Victory does not come easy! But if God is on your side, and you stand with Him faithfully, then in spite of the odds and whatever the tests, then you can be sure that you are already a winner!

Our sports ministry in the Poltava region doesn't have a very long history. About three years ago two teams of athletes formed in our church. They began to popularize the two sports that were new to Ukraine: Floorball and Ultimate Frisbee.

The goal wasn't to win championships, but to witness to unbelieving young people. Still,it's hard to imagine any sport without accomplishments and victories.Furthermore, you need to maintain the team spirit, and without competition and winning, that's very hard.

 

It turns out that the Lord has taken this aspect of sports evangelism into account. Along with the spiritual struggles and triumphs, our guys also developed some decent playing skills. More than once they had to taste defeat in the national championships, and console themselves with the thought that trophies aren't the main thing in life. But the Ukrainian Floorball Championship held in Melitopol, from January 18 to 20, brought our athletes not only spiritual but also physical triumph. Our floorballers not only won a place on the podium, but took first place among the 9 Floorball teams in the Ukrainian junior league and moved up to the Top League.

According to coach Pavel Kushnir, in these competitions our Poltava players showed great solidarity and unity of spirit. First, the «Biters» (that's our team) didn't commit any serious fouls. The Poltavans distinguished themselves through their politeness and friendliness, both to each other and to the competitors. Instead of complaining and expressing indignation, the players prayed and relied on the Lord. And God, as a just judge, lifts up the righteous and gives them the long-awaited victory!

P.S. If any of you haven't had a chance to see a game, come on out! Our coach, Pavel Kushnir, promised to mark the victory by shaving his mustache. And as a true sportsman, he kept his word. A different and very interesting look)))

Tanya Varyanitsa