My Closing Thoughts
It is difficult to write my closing thoughts on this mission journey to Venezuela. Processing is not easy while making the adjustment back to work and my real world. I find words difficult to describe. My thoughts are in the form of pictures: pictures of schools, crowds, faces, concrete courts, bent basketball goals with no nets, blistering hot sunshine, makeshift houses of tin, hunger, and barren land. I see contrasts of rich and poor with no in-between. And, I see thirteen Belmont students connecting with people of all ages through the language of love. There is laughter, smiles, hugs, tears, high fives, handshakes, and touches. I see God at work bringing together two countries, not through politics or religion, but through a relationship. There are no barriers, no hidden agendas, no egos, no power struggles. There is only the love of Christ being demonstrated and proclaimed through the platform of basketball.
Listen to 
Team members are asked to speak in front of large crowds with just a little notice each day. Betty selects one student to introduce the team, and generally a couple of others who need to be prepared to share personal testimonies. No one hesitates. No one questions. It just happens, beautifully.
Paul and Shelley’s two youngest children, Sydney (10) and Josey (8) came to the airport with their Mom and Dad to greet us. They soon became family. Their oldest son, Jordan, is a student at Union University in Jackson. He finished his freshman year while we were in Venezuela and flew home for the summer, joining our team on Tuesday evening in La Cruz. It was a special treat to spend time with the entire Scott family.
It was Monday afternoon and we had just finished two sessions that day in two different schools. Many had just prayed the prayer to receive Christ. We noticed that Paul and Shelley were sitting under a tree with Josey and they were talking and praying. I was sitting in a chair watching our athletes “hang out”, sign autographs, and talk with students. All at once two little arms circled my neck from behind the chair and this little voice said, “Miss Betty, I just got saved. I ask Jesus into my heart.” It was Josey! I pulled him into my lap and hugged him tight. He told me he asked Jesus into his heart with the large group of school kids. It was a special moment! Of course, we were all excited for our “littlest” teammate.
I am absoulutely confident that this team and our ministry is being "bathed in prayer" by familiy, friends, churches, and people we don't even know! There is no way we could minister in this heat to the overwhelming numbers of children without God's care, protection, and divine guidance. I have felt God's presence and peace as we have shared the gospel with thousands already. It is God ordained and directed.
Walking into a college gym with a basketball team isn't always a pleasant experience. Signs on the door welcome students to support the local college team scrimmage against the Belmont University team. In an aging gym at Maturin's Collegio Redagocio the Belmont team warmed up during a rain shower. The basketball goal was shifted toward mid-court to prevent any disasters from puddles on the floor. With each entrance by the hometown team the crowd cheered, whistled, and banged on drums. They came to see their athletes defeat a team of americans in serious competition.
The once noisy crowd circled the Belmont team on the court afterwards. Paul Scott, our missionary host, warmed the crowd and turned the floor over to Samuel (our interpreter) and the Belmont athletes. In spite of the noise and frenzied activity in the gym, the crowd was very attentive to Andy, Justin, and Keaton when they shared their testimonies. In true Betty Wiseman fashion, she closed the evening asking those who wanted to share the same faith they witnessed in this team to pray with her. I don't believe that anyone expected the wonderfully positive reception that request received. We should know better by now. God did some amzing things in that gym and we were all blessed to be a part of it. 
Simon Bolivar High School in Maturin has approximately 1,100 students. By conservative estimates, 800 of those students showed up in the stands and on the ball courts at the school to see the tall americans this morming. Any political or cultural differences that existed before the visit melted away when the students met the Belmont team, watched them in a skill's demonstration, and matched a few of their own to play basketball with them. How this large of a group ever organized to do relays is something just short of miraculous, but it happened and the activity and engagement between americans and their new Venezuelan friends made it much easier to keep their attention when everyone sat down to hear testimonies. Will, Laura, and Keaton did a terrific job leading into the plan of salvation Betty delivered. Many repeated the prayer to receive Christ.
One local pastor who met with Betty following all of the morning's activities thanked her for opening doors for his church. The visit by the Belmont team will make it easier for follow-up activities with students at the school. Many schools are completely inaccessible to churches and the doors that this team opened will bear fruit for weeks and months to come.
Yesterday we visited a panaderia (bakery) for breakfast and enjoyed ham filled pastries (pastelitos), something that looked like american breakfast pizza called american empenadas and conchitos (ham and cheese filled pastries). Coffee is served in small cups...and is the equivalent of high octane american coffee. Fruit drinks are popular. Pineapple, orange, mango, and passion fruit are generally available year-round...the pineapple that is in season right now is especially delicious.
Wednesday morning's relays and basketball drills were accompanied by the percussion ensemble from the high school where we were visiting. Enthusiastic drummers surrounded by hard surfaced walls made for a little more pounding than we were accumstomed to...but all adjusted well, thanks to a little extra Tylenol. The heat (have we mentioned that it is HOT in Venezuela) and the pulse of the bass drum did not deter everyone from having a great day. Laura, Destri, Brittany, and Brooke joined the percussion session for a while... the consensus is that the pep band at Belmont has nothing to worry about. The afternoon at Christo Rey School was spent with the high school students. They were not quite sure about the tall Americans, but warmed up quickly to their smiles and the activities planned. The Belmont team connected solidly with these students and it was tough to say good-bye to new friends at the end of the day.
The busy afternoon at the high school turned into a busier evening at a park close to a Baptist mission church. The older young men playing a fast paced game of soccer when we arrived were a little intimidating...Venezuelan's take their soccer (futbol) very seriously. Darkness closed in on the basketball game. A twighlight game of soccer followed. Under the single light from mid-court there was a great time of sharing and all were amazingly attentive. There is another Betty Wiseman through the chainlink fence story to be told, you'll just have to wait and hear that from her. Around 8:00PM, the team finished playing a round of kickball and walked to a nearby home for a meal of traditional Venezuelan foods.
Remembering that high school Spanish that you thought you'd never use will only get you so far in conversation in Venezuela. There is a lot more to be said beyond, "Como estas? (How are you?)" and having someone to translate those conversations is essential to connections with individuals and groups. Spanish speaking missionaries and local translators quickly become your best friends. They are the link to questions asked by a curious child and your voice when it comes time to answer. This year's team is fortunate to have Shandra along with us...she's not one of the athletes, but is a Belmont student with ever increasing translating experience using her classroom skills in Spanish.
This morning started at 7:30 am with breakfast and orientation at Paul and Shelly Scott's house. The food was great and instruction we got was very helpful. Don't drink tap water and don't teach the kids "dirty" words in English were a couple of the rules. After that we headed to a local high school to hoop with some kids and teach them the word of God. It was a blast. All of the kids speak Spanish here so we have translators to help us. The helpers are Paul and Shelly, Shandra (she came with us from Tennessee), Samuel , and Arturo. Those guys are our age and really helpful. I have gained friendships from both of them already.
When the team showed up this morning at a nearby school, there was already a level of excitement in the air. A small group of Christian students assembled a band at one end of the outdoor basketball court and were playing songs over the speaker system. Today would be launch day for a new organization of Christian youth at this school and the Belmont team would be part of that launch. It is difficult to describe the scene when 400-500 students are added to the mix and the sounds of basketballs and cheering children are added in. Amazingly enough, small groups were formed for relay games on three sides of the court. Just about everyone put a hand on a basketball at some point. There were plenty of smiles in spite of the rising temperature. The Belmont team gave a short skills demonstration and followed with scrimmage activity from volunteers in the crowd.
The connections that the Belmont team made with these young students provided a perfect way to focus their attention when the time arrived for sharing testimonies. Andy, Josh, and Justin gave personal testimonies of what God means in their lives.
"For some groups, being literally swarmed by hundreds of young people would have seemed overwhelming. These athletes were completely up to the task. They smiled and laughed when communications were difficult. They autographed every slip of paper and t-shirt when approached. They played, really played with children of all shapes and sizes. Their smiles were as contagious. What looked like an organizer's nightmare turned into a blessing of an experience! "
I don't believe I have had a mission team so ready and eager to go! You only have to read their journal entries to catch a glimpse of their excitement. There are nine more like 
What can I say…. This upcoming trip to Venezuela is the greatest privilege of my life. It’s just an incredible honor to be used by God especially at this time in my life. It will be my first mission trip on foreign grounds, which makes me very anxious to go away from what all I’m used to and learn about their culture and how God works through them. I’m excited that we can drop our differences and enter into God’s work as a unit. Telling others how they can have eternal life and the good news about God’s grace is going to be the greatest experience. I was made for a mission and to help finish God’s work here on earth. I know this will be an emotional experience for me and I’m very excited to go with this group.
Wow, so many thoughts are running through my head! I have been on three mission trips now, and from past experiences, I already know that this one will be even more different than the other ones. I have mixed feelings about this trip. I am both excited and sad. This will be my last mission trip with Belmont. However, I am very ready and willing to give myself away for Christ while I am on this trip. 
I do not really know where to start…I guess I will just say that I am very excited about this trip! I was fortunate to be apart of the team that traveled to 
Alright, this is only my second mission trip ever..and i am so excited. i traveled to Croatia last summer and it was a blast. This trip is going to be a bit different i anticipate. The excitement is leaning a bit towards not knowing what to expect when i get there and just wanting to help out as much as i can. The Lord has given me so much and everyone here on this team, and this is something that we can do to help out people who dont necessarily know the love of God and the wonders it can do. Like i said i am so pumped about this trip...its approaching so fast! The group we are going with couldn't be more ideal...they are so fun and encouraging...what more could you ask for! i pray that we can touch the hearts of many over in Venezuela and tell them about the ways that God has worked in our lives. I want to let them know that they can have a relationship with Jesus Christ...it is there waiting for them and i want to help them gain it! I am excited, nervous (goood nervous!), and hungry for this trip to come....so lets go! :)
This post may be the only one you will see that features Debbie. She isn't one of the tall, athletic-types that draw instant attention when they appear anywhere the team shows up...but Deb is definitely there. Somewhere in the background she is taking care of business, seeing that logistic details are covered, handing out a Tylenol, providing water, sewing on a button, or being her life-long resourceful, servant-leader self. The picture you see on the left was taken in 2005 in Koresten, Ukraine while the student athletes were playing volleyball and soccer with a group of church youth leaders. Debbie found herself in the middle of one of those Divine Appointments that Betty talked about. Sure, there were language barriers in this case, but the young Ukrainian women surrounding Deb found fellowship with an American visitor who shared a common love for knitting. Pretty amazing if you think about it. When Deb took needles and yarn on the trip, she had no thoughts that somehow that might lead to an opportunity for ministry. Her plan was to make a scarf during some of the quieter moments. Before this particular day was over, one of these women smiled and waved at the departing bus, holding a set of Deb's knitting needles. All of the women parted, understanding their common faith with a deeper appreciation of how big the familiy of God is...something that probably woudn't have happened if Deb had not been in that specific place at that specific time, half-way around the world.
In less than a month, Belmont's 2006 Sports Evangelism Team will be on location approximately 250 miles east of Caracas, Venezuela in the city of Maturin. The 16 athletes and staff on this trip will work with IMB missionaries in several area locations holding clinics, sharing testimonies, participating in worship services, and providing whatever support that is needed.
