Inspire, Summer 2012

I t wasn ’ t until I became part of the Cedarville women’s basketball team my freshman year that this quote became a reality in my life. I had played competitively in the Amateur Athletic Union and high school basketball programs, but none of the memories I made there compare to my experience and growth at Cedarville. For the first time, my coaches cared more about my spiritual growth than my performance on the court. I discovered that basketball at Cedarville wasn’t just a way of life; it was a way to life — eternal life. Friends With the Enemy I had always been taught that the other team was the enemy, the opponent — the group of girls we were to utterly crush. It surprised me when I began playing for Cedarville that before every game, each team member would pray for a player from our opposing team, write her an encouraging note, or fellowship together over Colonial Pizza after the game. I still remember nervously sitting for 20 minutes trying to decide what to write in my first card. That night, we played always tough and tenacious Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU). We lost that game, and I was pretty upset. Later that night the girl I sent a note to, Taylor Goshen, sent me a text message. We talked about the game and decided we would become prayer partners. This was the first time I became friends with someone from an opposing team. Much to my surprise, I liked it! Taylor and I kept in touch, and one day I received an urgent text from her that read, “Please pray for our player, Leah. She is one of our freshmen here and has just been diagnosed with stage 4 liver and colon cancer.” I talked to our coach, Kirk Martin, and he contacted IWU’s head coach and later told us what he’d learned about Leah. He told us “Don’t just say you’re praying for people. If you tell someone you’re praying for them, really do it.” One Team, United Praying for Leah became a priority before every practice, and we decided that as a team who loves the Lord, we were going to be prayer warriors for Leah. Coach Kirk my cedarv i l le by Cedarville student Kayla Jenerette ’14 16 SUMMER 2012