Newgy and me at a top Florida junior tournament. Her grandmother, brother, and aunt all came to watch! Great time! Learn how God worked through her life to help a fellow player in crisis.Hey there! This is Scott Paschal.
God has truly blessed my life with very special students this semester.
There is a lot I'd like to write about this pic and this ICTA missionary girl. Yet, nothing I could write would do justice to what God has been able to accomplish recently through her life, and through the ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team, as they participated in an ICTA Mission Trip to an ITF pro tournament.
This neat kid is just 15 years old. She has a knack of making everyone's day brighter, and could even make an old, unused rake in the garage feel special and important.
I call her Newgy, since she's the youngest squirt around the the academy.
I currently won't mention her real name, as there is a strange man in Greece by the name of Naisen, or Mr. Sonic Boomer as he likes to call himself, who actually stalks my female students, attempts to slander them, and leaves threatening voice messages on our ICTA phone system. He reminds me of the issues Monica Seles had with her stalker & stabbing several years ago. So, that said, we'll just call her Newgy on this blog entry.
That said, let's now talk about a recent Bible promise coming true in real life as God worked through her!
Robin (Mark's mom and fulltime missionary in Mexico City), Newgy, and Mel during an ICTA Women's Pro Team Mission Trip to San Luis Potosi, Mexico during an ITF $25,000 Challenger.
Just before I met Newgy, she was wrapped up heavily in junior tennis and had gotten to the point where she was ready to quit. Junior tennis at the highest levels in America can be bigtime stress. Families implode, dreams vanish, lives can be forever altered negatively.
Newgy's mom contacted me out of the blue one day.
She and I talked and decided together I'd take a look at her daughter to see if she and I would be a good player/coach fit. My academy was full, but I invited them to come for a visit. They did and I really liked Newgy... but I had some concerns about the mother.
Let me tell you something, the worst part of junior sports is the parents. Baseball, football, basketball... coaches worldwide in all sports cringe when a dysfunctional parent shows up with a talented kid.
I definitely had my reservations about the mom. I spoke honestly and openly about her controlling and possessive personality. She agreed she has issues with being too controlling and promised to be on her best behavior. Yet, let me say she really loves her daughter and has worked hard to give her daughter a better life than what she had.
The fact she could recognize she had issues helped. Some. I work really, really hard as a coach... and my days of being pushed around by parents is over. I have way too many kids who want to train with me to go back to the days of being bounced around by a goofball parent.
And Newgy, wow, one of the most amazing 15 year old kids ever. Definitely a coach's player.
But, I wanted to pray about it before I committed to being her fulltime coach. Coaching to me is a bigtime decision.
If I'm going to be involved in helping guide a child of God through some very important times in their young lives, I have to know God brought them to me.
For me, it's never about the money. It is about God's will for my life. Sure, I need to make money. I have bills that must be paid or there will not be an ICTA ministry!
Ministry isn't free! Booths at tournaments, Bibles I give away, gas, electricity, housing, tennis balls, water bill, car repairs, insurance... it's expensive.
But, God takes care of my bills as He sees fit, so I am free to view my students as children of God, not dollar signs.
Though I did not really much trust the mom, as I've dealt with her type before and it is always painful , I agreed with her that this would be a great experience for her daughter. The mother agreed again to stay sane and not go off the deep end. So, I took the chance and agreed to coach Newgy fulltime for a semester.
I'm not sure how it will turn our for Newgy here fulltime, we'll have to wait and see as there are very real issues with the mom, but I knew God was bringing this girl in for a reason, and now that reason has been rescued!
I felt 100% God was in this, and soon Newgy was running around my house with my other students, and I learned even more of what a complete joy she is and wonderful blessing.
I truly feel priviledged to know this young lady.
'Tel, Mel, Rach, and Newgy having breakfast at their hotel in Mexico. They had no idea of the huge way in which God was about to use them to rescue one of His lost sheep!Ok, on with the story... after a couple of months of hardcore tennis training, it was time for Newgy to play ITF Pro Tournaments on ICTA Pro Team Mission Trips.
I'm working hard to help her gain a WTA ranking this semester, and I want it to happen for her in a Christ-like environment and on a team with people who love and care about her. As I mentioned earlier, it has not been easy... near daily crying and arguments with her mom... definitely a major stress for a coach and an academy!
I think almost every high performance tennis coach worldwide realizes junior tennis development in America has been poorly designed for many, many years. It has been ruining kid's dreams while helping to destroy their families, and not producing champions.
Newgy's game was definitely a complete product of American tennis... all baseline, no footwork, no focus... poor parent relationships and weak goals.
But, that's another story. Suffice to say if I can put up with Newgy's mom long enough, Newgy will gain the bulk of her tournament experience internationally in ITF professional and junior events, while supplementing with USTA stuff.
We had developed our ICTA Women's Pro Team schedule in the summer and it was a good one. Tournaments in USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Then, later on, I suddenly felt God leading the team to play in an ITF pro tournament that was not on our schedule.
Everyone agreed to go, and off they went.
This ballkid is watching Newgy serve hard... and in more ways than just tennis!This ICTA Pro Tennis Team is a very special group. Each is loving and kind.
In preparation for mission trips, I had been busy teaching Newgy many things, but the week before the tournament I was teaching her and the team that tennis is not about them.
It is about what God can do through them.
We focused a good amount of time on this important "radical in today's world" concept.
So, let's move forward and discover the main point of this story.
The ultimate match is about to be played on a higher court.
Newgy lost in the first round to a pretty amazing 16 year old from Europe. That girl is top 10 in Europe and #1 in 16's in her country.
The match was close at the beginning as Newgy's opponent started off unfocused, but the more advanced player completely took over and quickly won 11 out of 14 games to win the match.
There were many reasons her opponent was unfocused...
There is much, much more I could write here about Newgy and her opponent and how/why of different situations, but I'll save it for a video, and move on in this story...
The short of it is that God had planned for them to meet and purposefully used the opportunity to change both of their lives.
Their match was never meant to be about tennis, though tennis was the vehicle God used.
It was about God working through the life of a 15 year old missionary girl He needed to be at that tournament at that exact time.
To wrap this up without going into too much detail, as much here is of a personal nature, Newgy's opponent was forced to live in a terrible way in her "offcourt" life. She was caught in a destructive satanic web and had no place to turn.
You never know how or why or when God will need you for His plans, so be the best you can be to all you meet.Yet, as bad as life was for this 16 year old top player, God had a rescue plan! In her darkest days, God had His plan in motion!
The Bible says, "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it.
When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' Luke 15:4
Well, God did go search for His lost sheep. Through Newgy specifically He led His entire missionary team to rescue one of His children from a Godless situation.
Newgy's team having lunch with an atheist friend.The girl, whom I'll call Enne, is here in Florida with us now.
In agreement with her parents, we flew her in to our Christian tennis academy here in Florida and have offered her shelter.
God has been unbelievably busy in her life since she arrived!
Enne is pouring herself into her Bible studies, watching amazing Christian videos from guys like Louie Giglio, praying, listening to fantastic Christian music (her favorite is Casting Crowns!), reading Christian books, hanging out with awesome Christian girls, keeping a Christian journal, participating in ICTA's Discipleship Training, attending powerful Christian youth conferences, and going to church!
Right now, she is learning about Jesus, Salvation, Grace, memorizing scripture (specifically Ephesian 6:10-18 from this week's Discipleship Training!), and praying.
And Enne is also seeing an older guy, me, model Christian behavior.
For a girl who has lived through difficult situations due to terrible behavior from men in her life, I am grateful to be used by God to help reflect Him to her in a healthy way!
Playing against one of the best in the world is a great experience.For me, personally, this has all been a good experience as well.
I've been able to watch God bring me a new student, Newgy, at a critical season in her young life.
I've witnessed her life's focus change.
I've witnessed God working through Newgy to reach one of His lost children whom He also has big plans for.
I've witnessed Luke 15:4 come to life.
I've witnessed both of their families be impacted.
I've witnessed both girls grow spiritually.
And I've witnessed an even stronger sense of purpose growing inside myself as to the importance of ICTA sending out missionary teams.
You know, as Christians we all should work daily to walk in obedience to Christ. He should be the center of our thoughts, our lives, our worlds.
Yet, is He?
In your life, in your little world, where does Christ reign?
God has a special plan and purpose for your uniqueness. He created you and has a life for you.
My prayer is for this story to hopefully touch you in some way.
My prayer is for God to reach out to you through the obedience of a 15 year old girl who is learning to find her way in this world, not by her own strength and smarts and manipulations, but by her committment to let her small life become something big for Christ.
Our time here on earth is so short. Our time in eternity is forever.
Let God develop you as He needs. Let Him produce through your life....
If this inspirational story could touch your life or the life of someone you know that would be really awesome. If somehow this story could continue through you, wow that would be amazing!
God bless, stay close to Him, and I can't wait to hear about your miracle!
Scott Paschal
