After over a week of intense ministry the VSM basketball team headed home on Sunday afternoon. This was our ninth VSM team to host and our second VSM baketball team. Over nine years of hosting VSM we've seen God do some amazing things through the kids lives. Of course some teams have been stronger than others and we have made friendship that have continued throughout the years. But I don't think Andrey and I have ever enjoyed and felt so satifisied with a team as we have in these two years of hosting baketball teams. First of all they are doing something here that we can't do. They are reaching basketball players, which is it's own subculture very seperate from soccer players, they dress differently, listen to different music and even have their own lingo. So here is the beauty of the body of Christ at work: eleven guys doing what they do best, showing love and unity on the court, and reaching people, that otherwise wouldn't be reached.
We pushed them hard during the 10 days they were here. They had two streetball touranaments, expo games with pro and semipro basketball teams, two live television interviews, and of course two days of intense ministry in gypsy villages.
We worked for the second year with the "New Hope" church plant in Uzhgorod, Ukraine. The city itself is fascinating, located on the border of Slavakia, it is only a 10 minute drive to Hungary and a 30 minute drive to Romania. So these guys were faced with the task of encountering four different cultures, langauges and cuisines all at once. but they took it all in stride and did an excellent. job. The new church there was very encouraged by the work that the team did, and there were several new contacts made. I have now doubt that in a few months we will be hearing reports of first fruit from this ministry. Check out some pictures of their trip in our flickr photo stream below.
