Cleveland, GA – Head Coach Jon Yeh and the Truett-McConnell Men’s Basketball team recently returned home from a 13-day mission trip to Poland that had been in the making by Coach Yeh for over 16 years. The team used basketball as a tool to build publicity, marketing, and networking for some local Christians in Swinoujscie who are hoping to launch a basketball club where they can openly share the Gospel through sports.
The groundwork for the trip began over 16 yeas ago for Coach Yeh while he served as an assistant under Coach Jim Martin for one year at Grace College. Coach Martin later left Grace College and moved to Northern Ireland. It was through his relationship with Coach Martin that Coach Yeh was introduced to Chris Grant of Salt Factory Sports. Grant had met Szczepan Cackowski, who was serving as a church planter in Northern Ireland. Szczepan was preparing to move back to Poland and had a heart for the people in his native Swinoujscie.
“Our team theme this year was ‘Love One Another’ from John 13:34-35,” said Head Coach Jon Yeh. “Those verses fit perfectly with the mission of our trip. Due to the fact that the Polish people do not favor blatant preaching or open evangelism, it was crucial that we just love on the people that we met through our time there. By loving on them and even just being in their cities, it opens up conversations and long-term opportunities for others long after we have left to share the Gospel. We also used our Bear Necessities of ‘Be Humble…Be Hungry…be Helpful’ to share Godly influence, being careful to adjust the spiritual message accordingly to the audience.”
The team started their trip in the larger city of Szczecin (pop. 400,000) for the first three days of their journey. Then they moved north about one hour to the Baltic Sea resort town of Swinoujscie for the remainder of the trip. “We tried to teach our men that even if you don’t feel qualified, as long as you yield yourself to God you can be used….like Moses in the Bible,” said Yeh. “The Polish people were so kind and hospitable it was very easy for us to meet people and quickly become accepted.”
Some of the activities and highlights from the trip for the team include the following:
- Competitive games in Szczecin against a collection of top and 1st level professional players in Poland and a 2nd/3rd level club team.
- Clinics in Szczecin, Swinoujscie, and Dziwnow for youth, middle, and high school players.
- Competitive 3-on-3 tournament in Szczecin where Truett players were split into three squads.
- Friendly 3-on-3 tournament in Swinoujscie where each Truett player was drafted onto a local team.
- School visits in Szczecin, Swinoujscie (three different schools), and Dziwnow where the men interacted with students and shared American culture.
- Exhibition matches versus high school teams in Dziwnow and Swinoujscie.
- Leading several individual training sessions for high school players in Swinoujscie.
- Beach ministry events in Swinoujscie.
- Taking part in Sunday morning service at Maranatha Baptist Church in Swinoujscie.
- Marketing and hand shaking with local business owners, government officials, and school leaders.
When asked what his favorite thing about the trip might have been, Coach Yeh was quick to point out that there were too many positive things from the trip to pinpoint a favorite. However, he did mention the following as some examples he will never forget from the trip:
- Meeting all the great people in Poland, who were so hospitable and bonding with so many different people.
- Helping Coach Rafael, the local Swinoujscie trainer, in leading training sessions for his kids.
- Listening to the Bombardier Club Team official publicly say that the Truett Basketball team’s actions matched its stated mission
- Playing 3-on-3 on a team with three 14-year-old girls who didn’t speak English very well.
- Witnessing the steadfastness of the Cackowski family and being a source of encouragement to them.
- Reconnecting with Coach Jim Martin with whom he worked 16 years ago.
Despite having to leave and return to the States, the Bears’ trip to Poland will have a long-lasting effect on the people in the community. The Bears’ presence served as a form of encouragement to the Marantha Baptist Church and the Cackowski family in allowing them to see that their work truly is impacting the community. The Cackowski family wrote a grant immediately after the Bears left seeking funding to hold a multi-sport event in 2016 which would also allow them to launch a basketball club. “Our prayer is that God used the tremendous good will generated on our trip to sway the decision makers to allow this to take place,” said Yeh. “Then the family can use the club to share the Gospel with future players and families for years to come.”
