|
Last month brought the culmination of years of planning with Bingham hosting the first International Christian Schools of Africa Basketball Tournament bringing together teams from 6 countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.
For some of the players traveling to Ethiopia, this event marked their first flight and experience outside of their own country involving one intercultural experience after another. For others, it was a chance to feel a part of something larger when friendships where formed both over the love of the game and bonds of faith.
One Bingham parent whose family hosted students from several countries mentioned the importance of the conversations between her children and the students staying with them. She explained, “Our kids know two cultures: their home country and Ethiopia. That is already a broadened perspective, but we never realized how much their eyes would be opened by students from other parts of Africa. They found commonalities in preparations for Cambridge exams and the challenges of attending school where a parent works. But they also shared how God’s calling had brought their families to these countries and found reason to pray for missionaries across the continent.”
One player described how she connected with a girl from Kenya during one of the small group times and built a lasting friendship. They continue to stay in touch and hope to reconnect when the two go on to university on yet another continent.
These are invaluable times for our students. The players supported each other by cheering for other teams at each game. Some Bingham students filled in for teams who were short of players. One student fan said that she had not experienced that type of camaraderie surrounding sports in years. “It just makes you feel at home.” A Bingham elementary teacher summed up the tournament’s impact on the fans. “The energy of the tournament permeated every grade. Students who had never watched a basketball game were cheering every shot. The teams glorified God with their sportsmanship and set an amazing example for the younger ones watching their every move.”
And then there were the Ethiopian families, some who did not even have a child playing in the tournament, who hosted up to 15 players in their home. When asked why they went to such trouble one replied, "Why not? My house belongs to God." Such generosity continues to inspire the best in all of us.
The most lasting impressions were the relationships built during times on and off the court, in and out of worship together, across the dinner table, and between games. The first annual ICSA Basketball Tournament was all we expected…but then God did even more!
|
