The International Sports Federation returned on March 23 after a 10 day mission trip in Alaska, helping with the 2012 Iditarod, the world’s most prestigious sled dog race.
This trip is just one of the many projects this Acworth based non-profit organization plans each year. But there is more to ISF than just the planned yearly excursions around the world. ISF approaches mission work in a totally different way, incorporating one key element separating them from everybody else: sports.
Cheryl Wolfinger, the CEO of ISF and a former staff member for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is a firm believer of using sports while serving countries around the world.
“Sport is a true universal language that crosses all cultural barriers,” Wolfinger said. “In sports, 100 meters is 100 meters, and 10 feet is 10 feet for a basketball goal. You don’t have to know any other language to roll out a bag of soccer balls and have kids start playing.”
Wolfinger understands the importance of sports because of her background, playing basketball in high school, in college and internationally. Her involvement in athletics helped her build relationships throughout the years and eventually played a key role in ISF’s development.
“My love for sports was a natural dove tale into my love for sports missions,” Wolfinger said.
Since 1993, ISF has been providing volunteers with sport related backgrounds for missionaries around the world, which has been their goal from day one. According to Wolfinger, Baptist missionaries were always in need of an organization like ISF.
“ISF got started because our 6, 500 missionaries around the world really needed sports related volunteers, and no one was really championing that cause,” Wolfinger said.
Incorporating sports in missions work helps build relationships. According to Wolfinger, sports can be a natural bridge for many countries, which allows for the missionaries to really connect with the people on a different level.
“If America can use soccer to cross over a cultural barrier in Spain or in Portugal, then that acts as a natural bridge,” Wolfinger said. “ In a Christian organization, it is not really the sport, the most important thing is the relationship.”
Volunteering for an organization like ISF creates a whole new perspective on life and gives one an appreciation for the little things. Clean sheets, clean water, loving parents, good food, and a comfortable bed are a few things that have meant more to Wolfinger as she has traveled the globe over the years.
“The number one impact that serving with ISF has had on me is that I appreciate everything in my life,” Wolfinger says. “I have seen so much in many other countries that just break your heart.”
Wolfinger also hopes volunteers will come back loving the ISF organization and live “more intentionally” to have a bigger impact on the world.
“My goal for you coming back from a project would be that you are a more-rounded, appreciative, and firmly grounded person,” Wolfinger said.
Wolfinger also wants volunteers to have a balanced experience. She expects the volunteers to serve, but she also wants them to have the opportunity to sight-see and experience the different cultures.
According to Wolfinger, ISF has four different kinds of trips. The high-level competitive trips, which apply to college level athletes, allow volunteers to compete and help run sports clinics. Recreational trips allow volunteers to get acclimated to the cultures to build relationships.
The remaining trips include medical and orphan care, which are the humanitarian trips. ISF is partnered with orphanages in Uganda and Kenya, and also raise money to promote feeding programs for the children. Volunteers can provide medical care and also play recreational games with the children at the same time.
ISF has six trips planned for this summer and five trips starting in the fall. According to Wolfinger, the best opportunity for KSU students would be to sign up for their upcoming trip to an orphanage in Kenya, where students can invest in the lives of the children. ISF is also in need of basketball players for their Slovenia trip in July.
For any students who wish to get involved with ISF, visit their website at www.sportsmissions.com.
