Last year AIA's Global Leadership Council (GLC) decided that in order to better serve our country leaders and field staff, we would hold our regular leadership meetings on the front lines of movement building. Last year it was Guatemala and later this fall it will be South Korea. Here with the Global Leadership Council (GLC) are some of our African AIA leaders from Mali (Jean Pierre), Togo (Magloire), Chad (Marc), Ivory Coast (Assouman), Ethiopia (Tsegaye), Liberia (George) and our host country Cameroon (Silas).
Our purpose for gathering as the GLC is to seek God's direction for our future globally as an organization, to build leaders with accountability, to forge our operational principles, and to cast vision for AIA's global future. We have worked further to clarify Athletes in Action's part in the Great Commission, by seeing Christ-followers on every team in every sport in every nation. Thanks for your part in trusting the Lord with us to see this vision become a reality.
When we think about our vision and our mission of launching spiritual movements everywhere in the sport world so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Christ, we have had opportunities to see that in action this past week. Silas Ngong, the leader for AIA Cameroon, set up two strategic appointments that can lead to the AIA movement in Cameroon reaching the highest levels of sport in his country.
First, we met with the leaders of the Higher Institute of Youth and Sports, the premier institution that trains the future coaches and sport teachers in the country. Silas is formalizing a partnership with them and AIA that will allow us to minister to these men and women. After meeting with the directors, we had the opportunity to address the 1,200 students who are part of this institution, the future leaders of the world of sport in Cameroon. Then, we met the Cameroon Minister of Sports to present the first draft of a partnership at the national level.
Another day we visited a national youth development soccer team served by our staff here in Cameroon. Several of us had a chance to affirm Silas's work and tell these young men that there are others like them in many other countries seeking to honor God with their lives. And then typical to Africa, dancing broke out! (Notice the enjoyment of all!).
I had the chance of giving a clinic to 60 coaches and basketball students at the mentioned Institute. The best women's basketball team in Cameroon, the national head coach and the President of the Basketball Coaches Association were there as well. I addressed several of their questions on basketball tactical plan development and physical conditioning in-court, and encouraged them on topics relating to Character.
Thanks to the generosity of Eduardo de Pablo and Austral, we where able to distribute a full bag of sports equipment from the Spanish Olympic Team to teams. AIA Spain donated several high quality leader basketballs, and EMSI-Mision in Barcelona gave us toys and lollypops for an orphanage in Yaoundé as well.
Please join us in praying for Silas and their AIA team as they trust God for life-change throughout Cameroon. As we pray for them, let this be our prayer for each of the country leaders we serve in Western Europe as well, that God would use us to change our countries and the world through the sport world and the power of Jesus Christ.
Yours in Christ,
Rubén, Lidia, Samuel, Josué & Lucía
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