Chad McCone: Athletes in Action-Mexico, June 2016

As I try to sum up the last week or so it’s hard to really give an accurate account of what God is doing here.

I am currently serving with Athletes in Action, an organization who uses sports as a bridge to share the Gospel. “The Gospel applied to sport, experienced through sport, in the language of sport,” is their slogan. When I accepted the invitation to come on this trip I had no idea what to expect. We had a four-day long training camp in Xenia, Ohio. Between learning new plays, having meetings on how to share your testimony, and trying to get to know your teammates, it was a packed 4 days.

This trip has been so different for me than other mission trips I have been on – one being that not everyone on this trip is a follower of Christ. I was taken a back by this at first, how can I go on a mission trip where not everyone even believes in Christ? God had a plan and as some of those guys who didn’t know who the real Jesus was, came to faith during training camp. The mission trip started before we even left the country.  Many of the guys came to play football, but the Father a sport  to get them to a place where they would hear of his redeeming love.

The incredible bond that this team has built in such a short time is nothing but remarkable. We just met each other a week ago, and now are opening up and sharing our burdens, like a true brotherhood. At first we had nothing in common to each other, except for our love of football. As the guys learn more about each other and about the bond we have through Jesus, the unity of this group of guys grows stronger each day. There is a unique bond on this team that people are beginning to notice, it is really cool to see.

We had a team meeting last night, I was assuming it was preparation for our game today. Little did I know, God was about to do something amazing. One of our teammates wanted to confess sin in his life in front of the whole team. You could see the brokenness in him, it took a lot of courage to get up and say what he did. From there different guys took turns explaining different struggles in their life.  Seeing big guys who play college football break down over their experiences with their fathers and their struggles over girls was an amazing experience. The guys shared deep things about scars the past has left, and how only Christ can heal those. Our team really rallied around our teammate, it was incredible.

God is working here in the lives of our own team, please pray that what he is doing with our team overflows to the teams from China, Mexico, Guatemala, and Japan. Today we play China, pray that the way we play and the way we conduct ourselves points back to Christ.

In Christ Alone,

Chad