One ministry that I have really seen growth in is coaching swim practice. I never thought I would be coaching swim practice on the World Race, but we serve in whatever way our ministry contact needs us. Some of my teammates and I have been working with children from the Faith Children’s Home that are on the swim team. I love to swim but never swam competitively. I actually didn’t know how to dive until the first day of swim practice with the kiddos (courtesy of Kathryn Law). I thought I did not have much to offer compared to my teammates who actually swam on a team for years. However, I came across Alex. Alex is one of a kind. She is 10 years old and quite the character. During the first swim practice I found myself working with some of the girls and relaying my teammate Kathryn’s expertise. Alex ended up doing her own thing; just jumping in and not practicing the diving techniques. I started working with Alex one on one which was difficult. She was not a very good listener and just went underwater whenever she didn’t want to do something. I suggested we practice some laps together and at one point she jumped on my back in the deep end and refused to swim on her own. It was such a challenge. The next swim practice she was in the kiddie pool and it took at least ten minutes to convince her to come to the regular pool. After working with her for a while, she began to care and seemed to be trying. At the next practice, everything seemed to be clicking. She was listening attentively, practicing different strokes, and swimming laps-MORE THAN ONE! I was so impressed, not only by her progress, but her attitude as well. It was so fun to see her enjoying swimming and be able to laugh and have fun with me too. Ah, I loved being able to see her transformation and growing to really love her!
I love how God uses our specific gifts and abilities to accomplish His will even though we do not think we are very capable. It is always so amazing to see how the Lord puts certain people in your life for a reason. Who knew I could end up helping Alex, who at first glance seemed to be a stubborn child who did not want to be on the team, but in reality is an orphan who probably does not get very much personal attention and just needs more time. Even though I am not a competitive swimmer, God used my gifts to encourage Alex and build a relationship with her.
