Today we woke up at 6:00 a.m. and headed for the airport. Our plane departed at 8:15 and we arrived in Cagayan de Oro at 9:30. Pastor Noel picked us up and we had a 3 hour drive to Valencia.
Our first game was with the Valencia division of the PNP (Philippine National Police). We started off well and going into half time we had a commanding lead. Alvin shared his testimony at half time and we handed out tracts. There was maybe only 100 people in attendance, but throughout the trip, we have talked about the fact, that it only takes one unsaved person to hear the message for the Holy spirit to use that message to change their heart. In a results driven society it is so difficult to stay focused and not be driven by numbers. As the leaders of the team, we do our best to relay to the new players our experiences where God has moved in big ways, even though it looked like it could only be small from our perspective. Who knows what God did in someone's heart on Monday morning? We may never know this side of heaven, but we trust that because God sent us and provided the way for us to go, our part was a success! After halftime, fatigue from the day's travels seemed to set in. Despite our efforts, we found ourselves down 12 points with 4 minutes to go. We have been in this position before, but never against such a physically strong team. We fought hard, and with seconds left we regained a 2 point lead. Winning a hard fought game by both teams, 76-74.
Ball Hog Count: 379 + 76 = 455
Our second game of the day was in Dologon. We arrived just as dark was setting in, and it seemed like we would have to modify our ministry since the covered court appeared to have no lights. We were pleasantly surprised to see that there were lights and electricity for our sound system. We got the sound system set up and started the game. We could tell early that we had our opponents outmanned, but there is definitely a "Home Court Advantage" for the teams we are playing against. Even on cement courts, there is rough terrain, uneven goals and spotty lighting. Specifics to each court are new to us, but very familiar to the teams we are playing. Using all of these factors to their advantage, our opponents stuck in the game until the end. We had a great halftime presentation, with Craig sharing his testimony. The crowd seemed very interested and excited to receive the tract that gave the details about how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. After halftime, we were still battling the team and the surroundings, not to mention the crowd that was started to get excited that their team might pull off a win against the visiting Americans. It went back and forth, but in the end we pulled off a 52 - 41 victory.
Ball Hog Count: 455 + 52 = 507
For more info about our Ball Hog Fundraiser click here!
Please keep the members of the Valencia PNP and the town of Velencia in your prayers. Also, remember to pray for the people in Dologon who were at our game and heard the Gospel.
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