Tomorrow, USG’s Impact Trip in Israel with a group of eleven of its members from across the sport industry comes to a close. Over the course of the group's two weeks in the Holy Land, they have worked alongside a group of young children through sports camps and toured various popular historical Biblical sites across Israel. In this blog, we will continue our interviews from the two previous Israel blog posts and share more responses from our attendees and staff!
Shanya Richburg- Outreach Specialist at the Trust (Powered by the NFLPA)
Question #6: How do you see this trip influencing your view of the Bible?
Answer #6: I think it will provide more perspective and make it real! I 110% believe everything in the Bible, but when you begin to study Scripture, there are these places and terms and words that you’re reading but not fully understanding. It will be good to have some historical context and physically be in these places. As I go and experience Israel, to come back and read about it is really exciting.
Question #7: How do you see this trip influencing your career in sports?
Answer #7: I pride myself on being a light! People rely on me in the workplace to be a light. This trip will reignite that fire within me. It is hard to be the light in a place with such darkness. I believe this trip will give me a fuel up!
Question #8: What do you think the impact will be of doing this trip with other young people working in sports?
Answer #8: Knowing that these other people experience similar things to me because they work in sports. Always having someone that gets it is nice. Other people don’t always understand, but to have this opportunity with other people in sports and talk about how we can take this experience back home will be super beneficial and impactful. Sometimes you can return from trips like these feeling wiser and eager, but the people around you will not always take kindly to what you have to share. It will be nice not to walk alone during this awesome trip.
Garrett Sons- the University of Oklahoma
Question #6: How do you see this trip influencing your view of the Bible?
Answer #6: The locations and culture will help me understand the significance of things I read and don’t realize are there. We’re not going back in time, but many traditions are still intact. It will be cool to put Scripture into context.
Question #7: How do you see this trip influencing your career in sports?
Answer #7: I think going out of my community and doing this with another group will help me to get a greater thirst to produce fruit and serve upon coming back to my work.
Question #8: What do you think the impact will be of doing this trip with other young people working in sports?
Answer #8: The biggest thing is that it will be encouraging that other people around the sport industry are having similar questions and similar experiences. It will be really cool to see what’s going on in other people's lives instead of just being focused on myself.
Amanda Roth- Engagement Associate at Uncommon Sports Group
Question #6: How do you see this trip influencing your view of the Bible?
Answer #6: The Bible comes to life in Israel. Being able to visualize those places that we read about will be crazy!
Question #7: How do you see this trip influencing your role at Uncommon Sports Group?
Answer #7: Going on these trips will open your eyes and cause you to be uncomfortable, which naturally leads to growth. When I’ve traveled before and come back, I view my typical surroundings differently. You are able to bring your experiences on the trip into your daily life after the fact, including work.
Question #8: What impact will this trip have on the group, being that they are all working in sports?
Answer #8: Some of the group hasn’t traveled out of the country, so just that will be eye-opening! They worked with the children and taught them various sports, which are different from who they work with in their jobs. It will probably be fulfilling to work alongside kids when they are used to being in the fast-paced sport industry environment.
Mikey Carpenter- Senior Engagement Associate at Uncommon Sports Group
Question #6: How do you see this trip influencing your view of the Bible?
Answer #6: This trip brings the Bible to life, which is exciting. When I went in 2019, I wasn’t as knowledgeable about God’s Word, so now, being able to put a picture of a lot of what took place in Scripture is really awesome.
Question #7: How do you see this trip influencing your role at Uncommon Sports Group?
Answer #7: I hope to be working with Uncommon Sports Group as long as I can, but at some point, I know I’ll be called to work someplace else. I want to bloom here at USG while I’m here, and this trip is a part of that.
Question #8: What impact will this trip have on the group, being that they are all working in sports?
Answer #8: Being able to grow and bring that growth back to where they are. They get to grow in community and then replicate that community back in their respective organizations and teams. This trip will obviously be impactful for our members, but even more so for their teams!
Follow along on our blog and social media to see what our group is up to in the Holy Land!
If you’re unfamiliar with Uncommon Sports Group, get connected through the form on our home page or check out the Uncommon Podcast. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d love to hear from you!