Hoops of Hope: Australian Style

On Saturday, November 8th, the first ever Hoops of Hope in Australia took place. It went well! I was a bit disappointed by the lack of people who showed up, but it was okay because we all still had a blast! The night before, I couldn't fall asleep until 3am because I was so anxious, nervous, and excited....Leading a team and being in charge of an event is a huge thing for me. To be honest, I hate it. I would rather be an assistant to someone in charge and be a part of a team. But, it's a good hate, because it's something that I want/need to grow in. Honestly, I was worried. I was trying to trust God, but at the same time, I was afraid we weren't going to raise any money or nobody was going to be excited or no one would show up, etc. But the outcome was good. There were many blessings from the day that I see now that I look back. I had a great team, we raised AUS$300 on the day, we were able to reserve a basketball court/hoop, the weather was nice (regardless of a few mins of rain), we all shot 1,000 hoops, and we all had fun. God worked; not in the ways I thought, but He definitely did work. I just hope that Hoops of Hope in Australia will continue even though I'm coming home for good. It was awesome to be a part of! God placed this in my heart back in July and I got to see it play out in November. I mean, that is pretty cool hey?

You know, going into this, I wanted it to be significant. I wanted to raise a lot of money. I wanted a lot of people to get involved. I was dreaming big. But I lost heart for awhile because nobody really seemed to be getting involved. I kept thinking that I wasn't doing a good job. But I've realised that it doesn't have to be big. We don't have to have one hundred shooters or raise thousands of dollars, because we serve a big God. And through our efforts, whether big or small, He will expand, bless, and go above all we could imagine. That was my prayer for this event...that God would go above all that I asked or perceived. You know what? I think He will. Maybe He didn't do something huge at this specific event, but He is going to do something huge through it. 

In conclusion, I want to thank everyone who supported financially and prayerfully, for the Gutwein's who encouraged me and most of all, for my team who helped make it happen. I couldn't have done it alone. Seriously, you guys were amazing!

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