Women’s Basketball Team Returns from Kentucky
The SWU Women’s Basketball Team returned from their mission trip in Evarts, Ky., after running a sports day camp and collecting shoes for the Verda Child Development Center. They also spent time ministering at the Harlan Health and Rehabilitation Center.
The mission team consisted of student-athletes and coaches from the women’s basketball team, along with members of Hopewell Baptist Church in Seneca. The camp grew from 15 attendees on Tuesday to 21 campers on Thursday.
“This trip was a total team effort,” said John Davis, head women’s basketball coach, now in his fifth year at SWU. “Seeing our team minister through servant leadership was special to see throughout the week. The relationships that were built with the community of Evarts will last a lifetime for all of us involved.”
Each day during the sports day camp the mission team fed all the campers, including the city workers from Evarts. Following lunch, the campers were split into groups to have a devotional time.
“The highlight of the trip was having one young man come to know Christ,” continued Davis. “We went on the trip to not only grow in our personal faith, but to let these kids know about salvation through Jesus Christ. The mission team did an excellent job of showing servant leadership and also teaching from the Word of God.”
On Tuesday prior to getting started in the morning, the mission team delivered 117 pairs of shoes to the Verda Child Development Center. Alive Wesleyan Church in Central and assistant women’s basketball coach Donn Williams spearheaded this project of collecting the shoes. The next day following the sports day camp, the mission team traveled to the Harlan Health and Rehabilitation Center for a time of praise and worship and talking with residents. The group put together goodie bags that were handed out to each resident.
Each day prior to the sports day camp, the mission team had a morning devotional time and each night the group had a breakdown session talking about the day’s events. The breakdown session on Thursday evening consisted of a foot washing ceremony.
“This trip was put together to put ourselves in a servant leadership role. We had the greatest example of servant leadership in Jesus Christ and he modeled that in John 13. Our team has the saying of ‘Team Above Self, Christ Above All,’ and we were able to model that this past week in Evarts. It was great to see us doing the best we could to put ourselves last and Christ first,” said Davis.