Basketball Is Everything…or is it?

We just heard from the Central African Republic team and everything is going great! Thank you so much for your prayers for unity and for every experience they are having. We know that your prayers are making a huge difference as God continues to work in and through them. The team said the kids are loving the basketball camp that they are hosting and they have already had some amazing experiences and memories. (More to come on this!)

For now here are a few thoughts on the team…..

For the 7 days they are in Central Africa, basketball is everything.

• Basketball is the reason we are in Central Africa in the first place. Did you know…the Central African government actually asked for basketball clinics which left the door wide open for us? Pretty amazing and unheard of!
• Basketball is what connected many amazing people to make this trip possible. Did you know… the basketball league at Connection Pointe donated over 20 basketballs along with many jerseys, the Pacers added 20 more basketballs, and Adidas donated 3 boxes of shirts? Also, every member of our team has some significant amount of basketball experience and are very passionate about the sport!

But, most of all, basketball is what so easily connects our team to kids 6,795 miles from our home. Basketball breaks down the language barrier and opens doors to trust and love that would take weeks or months to otherwise build.

But if we just have basketball…what’s left? Well, nothing. If we were just going to play basketball, would this trip would really be worth it? While it would be a great experience, it probably wouldn’t make that big of an impact in Central Africa. But when we use basketball; we start to give Hope, it becomes an avenue to share our Faith in Christ, and becomes a way to invest in a community we would have never had a chance to be part of. This is why basketball is not everything. Basketball is the main thing on this trip, but basketball isn’t everything. Christ is everything. Basketball just connects us. Praise the Lord for a few Hooisers who love basketball and have a passion to share their faith! We know that as God works through them they will leave a huge impact on the Central African Republic.

Keep praying!!