University of Tennessee Athletics
SPENCER AND ZOLMAN VISITED COSTA RICA ON MISSION TRIP
August 26, 2005 | Women's Basketball
Aug. 26, 2005
America. A country with the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world; where less than 12% of the population is below the poverty line; where the per capita GDP is $40,100; and where 160 million of the nearly 300 million residents own cell phones.
Costa Rica. A country with 18% of the population below the poverty line; where the per capita GDP is $9,600; and where just over half of a million of the four million residents own cell phones. Wealth and luxury are known to very few in this Central American land. Materialistic things are far less important than the day-to-day survival instincts of many Costa Ricans.
Lady Vol basketball players Sidney Spencer and Shanna Zolman ventured to Costa Rica in August to share one of their survival instincts, God.
The ladies participated in an eight day sports mission program, directed by Sharing Christ Our Redeemer Enterprises International (SCORE). It was their second such trip in as many summers. Spencer and Zolman shared their knowledge about basketball and the gospel with a welcoming and grateful community.
"It is always eye opening when you realize how little these countries have in terms of materialistic things," said Zolman. "Everyone was very receptive and hospitable. Even if they had no interest in what we were saying, they sat and listened to us share the testimony."
SCORE, started by Ron Bishop in 1985, has seen hundreds of athletes travel to 15 countries to preach the Gospel to thousands of spectators during halftime and at the conclusion of athletic matches. In addition, millions of others have heard the message through television and radio coverage.
"Shanna and I went to the Dominican Republic last year with SCORE," said Spencer. "She's from Indiana, so she knew some of the missionaries involved with the program. Our experience was so enjoyable last year that we decided to participate again this year. I hope to one day work for this organization, or one similar, because it combines my two passions, sports and mission work."
The Lady Vols were among a handful of collegiate athletes on the trip. High school age basketball players also participated. In fact it was one of the high school teams that Spencer coached while on the trip, since she could not play from a lingering knee injury suffered during Tennessee's 2004-05 season.
The groups from America competed against local teams, of all ages.
"It was amazing how many people walked up off the street, both to play and to watch what we were doing," said Spencer. "I think we were able to draw a lot more attention to our group utilizing sports and hopefully, we were able to reach a lot more people with our testimonies that way."
When they were not playing or preaching, Zolman and Spencer went out into the community to perform other acts of charity. They visited an orphanage, went to a day care and took food to homeless people on the street, just to name some of their activities.
"I think the most rewarding part of the trip was after church on Sunday," said Spencer. "We collected an offering during the service, just over $900, and took the money to the grocery store, where we bought food for an entire village. We then took the food out to the village, and it was amazing to be able to give meals to everyone there. They were so appreciative."
Neither the hour long bus ride into town everyday, nor the language barrier, deterred the ladies from enjoying every moment of the experience.
"Neither of us spoke very much Spanish," said Zolman, "and an hour long bus ride became physically taxing after a while, but we kept reminding ourselves of why we were there. Our trip helped me realize how selfish we can sometimes be. Most people in Costa Rica don't have the material luxuries we enjoy in the United States. Their focus is on survival, not luxury. That showed me how important it is to deny myself. Whatever my own wants or desires may be in life, it doesn't matter, it's what Christ wants, I can live my life to further His kingdom by sharing it with others."
"I learned why I play basketball," said Spencer. "It's not for me, it's for God and His purpose and will in my life. He gave me the ability to play and to use that ability in situations like this. Sometimes it's difficult to understand certain adversities, such as my knee injury last season, but this trip helped me realize my purpose in life. If I hadn't gotten the knee injury, I wouldn't have coached the high school team on this trip. God is teaching me how to listen to Him."
The ladies enjoyed some extracurricular activities as well.
"I loved catching up at night with the friends I'd made on last year's trip," said Zolman. "And I especially loved zip-lining through the rain forest. That was an incredible feeling. We started at the top of a mountain and rode the line all the way to the bottom. We gained enough speed that we were going 55 mph at some parts, which was just awesome."
"I wouldn't have changed anything about this trip," said Spencer, "unless I could have made it last a little longer."
Click here for more information about SCORE.
