From June 12–18, my wife, three kids, and I headed down to Puerto Rico to lead a high school basketball team from Akron on a mission trip in partnership with the Lync8 Project. This was my first time leading a team while having my family along, so we arrived on the island a bit early to get acclimated. My wife and kids did great, and the kids were a big hit. They loved playing with the other children, rebounding during warmups, and even drew up a play for the team to run.
The team from Akron included two dads and two players who had joined us two years ago, so it was fun to see them step up as leaders on this trip and bring their friends. The Lync8 Project is run by Asbury women’s basketball coach Chad Mayes, with whom we’ve worked before in Puerto Rico. He has also helped me with camps in the Bahamas.
This trip was a little shorter than usual, but we were able to run a camp and play four games. The team lost their first two games—both close ones—but came back strong and won the next two in dominant fashion. We were able to share with the teams after each game and after the camp, and we saw eight Puerto Ricans give their lives to Christ. One of our players also got baptized—he had accepted Christ two years ago on this same trip and wanted to be baptized again at the same beach.
In total, we were able to share with about 100 kids, as well as coaches and referees. Another exciting part of the trip was connecting with the former chaplain of the New York Knicks. He has been doing ministry in Puerto Rico for several years and is now looking to start a chaplaincy program for professional teams on the island. He joined us at a pro game and later attended our second game, where he shared the Gospel with both teams. I believe he’ll be a great connection for future ministry opportunities, especially in the San Juan area.
Some other notes from June:
On June 5, I helped at the Lord’s Gym in Cincinnati with a one-day basketball camp for about 20 boys. I also had the opportunity to share a message with them on the topic of identity.
We’ve continued collecting and distributing sports gear, equipment, and Bibles to contacts both in the U.S. and overseas. This month, we were able to send over 460 lbs. to North Carolina, Alabama, and Jamaica to support teams and camps. So far, we’ve distributed roughly 570 lbs. total, with gear and Bibles also going to Ohio and the Philippines.
If you’d like to donate new or gently used gear, please email me or Robby at zach@sportsreach.org or robby@sportsreach.org.
