Sports That Serve Runs Basketball Clinics at Brookstone Schools

Sports That Serve had the privilege of running two basketball clinics at Brookstone Schools on January 4th and 11th of 2013.  Reid Fronk, Zach Goodyear, and Ben Walton ran the clinics and had a blast working with the students at Brookstone.  The clinic exposed the kids to a wide range of basketball drills, teams relays, group stretching, and unique games that, not only, taught the students a lot about basketball but allowed them to have a lot of fun in the process.  In addition, students learned much more than just the game of basketball including lessons of working together, sharing with teammates, and following leadership.  Most importantly, however, was the time following the clinic which included questions from the students and testimonies illustrating that a relationship with God is the most important part of one's life!  A big thanks goes out to Jonathan Bacon and Nancy Turbeville from Brookstone Schools who made this day possible.  Sports That Serve continues to be blessed by the Lord and remains excited for an awesome year in 2013!

Note: Sports That Serve is excited to be able to partner with Brookstone Schools and is pleased to announce it will be providing financial support towards Brookstone Schools' 2013 summer camp program.

2012 Sports That Serve Basketball Camp

The culmination of months of planning and organizing for Sports that Serve’s 1st Basketball Camp in Charlotte, NC happened this month – on Saturday May 5th, 2012. Continuing to build on the momentum gained from previous camps, Sports that Serve was able to gather an amazing group of counselors and a camp full of kids excited to learn the game.

The theme of the camp was “Offensive Skills” and it was echoed throughout. The morning session was full of station-work. Counselors from rival SEC schools Tennessee and Florida were able to put their differences aside for the day to teach campers form-shooting and one-on-one moves. Simultaneously, at other stations, current student-athletes from Southern Conference foes College of Charleston and Wofford College passed down their knowledge of rebounding and ball-handling. It was truly a blessing to see standout athletes take such great pride in teaching their craft to younger up-and-coming hoopers!

The afternoon session was all about skills application. The campers were paired off in teams and had the opportunity to play with and against one-another. In the middle of the afternoon session the campers were paired with and against the counselors, making for a great afternoon full of fun. The camp closed with several messages from the counselors on life lessons and the importance of keeping their relationship with God first and foremost. Campers were encouraged to keep their life in perspective and balance their love of basketball with their love of Jesus Christ and taking none of God’s blessings for granted! We could not be more thankful for all the help and encouragement we continue to receive as a ministry and look forward to what God has in store going forward!

-Ben Walton

Building Momentum in 2012!

I am excited to be writing this blog entry and am looking forward to the continued impact Sports That Serve will have during 2012. Our 3rd Annual Sports That Serve Baseball Camp was held on February 11th and was very rewarding not just for the campers but for the staff as well. Camp speaker and former major league pitcher, Dave Lemonds, spoke about the value of priorities in life and the importance of keeping God first in all we do. He went on to share several stories and experiences from his time in the major leagues which had the campers mesmerized. However, he made sure to convey that these great experiences meant nothing without the love of Christ in his life. Dave's great words and this overall camp experience got Sports That Serve off to a great start in 2012.

Looking ahead, the 1st Sports That Serve basketball event in the Charlotte area has been scheduled for May 5th at Charlotte Christian School. This camp will be held for boys in grades 6-8. The camp will focus on offensive skills throughout the morning, followed by a lunch program, and concluding with a 3-on-3 tournament. The camp will be filled with a great deal of fun and will also be a meaningful experience for campers as God's love will be shared and the Gospel message will be presented. Preparations for this camp are in full swing and the anticipation is building for another great Sports That Serve event. Please be praying for God to do a mighty work through this camp and through Sports That Serve and all its future endeavors. For details and to sign-up a camper please visit www.sportsthatserve.org. It is great to be posting this great news and I look forward to speaking with all of you again very soon!

-Reid Fronk

Kick-off to 2010!

(picture of our 2009-2010 staff team on our trip to Ethiopia in May 2010)

What is STS?

Sports That Serve is back in action in 2010! After an amazing vision trip to Ethiopia with five of our staff team this summer, we are ready for another awesome year of sports ministry in North Carolina!

But as with any vision, you’ve got to know where you’ve been so you can know where you’re going, so I’d like to take a second to share that vision with all of our followers…old and new.

Sports That Serve is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to use the platform of athletics to influence the character of America’s youth, while raising funds for children living in poverty around the world.

We do this by partnering with local schools and churches and hosting one day sports camps that minister to the kids in the local community, while simultaneously using the money raised on camp day to give to children less fortunate in the country of Ethiopia.

Why Ethiopia?

After graduating from UNC in 2007, the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to spend the next 8 months of my life serving as the sports teacher at a Mother Teresa’s HIV orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was there that I encountered the worst poverty and suffering I had ever seen. To some extent, I had prepared for that. When you tell people you are going to Africa, it’s the warning you always get. But what came as perhaps the biggest shock to my system was the pure joy I saw in the eyes and hearts of those who had so little. I was not expecting that. A verse in Proverbs rung so true during my time there:

“Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,

            than great treasure and trouble with it”

I always tell people that Africa changed me a heck of a lot more than I changed Africa. And I think that’s important to share in this first post of our 2011 camp season. Sports That Serve is not about rallying the “haves” in America to give to the “have-nots” in Africa. In many ways it’s just the opposite. Our vision is to use the avenue of athletics to share the love of Christ and His model of servant-leadership with kids in our communities (both rich and poor) who are in desperate spiritual need, and then put that faith into action by giving the money we raise to “visit orphans in their affliction” (James 1:27)

Sports That Serve is about being hearers of the Word AND doers of it (James 1:22).

And if the above principles are found in the same chapter of the Bible, it seems fitting they both be incorporated into the same ministry.

-Rob

Wrapping Up

Greetings Friends and Family,


It has been an amazing past week since our last update. The Lord has really opened up doors for us lately in Addis, and we’ve been so encouraged with what has happened recently...


Last week we visited an orphanage called Hanna’s. We met with Hanna, the orphanage founder and director, and afterwards we were all really excited about what the Lord is doing through her organization. This woman began her mission by adopting the child of a woman dying of HIV. From there it has grown into a ministry that provides for over 200 orphan children across the country.


Hanna’s is unique from other orphanages in that they use a family model to provide for the children in their care. They place 8-12 children in a home under the supervision of a “house mother”. They currently have 26 orphan homes all throughout Ethiopia. It was incredible to see what the Lord can accomplish in the lives of so many through the obedience of one faithful servant.


Another place that has had a profound impact on us is an organization called Hulugeb’s. It is a center that trains and employs the blind by teaching them how to make basic household goods such as brooms, mops, welcome mats, and pastries. Many of the handicapped people in Ethiopia view begging as a viable means of earning an income. Hulugeb’s provides an alternative and meaningful way for them to sustain themselves without being on the street. Although Hulugeb’s is not as organized as Hanna’s, this place has an incredible amount of potential to reach a greater number of disabled in Ethiopia in the future.
This week has also been an emotional one because we had to say goodbye to the children of Berket orphanage. We were so blessed to spend almost a week there, loving and playing with those kids, but we will continue to pray for the Lord’s provision for them until we are able to see them again.


With only a few days remaining in our trip, we are down to only three members of our team: Ted, Cody, and Rob, as we had to say goodbye to Nicole and Andrew who flew out this past week. We already miss their fellowship. It has been an amazing growing experience for us as a ministry and as a team!


We are grateful for the fellowship we have experienced through our stay at the Cherokee house. Staying with other volunteers has allowed us to process through the events of our trip with like-minded believers, which has really enriched our time.
As our time in Ethiopia comes to a close, we are sad to say goodbye, but looking forward to seeing how God uses this vision trip to further our ministry on both continents!


Please pray for God’s continued wisdom and guidance for the rest of our trip, and that we finish strong!


-The Sports That Serve Team

Salamnachu guadainyas!

Our last week has been action-packed and lots of fun! Since we last blogged, a majority of our time has been spent at a local orphanage, where Nicole spent 5 weeks in 2008. After raising money through our last four camps, we are now seeking to understand the best way to partner with them. It is a fairly small orphanage, with only 23 kids, and therefore it has been easy to get to know them these past few days. We have arrived every day a little after lunchtime, when the children are finished with school. We spend each afternoon playing games, hosting spelling bees, teaching volleyball & yoga lessons, giving piggy (or "donkey") back rides, and playing lots of futbol.

Our experiences there have been both overwhelming and challenging. However, through getting to know the kids, we have begun to see the hope and joy that is present in this place. We get excited everyday that we have the opportunity to spend time with them. We don't want to take a single day for granted.

We have also really enjoyed our nightly gatherings as a STS Team. Every night we gather in "The Outhouse" (where the boys sleep) to process through our thoughts and experiences, while studying Scripture together. This has been a great way to refocus and see the orphanage the way that Jesus sees it, since it would be easy to go there every day and only see the pain and poverty that surrounds these joyful children.

Continue to pray for us:
-maintaining our health
-developing international relationships
-being a light for Christ, sharing the Gospel
-living in the moment while not getting overwhelmed
-continued guidance as we make decisions with the funds the Lord has blessed us with

Live from Addis Ababa!

Hello family & friends!

WE ARE IN ETHIOPIA!! Praise the Lord--we are truly grateful to be here! Our flight went smoothly with only a couple minor changes. We were re-routed through Senegal instead of Rome, due to the residual volcanic ash from Iceland. This delayed our flight and actually made it a little longer but nothing too bad. We arrived here safely at 2:30pm (Ethiopian time) on May 11th.

We just finished our first full day here (May 12th). We hired a private minibus to take us around Addis and help acclimate us to the city. We visited all the major stops including: The National Stadium, Addis Ababa University & Museum, and Meskal Square, where all big celebrations are held. We officially all love Ethiopian macchiatos and they are less than 30 cents a piece here...an inexpensive addiction! :)

This afternoon we got to go to Mother Teresa's orphanage in Asco, where Rob ("Rabash") served for 8 months in 2007-2008. It was like a huge party or reunion when all the kids saw him come through the gates. A 6'8" white guy with a big beard is hard to forget. We loved playing with them and got a tour of the compound, including their awesome new school, which will house over 1000 students! We spent a good portion of time in the clinic, holding sick children, and helping the nuns. There was actually a shortage on volunteers today so it worked out perfectly that we were there. We have already made promises to come back...how do you say no to a nun?

We are reading Colossians and 1,2,3 John while we are here together as a team, if you'd like to read along. We are thankful for your prayers and encouragement and are excited to see what the Lord does with the rest of our time here.

We'll be updating every couple days. Much love!