I felt led to get some copies of Tony Dungy’s book, "Quiet Strength" for some of the football coaches. I gave one to a coach who I’d never really spoken to except for an occasional "hi." He saw me after a practice and said, "I’ve got you to blame for something." He went on to tell me that he didn’t get much sleep the night before because of the book I gave him. That was a Thursday night and by Sunday, this NCAA Division I coach—who was in season—had read the entire book It has allowed me to start to develop a relationship with him that I would not otherwise have.

                                                                            -Eric K., Campus, Ball State University

Derwin Gray, the evangelism linebacker and former NFL Pro-Bowl player, came to speak to the athletes. We had been praying and praying for this event to be life-changing for all of us. It was amazing! Our prayer was that 100 coaches and athletes would be able to come and there were more than that. Most importantly, though, God spoke through Derwin in a powerful way and lives were changed—four athletes prayed and received Christ. Even weeks later, the students are still talking about how thankful they are that Derwin came and shared with us.

                                                                            -Hannah D., Campus, Rutgers University

One day I received a phone call from a mom who was looking to schedule a challenge course birthday party for her daughter. After finding that all other courses in the area were booked, she and her daughter began searching the Internet for others in the Dayton area. They found AIA’s course, so the birthday girl and nine of her friends arrived for a full day of challenge course activity on both the high and low courses. At the end of the low course session, I felt led to ask the girls (12-13 year-olds) if they had any questions about life or anything they wanted to ask another adult besides their parents. They threw a few challenging questions my way: how to deal with divorced parents who fight all the time, how to counsel a friend who thinks she is pregnant, etc. This was a great opportunity for me to gain some insight into the challenges they face in life. It also allowed me to build some great bridges with these youth. At the end of our high course debrief time, I had the opportunity to tell them how God has changed my life and also communicate the gospel with these young ladies. I then led them in a prayer to receive Christ if anyone wanted to. On the comment cards, seven of the ten girls indicated that they accepted Christ into their lives. Glory to God!

                                                               -Debbie F., Challenge Course Director, Xenia, OH

The University of California at Irvine men’s basketball team had a team retreat two weeks ago. The coach wanted everyone to hear what each of their goals were for the year. The coaching staff was blown away as one by one each athlete shared how their goal was to grow spiritually. Their goals were spiritual, not sport-related. He called me in his office and said, “Something special’s going on here.”

                                                             -Gus H., Campus, University of California at Irvine

Meredith and I hardly stepped foot on campus in October due to our three-year-old son battling cancer. In spite of that, the students are leading Bible studies, running the large group meetings, leading prayer, and initiating with their teammates and others in the athletic department. For ten years we have talked about the movement at Kentucky being "student led, staff directed." In a time like this, there is nothing like the staff turning things over to the students and trusting that God will teach some valuable lessons. Leading in this way has invigorated some and stirred passions in others. Still others have met the opportunity with less enthusiasm. Our prayer is that all of the students’ experiences this year will help them live in light of eternity for the next fifty or sixty years.
                                               
                                                                            -Bret N., Campus, University of Kentucky

I got to talk with a strength coach for 20 minutes one day, and I have been trying to reach out to this guy for two years. He opened up a little spiritually and I found out that he needs help putting tile down in his bathroom. Since I love to do that stuff, I hope my “spiritual gift” of home improvement will provide another opportunity to talk with him about the Lord.

                                                                         -Dave T., Campus, University of Tennessee

Full names of Athletes in Action staff members have been withheld to protect those serving in religious-sensitive countries.