Friday saw the AIA Russia team take big steps forward both on and off the court. The day began with a time of testimony preparation during which the players shared their personal stories with each other. Each player shared his own story of how he came to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior while his teammates listened and provided feedback. The players are preparing their testimonies to be better equiped to share them while on the plane, in the hotels, or before and after competitions and clinics while in Russia. I have been very impressed with how open and transparent these young men have been. Males, especially young male athletes, usually have trouble sharing personal experiences from their lives. Our team has really stepped up and trusted each other and God to be compassionate and caring during these times of sharing. I am really looking forward to watching God provide these young men with opportunities to share their stories with the people we encounter on our trip.
Our guys continued to shine on the court as well. Grand View College, a local univeristy, was gracious enough to round up a few players and provide the opposition for our scrimmage on Friday afternoon. Our guys were ready to go and jumped out to another early lead. The full-court press and three-point shot were in full effect again as AIA lead by nearly twenty early in the first half. Grand View's shooters soon heated up however, and AIA found itself down by one at halftime.
AIA showed some real heart and grit in the second half. Coach Collazo's halftime adjustments proved effective as AIA eventually regained the lead and soon expanded it to double digits while breaking the 100 point mark again, posting a 111-93 victory. The team showed its versatility with a victory over Grand View, a team with a drastically different gameplan from that of the prison team two nights earlier. We can definitely run-and-gun, but it will be interesting to see how we handle the size and physicality of the teams we will encounter in Russia.
Friday night ended with a little bit of fun for the AIA team. After dinner with our host families we headed to the local minor league ball park to take in the Iowa Cubs vs. the Memphis Redbirds. The game was quite exciting with a couple a lead changes and some big-time home runs. The good guys (Go Cubbies!) came out on top in the end with a 10-3 victory. After the post-game fireworks we headed home to get some rest and get packed up.
This morning we are finishing up some Bible study time and running some last minute errands before we head to the airport at 3:30 am Sunday morning. The next post you read will probably be from somewhere in an airport. Please pray for safe travel and ministry opportunities on the plane and in the airports. Thanks for all of your responses regarding the blogs. The guys are enjoying reading what you have to say.
Click on the following link for some pictures from the past two days. http://cid-ca187e08f688d0dd.spaces.live.com/
Stay Strong!
Luke S. AIA Basketball