One of the fun parts of our ministry is that we take students to do things that we already like to do. I love basketball. I grew up a Lakers fan (still am) and kind of like the Mavericks too. Basketball has become a huge phenomenon around the world and going to a game is a great way to get to know students and share something very special. Little did we know that it is also an opportunity to meet many new people from an important people group.

Every year Sain, one of the janitorial staff at our church from Mexico and I take parts of our family to a Dallas Mavericks game. It started off as a way to reach out to him. As God has brought him to Christ, it has become a way to better connect and something to share with each other. I usually bring one or two students to this and usually we get a game with a “lesser” team. This year was different. We planned well ahead and I saw that the Mavericks were playing the Houston Rockets for the last game of the season. I figured the Houston Rockets would be a great way to meet new Chinese students and get closer to them. The Chinese see Yao Ming, Center for the Rockets, as a national hero and so he and the team are very popular. So, I talked with TCU volunteer Bennie and together we bought 30 tickets to bring students to the game. We also decided to take the train to the stadium to make the experience even more fun. Also, for the first time Lisa wanted to come with the rest of our kids.

Lots of buildup there… we were able to sell all the tickets to students from three campuses: TCU, UTA & SMU, from China, India and Mexico. It was a lot of fun… BUT… the BIGGEST thing that hit me was this. When we got on the train at Centerpointe TRE train station near Arlington, we found there were many, many more Chinese students than just the ones we brought. In addition, once we got to the AAC (American Airlines Center), there were even more. From all walks of life from researchers to undergrads; from EMBA businessmen to future lawyers and doctors from all over China. It was truly incredible. If a person had a heart to touch the lives of Chinese and needed to make new contacts, all it would take would be taking the train to a Mavericks / Houston Rockets game, talking to groups of students along the way,  building relationship during the 30 minute ride and sharing contact information afterward. They could then hang out in AT&T Square in Victory Park before and after the game and talk to more. It would not be hard at all. I was amazed at the tremendous opportunity.

Oh.. Incidentally, the Mavericks won (it was a tremendously entertaining game) and were able to clinch sixth place (the Rockets fell from 2nd to 5th) in their conference as they got into the playoffs, thankfully for my sake, avoiding the Lakers for now. Yao played great. Dirk and Kidd played even better. C-6 left the game in tears because she so connected with her compatriot Yao.