2010 Sports Friends Year End Report

If your interested in a really informative SF ministry update then check out our Sports Friends Year-End Review (2010) at www.sports-friends.org click on NEWS!

Kristin and Tripp have put together a year end update you won't want to miss!

Pray 4 Daniel.....

This message came to us from our SF Nigeria office this afternoon.

Daniel Izang, our SF Nigeria staff was on his way to the village on a motorcycle. He and a friend of his (a pastor) saw houses burning and then a mob of young men. By the time the reached the mob they realized that these young men were out to harm anyone they came in contact.

As Daniel and the pastor tried to determine what to do they were pulled from the motorcycle and beaten. Daniel was wit with a brick and became separated from his friend. Then Daniel thought his life was over. They poured gasoline over him and attempted to light him.

He still does not know how God spared him and reunited him with his friend and eventually his family but he is praising God for being able to “live to shout His praises”. It is not over for Daniel as he sustained several injuries and is severely traumatized.

Please pray for his recovery (and his friend) along with emphatic prayers for this violence to cease.

Blessings,

Kyle Abts

for the Sports Friends Nigeria team

PS Daniel is a sweet sweet brother in Christ, husband and father of two beautiful children. He and I traveled to Ghana and Liberia together last year where I observed first hand his sincere wholehearted commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and desire for others to know His Savior & experience the same joy He has as a follower of Christ. I believe he and has wife would be the first African SF family to serve cross culturally. PLEASE PLEASE Uphold Him in prayer. I have received word in the last 20minutes that he is in Evangel hospital, which is a SIM hospital, where he is experiencing headaches & is vomiting.

***I spoke with Kyle Abts not long ago and Daniel is resting in a bed at the ABts home. Daniel doesn't appear to have any internal injuries.

Chris "new knee's" update......

Serving Stinks.....

Johanna and I have been emptying throw up bowls and bed pans for the last three days. Surprise, surprise, they stink!

Yet, there is one specific reason why we haven't minded dumping those bowl's and pans, know what it is? That's right, love! Johanna loves her Mom and I love my wife soooooo very much that for both of us to perform these nasty task's is actually a privilege. This mother of four and wife of mine is AWESOME. She has served us endlessly, day in and day out for years and years. She has modeled servanthood to us. We know she loves us so much as well because of how she has humbly, and faithfully served our needs for almost 30 years.

This made me think, which is always dangerous. I may not be the sharpest tool in the toolbox but even I could figure this life lesson out. When you love someone a lot, acts of service will surely follow. And no act of service is too much or too STINKY to perform for the ONE you LOVE!

And so that got me thinking some more...double trouble! Jesus came to serve not to be served. He modeled perfectly what humble service should look like out of his immeasurable love for His Father. If we love Jesus then our life should be all about serving our Heavenly Father's purposes and the needs of others! The more we love Him the more we will SERVE! When we humbly serve, even if what we do stinks -literally-, those acts are actually SWEET aroma unto Jesus and others.

Extra word to the wise, if your full of your self you will not be able to love others fully, or much at all for that matter!

"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." Galatians 5:13

This verse expounded on actually means that we have freedom from the Mosaic laws and OPPORTUniTY FOR THE FLESH with our freedom to follow our natural sinful selfish desires. We are then much advised to resist the temptation to serve our selfish ambitions (let's not be slaves to our fleshly desires and the worlds desires), but to use our freedom to serve others with radical love! Therefore, "love your neighbor as yourself."

brian

ps CHRIS IS GOING HOME THIS AFTERNOON!

Tough evening....

but Chris is actually sleeping comfortably right this minute. Very rough patch last night as she actually entered into a delirious state of mind. We held her hands, rubbed her checks, prayed over here, and actually sang a little bit (I can't sing but I figured in her state she wouldn't mine) too. I won't go into details but we think she basically was battling the pain without meds for too long. Then the doctors oked a morphine injection and a little something else to settle her.

By 1 am she was finally out! Nurses came in throughout the night to care for her and she was back to normal by the wee hours of the morning. We hated to see our girl in that condition without the ability to help her out more, but we all got through it TOGETHER.

Thanks for lifting Christine up before the King of Kings brothers and sisters in Christ. The bond we share to together in Christ is unlike any other bond on this earth. Even complete strangers will pray over a friend's friend in Christ. No matter how many miles separate us we unite in a moments notice over a challenging situation for one of HIS! Love our Christian family. Could we survive without it? Sure. But we were created for community and we thrive because of that sense of belonging to the same army . God's army! Soldiers of the cross. Thanks for doing battle on Chris behalf last night with us. Privileged to be on the same team with you. bd

PT is set to start at 8:30am today.

Chris is in GREAT PAIN....

I got home for about an hour before I got the call that Chris pain had returned with a vengeance! Heading back to the hospital now to help out as best I can. Johanna, who relieved me about 7:30 tonight, said "mom asked for prayer because she could hardly stand the pain."

brian

One more.....

PT session tonight by yours truly. It's my first solo PT session. Must admit I'm a little scared.....hmmm....wonder how Chris is feeling? Move one wrong button she could go through the roof....physically and pain wise! Oh boy, the PRESSURE is on! Game time is 7:45 but I'm getting psyched up now. Want to be the best lay person PTer ever! Why is that? I got issues.

After our PT session, assuming Chris survives, then she has another 2 1/2 hour machine workout on the right knee!

Then we are praying that she gets SLEEP TONIGHT before her first PT session with the expert at 8:15am.

almost done DAY One. Yahoo! Well done Christine!!!