From Basketball Drills to Bible Studies

Bethany DuVal • Jun 17, 2019

Rico and Carmelo may have been cousins, but they could hardly be more different. Where Rico was quiet and serious, Carmelo always had something to say — and it was often a joke.

But they did share two things in common: a love of basketball and a longing for real answers about their faith.

Like most Italians , the boys grew up in the Catholic Church. It was a critical part of their culture. But when a kid asked their priests questions, they were often met with a similar refrain: You don’t need to be thinking about that.

Thankfully, friends like you sent the boys to a Push the Rock (PTR) basketball camp. And when these cousins got their answers, it changed their lives.

Basketball Camp for Seekers

Push the Rock isn’t just any basketball camp. Coaches come all the way from America to teach young Italians their favorite tricks and techniques. Many of them even stay in touch with campers after the program ends.

A group of kids at Push the Rock camp practice their basketball skills by dribbling the ball across the court.

Kids in Italy come to Push the Rock basketball camp for all kinds of reasons. But once they’re there, they build relationships with coaches that last longer than the camps.

But when Rico attended PTR his second year, it was clear he wasn’t just interested in basketball.

Every day, teachers at the camp would share a lesson about God. Then, the kids would break into discussion groups led by teachers and coaches. That year, Rico was put in TEAM missionary Gene Coleman’s group.

“[Rico] would never lose eye contact,” Gene says. “He was always watching, listening.”

The boy had a lot of questions about what things meant. So, toward the end of the week, Gene asked Rico if he’d like to study the Bible together.

“Yeah,” Rico said. “I really would.”

Quiet Cousin Embraces Christ

When PTR ended, Rico and Gene started studying the Gospel of John together. Through the support of friends like you, Gene got to explain the Gospel from many angles.

“I wanted to make sure he did it because he felt a need as a sinner instead of just doing it because he wanted to be like the coaches,” Gene says.

Rico was so quiet, it was hard to know his thoughts. The two studied together for months. But one day, Rico told Gene that he had decided to trust Christ.

Meanwhile, God started working in Rico’s cousin, Carmelo.

A Safe Place for Questions

That next summer, Carmelo attended PTR, too. He was always fooling around with the other kids, but one day he approached Gene looking devastated.

One of the American coaches had shared their testimony, and Carmelo couldn’t get over it.

Carmelo had heard about Gene’s Bible study with Rico. He wondered if Gene would be willing to study the Bible with him, too.

So, when PTR ended, Gene started a weekly study with Carmelo.

A participant at basketball camp jumps up to make a basket

God used the time at basketball camp, and missionaries leading the basketball camp, to change Carmelo’s life.

Where Rico was quiet, Carmelo always had questions: Why did Jesus do miracles for some and not for others? Were they really miracles? Why do even little sins keep us from God?

In Carmelo’s church, questions weren’t really allowed. But Bible study with Gene was different.

For the first time, Carmelo could ask all the questions he wanted — and Gene never scolded him for it. It was wonderful.

But Gene knew things wouldn’t be so easy outside their Bible study. And he wanted to make sure Carmelo was ready.

Second Cousin Chooses Christ Over Culture

It can be hard for non-Italians to understand how much Catholicism is wrapped up in Italian culture. It’s not just tradition. Even if you don’t really believe it, it’s an essential part of an Italian’s being.

“If you’re Catholic, you’re Italian, and if you’re Italian, you’re Catholic,” Gene says.

A large, beautiful Cathedral in Italy sits overlooking the city below.

Catholicism has been the dominant religion in Italy for so long, it feels like an integral part of the culture. And that makes it harder for Italians to accept grace through faith.

While Gene ministered to Carmelo, local Italian believers ministered to Carmelo’s mom, Gianella. And it seemed like she agreed with everything they said — what Jesus had done, that salvation comes through faith.

Still, Gianella couldn’t accept that free salvation for herself. When one of the Christians asked her why, she said, “If I did, I would lose most of my culture.” Not only that, but Gianella feared her friends might leave her.

Gene wanted to be sure Carmelo fully understood the costs of following Christ.

“It’s going to be difficult,” Gene told Carmelo. “You’re not just accepting Christ to have peace in your heart. … You’re accepting Christ because Jesus died for you .”

Gene and Carmelo studied together for over a year.

Then one day, Carmelo burst through Gene’s door with an announcement: “I’m convinced. I want to accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord.”

Pray for Summer Sports Camps

This summer, TEAM missionaries are gearing up to share Christ with even more kids at Push the Rock. And thanks to the generous support of friends like you, they’ll be able to follow up with kids who want to know more about Christ.

Please ask God to open more doors for Bible studies with kids like Rico and Carmelo. Pray that many children will come to know Jesus through this special program.

*The names of people you helped may be changed to protect their privacy.

Bridging Dissonance: Finding Connection in Music and the Gospel

By Emily Sheddan • 18 Jul, 2024
TEAM worker Luke Standridge and his fellow musicians use music to build connections to faith in Japan. In music terms, dissonance creates movement or even suspense in a song. It invites tension. That tension is what helps grab our ear’s attention and the interchanging of these notes with pleasant melodious parts is what makes music such a delight. In a similar way, God is using music to grab people’s attention and catalyze Gospel impact in the largely unreached nation of Japan. TEAM Global Worker, Luke Standridge moved to Japan in 2019 with no clear direction on how he was going to use his passion for composing music while doing ministry. However, after Luke got involved with a local church and began developing deep friendships, the Lord opened unimaginable doors for Luke that in time, coordinating his creative skills with sharing the Word. “People Need to Come to Japan!” Growing up as one of ten kids in a family that was heavily involved in ministry and missions, Luke never considered that it would one day be a part of his own journey. In 2016, via a Japanese language learning class in Indiana, Luke and his brother had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Hearing, learning, and using the language in the context of Japanese culture was the goal. While it was Luke’s first international trip – even his first trip on a plane - it was also his first time hearing about the spiritual condition of the Japanese people. “And just through that, God did a huge 180 change on my heart,” says Luke. “More people should come here as global workers. People need to come to Japan!” The call God was laying on Luke’s heart is echoed when looking at the spiritual landscape of Japan. The nation is home to the second largest unreached people group in the world. It is one of the most difficult places for the Gospel to take hold and grow. Japan is also home to a deep and rich culture that prizes creative arts from pottery to ink to music to anime – a fact that would help Luke find his niche in life and ministry. God’s Guiding Hand In the short three-month timespan of that first trip, Luke found that opportunities came naturally to share about life, and people’s curiosity for Christianity grew. “I left Japan knowing I just had to come back,” Luke shares. “Even if I didn’t get back to the same area, I knew Japan was where God wanted me to be.” The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. His plans do not fail. Luke returned to Japan in 2019, and less than a week after arriving, he was put in touch with a renowned composer in Japan. The composer saw some of Luke’s music and invited him to help write the music for a beloved in-country animated show. But God wasn’t finished yet! Fast forward a year, and more connections and opportunities allowed Luke to help with music for Pokémon - a franchise that has brand recognition around the world and was being developed into a TV series in Japan. Luke recalls how the Lord began using these connections in the production world to open doors for Gospel conversations. One night while having dinner in downtown Tokyo with famous artists and composers from all around the country, Luke was asked about his ministry-focused visa. This was a rare opportunity in a setting with people otherwise uninterested in Christianity. Luke shares, “The whole time I could see God’s hand in guiding the entire thing.”

Connecting in a New Kind of “Neighborhood”

By Lorena de la Rosa and Suzanne Pearson • 13 Jun, 2024
Through creative arts and other forms of innovative outreach, “The Neighborhood” is creating connections to the Gospel and the love of Jesus. CONNECTION. It’s a common word with powerful implications. Dictionary.com defines connection as a joining or linking together; a relationship between people or objects that unites or binds them together. God has created each of us with a deep need for connection with Him as well as connection with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks to this, as the writer exhorts, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This God-given need for connection lies at the heart of a creative and innovative ministry in Japan known as “The Neighborhood.” TEAM Japan global worker, Kelly and her family created The Neighborhood as a place where connections are formed through creative arts, educational opportunities, and simply just providing a space for people to be together. A Family Calling The journey to the creation of The Neighborhood began over 5,000 miles away from Tokyo, in California where Kelly, her husband Jeff, and their five children were living. The kids were the first to sense God’s calling to missions, and asked why their family wasn’t serving in this way. How Kelly and her family came to TEAM is a God-story in and of itself. “God placed a TEAM Japan worker at our lunch table the same week that the kids posed that question to us,” Kelly recalls. “We had never heard of TEAM and so we thought, ‘let’s check this out.’ After that, God just kept confirming that we were supposed to be here.” After a period of fundraising and with much excitement, the family of seven moved to Japan in 2014. For the first five years, Kelly and Jeff served as a part of other TEAM ministry initiatives, but they began to sense a stirring for something new. Creating The Neighborhood Kelly and her family truly have a deep gift for hospitality, and regularly opened up their home to others they met in Tokyo. They saw a great need for people to have a place to gather and connect, and they wondered what doors the Lord might be opening for them to meet that need. “About a year before we were to return the States on home assignment, we were just really thinking about our future in Japan,” Kelly says. “We saw a need for people to have a ‘third place’ – a place that’s not home and it’s not work. They didn’t have a church community or any other place where they could meet people and just connect.” Kelly goes on to explain that in Japan, the culture is such that people don’t generally invite each other into their homes, but as her family did so, people embraced that opportunity. “This idea formed in all of our hearts of a student ministry center – a place where we can create community and learning,” says Kelly. “It was born out of what we were already doing in our home, but seeing how we could expand it and have better space.” God’s Provision What happened next is a true testament to God’s provision. Kelly, Jeff, and the kids returned to the States and began sharing their vision for The Neighborhood with their supporters and churches who responded generously. Upon returning to Japan, the search was on for the right space. “We had a Christian realtor that we told our dream to, and he just went looking for it,” Kelly recalls. When the realtor found a 5-story apartment building, he said, “It’s kind of out of your budget but it has what you need and want.” The Lord provided the funds and the family moved into the space in November 2019. They now occupy all but the ground floor, with living space for their family as well as classrooms, areas to study or hang out, and guest rooms for exchange students or others who need a place to stay overnight. The first floor is occupied by a pizza shop – a welcome amenity for the many groups and students who visit The Neighborhood. “It’s very convenient!” Kelly says with a laugh. The Neighborhood began to see lots of activity right away until the pandemic hit in early 2020. During the height of the quarantine, Kelly and Jeff used the time to redecorate the space and plant gardens outside the building. Then as the restrictions eased, they invited individual students or families over for meals and fellowship. It wasn’t until March 2023 that The Neighborhood was able to fully open again as intended. Kelly shares that despite the setbacks of COVID, the Lord continued to provide the funds to pay the rent.
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