TAME | HKY | Sweden - Recap #5

12/15/2024 6:42:00 PM

Saturday’s recap of the ETBU Hockey TAME trip to Sweden is provided by graduate student Carson Loos and senior Cooper Goodwin.

Today was my favorite day of the trip! We began with a team breakfast of traditional Swedish breakfast foods, like Skyr yogurt and Polar bread. Then we were led in worship by members of the Arken Church worship team and had a group devotional, where we reflected on yesterday’s outreach projects in the city square of Värnamo and the youth athletic recreational center. We discussed Proverbs chapter 19, which explained the importance of truth and the pursuit of wisdom and guidance from the Lord.

COOPER GOODWIN | SENIOR

Next, we went to the Råslätt IP outdoor hockey rink, and played some pickup hockey games with children from the community. After that, we visited the Husqvarna Museum, and learned about their history of manufacturing a wide array of products, including military issued rifles, sewing machines, agricultural equipment, and motorcycles just to name a few. Lastly, we went to the Pingst Jönköping Christmas concert, where they played Christmas carols in Swedish and English, accompanied by a full symphony orchestra.

I saw God move powerfully within our team today. We drew near to him during worship, and got to talk about the impacts of our relationships with Him, and I could feel the Holy Spirit working through us during our outreach programs this week. God gave us the words to say when we had none, and there’s no doubt in my mind that our team made a lasting impact on the community,” Goodwin said.

We started the morning with breakfast at the Arken Church, which was then followed by a time of worship and prayer. We also spent some time this morning allowing those to be prayed for that had things that have been heavy on their hearts or for those who have been struggling with their walk with the Lord. Following our prayer time we left for Jönköping where we had the opportunity to skate on an outdoor rink and spend some time outdoors in the beautiful cold weather of Sweden.

CARSON LOOS | GRADUATE STUDENT

After we skated on the outdoor rink we then traveled into the middle of Jönköping where we got the opportunity to wander the mall and I was especially excited to experience an IKEA in Sweden since this is where the company originated from. Following the time that we spent in the shopping mall, we were then taken to a Christmas concert that was hosted by the church Pingstkyrkan of Jönköping. I thought the Christmas concert was very interesting and I was very excited to hear Christmas songs that were sung in a different language.

I’ve learned this week that by having a small conversation about the Lord can go a long way, even if you do not get to see the entire transformation with the person you are trying to share the Lord with. Planting the seed of the Gospel is very important, although it can be very intimidating to do, but by pushing yourself to be vocal with others, it can bring great joy when you see progress in others.

I am looking forward to our final day tomorrow and the floor ball tournament with the youth after Church, before we fly back to the States on Monday. This has truly been a once in a lifetime trip,” Loos added.

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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