From Our Office to Your Living Room!

We're mixing it up on how we update you!

This post comes to you from our home office - a video blog (or a "vlog" as they call it in the blogging world). 

Please take a few minutes to check it out! You'll find updates on the TWU season, Paraguay trip, AIA camps, Volleyball Canada, staffing... worth a watch :)

Link to Ben Ball at the BLG Awards, being interviewed by Brian Williams:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh9feirDGSs

Link to Donald Miller's Storyline conferencing:
http://www.mystoryline.net/

An Epic Ending

For any of you who were following the CIS Volleyball Nationals last weekend, you know what an exciting time this was for our TWU guys! Second year in a row they came away with the GOLD!!!


Since a picture is worth... you know, a lot of words:

Moments like these are so easy to fill with thanks, aren't they? These boys have worked terribly hard. Yes, this shows up in their "mad" volleyball skills... But they have also worked continuously to let God shape them and chisel off the pieces that He chooses. They are a class act, and a band of brothers. 

(#3, #11, and #14 are the graduating seniors this year). 

The CIS has noticed these gentlemen as well: 

4 of the 5 possible "big" awards went to these guys pictured above. Jarrod Offereins, Libero of the Year; Ben Josephson, Coach of the Year; Ben Ball, Player of the Year; and Rudy Verhoeff, the Dale Iwanoczko Award (a prestigious award that honours character, achievement, and leadership).

In his leadership and spiritual development time with the team this year, Ryan has been focusing on the concept of living an epic story. Well, these guys got their chance to write an epic ending to that story at Nationals. After falling to Laval in the first set, Ryan reminded them that this was their chance now to create that epic ending. Epic endings are never easy. They always require sacrifice and passion.
Perhaps not coincidentally, Ben gave almost the same speech when he entered the team circle a few minutes later. And these boys went on to write that ending!

So, what a year it has been...

We thank God for the opportunity to be involved with this incredible group of guys, and to see them honour God with their play, their brotherhood, and their commitment to Him. 

Ryan's parents, George & Sue (below), his brother Shawn and sis-in-law Jodi, and his brother Matt the first night were able to drive up from other parts of Ontario to be part of the weekend:

And those of us who couldn't go were by all means glued to the computer screen back home:

So, congrats to the TWU team and coaches, and to the family, fans, and community who support them!

Bright & Early with Volleyball Canada!

As we make lunches, and get the coffee timer set for 5:00am tomorrow, we prepare for a significant part of the AIA ministry this coming week.

From Monday - Thursday, Ryan and Kara start their mornings coaching from 6:00-10:00am (M, W) or 6:00-8:00am (T, Th) for the Volleyball Canada Centre of Excellence.

Last spring, VC appointed Ryan as the head coach of the Fraser Valley VCCE, a development model they are planning to spread across Canada if successful. They want high-level coaching to specifically develop skills in high school athletes. Typically, most school and club programs develop team play but don't have enough time to really focus on individual skill work. This program is designed to give those elite athletes a deeper foundation to their game as they develop for post-secondary competition.

VCCE also values mentorship of these athletes. They also allowed Ryan to appoint other AIA staff as assistant coaches. So, for 12 official hours per week, Ryan and Kara (and Saralyn in Abbotsford) get to coach, build into, and mentor some of the top high school volleyball athletes in the Fraser Valley. The awesome opportunity far outweighs the earliness of the morning alarm clock!

Here is a link to Volleyball Canada's website. Watch the video on their home page to better understand the purpose of the program... and keep your eyes out for all of the AIA camp t-shirts, and for Kara and Ryan's appearances - most of the video was filmed at a Mini-Diggers program they ran last spring for younger athletes.

http://www.vcdm.org/

Kicking off the New Year!

Christmas holidays were good to us.

We pre-luded the holiday with a fantastic Dessert Night held at the Power to Change building. Thank you to the so many of you who came out to help make that night a success. Even for those of us who have the “inside” scoop on the shape of AIA Volleyball, it was inspiring to see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

Christmas holidays were a wonderful time of rest, family, and remembering the incredible gift of Christ, on Whom this ministry is centered. We are blessed.

The scoop since then:

Christmas Camp:

The high school girls team who are going to Paraguay this March ran a 3-day volleyball camp as a fundraiser for the trip. We’ll have much more to share about the trip in future blogging… but you can already be praying for the impact of this team on the Paraguay community and on their own spiritual journeys.

Harold:

On that note, AIA Canada invited Harold to come visit for a couple weeks. He is a 20-year old young man with a heart for ministry who is part of “Jesus Responds,” a Power to Change branch in Paraguay. Through them, he also ministers with Athletes in Action to help bring sports & Jesus to more than 100 nutrition stations throughout Paraguay. As you can imagine, this can be a daunting task for one person. He came to meet our Canadian staff, and to gain some more tools for his ministry back home.

Checking out Fort Langley one of his first days here:

When Ryan took the TWU girls team to Paraguay last April, he got to know Harold, so Harold stayed with us for a good portion of the time he was here. We enjoyed great “attempts” at conversation (Ryan actually holds his own pretty well in modified Espanol!), Harold’s guitar playing, and late-night X-Box games.

Harold also came to AIA Summit…

He's the guy in the red shirt, white scarf, front and centre

AIA Summit:

This is the annual conference for the 40+ AIA staff across Canada. We go out to Camp Stillwood for 3 days of ministry updates, prayer for God’s infusion of His Holy Spirit into all avenues of the ministry, and encouragement for one another. Also, there are usually numerous competitive games… which, as you can imagine, pack some heat when you get that many past and current athletes in one setting J.

Here's a view of the setting:

This year in particular, we were impacted by the sessions with Pastor Sam Owusu from the Calvary Worship Centre in New Westminster. He spoke on prayer, and led us into powerful prayer times together.

The following day, Neil and Sharol Josephson brought sessions on practical tools and guards for life in ministry. We all walked away with a clearer perspective on where we are and where we want to be going… and, thankfully, ideas for how to get there.

Relationships, New & Old:

One of the most meaningful parts of January has been having people around. We love community, and when people are okay with crashing on your couch or on a mattress on the floor, it makes for some meaningful late-night and early-morning visits together. These visits inspired us towards starting 2012 off on the right foot in ministry and friendship.

We met a few of those people back when we both (Ryan and Deb) were involved with AIA in Regina. The 2 girls seen here, Emily and Chelsa, were part of that original U of R group; Emily is on staff in Toronto, and Chelsa is just joining staff in Regina. Rodd (far right) was Deb's original AIA connection/boss in Regina from 2003-06: 

Check back for updates on the vision and happenings of AIA Volleyball, 2012!

Canada West Athletes of the Week!

See the article in the link below -

Rudy Verhoeff, a 5th-year TWU athlete, has been involved with us at AIA. He coached camps all summer in 2010. He continues to mentor other guys on his team and is a wonderful character guy with a heart to serve God and others.

Lindsey Doland, a 4th-year U of C athlete, coached AIA camps with us this past summer. She is a beautiful woman with a heart for God, her teammates, and young people. She was part of the first Alberta crew as we expanded our camps into Alberta for the first time, and she contributed hugely to the success!


It's awesome to see these players being honoured for their accomplishments on the court, and recognized for the quality people that they are.

Check out the write-up!

http://www.twu.ca/athletics/mens-volleyball/news-release/2011-2012/mv-athlete-of-the-week-verhoeff2.html

Grey Cup Breakfast

One apartment.
4 pizzas.
17 pillows (or so).
4 teenage boys.
2 adults.
(well, 2 male adults; the female adult was sleeping soundly in her room).

That sets the stage for 'The Night Before the Grey Cup Breakfast.'
Ryan had a few of the high school boys he's been coaching and mentoring over the years come and stay over after the TWU game. This way, when they stumbled out of the house at 6:30am to drive into Vancouver for the Breakfast, it was much easier to have everyone arrive as one group! (Not sure if anyone slept more than 4 hours - besides the female, as mentioned - but they were all in good spirits).

The Grey Cup Breakfast is an event put on by AIA every year in whatever city is hosting the Grey Cup. Over 1400 people attended this year. Accompanied by a delicious breakfast, they heard messages of the impact of a relationship with God from numerous CFL players and coaches.

"Pinball" Clemons added the main speech for the morning. A dynamic speaker, he roved about the room, captivating the attention of all in attendance. Everyone heard the Gospel, many for the first time.

Ryan, along with a few mentors who have been consistent influencers in these young people's lives, brought a good crew of high school boys out to partake in the morning.

Along with the "girls" AIA table, the group captured the moment with Anthony Calvillo - star quarterback for Montreal, and a strong believer.

... And, last but not least, a picture with Pinball himself :). 

All around blast!

Chapter One!

Welcome to the ongoing story of AIA Volleyball in Canada!

It has been an exciting journey over the past few years as we've seen AIA Volleyball grow in numbers, staff, passion, and scope of influence. Over the past year or two, there have been a number of significant steps of growth, and we want to use this blog to begin to keep you in the loop!

Here are some highlights that you can expect to read about:
- Summer Camps
- Overseas tours for University and High School athletes
- Staff expansion from one to three! We have a team now!
- CRAVE - an evening of fun, fellowship, and mentorship connections for youth in the volleyball community - new this year!
- Mentorship opportunities with young athletes
- Specific connections with athletes through appointment to the Volleyball Canada Centre of Excellence
- Ongoing development of spiritual leadership in student athletes at Trinity Western University


We're thrilled to be experiencing God's presence and seeing His influence as athletes mentor athletes towards a relationship with God.

So check back with us!

For Him,

Ryan & Deb