Hey all,

 I wanted to share an email that I received from Christy Jones, a huddle leader from El Paso, TX. It's honest, sincere, and powerful. There's lots that we can all learn from it. 

Joe

Here's the update on El Paso: I was excited to discover FCA Team Endurance a little over a year and 1/2 ago. I loved the idea of a Christian based team that unified believers who are endurance athletes, so we can train, fellowship, and share the gospel. I started a Huddle here in El Paso, generated some interest with several participants who would show up for group rides/participate in races wearing the Team Endurance jersey. Rubin Crespo, a chaplain at William Beaumont also became a Huddle Leader (he recently deployed to Iraq). We have a list of emails of people who have expressed interest in FCA Team Endurance, however it got to where very few were showing up to Huddle Meetings, and frankly by February when Steve was gone for 9 weeks of Army training, I quit sending out emails, as I just didn't have the energy to keep trying to get people involved. I've been praying for some time if God wanted FCA Team Endurance El Paso to continue and grow, He needs to raise up another leader to help, which brings us to the present: I have a training buddy I met through the El Paso Trithlon Club who is also a believer and happens to live right up the street from us. Karim has been training with me at 5:30 am 2x/week for about a year. We begin our workouts with a prayer, yet he never officially signed up for as a Team E member. Well, we have a sprint triathlon here in El Paso in September, and suddenly my training buddy, Karim, is excited to get more people to represent FCA Team Endurance and Christ at this triathlon. A week and 1/2 ago, he called the race director and comitted to a table ($250) to get the word out about Team E El Paso! he told me God would take care of it...oh boy I'm in it now whether I like it or not. I took the FCA Team E handbook to my son's swim meet last weekend, and got re-aquainted with the main mission statement: to share the gospel with the endurance community. Boy was I convicted! That has not been my main vision for Team E, and no wonder it wasn't prospering! The next morning, our pastor gives a message on...sharing the gospel! and finding your nitch, your sphere of influence. Do you think God is up to something here?!? A couple days later, Karim calls to tell me that he found a sponsor, not just for the table but also for 5 Team E t-shirts for volunteers!! He asked his pastor (Coronado Baptist) for ideas on fundraising, and his pastor simply said, 'the church will cover it'. Now I know without a doubt God is doing something here, and in order to keep the momentum going, it is going to take time and effort, as well as a big step out of my comfot zone. Sounds like Experiencing God. To add to the beauty of it all, after watching me do a Half Ironman triathlon, my husband who has never competed in any enduranc events (not even a 5K, though he's a strong runner and strong cyclist), said he wants to do the sprint triathlon is Sep and is training for it. He is even swimming, which he hates. Even better, he has purposed that this new pursuit would not get in the way of his relationhsip w/ God and he has been spending more time growing spiritually. Amazing! He is also excited and FCA Team Endurance El Paso, and wants to lead a Huddle with me.


Christy

Since its formation, the Southwest Virginia huddle has had the chance to minister to many athletes through races, training and Bible studies. The huddle volunteered at events during the season, setting out to minister to other athletes in order to show them Christ’s love. One way the group did this was inviting individuals to participate in group prayer. “There’s nothing more encouraging than to pray before and after events, ensuring that God gets the glory,” Long said. The huddle also used its Bible study, which started over a year ago, to invite athletes to build relationships outside the athletic arena.

As the huddle considers its 2010 goals, one event that sits high on the list of priorities is the Wilderness Road Ride, a road bike ride of various distances that draws in many cyclists each year. This year, the Southwest Virginia huddle was named the beneficiary for the event, but along with the title comes a lot of work. The huddle is responsible for all aspects of the event from registration to post-race cleanup. But the Wilderness Road Ride is definitely a blessing for the group. “This will be a great way to give exposure and visibility to FCA Endurance to generate interest and recruit new members,” Long said. “It’s a God sized undertaking that requires us to be humble and surrender it to Him, but we are excited to see the many ways that He will be lifted up and glorified through it.”

The Southwest Virginia huddle plans to get together early in 2010 to discuss other personal ambitions and volunteer opportunities, but the most important goal for the Southwest Virginia huddle greatly overshadows any single event. “Our number one goal is to bring glory to God and to put Him first in everything we do,” Long said. “Without Him we are nothing and our efforts are meaningless.” For the huddle, a very important part of bringing glory to God involves meeting athletes where they are. “Jesus always met others where they were,” Day said, “and He built the relationship from there.”

As it moves into a new year with new goals and challenges, the Southwest Virginia huddle understands the importance of putting God first and earnestly seeking Him to discover His plan for their lives. One thing the huddle knows for sure is that God has called each individual to minister to others through endurance sports. “We have an awesome opportunity to reach the hearts of so many lost in our endurance sports arena,” Day said. “If we look hard, we can see just how each person is searching for answers to life.”

This statement holds true for all Christian athletes. This New Year is an opportunity for us to devote our training, our schedules, our sports and our goals entirely to God. Once we do this, we will witness God move in the hearts and minds of those around us.

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” - Ezekiel 36: 25-27

Check out Savannah's excellent website (www.fcasave.com). Or if you (or your Huddle) are interested in hosting an EMI, find out more here: donnadouglass.com/FCAE_training_retreat_files/host.htm.

Why is it that we tend to be surprised when we see God move? The folks in Charlotte are learning to expect it as their Huddle takes off!

Entering race season, opportunities to serve at events abounded, but supplies were non-existent. With perfect timing, God moved the hearts of two Huddle members to supply an FCA Endurance tent, brochures, giveaways and banners. FCA Endurance partner Hammer Nutrition also donated some great training product samples, which have served to draw new athletes to the team. Said one new teammate, "At that last race, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink...literally!"

Huddle leaders Nick and Ryan hope and pray, however, that the booth and Hammer handouts will serve as outreach tools to those athletes that need not only a drink of Heed, but need a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Relationally God has also opened significant doors with the staff at both Set Up Events and Run For Your Life in Charlotte. Set Up Events (www.setupevents.com) recently became the largest multisport producer in the US and we’ve been able to benefit from the relationship South Carolina teammates have established with them over the past few years. Countless opportunities are beginning to appear within Set Up’s North Carolina Triathlon series.

The inaugural Amica Insurance Lake Wylie Triathlon is the Charlotte Huddle’s next event. Nick and Ryan have arranged to help with the packet pickup the evening before the event, including a “novice table” for first-timers. They will also host a booth at the event, fully manned with eager and willing teammates ready to serve the triathletes and share the gospel of Jesus.

In the coming months the huddle will be serving at several more triathlons and running events through Run For Your Life, including the Thunder Road Marathon in December. For more information, see their website: www.endurancecharlotte.org or contact Nick and Ryan at leadership@endurancecharlotte.org.

(Thank you to Ryan for providing the information for this article!)