The Wheaton men's basketball team will be traveling to India with Sports Ambassadors from May 14 through May 28. The team will be traveling to Chennai, India for the first week and to Bangalore, India for the second week. Games will take place in both cities against local club teams. The Wheaton basketball players and coaches will be conducting clinics and working with local churches in both cities.
Wheaton head coach
Mike Schauer says of the trip, "This is another unique opportunity for our team and our players. Honestly these trips are often the career highlight for most of our guys. We are excited about this opportunity in India. Please pray for our safety and that the Lord would be honored. We look forward to keeping you updated about the trip and connecting with you when we return!"
The team and coaches will be sending updates periodically throughout the trip, so be sure to check back at this web page during the trip for the updates. ---
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UPDATE #10
UPDATE #10 (MAY 30)
Well, if you didn't already know yet, we have safely made it back to the states! I'm guessing all of us have enjoyed our first burger in weeks by now and it's never tasted better.
The last two days of our trip consisted of attending a variety of churches, participating in a local Sports Ministry networking event, some shopping, and one final coaches clinic. Then it was off to the airport at around midnight on Monday evening to head home.
We departed from Bangalore airport at around 4:40 am (India time) on Tuesday morning for a 5 hour flight to Doha, Qatar. Then we quickly boarded a 12 hour flight back to Chicago. Our total travel time from the time we left our hotel in Bangalore to arriving back on campus was over 25 hours! But it only cost us about 10 hours of clock time since we landed in Chicago at 2 pm on Tuesday. Our bodies are all very confused and it'll take us a couple of days to recover from jet lag.
It was hard saying goodbye to everyone on the team after such an incredible trip. Some guys immediately flew out of O'Hare right after we landed so everything was quite rushed. It may have been the last time this special team was all together but we will carry memories from this year for the rest of our lives.
When we all first heard we were going to India back in the winter, there were mixed emotions from the team. Some of us were excited, others would have preferred to enjoy the beaches of Spain or Italy. As the trip approached, I think almost all of us were nervous about what lay ahead. It was without a doubt one of the most challenging experiences that many of us have ever gone through. The trip pushed us mentally, physically, and spiritually. Having to wake up each morning at 5:30 to enthusiastically teach kids about basketball would be challenging in an air conditioned gym in America. To do it in the heat and humidity of Chennai, India with a language barrier is a whole different story. We had a delicious lunch at the MIT of Chennai and then drove through the slums and saw some of the worst poverty in the world. Even though it was so difficult, we were all so thankful to have gone through it. It opened our eyes to a different culture and helped out team grow closer than ever before.
We also shared the Gospel with hundreds of people! We will never know the impact we made on these people, but we at least know that this may have been the first time they have ever heard the name of Jesus Christ. There is no doubt that we created positive experiences for many with sports ministries which will allow those still in Chennai to build on these relationships and help bring more people to Christ. The signs that God is at work in India are everywhere and it was so encouraging to see fellow believers praising our Lord and Savior with such enthusiasm.
On behalf of the team, I want to give a special thank you for all of you that were praying for us while we were there and to all of those that made this trip possible. Your prayers kept us safe and fortunately we had no serious bouts of illness while traveling. This trip could not have happened without the many donations that were made to support us financially. Thank you so much for your generosity.
It has been a long and memorable year for Wheaton basketball. It seems like our opening game against Capital was ages ago. We surpassed expectations this past year and hope to reach new heights next winter. The team could not have done it without the phenomenal leadership of
Nate Serenius and
Chase Almen who are now off to bigger and better things. Thank you so much for your support this past year and we will see you soon. October 15th is only 138 days away... wow I need to get in shape. :)
Blessings to you all and thanks for reading! Kyle and I enjoyed sharing our experiences with all of you.
Submitted by
Tad Fisher
UPDATE #9 (MAY 25)
Today the entire team was together all day at a sports camp. At this particular sports camp it was their last day and we were their honored guests. We weren't there to coach, instead we were there to play against two teams from the area. We arrived and all the kids, about 50-60, were on the court in rows and applauded widely as we drive up in our vans! It's nice to get the celebrity treatment every now and again.
Since it was their last day if camp, the kids had championship game to play. Some of the guys reffed the games. Even Dr Smith an our Team manager, Matt Lorier got in on the action! About half way through the day, Coach Tony became the unofficial MC for the games. It was quick the spectacle!
Our first game was against some college students in Bangalore. What was different about these students was that they were all originally from Uganda! We've had our fair share of remarkable experiences here, but playing a team of Ugandans in India is up there! It was our toughest game of the trip but we came away with the victory.
Our next game was supposed to be against an Indian team but only two if their members showed, so we played the Ugandan team again! Over the course of the several hours we were there, we got to know that team well. Mike Kvam even traded his basketball shows with one of the guys!
About 5 o'clock we got back to FMC and we had the evening off. They treat us too nice here: for dinner the prepared lasagna, salad and rolls!!
We have loved Bangalore so far. The weather has been so nice and it helps lifts everyone's spirits.
It's getting closer to the end of trip an as a team we are starting to look back on all that we've experienced. We are all so thankful for this trip and what we have seen God doing in the hearts of the people of Chennai and Bangalore and in our hearts as well. We have been so blessed!
But there I still more to go! Looking forward to another great day tomorrow!
Submitted by
Kyle Krogh
UPDATE #8 (MAY 24)
Sorry for not having a post recently. We've been a little busy with traveling and coaching. Last night at about midnight on Thursday night, we arrived in Bangalore after a 7 hour train ride from Chennai. It was sad saying goodbye to a lot of the kids and families we spent time with over the past week.
Michael Kvam,
Tyler Peters, and
Luis Miller grew so close with a local family that they came to see them off at the train station.
The train ride was an adventure with Indian music videos being played the whole time and some suspect food being served at times. They did make us happy however when ice cream was served for dessert. We met with our contacts at the station and drove off to our new lodgings. Immediately, we knew Bangalore was different in a good way because we weren't sweating the moment we stepped off the train. It turns out Chennai is UNUSUALLY hot compared to the rest of India. Bangalore was much cooler with lows of 70 and highs of 95 today. There is also much less humidity!
We are spending the long weekend at Frontier Management Center. No one really knows why it's called that but we think it might just be a front for Christian pastors to stay at because there are a lot here. The rooms and food are very nice and we are feel very at home. It was a good thing that we endured through the Chennai heat before coming to lovely Bangalore. At breakfast, we met an American pastor who has a niece who goes to Wheaton! What a small world! His niece is Jen Lee, a soccer player for Wheaton College. Jonathan Bernstein is actually related to him through marriage! He is over here training Indian pastors.
We went to a clinic in the morning. About 20 kids were there and very excited to have us. We did the clinic in the nicest facility we have been in yet. They had an indoor stadium that housed numerous football (soccer), cricket and basketball courts. They even had a swimming pool and paintball playing field. The plan is to go back on Monday and swim and play a paintball game after our last clinic!
After that morning clinic ended we had lunch and then split up into three group to put on different clinics around the Bangalore area. Each clinic went well!
This evening we went to different prayer cells that the local church puts on. These meet at people's houses. We spent the first part of the time singing an praying. The church is going through the book of Revelation so we spent some time going through a chapter. After the bible study, the families had prepared food for us to enjoy. A home cooked meal tasted so good! As always, it is so refreshing to worship and study the word with Christians half way around the world. The love and passion they have for their fellow believers is so encouraging. Also, their love for their city they want to reach in God's is evident.
Being in Bangalore has been great. Looking forward to the next three days here!
Submitted by Tad Fisher
UPDATE #7 (MAY 23)
Hey Everyone,
Yesterday (Tuesday) we enjoyed a game against a local team before heading to a couple of our local contact's homes. The game was not very competitive to say the least but it was still worth it when
Luis Miller shared the Gospel with everyone in attendance. We first stopped by a man named Joseph's home. He is the top man for Christian Sports Fellowship over here and has been such a blessing to us. We met his family and enjoyed tea, crackers, and ice cream!
Next we headed to a prayer cell at a local pastor's home. We sang some songs and
Michael Berg,
Joel Smith, and
Michael Kvam all shared their favorite verses. A local cricket match was on TV and it turned out to be the Chennai Superkings playing in the semifinals of the Indian Premier League playoffs. All of us are slowly starting to understand the rules of the game so we have a decent idea of what is going on. The Superkings ended up winning which made all the locals really happy.
Today (Wednesday) we had our last morning clinics at two parks before visiting St. Joseph's Institute of Technology. It is considered the MIT of Chennai and it had a really nice campus. They gave us a tour before spoiling us with an incredible lunch. We tried about 20 different small samples of food and enjoying all kinds of drinks from ice cold pepsi to fresh watermelon juice. It was a really great experience.
Now we have one more game in Chennai tonight before heading off to Bangalore on a five hour train ride. Apparently a local coach is trying to bring together his best possible team for tonight's game. We'll be sure to let you know how it goes.
Submitted by
Tad Fisher
UPDATE #6 (MAY 20)
Sunday meant that we A) got to go to church with fellow India believers and B) sleep in. Our team split up into three groups and we departed the YMCA around 6:45 for three different churches.
Attending church has been one of the biggest highlights and encouragements so far. At every church, the majority of the guys either shared a mini-sermon or their testimony. It was a special time for all of us. We don't need to speak the same language in order to praise our Lord. We were all reminded of the power of God to understand not only the language but the heart of every person there. At the church I was at, Coach Schauer shared with the church that even though we may never meet again on this earth, we will see each other in Heaven. The services included an extended period of worshiping together. We were all prayed for by the churches. They were so happy to have us there, but the honor was ours to be their guests. Their joy and love for the Lord is absolutely encouraging. This is a memory that will stick with us for the rest of our lives.
After church we went and briefly toured a Hindu temple. It was a stark contrast to the Christian service we were just at. As Doctor Smith said, it was very beautiful but very sad at the same time. Beautiful because of the intricate art, but sad because of the spiritual darkness surrounding the shrine.
Later we toured St. Thomas' Mound and got a view of Chennai. The city is an enormous sprawl and it was good to put it all into perspective.
We did a clinic and played a game against one of the top engineering universities in Chennai. Very bright student but their basketball skills are, well...still developing. It was a very lopsided game. But both teams had a blast! They thanked us for coming and showing them new basketball "techniques". Again, after the game, we stayed around and took pictures, signed our basketball cards and talked about how we "hope to be in the NBA sometime". Not only did we get the W, but some of us went out for ice cream later that night!
Very good day!
Submitted by
Kyle Krogh
UPDATE #5 (MAY 19)
Hey all!
Yesterday was truly an incredible day here in Chennai, India. We woke up and headed off to our basketball clinics at 6:30 am. One group went to a boarding school near the coast. It was very nice and we are pretty sure it is meant for upper class kids. Along the way we saw a bunch of cows along the road which is a big deal because they are viewed as sacred by Hindus over here. The school was Hindu but since they invited us we were able to openly share our faith. The ages ranged from 12-19 and they were actually very good players. We focused on playing man to man defense and teaching them our zone offense. Coach Schauer even taught them defensive principles that we practice during our season! The school was so nice that we were able to have our clinic in an indoor stadium so it was nice to not be in direct sunlight. After we taught basketball with them,
Kyle Krogh shared the Gospel and
Michael Kvam shared a personal story from his life. Then we passed out Wheaton College basketball cards and played one-on-one with them. They loved it and were gracious enough to share coffee and biscuits with us.
After our morning clinic we came back and had a breakfast at Dovetown. We had a break until lunch so some of us headed out to play cricket with local kids, some shopped at nearby shops, and others just rested at the YMCA.
For lunch, we all took Tok-Tok rides to a near by restaurant. The rides were an incredible adventure and will be something that we definitely remember for our trick. One of our local missionaries, Reegan, was able to help us explain directions and make sure we didn't get ripped off for the cost. :) We had tandoori chicken for lunch which was delicious.
That evening our whole team traveled to where we have been holding clinics to play a game against a local club team. We played under the lights which felt amazing under the breeze and there was a crowd of probably 200-300 people. A lot of the spectators were little children that we have had at our camps. Before the game, a high ranking official in the Indian Government welcomed us to India and had children present us with flowers. Originally we had not been allowed to share our faith with any of the children because one of the local coaches who ran the court was Muslim, but this government official openly declared his faith which meant we could as well. This was a really big deal! At halftime of the game,
Michael Berg did a great job openly sharing the Gospel with all of them and Michael,
Peter Smith,
Tyler Peters, and Nathan Haynes all did some fancy dunks for the crowd.
The game was a lot of fun and we ended up winning by 74-52. There may have been a little bit of a home crowd favoritism with the refs though because they probably shot 40 freethrows to our 4. Their 49 year old coach even played for them and he was actually really good! He is hailed as the best shooter in India according to the local children.
After the game, we passed out cards, took pictures with them, and had a little dance party with their local music. They think we are movie stars and wanted all of our autographs which is fun for us. We try to write our favorite Bible verse down with our autograph as a way of exposing God's Word to them. Many of us have been asked if we will play in the NBA. Unfortunately, none of us are currently in the NBA but we say that we're hoping to get drafted someday! This night was an incredible experience and they seemed very grateful for us. Their leader pleaded with our liaison, Robin Cook, to come back every year because they enjoy playing with us so much.
We can only hope that the little work we are doing is making a difference for all of this children in India.
Submitted by
Kyle Krogh and
Tad Fisher
UPDATE #4 (MAY 18)
Yesterday we got up bright and early for our 6:30 clinic at local parks with the kids. It was a blast at both of our sites. (we break up into two groups) We are starting to hit our groove with the rhythm of the day. We have about 40 kids at each kids and they are so great. Very respectful and polite and eager to learn about the game of basketball. At one camp, Nathan Haynes shared the story of Jonah and Brayden told the story of David and Goliath.
After camp we came back, enjoyed a hearty breakfast and then some of us headed out to buy some fresh fruit! It is absolutely delicious. We got 150 bananas, mangos, pineapples, and red bananas too. It was all delicious and so sweet. The bananas are still attached to a branch!
Then we went out to lunch at Doveton Cafe (our favorite lunch spot) and had a great meal. We have become regulars there and really like the food. The manager Benjamin is really friendly and loves having us. Robin Cook is so great at ordering food we like. We even ordered French Fries! And they tasted just like American French Fries.
We rested in the afternoon before heading out for another basketball clinic. This time Riley narrated a skit of the story of the Great Samaritan.
Michael Berg,
Tyler Peters, Nathan Haynes,
Brayden Teuscher, and
Caleb Demoss all participated and did a great job and the kids loved it.
After the clinic we played a game against a Chennai club team called the Chennai Customs. They are called the Customs because they all work at the Customs office at the airport! The game went well and was played under the lights, outside, in front of large crowd. We played two 15 minute halves. We won 68-48 and a great time with the other team. The crowd loved our dunks.
After we headed over to a Church gathering put on by Christian Sports Fellowship. Two of us (Caleb Demoss and
Tad Fisher) got to ride over in a Auto-rickshaw or a Tok-Tok (like a taxi) which was an incredible experience! The Fellowship was incredible. It was awesome to see Christians worshiping God on the other side of the world. We sang some songs in English and some in their native language of Tamil. We each introduced ourselves and were welcomed with ceremonial Indian necklaces. Then
Nate Serenius,
Tad Fisher, and Caleb Demoss all talked. Nate shared his testimony. Tad shared a story and Caleb gave a short sermon. All of it was told using a translator. Then Riley and his gang did their Great Samaritan skit for us. It was a blast and such a humbling and encouraging experience. It was a great end to a fabulous day.
The trip so far has been a very humbling experience for a lot of it. It is amazing to see how happy the kids are with what they have. We are very very blessed in America and this has been an eye opening time for all of us. Being around Christians is so encouraging and it keeps our priorities straight. We know that we are here to teach basketball but telling the story of Jesus Christ is also so important to us.
They are trying to promote basketball in India and we are a part of some of the first teams to promote it with camps. We think it has gone very well so far. Some of these kids have only been playing basketball for a few months or years. They all look up to us because we play basketball which is very helpful for us sharing the Gospel.
Random note: they all follow the NBA and their favorite players are Kobe, Dwight Howard, Lebron, and Michael Jordan.
Submitted by
Tad Fisher and
Kyle Krogh
UPDATE #3 (May 17)
Its 9 o clock here and we just finished AM day camp. We'll provide a better recap at the end of the day.
But Yesterday, the 16th, was our first full day in India. We had breakfast at the YMCA which the team loved. Authentic Indian food. After breakfast we split up and informally explored the streets around us.
Michael Kvam,
Tyler Peters,
Luis Miller,
Brayden Teuscher and
Jonathan Berntsen met up with a bunch of kids in the street and started a Cricket game with them. The rest of the team is jealous because we are all wanting to learn how to play.
We went to a vegetarian cafe for lunch. Again, the food was overall pretty good. Some adventurous stuff. Our stomachs are still adjusting to the spicy food. The fried mushrooms were pretty good!
Michael Berg was pretty adventurous and ate a chili pepper.
Then in the afternoon we had our orientation led by Robin Cook, our liason here.
We then went to our first camp. The team is splitting up into to groups. Each going to different places. Where Tad and I went was an outdoor court. About 35-40 kids showed up. We did stations where we taught them the fundamentals about basketball.
Spencer McCreary and Tad both shared some of their life story with the kids and presented the gospel. Overall, the kids are interested and very open to us sharing the word. After that we played games with the kids. They love us and we love being there!
We cam back to the YMCA by 7ish and had dinner then prayer time with the team. We showered the hit the bed. We all are very exhausted. It is very hot here. And that combined with jet lag, most of us were struggling.
Then this morning we woke up at 5:45 and went to a camp this morning. But I'll talk about that more with my next email.
Submitted by
Tad Fisher and
Kyle Krogh
UPDATE #1 (May 15)
"We are finally in Chennai, India! After 17 hours of flying (Qatar Airlines is great!) we arrived in the Chennai International airport at about 3 a.m. We are trying to get a few hours of rest before embarking on our first full day here. We have a clinic scheduled for 4:30 p.m. but otherwise will spend the first day here getting an orientation from our host missionaries. We will play our first game tomorrow night against one of the better club teams in Chennai.
Hard to describe what we have experienced so far but the one word that comes to mind is...Loud. The pace and sounds of the city at 4 a.m. are unlike anything I have experienced before. And that includes Manhattan, Taipei, London, Barcelona, etc...
I have no idea what to expect about the next 2 weeks but candidly I am pretty fired up about it. We will try to write updates as often as we are able. How good is our God! Because of some gifts He gave us in basketball and a place like Wheaton College I am spending the next 2 weeks with young men I absolutely love on the other side of the planet! Very cool. ....................... Submitted by head coach
Mike Schauer.
UPDATE #2 (May 15)
Our total travel time was a whopping 24 and a half hours from the time we left Wheaton to now. We had a 12 hour flight to Qatar on Qatar airways then an 1 and a half wait before a 4 hour flight to Chennai. We were picked up by our Sports Ambassador connections and bused to a YMCA where we will be staying for our first week. We arrived at 5 am Chennai time and it was already 30 degrees Celsius. It is 11 am right now and 97 degrees Farenheit!!! Had breakfast at the hotel and met up with Robin Cook who is our main connection over here. Robin is a former Wheaton grad and bball player. He is a high up guy in Sports Ambassadors and might be the president but not 100% sure.
We have orientation this afternoon and then a sports camp at 4:30 p.m. We are having some authentic Indian food at the YMCA. We are all doing great and adjusting to the heat and the culture change. Traffic is crazy over here! No regard for rules of the road but somehow it all works. We stick out a lot among the crowd.
Preliminary prayer requests are to have energy and strength adjusting to the time, heat, and food. Submitted by
Tad Fisher and
Kyle Krogh.
