The Dallas Baptist University Men and Women’s Patriot Tennis Teams, which included a traveling party of 21, traveled to the Tees Valley area of Northern England, May 17 - 25, 2010, for an international mission trip.
The trip was the fourth trip in DBU’s Global Sports Mission Initiative, which in the past several years has seen the University send teams to Guatemala, South Korea, and Peru on athletic related missions-based trips.
The Patriot Tennis players were divided into three separate groups, with each group assigned to a different church throughout the Tees Valley. The DBU student-athletes had the privilege to stay in homes of church members and experience the English culture in their respective households.
“Many of the student-athletes shared how they were humbled, challenged, encouraged, and changed. They were stretched and forced out of their comfort zone as they faced opportunities to verbally share their faith, to pray out loud in a group, and to give of themselves sacrificially. Several students had very real conversations with youth and adults about what it means to be saved, who Jesus is, and how they can have a relationship with Him,” Assistant Director of Spiritual Life Christy Gandy said. “Some were burdened for the lost, convicted of their selfishness, and moved to someday return to the people of England. It was a week of planting seeds. We were all challenged to return to America with a goal of being intentional in the way we live our lives and to seek out those who need the hope of Christ.”
Each day, the student-athletes spent their time working with the local churches serving in their established ministries and teaching tennis lessons and Christianity in the public schools. They also spent time building relationships with the youth groups at each church, which included taking part in a community-wide all-night youth outreach, sharing their testimonies to children, youth, and adults, and seeking to support and encourage the churches and leaders in the community. Tennis clinics allowed the teams many opportunities to share their athletic knowledge and prowess and-most importantly-their testimonies of God’s grace and love with children of all ages. The Patriots went out of their way to engage individuals in meaningful ways.
"It was an amazing opportunity to work with the children and youth of the Tees Valley. We had the chance to go into the public schools and present the story of the Good Samaritan. We would sing songs about being kind to your neighbor and loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. With this simple story we were able to discuss God's love and tell them that he cares for each of them,” Head Tennis Coach Jennifer Curran said. “In our attempt to be a blessing to them, they blessed all of us so much. No one came home the same person."
“Traveling to England to spread the word and news of Jesus was an honor and an eye opening experience for all of us. Many of the youth have never been to church and have no idea who Jesus is and what he can do for each of their lives,” Senior Woman’s Administrator Cathy Ray added.
Aside from their ministry efforts, the Patriots enjoyed Sunday morning worship in the company of fellow believers in their various churches. The Vineyard Church, which one of the groups worked with throughout the week, met for church on the beach of the North Sea, for spiritual rejuvenation and baptisms. One member from the church and two members of the Patriot Tennis team were baptized in this special service. The team spent Monday touring and sightseeing the city of London, before returning to Dallas on Tuesday.
"What an amazing experience my teammates and I had to travel across the world and spread the word of God to others. Between teaching tennis in the schools, hanging out at the park, and working with the youth in the church, I feel like the people of the Tees Valley were not the only ones who learned something, it was each of us," Senior Tennis player Bronson Vaughan said.
“The Patriot Athletic Global Sports Mission Initiative was created to allow our student-athletes the opportunity to experience other cultures by living and serving as ‘Champions for Christ’ abroad, which is exactly what the tennis players and coaches did,” stated Ryan Erwin, DBU director of athletics, who helped organize the trip. “It was a blessing and truly amazing to watch these young men and women serve and share their faith in Christ as they used their God-given talents to minister and spread the Word among the people of England.”