Steve Barrett and Sukh in Mongolia

Great video...I am constantly inspired by Steve and where he has been, and what he has done for the Lord through the sport of wrestling!

Chapel at the Olympics

A great little video on Tervel Dlagnev thoughts on chapel at the Olympics, as well as Bible study times while there in the Olympic Village. Tervel placed 5th, and although he was severely disappointed, he has been giving God the glory in his defeats as well as his victories!

Also a video from Athletes in Action on some of the wrestlers thoughts and perspectives while in London and what the Olympic games mean.

3x All-American Shamus O'Grady in Mongolia

Here are two videos of Saint Cloud State Universities 3x All-American talking about his experiences and training in Mongolia. Shamus won the John Peterson Tournament at 84 kg(184 lbs) and had only 1 point scored on him all tournament. Shamus also runs cross country and track for the Huskies!

Interview on his experiences in Mongolia with AIA

Shamus "training" with Olympic Champion John Peterson in the mountains of Mongolia

Enjoyed getting to know Shamus this summer and learn more about his life. He is an amazing young man and will do great things in life. Also gave me motivation to be "snickers" trained after a few workouts.

Olympians of Faith

Sorry it has been so long between posts! Moving, getting settled in, adjusting, potty training (Ty), getting sick(Rob), and all the other demands of life have gotten in the way of the blog. The 2012 Olympics are here and we are excited to be sharing the stories of some of our wrestlers who are competing. Please be praying for these guys in the coming days! Freestyle starts August 10th around 9am Eastern Time.

Here are links to the athletes stories

Sam Hazewinkle 55kg (121 pounds)
http://www.athletesinaction.org/news/post/2012/07/24/Hazewinkel-Finally-Realizing-Olympic-Dream-After-Near-Misses.aspx

Jared Frayer 66kg (145.5 pounds)
http://athletesinaction.org/news/post/2012/07/19/Frayer-Fulfilling-Olympic-Dream-after-Years-in-Second-Place.aspx

Trevel Dlagnev 120kg (264 pounds)
http://www.athletesinaction.org/news/post/2012/07/26/Olympian-Discovers-Who-He-is-Through-Wrestling-the-Bible.aspx

All the athletes stories from all sports
http://athletesinaction.org/news/post/2012/07/17/Olympians-of-Faith-Features-Spotlight-Christian-Athletes-in-London-2012.aspx?utm_source=AIAUSA%2BOlympic%2Bblog&utm_medium=AIA%2Bwebpage&utm_campaign=OLYMPIC2012

Facing Fear Head On by Rik Dahl

Facing Fear Head On
2 Timothy 1:7
Wrestling provides us many opportunities to be afraid. It is a rare individual, quite possibly no one, who does not have to deal with the feeling of fear in some way, shape or form. I remember the first time I stepped on the mat as a college freshman. We were in a dual against Buena Vista University (Storm Lake, IA) and I was wrestling Matt Dyer. Matt was an upperclassman and had had some success in prior years. He was tall and lanky; exactly the build I tended to struggle with throughout my competitive days.
Prior to the match I went through my ritual of smacking the tar out of myself and building a level of hatred in me I felt properly prepared me for battle. Despite my efforts, I was paralyzed by fear of this new chapter in my career. I “needed” this to be good match. I could not lose! The result of me not properly handling this fear and not putting it in the right perspective was an 18-3 drumming that humbled me to the point I did not want to go back on the mat. I began to question my abilities and fear what people thought of me. This fear stifled my growth for years to come. The loose was not all bad, I did learn about 5 ways to get out of a cradle!
To this day, I deal with fear. There was a time in my life I felt that fear was a weakness; a result of a lack of faith. However, I have come to believe that fear, in and of itself, is a natural part of being a man, of being human. I believe one of the greatest warriors in the old testament, Joshua, dealt with some kind of fear when Moses passed, and he was given the reigns to lead the Israelites. Why else would God tell him three times to “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6-9)? It was natural to be afraid.
When we fear, we are taking a hard look at who we are and what we believe we are capable of by our own strength and ability. The fault in fear is that we listen to this spirit of doubt and let it direct our path. It is my belief that God had big things in store for Joshua and He needed Joshua to face his fear and trust not in himself, but on the attributes of God. God charged Joshua to be courageous because true courage is not the absence of fear, but us refusing to allow fear to control our future.
I can choose to succumb to my natural inclination to be afraid of what might happen, or I can trust in what God has promised me. Paul tells his young protégé, Timothy, in his second letter that the Holy Spirit is not capable of fearing. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear (timidity), but of power of love and of discipline.” By seeking and listening and trusting in the spirit that dwells within each of His believers, we have within each of us the ability to overcome fear.
Again, wrestling gives us each a chance to look at fear face to face and push it to the side, because we trust that God has a plan for us. Embracing the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to take that shot, prepare for that match, enter that competition, or talk to that coach because we trust that God is in control of what is to come. I simply need to obey and take a step of faith.
It has taken me twenty years to try to overcome the paralyzing effects of fear, and I still need reminders. Fear was there when I became a husband, a father, a captain for my college team, a teacher, a high school coach, a college coach, a clinician, and even as I wrestled to become an All-American. I have had plenty of chances to master fear, and God has been faithful in each of those endeavors. But fear is still there. What I can do is to strive to cling to God’s word and “kindle afresh the gift of God which is in me” (2 Timothy 1:6). Corrie ten Boom wrote, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” I may not know the result of what is to come, but if I am in God’s will I am never wrong to step out of my comfort zone and take a chance.
Parting Challenges:

What causes you to feel anxiety or fear?
Think back to a time in your life when you were paralyzed by fear and you later regretted your actions?
How do you typically respond to fear?
How does God want you to respond to fear?

About Rik Dahl-
 Rik Dahl is entering his 5th season at the helm of Northwestern College's wrestling team. Dahl is the seventh coach since wrestling became a varsity sport at Northwestern in 1969. Dahl is a former All-American ('97) at Northwestern College and prior to coming to Northwestern he was the secondary principal and head wrestling coach at Big Sandy Schools in Simla, Colo.
As a student at Northwestern College, Dahl was a wrestling All-American and team captain on the 1997 wrestling team that finished eighth at the NAIA Championships, the highest finish for a Northwestern squad. Dahl was a semi-finalists and took sixth place under coach Paul Bartlett.
Under Dahl's leadership, the Red Raiders have sent 35 wrestlers to the NAIA National Tournament and crowned five All-Americans. Dahl's leadership is also evident off the mat as his 2009 and 2011 teams were crowned the NAIA Champions of Character for their strong character and their impact in and around the Northwestern Community. Eight of Dahl's wrestlers have been recognized as Academic All-Americans. His 2010 team had the 10th best GPA in the country at the NAIA level and the 2012 team had the eighth best GPA in the NAIA. He has also coached three NAIA Scholar-Athletes at Northwestern.
Dahl has led tremendous growth in the roster size of the wrestling team at Northwestern; going from ten in 2008-09 to 36 this season. This past fall the wrestling team brought in 12 recruits.
Dahl and his wife, Amy (Schmidt, ’93), have three sons and two daughters: Elijah, Joshua, Matthew, Abigai, and Grace.

Let the Games Begin!

Lead by game master (no this is not the Hunger Games) Steve BU. of Colorado we broke into 8 teams. The teams are a mix of the Mongolian clubs, the Inner Mongolia team from China, and our AIA team. Each team had a captain or two from our team and guys and girls from the other clubs. The girls are very competitive here, they want to win and enjoy competing. We played a number of different games and activities. The first day we taught everyone how to play ultimate Frisbee. We did however forget to tell them which side is up on the Frisbee. The first time we played the Frisbee was thrown upside down with varying results. We also played soccer, had push-up, pull-up, sit-up contests, and a tug of war. It was fun to see the coaches of the other clubs jump in and play a few of the games. Often times the coaches are fairly reserved and they sit at the coaches table(or the adult table like at our holidays) for all the meals. It was fun to see them loosen up and enjoy themselves with the athletes. The games have really seem to draw the teams together. We have been mostly injury free. Steve BA. our staff in Mongolia was attacked by a gopher hole and sprained his back and ankle. He fought through it and did the tug of war. Steve BA. is a very active guy and enjoys the fun. he has really bridged the gap for us between Mongolia/China and our AIA team. One of the girls did get kneed in the face by accident by one of our guys but she is fine and continued to play for the most part.

Steve BU as game master

Steve BA playing through pain

Ian M. Judging the tug-of-war

Gino leading his team to victory!

Team Tav (5 in Mongolian)

Headed to Camp

Today we headed out early to the Olympic Center, picked up 110 wrestlers and coaches from China and Mongolia and started driving 8 hours north through Eredent towards the border of Russia.

We stopped for lunch about half way at a roadside cafe. Used the "restroom" and then headed back into the van. We later found out that many of the kids did not eat lunch as they had no money and we basically stopped for the "Americans".  This bothered us a bit, we never want to seem like the typical "rich American" and had we known I am sure the guys would have either pitched in to help with meals or we would have not eaten ourselves. Especially wanting to minister to these guys we really want to show them love. On the bus we sang a few songs..."wheels on the bus" and "if your happy and ya know it". The Mongolians love to sing and as a group are very good it! Our Young Life staff and Hadda who works for Steve B. are doing a great job with the wrestlers so far.

 As we arrived at camp we checked out our new home for the week. It was a very pretty drive. The countryside is beautiful here reminds me of Eastern Oregon or the Dakotas/Wyoming. We saw goats, horses, yak, sheep, and many Ger's as we drove up. We had a coaches meeting to set the schedule for the camp, as well as some Mare's milk tea and some really good cookies and short bread!

Daily Camp Schedule
7:30 Wake-Up and Line-Up
7:45 Morning Run(2-3 miles), wrestling drills, pull-ups
8:30 Breakfast
10:30 Wrestling Practice
12:30 Lunch
2:00 AIA Team Bible Study
4:30 Mixed Team Competiton
6:30 Dinner
8:00 YL Club

John Peterson Tournament Day 2

On the second day of the tournament things were run pretty much the same except this time it was our college aged guys competing. We did very well ending up in second place as a team out of around 25 different clubs! We had two gold medals and two bronze medals.

Nathan B. from University of Iowa and Shamus O. of St. Cloud State University won their divisions in dominating style. Shamus only gave up 1 point the entire tournament and Nathan had to wrestle in a division that combined his weight class of 211 and heavyweight! Jesse S. and Chris C. battled back from losses to earn bronze medals. John I. of Missouri had a tough day losing to the guy who beat Chris C. and then having to wrestle Chris in the repeche. The Mongolian who beat John had also beaten Chris and then had to face Shamus in the finals. He later became one of the guys that we sat with often at meals and we all developed a good friendship with.

We had some great ministry again giving the Gospel before the finals, and handing out our brochures, dvd's, and the Gospel of John in Mongolian. Hope to add videos here in the next few days once I get them uploaded. In the meantime some photos!

John Peterson Tournament Day 1

The first day of the John Peterson Tournament featured our Cadet (17 and under) wrestlers. Not only is John Peterson a former Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist, he is also AIA staff and the coach of our team. It is not everyday you get to go to an international tournament named after your coach. The tournament is a great opportunity for us to share our faith with not only the wrestlers, coaches, and the crowd but with the people of Mongolia.  Many of the guys were interviewed on T.V. and by newspapers. Our Cadets did well, many of them this was the first time wrestling freestyle. Wrestling has a special place in Mongolian culture and is their national sport. The tournament featured 25 clubs from 4 different countries: China, Mongolia, Russia, and the United States. Before the finals each day we were able to give a Gospel presentation, hand out the Gospel of John in Mongolian and our Unfading Glory DVD in Mongolian with a special bonus feature of Sukh our staff member in Mongolia giving his testimony.

Morning run and abiding in Christ

We woke up this morning and went on a run into the Ger(Yurt) district near our hotel. We saw many kids going about their day carrying carts with jugs to get water. There is no electricity or running water in the Gers.  Mongolia is a very shamanistic culture, as we ran the two miles or so to the top of the hill we kept seeing piles of rocks, and sticks coming out of them with prayer flags tied to them. At the top of the hill was a Buddhist statue overlooking the city. Steve and Jesse explained about the Mongolian beliefs and the high places. The flags are tied to the stick coming out of the rocks and they worship the place or the area god(road god, sky god, river god). It was a great way to start out the trip to see where many of the people are spiritually and how all of us need to hear the good news of the Gospel. We ran back to the hotel after our brief talk, and stopped to do some buddy carries at one of the hills that shoots off the main road on the way back. Our hotel is right near Steve B. house so this is a run they do often.

Today's team study was on abiding in Christ from John 15:5 "the vine and the branches" . It was good to remember that to abide means: "an intimate relationship,  commitment to know, grow, spend time with, and being in fellowship with" and that for a vine to grow it must be pruned. Old growth does not produce fruit only new growth. Ian did a great job of relating it not only to our relationship with Christ, but to our upcoming competition. Often times in international competition the referring can be "questionable" if you are not from the home country. Ian reminded us that when things go against us it is a great time for us to able to reflects God's love by not over reacting, calming down, refocus on God, and take things in strides. Hopefully it is not a situation we will encounter as Mongolia has a rich wrestling history and tradition. But it is always good to be ready.

Wrestlers playing basketball at a Mongolian prison?

Yes you read that right. Our first day in Mongolia we went to a Juvenal Prison to play basketball. Most of us were a little apprehensive about going into a prison...and playing basketball. Steve B. our AIA Staff in Mongolia, Jesse S. from the Air Force Academy, and Sukh our AIA national staff in Mongolia had been there earlier in the week to talk with the guards and lay down the foundation for us coming.

As we arrived at the prison we heard some good news, we had an MBA champion and leading scorer was coming to play on our team! Our first question was "what is the MBA?" we soon found out it was the Mongolian Basketball Association. We meet our new teammate, were lead into the prison, warmed up, and then the kids were brought out. We split our group into two teams, and they created two teams.

As the game began a few things were obvious. Number 1 the kids were good at basketball! Number 2 they were very friendly and really enjoying themselves.  Number 3 wrestlers are really not good at basketball. After 2 defeats (even with a pro basketball player) we decided to switch things up and teach the kids ultimate football. They seemed to enjoy the new game, we did much better, and we left them with the football at the end of the day!!

After the game we meet with the kids inside a classroom, where we told them about AIA Wrestling and what we were doing. We handed out our brochures with the Gospel in Mongolian.  Chris C. did an amazing job of sharing his testimony. It was one that the kids could easily relate to and he has a knack for drawing in a crowd with his personality. Ian then presented the Gospel as Sukh translated. It was a great experience and a wonderful way to kick off the trip! I had been nervous about going into a prison but looking back realized it was just fear of the unknown. God taught me a big lesson through this, one I should have learned long ago, but He has things planned out and is in control! Here is a little video of the game and our time here the first day. Brought to you by Chris C.

Introduction to Mongolia

Starting a recap of our trip to Mongolia. Here is a video of Steve Barrett and Sukhbaatar Sengendorj talk about AIA in Mongolia and the influence wrestling can have there! More to come in the next few days. Was an amazing trip, still recovering :)

sain baina uu (hello in Mongolian)

Mongolia is quickly approaching. Just wanted to say thank-you again for all that you all do for us. The garage sale was a HUGE success, we have been blessed so much by your love, prayer, support, and encouragement. Since we consider you such a big part of our “team” wanted to send out an email with our schedule and ask if you would pray for our journeys and interaction each day as well as a short prayer for a members of our team. This will be the first time I have been away from Tifani and Ty for so long with no or little contact. Although I am excited by the trip and what God has planned I am also nervous and sad to leave my wonderful wife/best friend, and our son who brings so many smiles to my face and such joy in our life!!!

Thursday May 31- PDX to LAX
Friday June 1- Saturday June 2: LAX to Beijing, China to Ulaanbaatar Mongolia!
Sunday June 3rd- Workout and Visit a prison to share and minster to the prisoners
Monday June 4th- Workout and weigh in for tournament
Tuesday June 5th-Wednesday June 6th: John Peterson International Tournament. Countries Invited: Mongolia, China, Russia, Korea
Thursday June 7th-Wednesday June 13th: Training camp with top 3 Mongolian placers at the tournament, as well as Chinese and Russian clubs. With the weight class and age groups they are guessing at around 100 mongolians plus the other countries teams. This is the 3rd year of the camp and it has been really well received in the past. We will have 2-3 workouts a day during this time as well as Bible Studies with the teams!!!
Thursday June 14th- Travel to Ulaanbaatar
Friday June 15th- HOME!!!!

THANK YOU FOR MAKING AN IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD!!!!!!!!

Romans 15:20
“It has always been my ambition to preach the Gospel where Christ is not known”

Sowing seeds of the future

Recently while working out at a local high school to get ready for Mongolia. I decided to bring some of copies of our Unfading Glory DVD for each of the wrestlers at the workout. In talking with one of the coaches he asked if it would be possible to get copies for each of the Cadet (Freshman Sophomore) Wrestlers that will represent Oregon this summer at Nationals. "YES!" I quickly responded. So now this summer as over 1000 wrestlers and coaches descend on Fargo, North Dakota the Oregon Team (with wrestlers and coaches from 25 different high schools) will come armed with not only some of the best coaches and training, but a copy of the AIA/FCA Unfading Glory. Please pray that the sowing of these seeds leads to people coming to the Lord, opens doors for wrestlers to apply for next years summer teams, and new relationships with coaches from Oregon!

Here is a copy of the note we attached to each DVD

Dear Cadet National Team Member,

Congratulations on qualifying to represent Oregon at this years Cadet National Tournament! We would like to give you this gift from Athletes in Action(AIA) Wrestling the sports ministry of CRU. AIA has been sending out teams internationally for over 40 years. We recently sent a team of College and High School Wrestlers to Mongolia.  For more information on AIA Wrestling please find my email below or check out our blog and homepage!

God Bless and Good Luck

Rob Bronson AIA Wrestling            Home Page: www.aiawrestling.org
Email: rob.bronson@athletesinaction.org     Blog: www.bronsonaia.blogspot.com

Official AIA press release on Mongolia Team!

The Athletes in Action wrestling team has a tour of Mongolia planned for May 31-June 15. The agenda includes participating in the John Peterson Invitational Wrestling Tournament and hosting a week-long training camp, but the main goal is to pour into the lives of the local athletes and share the love and good news of Jesus Christ.
"This will be a tremendous opportunity to reach those who may have never heard the name of Christ," says Gene Davis, director of AIA wrestling. "It will also be an excellent opportunity to sow broadly and to pour into local staff members and give them chances to learn better how to speak out boldly for the Lord in their country."
Davis is also excited about the spiritual benefit to the American athletes going on the trip.
"Not only will this be a great wrestling opportunity for these guys, but it will also be a great opportunity for spiritual growth," Davis says. "There is a lot of potential for these guys to really get an idea of what international ministry is about and broaden their ministry horizons."
After competing in a two-day international tournament against teams from Mongolia, Russia (Siberia) and China (Inner Mongolia), the AIA teams will host a week-long training camp for the wrestlers that placed in the top three in their respective weight class divisions.
"That is where most of ministry goes on," Davis says. "The morning time is calisthenics, stretching and conditioning, then in the afternoon is when they have their two-hour workout session. That's when the wrestlers and coaches have about 15-20 minutes to share their faith testimonies and share the gospel with the campers."
Davis estimates there will be around 100 wrestlers, male and female combined, participating in the camp, including the 15-man Athletes in Action contingency.
Davis believes the team Athletes in Action is sending is one of the best ever. It features three collegiate wrestlers: Nathan Burak from Iowa, Shamus O'Grady from St. Cloud State and Chris Chionuma from Lindenwood, where he was a three-time NAIA All-American and National Champion his junior year before transferring to perennial power Oklahoma State. There are also four high school wrestlers making the trip as well.
"The Mongolian Wrestling Federation thinks (the tour) is one of the greatest things ever," Davis says. "Their athletes get to compete against and then be trained by such high-caliber athletes; they are very excited about this."
Davis is also rather enthused by the leadership on this tour. "This is one of our strongest leadership teams ever," he said.
Former collegiate wrestler and 35-year AIA staff member Steve Burak will lead the tour, joined by 1976 Olympic Champion John Peterson; Ian McCutcheon, director of AIA ministry at Oklahoma State; and new AIA staff member Rob Bronson. Long-time AIA international wrestling staff member Steve Barrett will serve as host for the AIA team.
Davis says the success of the tour is dependent upon the prayer support offered up worldwide. He encourages believers to, "Pray for the open hearts and minds of Mongolian wrestlers, coaches, and officials."

On our way to Ohio.....via Mongolia?

FULLY FUNDED!

To GOD be the GLORY! Great things HE has done.
Thank you for patiently trusting God with us to provide all of our funding! Thank you for trusting Him for your needs as you faithfully partner with us! We are so humbled by your sacrifice & investment in the Gospel being shared around the world through the ministry of sports and the lives of students! We eagerly anticipate the stories we will be able to share with you of lives being changed because of your partnership! Eternity looks different because of you! Thank you for making a difference!

MONGOLIA MISSION - JUNE 1-15
We are so excited to report that Rob is now able to attend the AIA wrestling tour to Mongolia this June!!!    This is a HUGE answer to our prayers! The trip will start with a 2-day wrestling tournament and ministry outreach in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia.    From there they will head up the mountains for a week-long wrestling camp where they will share the Gospel of Jesus Christ & how He has transformed their lives! Thanks to Stephen Barrett, Sukee, & their families, Athletes in Action ministry in Mongolia is growing! Rob is looking forward to continuing to partner with them on this trip & as he continues to recruit and travel with teams in the future!











OUR “DWELLING PLACE” IN
 CEDARVILLE, OHIO

Our journey of trusting God for our every need has not come to an end because we are fully funded... rather is a daily process of leaning on Him & choosing to walk in the peace He offers! As we anticipate our move to Ohio, there are a few details that are still needed. We are in the process of buying a house. Please join us in praying for all the details in this investment & for God’s timing in the process! We have found such a wonderful house, with a rich legacy of ministry to students & the community! God’s hand has already been so evident in the way He has led us to this place, we trust He will continue to make Himself known to us as we move! Your prayers are appreciated as we pack and say goodbyes here in Oregon. It is hard to leave, but we are reminded we do not go alone! We have a great God who walks with us and a wonderful team of partners who go with us as well! We welcome you to come & visit us any time!!!

Will this make us "Cedarvillains"?

Devotional #3

1 Corinthians 9:24
" Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize"

How to avoid Plateaus

One of the athletic principals we can apply to our spiritual life is that of confusion. Specifically muscle confusion. If we were to run a mile every day for month eventually we would reach a point where our time would stop decreasing and just level out. To make sure this doesn't happen we would need to run more, run faster, or run longer. It is a principal almost every coach at every level knows.

When it comes to our spiritual life however we(or I do) ignore this principal. We do the same thing day in day out. Get up, maybe have a quiet time, throw out some "drive by prayers", pray before meals, and then before bed. We(or I do) plateau spiritually. One of the the things I have been challenged with lately is to change things up. Read books that I may not normally choose, during my quiet time read a commentary to supplement my reading, meet with a mentor, or disciple someone. Often times we use Biblical principles in our athletic lives, now may be the time to incorporate an athletic principal into our Spiritual life.

WANT TO WRITE A DEVOTIONAL? It is easy just pick a verse(or 2) write a few paragraphs on it and email it to me! Would be a great way for us to share our insights and challenge each other. Would love to get perspective from both guys and girls, does not have to be "athletic" focused.

Email me: rob.bronson@athletesinaction.org

Moza Fay

I had the opportunity to have lunch with Moza a few months ago at Panera Bread in Corvallis as he was training in Corvallis with Oregon State and their club team. Great great guy who is wrestling for the Lord!

 From themat.com
By Jackie Branca USA Wrestling
04/13/2012

Come Saturday, April 21, if it seems like the crowd in Carver-Hawkeye Arena is cheering for men’s freestyler Moza Fay, it’s because most of them are. Fay, who grew up less than an hour outside of Iowa City, will be competing in the tough 74 kg/163 lbs. weight class for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.

“I am so excited to go back to Iowa City,” Fay said. “With this Olympic Trials being in Iowa City, I’m going to have so many friends and family and supporting people there. It’s just going to be fun and I can’t wait to go back.”

Fay grew up in Anamosa, Iowa, a town with roughly 5,000 residents, and was an All-American for the University of Northern Iowa. He says a lot of people will be on hand cheering him on. He isn’t worried about the added pressure. Instead, he is excited and thriving on the added support.

“The sports psychologist and coaches tell us to take some time and visualize ourselves at the Trials. Well, I realized I am already doing that without them telling me,” Fay said. “My mind is just off thinking about what it’s going to be like and I can’t wait to get there.”

Although Fay is excited to be going back home to perform in front of a supportive home crowd, he’s not satisfied with just making it this far. Like his fellow wrestlers, Fay is focused on making the Olympic Team bound for London this summer.

With the Olympic Trials only a week away, Fay is confident in his preparation and trusts his abilities that have gotten him this far in his wrestling career.

“At this point right now, all the work is done. I’m in awesome shape, I’ve done so many sprints that I don’t even want to talk about and I know I’ve done everything I needed to do,” Fay said. “I feel I have lived the lifestyle of a wrestler that is going to win the Olympic Trials and so all the work has been put in right now. I just need to dwell on the positive thoughts and be confident in my abilities.”

The 26-year-old’s road to Olympian is not an easy one. Before Fay can realize his dream, he has to make it through the difficult 74 kg weight class challenge tournament, and then wrestle World champion Jordan Burroughs in the best-of-3 finals series. Even then, if Fay wins, he will then go to an international event overseas and must place higher than Burroughs to be on the U.S. Olympic Team.

“It is definitely a steeper mountain to climb at 74 kg and 96 kg because of Burroughs and (Jake) Varner,” Men’s Freestyle National Team Assistant Coach Brandon Slay said. “But I believe Moza has the potential and the ability to beat anybody he sets his heart and mind to. He’s dotted all his ‘I’s and crossed his ‘T’s and trained appropriately so when he goes into the Trials he should be confident that he’s done all he can and be ready to shine.”

Moza attributes a lot of his success to his training partner and good friend, Tyler Caldwell. Fay says Caldwell, who will be among Fay’s competition next week, is a tough competitor and going against him each day makes him better.

“Tyler is a competitive partner and he’s one of my top competitors,” Fay said. “We have an awesome relationship and we really push each other. Competing against each other every day makes for a real competitive environment day to day and to have a training partner like that, it’s really awesome to have a guy like that.”

The Olympic Trials will be a culmination of a whirlwind of the past two years for Fay. In September of 2009 he got married and four months later he and his wife moved out to Colorado Springs so Fay could train at the United States Olympic Training Center and focus on his dream of making it to the Olympics.

In addition to his wrestling duties, Fay is in the process of obtaining his MBA through DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management. He spends the majority of his free time in-between practice sessions in the Athlete Service Center lounge doing homework. And to top it all off, Fay and his wife have a three-week-old daughter.

With all that on his plate, Fay is able to stay focused and be a leader on the wrestling team.

“Moza is a fabulous leader, he does what he says, has an extreme work ethic and is a man of integrity,” Slay said. “He’s a great example, not just for the older guys, but for our developmental guys, our junior level guys who are 18 or 19 years old and we have about nine of those guys. So, it’s really important if you have nine 18- or 19-year-olds that you have some real solid leaders that are 25, 26, and 27 years old and Moza is that guy for us.”

Fay has a wealth of opportunities to succeed in wrestling, including setting his sights on competing for the 2016 Olympics and entertaining some coaching proposals. However, Moza would first like to add 2012 Olympic Team member to his list of most memorable moments, which includes wrestling 2008 Olympian Ben Askren on top of the USS Intrepid and competing in Cuba.

For a kid whose wrestling career began when he was five years old rough housing with his brother in the living room, he will have the opportunity to wrestle in the same arena in which he used to be a spectator as young boy.

“It’s obviously a dream come true just to make it to London,” Fay said. “I wouldn’t move half-way across the country to Colorado Springs to not make that spot. It’s very exciting just to have the opportunity to compete for that but it would be a dream come true to make the Olympic Team.”

Follow Moza Fay on his quest to become an Olympic Team member on Twitter and Facebook

Devotional #2

2008 Olympian Doug Schwab

Endure hardness as a Good Soldier of Jesus Christ

II Timothy 2:3-5

"Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. ⁵ Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules"



My name is Todd Tiffin and Rob asked me to write a devotional for his blog. I live in Tecumseh OK and have been involved with athletics all my life. I wrestled in High School and was an amateur boxer for awhile and coached my sons, one thing I learned competing and coaching was that in order to be prepared for success there were some difficult things that I had to train myself to endure. Competing in physical contests require a certain amount of skill and physical stamina if you want to be victorious. These things are cultivated by training.
     Often training is simply doing the thing you will compete at over and over again, even to the point of exhaustion. Eventually your level of fatigue will decrease as your strength and cardiovascular system grow accustomed to the activity. Though this process your body resists the difficulty you are forcing it to engage in and your mind will try to cause you to stop or take it easy. Elite athletes train themselves to overcome these impulses and press through the pain in order to achieve a higher level of proficiency.
     In life there are many opportunities, many choices that are set before us. Sometimes these choices are easy to make and other times they seem difficult or dangerous. Occasionally situations require us to sacrifice things we enjoy, to do what we believe is the right thing to do. The line between what is right or best, and what is wrong or less than best is not always easy to distinguish. Often there seems to be a reward or advantage if we choose to compromise in what we believe to be the right action to take, or the right choice to make.
     Paul writing to his young protégé knew the common struggle that all men face. He knew that the inner man is trained much like the body. The compromises we fall to, do something to us inside, weaken our resolve, make it easier to fail again. He reminds Timothy to resist the impulse to be “entangled with the affairs of this life”. In order to become the man that God wants us to be you and I must train ourselves to resist becoming tangled up in sinful choices that “war against our soul”. They weaken us, sap our strength, causing us to be dull and easily overcome.
     Mastering ourselves is a lifelong pursuit. Striving for mastery over the temptations to take the shortcuts or compromise the truth calls for deep character inside. Requires us to choose to walk the ancient path, believing that God is leading us to the destination, the destiny, we were made to reach.
Press on.

Chase Pami - US Olympic Wrestling

Watch a great video of Chase Pami as he talks about the upcoming Olympic Trials and his training. Chase is part of the Bible Study at the Olympic Training Center!!

Devotional #1

Thought it would be fun to start an online devotional as part of our blog. It is great way for people to share their insights and learn more about God's word. Here is an example....

James 4:17 "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."

I have had the pleasure to meet with a man, Ross from our church, each week for breakfast to learn from him and go through the book The Good and Beautiful Life by James Bryan Smith. One of the many pieces of wisdom I have picked up from this time with Ross is the phrase "Do what is right and let God take care of the rest!"

This phrase has changed the way I look at everything from life, marriage, even to wrestling. All I am asked to do is what God is calling me to do....the right thing! Such as: Should I make this or that purchase? As a coach and competitor am I  doing what is ethical and right? How should I treat this or that person? How should I handle a situation? All of these can be answered by doing what is right, they may not have the most positive "worldly" outcome, but God is in charge and the world is under his control. He will work things out for us!

Wrestling is growing on the western coast of Africa

From CNN

Dakar, Senegal (CNN) -- In most of Africa, football reigns supreme among sports, but in Senegal wrestling challenges it for popularity. It provides entertainment and exercise, and offers young men dreams of fame and fortune.

Wrestling's popularity in Senegal makes it big business. For the sport's superstars the rewards can be huge, with the biggest names earning up to $200,000 per contest. In a country where unemployment is pushing 50%, some young men see it as a way out of poverty.

Gris Bordeaux is a star in Senegal, a wrestling champion who also teaches at a wrestling school in the capital Dakar.

He says wrestling is a mental, as well as physical, discipline and that reaching the top of his profession takes dedication.

"It's all about making sacrifices," says Bordeaux. "It requires training and meditation; your mindset is important. You have to educate yourself well.

"Not all wrestlers get to realize their dreams, because on the bigger level it is few that get to where I am. You need to be focused on the sport -- like over 5,000 wrestlers you will get only 10 that make it."

See also: Senegal island exposes horrors of the slave trade

Bordeaux credits wrestling with changing his life, bringing him success and wealth.

"What I do know is that it has given me a lot of opportunities," he says. "It has opened doors for me because I am able to take care of myself and my family and especially to help the young people in the community."

It's perhaps a desire to emulate the likes of Bordeaux -- as well as a desire to keep fit -- that motivates young Senegalese men to work out on the beaches of Dakar.

Wrestlers fight to unite world's newest nation

Lacking the money to use a proper gym, some men have built a makeshift gym of their own. On the city's public beaches they have set up workout benches, using whatever materials they can -- be it car tires or wheel rims loaded with rocks to make them heavier.

Some of those training at Bordeaux's school and pumping iron on the beach may one day make it onto the professional wrestling circuit, earning the right to wear the wrestler's traditional pre-fight regalia.

Bordeaux describes the costumes as art. He says: "The way we dress is to show harmony -- we dress for the fight and we become different. When we wear the full attire for a fight, you won't recognize me!"

To the South, Ohio, and congrats to Burak Boys

Exciting news we are on our last 10% of support and have just booked tickets to what we are hoping is our last big support trip to Texas and Oklahoma March 20th to the 29th, and Ohio raising funds and looking at housing from March 29th to April 3rd. Please be praying for the details of the trip, that we could find people to meet with who are open to the possibility of partnering with us, AND that we would be able to get an idea of where God would have us live in or near Xenia, Ohio and the AIA HQ!!!




Also congrats to both Gabe and Micah Burak(son's of Steve Burak AIA Wrestling Camp Director)

who qualified for the NCAA tournament in St. Louis March 15th to 17th. Both boys were a match away from All-American status last year and we are praying for strength and that they would continue to honor God as the compete. They are such great examples!

Northern Colorado wrestler's Faith is key to his drive

"Faith" is the word that best describes UNC senior wrestler Gabe Burak.

Burak, who won three Colorado high school state championships at Coronado High School in Colorado Springs, transferred to the University of Northern Colorado for his fifth and final year of wrestling from the University of Pennsylvania, and the move influenced the Bears' wrestling room from day one.

"Gabe is a quality guy," UNC head coach Ben Cherrington said. "He practices what he preaches in every walk of life. That's the type of person you need in a leadership role. We are very fortunate to have him on our team, even just for one year. He has made a huge impact on our young guys."

Redshirt freshman Charlie McMartin, Burak's roommate, said Burak challenges people around him to have big goals.

Burak, who was raised with a strong faith in God, has applied that faith to every facet of life, fueling the fire that propels him to succeed. Belief is one thing that Burak said will always sit inside him.

"My faith is the most important thing in my life," Burak said. "It allowed me to seek and guide every aspect of my life."

Burak has gone 19-2 for the Bears this season, which is not surprising considering how athletic his family is.

His father wrestled at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, his mother was a gymnast at the University of Minnesota and his two little brothers both wrestle. A devout religious family, the Buraks were taught to know God personally. Burak attributes his successes in life and athletics to the Lord.

His teammates and peers easily notice that belief.

"Gabe is a guy who cares a lot about people," McMartin said. "The qualities of the people around him are enhanced when he is around them. He doesn't domineer or overshadow them but encourages them to be who they are."

With teammates and coaches, and much of his family and friends, watching, it is difficult for Burak to please everyone, although he said would like to. But Burak said he looks to please more than just them.

"When you're just living to serve and please those around you, if no one is watching then you might not give your best," he said. "I still struggle with that, but I know that God is with me wherever I'm at, so I want to seek to give my very best, to have a passion, whether that's here in the wrestling room, doing school, whatever area it's in, to do my very best that is done to the Lord. As I'm doing that, I do hope that others see a difference and it affects my teammates."

Burak will look to earn All-American honors at the end of this season, a distinction he's fallen just short of in years past. Cherrington found himself in the same position as Burak at Boise State but managed to earn the status in his senior year. Burak looks to follow in Cherrington's footsteps.

"This is his last chance, and he is going to throw all the cards on the table," Cherrington said.

With high goals for not only himself but also everyone around him, Burak heads into the upcoming Western Wrestling Conference Championships with few worries.

"He's is not a guy that is afraid, or (shies) away from the hard things in life," McMartin said. "He'll face those head on.

Oregon State Wrestling Tournament

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Wrestling State Championships inside Portland's Memorial Coliseum. The state tournament is filled with peaks and valleys as young men, coaches, and families spend 2 days battling it out to see who is the best in the state. I had the pleasure of watching some young men I have know since they were in diapers compete, as well as a few of the guys I have been able to coach the last 3 years. It is hard to see young men lose after years of hard work and not accomplish their goals. I saw coaches with broken noses, cauliflower ears, and broad shoulders visibly moved when their athletes won, and shed tears with them as they lost. Wrestling is unlike any other sport, coaches and wrestlers bond in ways that are often hard to describe, shedding blood, sweat and tears for 4 years or more together.

As I watched this amazing event, I couldn’t help but think(with some great advice from my wife) of what God sees as all this goes on. I think God sees a field ripe for the harvest as we talked about in our news letter last June. I was able to talk with wrestlers and coaches alike about God’s love for them, about God’s plan for them, and about what God is doing through the sport of wrestling. One conversation was with a coach from Hillsboro high school who mentioned a former wrestler now competing at North Idaho(NIC) Junior College who was the first of his family to go to college and needed to leave town to get away from the area to break some friendships that were not having a positive effect on his life. I don’t think either the coach or the wrestler have a relationship with Christ, but I was able to offer 2 resources to him and his wrestler. One is a church in Coeur de Lane(where NIC is located) whose head pastor is a former All-American, and the other was Trevor Prangley a wrestler who is featured in our AIA DVD(and a past newsletter!) who lives and owns a gym there in town. Praying that this young man will take advantages of these opportunities and the Lord would be able to use them in his life.

There were so many, many more conversations from this weekend I would love to share. It offered me yet another glimpse of how God is using wrestling, and how we can be a small part of it. It is exciting that God loves us and reaches out to us in personal ways even through a sport such as wrestling! THANK YOU again for all your love, prayers, partnerships, and support in this journey. We are on the final 10% of support and are excited for what is ahead!

Seasons of Waiting Feb 2012

In seasons of waiting, it is so easy to become discouraged, but there is great HOPE & encouragement when we take our eyes off our situation, look to God & invite His presence into our waiting. Just as when light begins to break through a dark storm a beautiful rainbow becomes visible. So it is also true with the storms of our lives, as the light of Christ shines in, we begin to see the beauty He has for us right in the middle of our circumstances. We are finding this to be true as we continue to live in a season of waiting. We have asked the Lord to shine into our circumstances & He has given us many opportunities right here in Salem to share His love & life with those around us.

One of these opportunities is volunteering at South Salem High School (SSHS) with their wrestling program, as time allows. As Rob’s role has moved from teacher & coach to missionary & coach, day to day life conversations have come up where he has been able to share stories from the Bible as well as stories from his life. Recently one of the wrestlers asked Rob how he prepared for matches. Rob was able to share with him that as a young wrestler he was very stressed, always worrying about winning & losing, and that after becoming a Christian his focus was on competing to honor God. In turning his life over to God he did not become a better wrestler automatically. It was a journey of casting his cares on the Lord & knowing that his self worth was not wrapped up in winning, rather in living his life for Christ & competing as a testimony to God’s love. As his faith grew so did his wrestling.

Recently Rob has been able to have these types of conversations with two particular athletes, Dan & Jorge. Both sophomores when Rob started coaching; now seniors.
We asked Dan to speak about how God is using wrestling in his life during one of our ministry presentations at church. Dan has grown up in a split family, where neither of his parents are very involved in his life. He invited Christ into his life his sophomore year through the ministry of Young Life. Dan talked about how he was skeptical of the new coaching staff his first year, they had an intensity & passion for wrestling that had not been present at SSHS in the past. Dan said as he grew in his faith & learned more about the coaches he was not surprised to learn that they all have a relationship with Jesus. “The coaches have passion to make us into the best wrestlers we can be but also a passion for us to be the best men we can be.” Dan also said he had never had a group of men build into him the way our coaching staff has.

Just before his first match almost 3 years ago the coaches were told that Jorge was academically ineligible, having passed just one class as a freshman. Rob & the other coaches sat down with him & set out a plan to get him caught up & on track. They wanted to let him know that being a good wrestler was important to them, but so was his life & graduating was key. This year Jorge has over a 3.0 grade point average and is 21-6 this season, 3 of his losses were to #1 ranked wrestlers in our division. Rob has been able to share with Jorge the AIA DVD “Unfading Glory” & have many conversations about his relationship with Christ.
We are continually reminded of how God is using wrestling & our lives to grow people in their relationship with him. To Him be all the Glory!

Please continue to pray that he would have more opportunities to share with Dan, Jorge and the other guys on the team.

Pray too that the Lord would continue to open our eyes to see what He has for us in Oregon while we continue to wait to report to our assignment in Ohio. We are praying for a moving date by March!