TAME | HKY | Sweden - Recap #3

12/13/2024 12:35:00 PM

Thursday’s recap of the ETBU Hockey team’s TAME trip to Sweden is provided by Junior Tim Ruf and Senior Nikolas Roudkovski.

This morning we started the day with breakfast, enjoying Swedish yogurt, ham, and Swedish pancakes. While eating, we watched videos about the Swedish culture, which helped us better understand where we are serving this week. The time spent together, indulging in local cuisine, help create a special bond among teammates as we built fellowship. We then took time to pray, talk to God, and reflect deeply on what we hope to gain from this trip. After worship, we walked around the city, immersing ourselves in Swedish culture and admiring the breathtaking landscape—meticulously crafted by God’s hand. As we explored, we prayed over various parts of the city, including a school, the government building, and a historic location where the Akren Church first started over 400 years ago.

TIM RUF | JUNIOR

We then returned to the church and shared Sweden’s traditional Christmas meal for lunch, which was incredible. The food here has exceeded all expectations and my personal favorite so far has been the Swedish meatballs, typically served with gravy and lingonberry sauce. After the meal, we spent time wrapping gifts for those in need and went door to door delivering these gifts to families, while sharing the word of God and inviting them to church. It was humbling and heartwarming to see the joy it brought to others.

Just when we thought the day was winding down, it was only beginning. We left the church for our hockey games, where the D3 team played a local team in Skillingaryds and the D2 played Jonkoping University at the 7000 seat arena in Jonkoping. The D3 team fell in a hard fought game, while the D2 team secured a shootout victory. After the game, both teams shared pizza with our opponents and we had the chance to talk about hockey, life, and culture. It was amazing to see how happy they were to spend time with us.

Some of their players even came onto our bus afterward to express how much our visit meant to them, saying we made their night. That moment was incredibly meaningful and reminded me of how God works through even the smallest connections, bringing people together through a shared love for hockey. Today, I learned that even the little things in life can have a profound impact on someone.

TIM RUF | JUNIOR

We began the day with a prayer walk, praying for the city of Värnamo’s churches, schools, and even their government. I believe God used this walk to center our eyes on Him before we went out to be His instruments later in the day. After an amazing Swedish Christmas lunch, we split into three outreach groups. My group set up a table with coffee and cookies in a busy spot of the city’s downtown and simply tried to build relationships with the people of the city and shine the light of Christ.

NIKOLAS ROUDKOVSKI | SENIOR

It was cold, and few were receptive to what we were offering, but I had a couple conversations that stood out. One was with Daniel, a Christian from the town, and he allowed me to pray over him and his life. Second was Alx. He loved music and even had a CD player in his backpack that he let us listen for a few minutes. In talking more with him, he told me that he went to kindergarten at Arken Church, but has not believed in God since the death of his grandfather. In that moment I felt God tell me to just ‘invite,’ so that’s what I did. He said he would probably come to church with us Sunday and I pray it will be fruitful and that God would plant seeds that will last a lifetime in my new friend Alx. At the end of the night we played the local hockey teams and got to fellowship with them after over some pizza. We’re all excited to see how God will use us next on this trip.

Please join me in praying for the team this week and please pray for the Lord to open their hearts to serve His people and for the Gospel to be exemplified through these student-athletes.

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