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