generation. (Acts 13:36, 2 Timothy 2:2)

9. For vision for how to best minister before the World Cup 2010. (Proverbs 29:18, Matthew 28:18-19)

10. Physical protection from diseases, violent crimes and major accidents. (2 Samuel 22:32-51)

Pictures at Kansas City T-bones with Steven Trout who played with AIA baseball Texas in 2006.  I used to play against the T-bones.  Trouty is doing awesome and anchored in the Lord. I am staying with Jason and Debra Lester in Lebanon Ohio and their three boys Noah, Elijah and Jonah.  I will move to Xenia, Ohio when I get back from Africa.  Jason was the General Mangager for the Mineral Wells Steam the last 5 Years for AIA team Texas and the president of AIA Baseball for a long time.  Now he is encharge of the Athletes in Action Sports Complex in Xenia, Ohio.

Lester son’s Elijah and Jonah helping me make a video.

view Article   AIA ARTICLE  

 

 See write up  at http://www.aiabaseball.org/news/?id=7722

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Some of you might be wondering what is up with the long hair?  Well besides the fact that I am trying to be a movie star 🙂   I am growing it out for locks of love.  If you don’t know what that is it is an organization that you donate your hair to (at least 10 inches)  and they make it into wigs for cancer patiences who need hair.  So I have a long way to go and a hot summer in Ohio and Africa to deal with the long hair.  But I definately understand why ladies take so long to wash their hair now.  I had to buy a head band to keep my hair out of my face for when I do activities it can get really annoying. 

In my final season coaching at Thomas Jefferson High School I wanted to go out with a bang winning the state title.  We went out with a bang making it to the state championship and we choked loosing two games in a row to Ralston Valley a very good team who we had beaten twice this year and owned the last couple years.  But we got banged up and did not play our best baseball.  As dissappointing as it was as we debriefed after the game I thanked these young men of about 15 seniors many of whom I have coached or been around the last 4 years for the journey.  Winning is nice but it is the process of the journey winning or lossing and our responses to the results of the games of life that make our character.  It was a very sentimental season for me and I am proud to have got to coach such a dedicated, hard working group of future leaders.

      I do remember that God used a state championship lost in 1997 to completly change my life.  Baseball, my idendity, my glory, my stats were all my God and it had to get crushed in order for the real Lord of my Life Jesus Christ to be able to take his rightfully earned place in my life.  I am praying for the coaches and players that get their identity in a game (baseball as awesome as it is) would see that the only true fullfilment comes from a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.  And playing for his glory and using our platform of sports to impact others instead of self worship, pride or even just competition.  All the trophies in the world, all the gold medals, all the wins mean nothing in the realm of eternity.  When we stand before God we cannot take those with us but the character that is developed from those and the influence we use to impact others can make a mark on history. 

Please pray for The Thomas Jefferson Spartans to set the vision on a higher goal.  To use their talent to help change communities, young men and families. 

Rocky Mountain News Articles

Final Four Game

TJ looses state-championship

Denver Post Articles 

Mustangs take two

TJ Jouranl article on State Runner-Up

Matthew Mankoff Steinmark Award Finalist

Video feed of final state championship