FCAV takes on the South

Recap from South Carolina:

Traveling back and forth across the nation the past couple weeks has been an eventful but unforgettable experience! Still trying to recover from that jet-lag… This past week back in the South had to have been one of my favorites of this summer! South Carolina still has a big piece of my heart and will always remain as one of my favorite places, being able to come back to it with a meaningful purpose was really exciting.

We started off the week in Clemson, SC where FCAV all began. Clemson is the school head staff member, Daniel Rich attended as well as many of the other staff members. This was exciting for me because it was right down the road from my previous school, Winthrop, and I got to meet up with a couple of my closet friends.

It was good to catch up with old friends and exploring the South with our FCAV family was a lot of fun. We also had some extra days to go and have some fun while we were there. A visit to my all-time favorite city Charleston, and a couple days at Lake Hartwell and Lake Murray, we definitely got our fix of the awesome southern hospitality that I miss! Shout out to all our awesome host families including Bob and Kaye Miller and Doug and Betty Frasier who opened their home to us.

Monday through Wednesday we put on the biggest event of the year at USC Upstate. For this camp, we had over 32 high school and middle school teams with 350 campers attending. I had the role of being a site director as well as a huddle leader for a Varsity team in Anderson, SC. Being a site director for this camp was a big leadership role for the camp and a little nerve racking at first! The encouragement and affirmation from my other staff and interns made it a very enjoyable experience and made me really appreciate the opportunity I have been blessed with!

The best part of the camp however was being a huddle leader for my team from Anderson Christian. During the three days I spent with them, not only did I get to coach them on the court but I was also able to lead them in their huddle discussions and coach them on the concepts we have been learning out here all summer, teaching them the importance of applying God to volleyball and how it will not only benefit us as athletes but it will carry on to everything we do in life.

For an athlete, a lot of life lessons are gained throughout our time on the court.

If we can learn how to invite God into the success and most importantly the failures we have during this time, it will teach us how to do this in the ups and downs we have in life. Getting the chance to mentor this group of high school girls and being able to share my experiences in volleyball and my spiritual journey in that was really cool and encouraging.

I truly learned the meaning of influence this past week. As athletes, we really do have a strong impact on others especially on younger generations and athletes. Getting the opportunity to be in such a powerful leadership position continues to remind me of the purpose God has planned for me in life. All the hard work, exhaustion, and obstacles we have had to overcome all has a purpose to it. Using the gifts and talents he has blessed me with to lead my self and others closer to Him

“For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

Thanks for reading!

Catherine

FCAV week 3-5

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches."- Matthew 13:31-32

We are already heading into our 5^th week out here and things are going pretty rad! (I’m starting to adopt that Cali slang;))

In my time here so far I have already learned so much. My relationship with God has grown more than I could have ever imagined. Between workouts, teachings, work blocks, and coaching, I have managed to squeeze in time with my investment lady, make some great relationships with the people out here, and explore the beautiful Southern California.

Our days are packed full starting at 5:15 am. Along with coffee and some breakfast, we do morning devotion and each member of our group takes turns leading each day. We are learning the importance of spending quiet time with God and hearing his voice before the craziness starts of each day! During this time, we also read a book called “Secrets of the Secret Place,” which teaches us how to maximize our time with God. At 7:30am, we go to our morning workouts. Our trainer Josh does a good job making us sweat with his hour workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays!  I can barely walk after leg days. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my favorite because we get to go to a beautiful beach nearby called Corona Del Mar. One of our staff members leads a 3 hour workout that includes sand volleyball training at the end. Valinda Roche, Misty May-Treanor’s(three-time Olympic gold medalist) very first partner, takes over for the sand practice. As much as she is coaching us in the beach game, she makes sure we don’t forget to make Jesus our main focus of it. It is pretty cool that the athletes we look up to give all their glory and credit to God. I am definitely learning more than just the game out here.

In the afternoons, we have lessons with the FCAV staff and spend time working on the projects we have started. The three projects we are currently working on are: The Personal Development Plan, Restore Your Campus, and the FCAV outreach project. I am in charge of the social media and promotion portions of the outreach project.

The lessons we have done so far in our teachings have been a lot of internal learning focusing on our self-identity, discipleship, personal development, and leadership.  I have truly been grasping the idea on what “With God” means and how I can involve Him in every minute of my day.

         Our volleyball camps just started this past week and it was really cool to get to share what we have learned so far with others. I got to be a huddle leader for this past camp with another intern and we led a group of middle school girls in a bible study between their drill sessions. We taught them the importance of “maxing out,” “self-identity” and “with God” (all the things we ourselves are learning).  Being able to share God’s love through the work of volleyball and having a strong impact on kids is one of the greatest blessings.

Amidst our busy schedules, we have learned the true meaning and importance of keeping the Sabbath. On Sundays, we take the day to go to church and then spend the rest with God, ceasing regularly from and enjoying the results of the work. All my life, I have been guilty of getting caught up in the craziness of everything with the constant mindset of “go-go-go” instead of taking time to look back at all that I have done and reflect on it. This is a great time to connect with God. Last Sunday, we took a hike in a nature preserve nearby. During that, our leader Daniel found a mustard seed plant and showed how we as disciples of God are like the plant.  It is one tiny seed that has hundreds of seeds within it and although it may be small, it will eventually make a big difference in the end.

There is so much excitement out here in California so far. I am excited to see what is all in store for the upcoming weeks! Thanks for reading and God bless!

-Catherine

Also, check out the cool video one of our staff members put together:

http://vimeo.com/97945415

The Internship of my Dreams!

My summer with FCA Volleyball:

Aloha from California! I just wanted to keep all of you updated on all the excitement this summer and the work we are doing. 

I owe a lot to Sam Fish, a life-long friend, sister and now mentorJ She was the first to introduce me to this internship with Fellowship of Christian Athletes Volleyball (FCAV). Three summers ago, Sam had been one of the first of the interns to come out here. The idea of living in Huntington Beach, playing volleyball, training with the professionals, and lovin’ Jesus was more than enough to make me jealous!

Back in October she had posted the application for this year’s internship on my Facebook wall and told me to apply. That same day, I walked into my coach’s office and she had asked me if I had ever heard about this. I laughed when I told her a friend of mine had sent me the application just a few hours before. This was a sign from God that he wanted me out here. Putting it all into God’s hands, I filled out the application and prayed about it. Four months later in February, I got the call that I was selected!

Now I am here today living in California for the summer, pursuing two of the biggest passions in my life, Jesus and volleyball, along with some of the greatest men, women and leaders I have ever met. We are only about a week into the actual internship but it has been life changing even so far with the relationships I have made and the people I have met. It is obvious God has it in his plan for all of us to be here on this journey and I cannot wait to see what is in store for the next 10 weeks!

For those of you who do not know what FCAV is, here is a little background....

Mission Statement: “Using the sport of volleyball to restore relationships with God, self, and others and to develop leaders in building His kingdom”.

Values:

1.     Strategic Leadership

2.     With God

3.     Others Focused

4.     Growing Family

5.     True Identity

How it all started:

“Every great success was once an idea that was put into action.”

FCAV started off with the dream of director, Daniel Rich. It all began when one day in church the pastor asked the question, “If you could do one thing for God and not fail, what would it be?” This led him to thinking about his two main passions, missionary and volleyball. Then the thought of combining the two came together. “What if I could teach others about God through volleyball? “As athletes we are gifted with the opportunity to be on a platform and access to make an impact on others daily. There are many volleyball players and coaches in today’s world and many lives affected by the two of these, whether is positively or negatively on a daily basis.

            Daniel felt is was his calling in life to make this move. The day he graduated from Clemson, he packed up his bags and moved him and his belongings out to the hub volleyball spot in the nation, Orange County, California. Without a job, a place to live, or a plan, he knew God had given him a vision and he acted on it. The AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) circuit in Huntington Beach had started a bible study but was not as successful as what was hoped for. God put the people Rich needed to talk business and provided him with what he needed. From there Rich formed the idea that instead of trying mentor to older professionals, this leadership needs to start with the younger generation. College athletes have some of the greatest influences out of anyone in this day and age and a lot of potential.  Teaching these athletes how to lead in a way that honors God and to restore broken relationships with God, self, and others is the main mission of FCAV.

            This is what led to the FCAV California summer internship program. It began in summer 2011 where 6 female college athletes were selected nationally to come out to California and help grow FCAV. The internship is spent dedicating the summer to understanding our biblical identity, learning what servant leadership is and leading younger athletes through the summer camps and clinics. Now three years later, there has been 60 interns who have worked with FCAV. This is the largest year so far, with 11 female, 3 male and 9 local interns. 

            During our time as interns, we will be taught: the importance of what Jesus has done and how it affects the way that we play. We will be shown how God has uniquely designed each of us to fulfill a specific role on and off the court. Ultimately, we will learn how to connect intimately with our Father in every walk of life.

http://www.californiafcavolleyball.org