Super Crown SLS: An Hour Before the Contest

Super Crown in Brazil was unforgettable. Not just because of the skating though the level was unreal but because of the moments that happened off the course on the sidelines and in the quiet spaces where God so often does His best work.

I almost did not make it.

I was supposed to fly out on Tuesday. What I did not know was that Brazil had changed its tourist visa requirements. Normally the process takes anywhere from two to ten days. I found out late and by all logic I was not going to make it.

I applied anyway. The visa came through the very next day.

I flew out immediately and landed in Brazil one hour before the contest started. That alone felt like a miracle.

From the moment I arrived it was go time. I prayed with the riders before they skated. I stood with them in the tension, the nerves and the weight of expectation that only elite competition brings. I had dinner with Ginwoo after his win, listening celebrating and sharing life. I also invited more riders into our Monday morning Bible study.

"Pros being bros" study has now reached over 50 different riders with fifteen to twenty showing up every week! We have the top pros in the world sharing life and faith on a weekly basis - it's pretty cool whats happening! 

Being a chaplain is more than just prayer, I probably took close to two hundred photos for pros and their fans. I ran errands. I strategize with the riders about trick selection. I help with timing runs.

One moment stands out deeply. A female rider had just missed her opportunity to take first place. She was crushed. The kind of disappointment that goes deeper than words. I got to tell her that her time is coming and when it comes it will be the perfect time. God’s timing is always perfect.

That is what I get to do out there.

Stand on the sidelines.

Be present in the chaos.

Carry peace into pressure filled moments.

I get to be a voice of the Kingdom. A steady presence. A reminder that identity is bigger than results and that purpose does not disappear when a run does not land.

Super Crown reminded me why chaplaincy matters. Why showing up matters. 

God is on the move in the lives of pro riders.

GIVE TOWARD CHAPLAINCY