Members of the Asbury University Women’s Basketball team traveled internationally this summer, using their gifts to serve children and families while discovering new ways to share the love of Christ.
For members of the Asbury University Women’s Basketball team, summer provided an opportunity to take teamwork, faith and service far beyond the basketball court.
Student-athletes traveled with Head Coach Chad Mayes on mission trips to Costa Rica and Colombia, where they served children and families, completed hands-on projects, built relationships and discovered that language barriers do not have to prevent meaningful connections.
In Costa Rica, the team partnered with Roblealto, an organization serving children and teenagers facing difficult circumstances. Senior Exercise Science major Ma’Kiya West said the group worked to leave the community better than they found it while demonstrating God’s love through service.
We restored a house for children and their biological families, repaired fences, cleaned gutters, and completed landscaping projects."
“We also spent time playing games, sharing meals, and building relationships with the kids. It was a privilege to serve and be a small part of their lives.”
Junior Sport Communication major Grace Hanlon initially worried that speaking limited Spanish would make connecting with the children difficult. Instead, she discovered the power of communicating through actions.
Through physical work, basketball and intentional relationships, Asbury’s student-athletes demonstrated how their Christian faith can cross cultures and turn their talents into opportunities to serve others.
“I quickly learned how much our actions speak,” Hanlon said. “Regardless if we can actually speak to each other, we can still impact those around us by treating them with kindness, respect, and a smile goes a long way.”
The group worked on Casa de Esperanza, or “House of Hope,” painting and cleaning the home, building bunk beds and staining furniture. Hanlon said her greatest lesson came from seeing Christ as the “universal language.”
In Colombia, junior Psychology major Isabella Mayes found another universal language: basketball.
The team worked with children ages five to 18 through basketball camps, teaching skills and connecting with young athletes through their shared love of the game.
“Even through a language gap, we were able to connect with these children through our common love of basketball,” Mayes said. “The Lord showed up in so many ways this week and bridging that gap was a big one.”
For Mayes, the experience also revealed how sport can open doors for deeper conversations and relationships.
“It was such an awesome opportunity for me to travel somewhere new and experience God in a new but familiar way,” she said.
Whether wielding paintbrushes in Costa Rica or basketballs in Colombia, Asbury’s student-athletes spent their summer living out a mission larger than the scoreboard, serving others, building relationships and sharing Christ’s love across borders.
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