ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team: 3- Week Mission Tour of Mexico

Anastasia Kharchenko (lt) #5 Europe Jr and Rachel Snelen (Rt),WTA ranked tour player,
training with Coach Scott Paschal in Florida in preparation for their Mexico tour.

Theme of 3-Week Tour of ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team:

"Exposing the Modern-Day Sex Slave Trade Industry"

" The ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team travels worldwide to share the Good News of Salvation through Christ. In addition, each mission tour is a specific opportunity to bring awareness to an important cause. For this 3-week missions tour, ICTA has chose to shine the light of His love into the evil that is the modern-day sex slave trade industry.

Slavery has not left the world. Literally hundreds of thousands of young girls and boys worldwide are held in slavery through the horrific sex slave trade industry. The movie, Amazing Grace, has helped to open eyes globally to the reality that slavery still exists.

ICTA supports the cause to bring awareness to the sex slave trade industry. For 3 weeks ICTA's Women's Pro Tennis Team will travel throughout Mexico as a shining beacon of hope for those less fortunate.

Please post this article in your local newspaper, local church bulletin board, local Christian academy, your tennis club, have it read live on the local radio, or make copies and give them out at tournaments"
Scott Paschal, Head Coach ICTA Pro Teams

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ICTA 3-Week Missions Tour

Location: Los Mochis, Mexico
Tournament: VI Copa Casablanca
Date: April 28-May 6, 2007
Venue Hotel: Best Western
Team Members: Rachel Snelen, Shantel Tavita, Anastasia Kharchenko

Location: Mazatlan, Mexico
Tournament: III Copa Cid
Date: May 6-13, 2007
Venue Resort Hotel: El Cid Granada
Team Members: Rachel Snelen, Shantel Tavita, Anastasia Kharchenko

Location: Irapuato, Mexico
Tournament: I Tourneo Internacional Feminil Irapuato
Date: May 13-20, 2007
Venue Hotel: TBD
Team Members: Rachel Snelen, Shantel Tavita, Anastasia Kharchenko, Melody Snelen


Speaking Opportunities: The ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team is available to speak at your Christian youth event, youth group, or church. Contact Rachel Snelen at 386 793 0557 or send an email to TeamICTA@Yahoo.com (attn: Rachel) for more information.

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While I type this at 11:51 am on Saturday morning at my home in Palm Coast, Florida, the ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team is training on red clay in Los Mochis, Mexico in preparation for competition the VI Copa Casablanco, an ITF pro tennis tournament.

From the beautiful red clay courts this rare Christian group of missionaries will seek to establish friendships with other WTA ranked pro players and top juniors. This often leads to opportunities to serve others.

While on tour these young ladies have led several WTA & top junior players on tour to the Lord, and through International Christian Tennis Association connections have offered assistance in the form of money, flights, food, and housing to many, many others.

At the conclusion of the VI Copa Casablanco, the ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team will journey back to the beautiful beach resort town of Mazatlan, Mexico, where they first arrived on Thursday afternoon. Mazatlan is home of the III Copa Cid, an ITF pro tournament held at an exclusive resort.

From Mazatlan the girls will travel to Irapuato, Mexico, which is located just northwest of Mexico City, to compete in the I Tourneo Internacional Feminil Irapuato.

Melody Snelen will fly to Mexico City from Orlando, Florida to then meet the team in Irapuato. Mel has been invited to travel with the family of Christian speaker, David Nasser, on the sold-out Music Boat Cruise to Jamaica. David's wife, Jen, is a wonderful friend and mentor to not only Rachel and Melody Snelen, but every girl I coach! So grateful for their many years of support.


Why is the ICTA Pro Tennis Team concept so successful? Each team member is passionate about how God has worked/is working in her life and she wants to share her faith because she realizes a sense of purpose as God works through each of their lives to reach others.

How does a tour happen? We pray about possible locations, then begin planning to make each location possible. We go where the doors open.

In the picture above and to the left, Rachel Snelen, an ITF junior & pro tour veteran of 5+ years and ICTA Pro Team Captain, discusses the daily plan she has developed to help make their 3 week tour a success.

From going over all airline flight plans to hotel reservations to bus routes, Rachel is a precision planner and loves to get her team organized for a successful trip.

Visas are prepared in advance and passports are packed!

Rachel knows enough clothing, strings, nutritional supplements, etc. must be carefully prepared and packed to last the full 3 weeks. Bibles & tracts & ICTA T-shirts are packed to be given away as gifts to players.

Brittiny and Emma are scheduled to join the ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team this summer semester. I've coached Britty fulltime off and on since she was just 11 or 12 years old and now she is going to be a senior in high school next year.

Wow, how time flies... and wow, am I thrilled my seemingly impossible big dream of forming a pro tennis team to travel worldwide to share their faith has become a reality that Brittiny, and other girls worldwide, can participate in!

The 6-member ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team, along with their fantastic parents, grandparents, friends, and supporters, are all such a rare and special group of people.

Though the travel team consists of 6 teammates, and sometimes me, there are truly many more people involved. To the several dozen people involved in sending these girls on Christian mission trips worldwide, I'd like to say thanks. Parents, friends, ministry partners, prayer partners, family members... each of you is a valuable string in the racket.

Please keep the safety and success of this mission tour deep into Mexico in your prayers. If you would like to sponsor a missionary for a day or for an entire mission trip, contact Rachel Snelen or myself at 386 793 0557 and/or TeamICTA@yahoo.com.

I see a day when ICTA sends several different teams on mission tours to different continents at the same time. I see a day when 6 girls on one team has become 36 girls placed on 6 teams. Can you imagine that!?

I can see players worldwide competing for CHRIST! Coaches, tournament directors, officials, media... lives changing! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is being boldly shared!

Can you imagine what would happen if souls were won for Christ on the WTA tour... and then those new Christians became among the top 20 WTA players in the world, maybe even #1 WTA.

The largest trees begin as a tiny seed. Our little 2-member pro team has grown to 6 team members within one year. Tournaments attended in 2007 will more than quadruple from 2006.

Since last summer, top 100 WTA players have already been reached and top junior players have been led to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Please share this journal entry via email, or any venue you legally can, in support of the mission of the ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team as they share their faith, and as they shine His light on the evil which is harming children worldwide.

God bless,

Scott Paschal
www.christiantennis.net
ballboy4jesus@yahoo.com
386 793 0557

Glory Revealed Concert

Tomorrow is the big day! The Glory Revealed Tour is in our area and we're heading out to Ocala, Florida to have a great time! We'll hit some tennis balls with Nasser around 3pm, shower, eat something, then head to the concert venue, First Baptist Church of Ocala!

Watching Newbie and Nasser play a match is always fun! I think this is Newbie vs Nasser V. Right now, I think Newbs has the advantage 3-2. The funnest match was when they played in Atlanta just over a year ago... split sets and a tie break in the third. That match took so long that we were all late getting to the concert venue.

Chris and his mom, Susie, are driving in to meet us. I coached Chris last summer. His Mom and Dad have been my friends and ICTA supporters for 5 years. Susie is a Pediatrician and her husband, Chuck, is a shrink. Will be fun to spend time with everyone. Chris and I have a strong coach/player bond for sure. One of those bonds that will last a lifetime. Same with Newbie, whose real name is Jon by the way.

This morning Rachel, Anastasia, Shantel, and Melody drove to Orlando to spend the night. Tomorrow, this amazing ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team flies to Mazatlan, Mexico via LA. The team will do missions activites while competing in two ITF pro tournaments... Los Mochis, Mexico and Mazatlan, Mexico.

Melody isn't going with the team as she has been invited by Nasser's family to go with them on the Music Boat Cruise to Jamaica. Rach went last year on the cruise that went from California down to Mexico. Mel will have a blast spending time with Nasser's family and meeting so many Christian music artists. She's really excited! I'm excited for her!

Me... I'm sitting here on the couch with the dog typing this to you... kinda boring, huh? I think I'll go make some homemade Fettuccine Alfredo and watch The Incredibles. Not exactly missions work in Mazatlan, but it'll do...

I hope you have had the opportunity to attend Glory Revealed!

If not, be sure to check out the book and CD at the Glory Revealed web site... www.GloryRevealed.com

Please keep the safety of the girls in your prayers. They are traveling deep into Mexico specifically to share the Gospel of Jesus to WTA players and others God brings to their path. These amazing girls are selflessly giving of their time, money, safety to follow the Great Commission as commanded by Jesus and recorded by Mathew (28). These girls, and the mission of their team, are very rare and special.

God bless,

Scott Paschal
International Christian Tennis Association
www.christiantennis.net
386 793 0557
ballboy4jesus@yahoo.com

Scotty and Peppers... Christian Tennis Nuts!

This morning as the sun rises I keep thinking about the many blessings God has placed in my life.

Even though the TV and the Internet remind me how fallen this world is, even though there is so much heartache, I keep hearing God's voice through it all.

The senseless massacre at Virginia Tech, the daily murders in Baghdad, starvation and poverty and disease worldwide, kids with AIDS... the world pounds us with such pain and sometimes I just sit and stare, not quite knowing what to do, where I fit in, or even what to think of it all.

Then, as it all begins to seem a bit hopeless, God sends me a sign. Maybe an olive branch in a way. A sign to say He is in control. A sign to say He is creator of all and I am just a little nobody who isn't supposed to have all the answers. Yet, though a little nobody, I am His.

In a small way I can understand this because I have a fish tank and I take care of my fish.

And as I am His I have a job to accomplish. I've been set on this planet to share His word and to disciple others. Plus, I teach tennis. Oh, and there's this little ministry I run.

Peppers is one of the reminders God is in control. He is someone God sent to show me how I fit into His greater plan. God has big things in store for Peppers. My job with Peppers was to point him in a more focused direction, which I did.

A couple days ago, Pepper's Dad flew in from the South Pacific to fly home with Peppers. We enjoyed a 4 hr visit at Chic Fil A discussing lots of thoughts about Church, Christianity, Restoration, his family, and Peppers.

The Dad says Peppers is an improved kid from the one he dropped off with me in January. That's nice.

In the middle of all the pain and suffering of the world, it's nice to know I have a purpose. It's good to know there is some good inside of me. When the world constantly says "bad," it's nice to know God is good and His goodness wants to flow through you and me.

As it flows through us, it reaches others. While we can't snap our fingers and make the pain of the world go away, we can open our eyes and our ears to hear his voice and see His face. Then we can answer Him when He calls...

and for better or for worse we can know He is in control.

Friends4Ever,

Scott Paschal
www.christiantennis.net
International Christian Tennis Association
386 793 0557