January 17, 2018
The East Texas Baptist University Bass Fishing team traveled to Brazil on Wednesday, January 3 through Friday, January 12 as a part of the Tiger Athletic Mission Experience (TAME) program. ETBU partnered with Amazon Outreach, an organization that works directly with Brazilian missionaries to spread the Gospel to the people of the Amazon River region.
"The members of the Bass team that traveled with us to Brazil have exceeded my expectations throughout the entire trip. Removing technology from our day-to-day lives allowed us to focus on the people of the Amazon and grow spiritually," ETBU Head Bass Fishing Coach Cameron Burger said. "Each member stepped outside of their comfort zone, whether that was handing out eyeglasses, working in the pharmacy, sharing the Gospel with someone, or giving their testimony."
The boat served as the home for the team, where they ate, slept in hammocks, practiced fishing, and traveled the Rio Negro and Amazon River ministering to nine different villages along the way. The team began each day with worship on the boat with the translators and crew. The student-athletes ministered door-to-door, helped in the medical and dental clinic, assisted with the eye glass ministry, and hosted vacation Bible schools.
"This trip was eye opening, from experiencing another culture to spreading the love of God," ETBU junior Accounting major Jared Penton shared. "It was rewarding to see the different ways in which God was working through the team and the villagers."
ETBU Bass Fishing was able to meet a need of the people by transporting equipment and building a water well in the center of the village of Santa Maria. The group also spent several days assisting with a construction project, which consisted of making concrete mortar and plastering it to a brick structure in the village of Monte Moria'.
"Being used by God to answer the prayers of the villagers made this trip amazing," ETBU sophomore Business Administration major Brett Clark said. "The way God moves in the people and in the missionaries is something special. This was a humbling experience for me and one that I will never forget."
After ministry each day, the team enjoyed fishing, swimming in the river, and soccer games with the Brazilians. Every evening, the team attended the village's church service and took part in the Lord's Supper. ETBU Graduate student Zach Ervin led worship and many members of the group from ETBU shared their testimonies with the various congregations.
"I cannot put into words the experiences these guys and I shared this week while on the Amazon," ETBU Vice President for Athletics Ryan Erwin confessed. "I am beyond proud of every one of them for giving up part of their winter break, their willingness to grow and share their faith, and working to use their God-given talents and abilities to transform the lives of the people they encountered during their time in Brazil."
The trip to Brazil was the fourth Tiger Athletic Mission Experience. Head Coach Keely Peterson will be taking ETBU Volleyball to Serbia on Friday, March 9 through Saturday, March 17. The team will be staying with ETBU alumni missionaries Trey and Randi Israel. TAME provides ETBU student-athletes the opportunity to use their God-given athletic talents as a platform to connect with people and share the gospel of Jesus around the world. To follow all of the upcoming trips, visit https://tigerathleticmissionexperience.tumblr.com/.