June 23, 2007
International Christian Tennis Association: Thanks for Asking
Hello, this is Scott Paschal. I’m really enjoying watching God work in the lives of these tennis missionaries which are invading my house, blessing my life, and claiming a spot in my heart here in beautiful Palm Coast, Florida!
Each young person has a really unique personality and each has come to really bond with the others, which is so rare in today’s world! From these close bonds they learn trust and are willing to let others into their worlds.
Where are the students I’m working with this summer from?
Ukraine… Australia… USA… Trinidad… Samoa… and Mexico. The majority of my wonderful kids I’ve been blessed to coach and mentor have parents who are in ministry… pastors, worship leaders, church planting missionaries.
I am always amazed at the incredible difference between secular parents and Christian parents in ministry. The respect given to me, to their children, and to the other students by these rare individuals is so special and different. I’m blessed and my little Christian tennis academy is blessed.
God is blessing my upcoming plans as well. This is an important time in my life. When I began ICTA back in 1999, I gave myself 10 years to learn about ministry. To see if I could be used by God to make any kind of positive difference for the Kingdom. 8 years later I’m still in ministry and God has blessed every step.
I didn’t know if I would last this long as I’m just like most of you, full of faults and have never been to seminary. I was pretty much an ignorant moron my first few years in ministry and spent a lot of time with my foot in my mouth as I battled my pride and my need to do it all on my own. Well, I lived through the first 8 years and have 2 years left.
As I said, this is an important time in my personal ministry. I’ve put off having a family, I’ve put off making $, I’ve really sacrificed everything that most people don’t sacrifice… and now I’m heading into the home stretch.
What’s the next 24 months going to bring? God willing some neat stuff. I’ll keep quiet about it now but I would like to ask you to keep me in your prayers. Please also keep my family and my friends in your prayers. Satan seems to be somewhat concerned about me and has used his people for several years to attack my family and friends, and members of the ICTA Women’s Pro Tennis Team. Your prayers are much welcomed in this battle.
For your prayers for me, I’d like you to focus on praying for me to remain effective in slowing down and letting God direct my steps. Satan’s people attacking me doesn’t affect me any more… my most pressing prayer need is for you to pray I continue to walk with Him with my eyes shut and my mouth closed, and to be able to continuously hear Him in my life and respond to His commands… especially when He leads me down paths that make no sense to my fish-in-a-bowl brain.
To wrap this up…I receive email near daily from people sharing how ICTA has made a positive difference in their lives… sometimes just knowing we’re out there sharing our Christian faith in tennis makes some people really inspired to do the same. Well, you people inspire me as well!
People have been led to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior from hearing the Gospel through ICTA’s mission trips to famous tennis tournaments, my small tennis academy, our women’s missionary pro tennis team. This is powerful and special and awe-inspiring. This tennis ministry is effective and is God-blessed and is God-driven and is God-inspired.
So for those of you who have wondered what I’ve been up to this summer and who want to know how I am doing… well, I am doing well and have 2 more years left and am more in love with Jesus than ever from going to war with Him… so, thanks for asking!
God bless,
Scott Paschal
http://www.christiantennis.net
ballboy4jesus@yahoo.com
386 793 0557
June 14, 2007
International Christian Tennis Association’s 2007 French Open Mission Trip
Emma Hustad and Rachel Snelen visiting a french castle B&B on their way back to Paris from touring Normandy.
God has opened doors of opportunity in France for the International Christian Tennis Association. Answered prayers have brought a plan and a purpose for our tennis ministry. And through the dedication of a few people willing to walk in faith, a new ministry is growing towards not only the French Open, but to people in Paris, France.
Rachel Snelen, Emma Hustad, and I, Scott Paschal, are in awe of the opportunity God has placed before us as Christian tennis missionaries and tireless workers for the Kingdom. Rachel Snelen, such a special person who has dedicated her life, not to playing tennis professionally though she reached her lifelong dream of being WTA ranked, but to reaching and discipling WTA tennis players and top juniors for Christ.
And Emma Hustad, awesome… an intern with me who is dedicating her summer to helping me grow tennis ministry worldwide, and an amazingly bright, kind person full of hope and faith. She has brought a strong maturity to strengthen those around her and has reminded me of the standards I need to keep and why when choosing students and interns.
An amazing tour guide and photographer and ourselves spent 5 days following God’s lead as we discovered a plan God has placed in our paths. A kind, loving French pastor and his family showed among the most brutally honest Christian witness I have ever seen. And Rachel Snelen and Emma Hustad blew me away by their ability to go and grow and watch and learn and share…
These few pics are from the beginning of our journey to Paris an
d Roland Garros. I hope you enjoy them. They show our trip to Orlando Int’l Airport to JFK to Paris… and at the end of the gallery you will see a glimpse of what was yet to come.
God bless, Scott Paschal
June 1, 2007
Scott Paschal’s Inside-Out Christian Tennis Shots
Hey, this is Scott Paschal! I’ve received emails lately from people asking for more pics and inquiring about what it’s like around here with the International Christian Tennis Association over the summer!
We decided to take pictures of the last few days to help bring you along with us around here!This summer heaps of good stuff is happening!
To start with, I will host between 11-19 fulltime tennis missionary students in my home who are participating in my tennis academy programs. With students from Australia to Trinidad to Ukraine and beyond, this is an exciting “international” summer.
I have a wonderful new junior boy’s team for ages 11-14! Rand, Adam, and Josh are awesome and I am having a GREAT time working with them on and off court. So refreshing to work with some “pups” after working for so many years with only “big dog” pro players! From tennis to fitness to piano to filming their sermons they make… one word… satisying.
My new boy’s junior team for ages 15-17 will have 6 guys blasting the ball at each other often twice-daily, plus traveling to tournaments together, enjoying mission trips together, attending Christian concerts, studying cutting-edge discipleship training materials….
The ICTA Women’s Christian Pro Tennis Team is at 6 players and is traveling worldwide! Mexico, Paris, USA, Israel, and possibly Thailand and Rome…. please keep Emma Hustad, Shantel Tavita, Melody Snelen, Dea Aker, Anastasia Kharchenko, and Rachel Snelen in your prayers!
Basically, having everyone here is amazing. The energy, the fun, the curiosity, the anticipation! Enjoy the pics and thank you so much for your prayers, emails and phone calls of support!
God bless,
Scott Paschal
International Christian Tennis Association 2012 