The morning came early for several of us that had been up late on an adventure in search for some supplies. We were relieved to have an extra hour of sleep before we made customary
trip to McDonald’s for breakfast as we were waiting for our uniforms to come back from the Laundromat. After McDonald’s, we headed to Don Bosco College for our morning game. After
winding through several back roads, we came to a gate, only to find out that this was not the location of our game. Knowing full well that our driver was not the one to rely on for getting us to our destination in a timely manner, we had been relying on Coach Al's knowledge of Cebu to get us places. When Coach Al faltered, we knew it would be a while before we made it to the university. We back tracked our way to the main road and eventually found the school. The
team we were to play had been waiting a while for us and was ready to play by the time we got there. A quick warm-up, several familiar songs from Dave, the announcing of every player suited up to play, and our second to last game of the trip was underway. It was sad considering the trip was coming to an end, and it would be the last time for us to play with the Beyer brothers. They would be leaving for the airport as soon as we got back to the church.
In the typical fashion of this year's Buhay Sports team, we led by only a slim margin throughout the game, never really pulling away, but still having control of the game. By the end we had sufficient enough of a lead where everybody was able to get in play quite a few minutes. The coach had told us that they were a young team, but they had several solid players and were able to lessen their margin of defeat as the game came to a close. After getting their entire team to cram onto the benches, Dave was able to share a quick word with them about the good news of Jesus Christ. Like usual, we passed out some tracks and gave each player a bracelet with our theme verse on it, John 14:6. We mingled for several minutes but had to be off in order to get the Byers to the airport on time. As crazy as the driving is in the Philippines, throughout our stay here, we had yet to witness an accident. Today would be that day where one was witnessed. Unfortunately, it was us who took part in the accident. In passing through a busy intersection we suddenly were T-boned by a bus. Fortunately, the bus just kissed up to the side of the van, but from the reaction of the bystanders, I thought for sure someone had been smashed in some way or another. It turned out that it is customary for those who witness an accident to rush to the scene and stand around discussing what happened. After clearing the
intersection, we saw that there was minimal damage to both vehicles. All that was lost was our right side mirror, which became a souvenir for a lucky pedestrian. The police came, and after what seemed like several hours, settled the matter and we could continue on our way
back to the church.
In arriving at the church, we were able to shower and pack up all our stuff as we would be leaving for the airport from the afternoon game. After packing and loading up the vans, we said farewell to the Byers, then received a long and personal devotion from Pastor Gary. We ate
lunch once again at the nearby mall, and rode off to the final game of the trip. We were to play a Barangay type game against the factory team of the University of Visayas. They were quite good, possibly better than the actual UV team, and led for practically the entire game. Towards the end of the game, we were able to pull ahead by a slim margin. Up three with two minutes left, coach Bucher pulled a rather un-orthodox move by taking the entire starting five out and
putting in five fresh players. The ploy to disorient the other team seemed to work as neither team was able to score for several possessions. UV somehow put in two tough shots and a couple free throws to pull themselves a head by three. In a final desperation attempt, Coach Bucher was able to diagram a play for the last shot. It would be a simple pick-and-roll between Aaron and Lee to create an opportunity for the shooters to knock down a three. In a Ray Allen-esque manner, Lee came off of the screen gunning, only to see the shot fall just long as it bounced off the upper half of the backboard.
Though losing our final game our trip, the team was in good spirits. We were all tired and ready for some rest, but what was keeping our spirits high was the fact that several hundred people heard the gospel this day, and thousands more had heard the good news throughout the course of our trip. At every venue, we had a great response to the tracks handed out. We were able bless the pastors and Christian leaders of each town with an opportunity to connect with people they may have never come in contact with. So, all in all, it was a successful trip. We finish this trip up by leaving the rest of the work up to God. It was His work to begin with and I feel that He will continue to act mightily in this country. All we have left to do is pray for the people that we were able to witness to and that God's will will continue to be done. Thanks for partnering with us as we pray for each and every one of the lost souls that heard the Gospel.
No comments:
Post a Comment