May 15th is our departure date for Maturin, Venezuela where we will be working with career missionaries, Paul and Shelley Scott. This venture into South America began over a year ago with a request from the TBC Partnership Missions Department in celebration of their 25th Anniversary of Partnership Missions. All previous partnerships of the TBC have requested a team from Tennessee to come and minister during this year of celebration. Missionaries in Maturin, Venezuela requested a Belmont Sports Evangelism Team. I met with Paul Scott, this year's missionary host, prior to last year's trip to the Ukraine and agreed to bring a team of Belmont athletes to use basketball as a platform for sharing Christ. This will be a "first" for the Scott's to host a sports evangelism team.

Regular year-long communication with Paul and Shelley by email and phone has generated added excitement and anticipation of what lies ahead. It is obvious that First Baptist Church of Maturin and local lay leaders have been working hard to formulate plans and lay the groundwork for our ministry.

"You will be going into various communities throughout our stay using the uniqueness of your 'platform' to draw on the community's curiosity and provide a willing audience to the Gospel that otherwise would have been a closed door. Your presence is the key to the witness. They will ask 'Why would these gringos spend their time and money to come all the way down here just to tell us about Jesus?"
Paul Scott
IMB Missionary - Venezuela

Our team has been meeting periodically since early February to get all paperwork in order, travel documents ready, and passports in hand. Team members are enlisting prayer partners as they prepare themselves spiritually for the "call" to ministry. Prior to exams the team will have a meeting at BW's house for final instructions, encouragement, and challenge. Departure time is 6:58 a.m. on the morning of May 15.