For me, walking off the plane into the airport in Kampala was a dream come true. I have had a heart for Africa for the longest time, and I was finally there. I had the privilege to join nine other student-athletes; Brad McCarty, Messiah’s men’s head soccer coach; an athletic trainer; a Messiah soccer alum; and a Messiah alum representing Sawyer water filters on an AROMA sports ministry trip to Uganda in May 2013. Our group represented a variety of sports and personalities, but it was so encouraging to see God work in us and through us as we served together in Uganda.

Different culture, same God
We spent our time in Uganda in Soroti and Kampala, working alongside Sports Outreach Institute and their soccer teams, the Good News Team and the Divine Stars. We had the opportunity to work alongside these groups that are already sharing the gospel in Uganda. Every morning we would gather at a different place to have a time of morning worship and devotions with the teams. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was an incredible experience to be a part of this pure, honest, African worship. They may not have a lot of material things, but they have incredible love for our God, one that is so evident in the way they sing and dance. If we weren’t comfortable dancing and singing when we first arrived in Uganda, we were more than comfortable by the time we left! (more…)

I couldn’t believe it. After months of anticipation and expectation, my field hockey team and I were leaving in the morning to travel to Argentina on a mission trip. Anxiousness and worry crept inside me, and I was beginning to doubt that the trip was a good idea. All of the teams coordinated through Messiah’s sports ministry effort—AROMA, a Revolution of Missional Athletes—teams that night to go on a prayer walk to prepare our hearts and minds for what we were about to encounter. The whole time I was praying but still felt uneasy about the trip. When we arrived at our destination by the creek, we sang as a group and a girl from the volleyball team shared Luke 17:6; “He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” This verse caught a hold of me and I prayed, “God, I feel as though my faith about this trip is the size of the mustard seed, but here it is if you would like to use it.”

God works in amazing ways. Upon our arrival, our team was treated as celebrities and served Argentina’s specialty meal that includes lots of meat. We had several opportunities to not only teach young girls field hockey skills but also have fun with them. Even with the language barrier, we were able to connect with the children while playing the sport we love. (more…)

As we descended into Uganda after 24+ travel hours, a cloud of excitement hovered over our AROMA team, much like the clouds of unearthed red dirt that would soon linger over our missional feet. Our team of athletes, coaches, trainers, alum and Sawyer Representatives had been preparing for months leading up to this trip and we were finally here, a little nervous but filled with expectant hope of God’s working on our trip. We walked out into the parking lot and were immediately greeted by staff from the Sports Outreach Institute (SOI) group that we would be partnering with for the next 10 days. Hearing their laughter and welcoming words reassured us that this would be a great journey of relationship-building, sports-playing, water-filtering and hope-rising. (more…)