The Power of Beiber Fever

Dateline: Thursday, July 9, 2015 - Quezon City, Philippines.

It never stops raining. I am starting to think there are two kinds of weather here: Rain and downpour. Then again, from what I'm hearing, it is no different than back home in Indiana. We've been waiting for a break in the weather so we can see the sunshine again. This afternoon, that break finally came to us. Mind you, the weather didn't change. Like I said, it never stops raining here. The break came in a different form that we've started calling "Beiber Fever." Let me explain with the reassurance that it is a good thing. So hang with me and keep reading. (And if "Beiber Fever" doesn't make sense to you, Google it. I'm not going to explain it.)

Today was spent going to two different neighborhood basketball courts. Thankfully, both were covered, open air, courts located in the middle of poverty stricken neighborhoods so we were protected from getting wet. Yet, these nice courts stood as a stark contrast to the surrounding dilapidated and haphazard homes and shops. The courts were built there courtesy of local politicians, who, like politicians worldwide, didn't miss the opportunity to slap their name and pictures all over the structure. But why a basketball court instead of something more practical like safer roads or drinking water? This is because basketball is the national sport in the Philippines, (and maybe that politicians are rarely practical no matter what country they are elected in.) But make no mistake about it, basketball is king here. English terminology of the game is heavily sprinkled into the native Tagalog language, so it is not unusual to overhear people conversing in their native tongue, and then suddenly hear words like "slam dunk" or "three pointer" pop out.  It is a game intricately woven into the national fabric. 

Because of this very dynamic,  our missionary Mark McDowell, has established the ministry known as Pinoy Basketball for Jesus, (or simply "P.B.J." - "Pinoy" being the native shorthand for Filipino.) Mark and his team use basketball as a portal for establishing relationships in the local neighborhoods. He has other tactics as well, some that are especially good at reaching younger kids, but by and large, the outreach efforts center around basketball. It is an effective strategy, because everyone here understands the universal language of basketball. However, if there is a downside, at least from my short time here, is that the focus primarily reaches boys. Due to cultural norms, the idea that girls can play basketball is only now starting to gain traction. Mark and his team do everything in their power to to engage both genders, but tradition is a hard thing to overcome. We've noticed it too. Up until this afternoon, we felt a certain amount of frustration when many of the local girls would stand on the sideline and not engage.

This is where "Beiber Fever" came to our aid this afternoon and here is how it happened: When we arrived at the court, Jake Freeland, Brendan Ruff (both students) and myself (really old guy) organized a game of 3-on-3 with the local teenagers.  Brendan, who is Jake's roommate on this trip, kiddingly told the teenagers that Jake was actually Justin Beiber. Let me be the first to admit that Jake does possess a startling resemblance to a young Justin Beiber, you know, back when he was still relatively wholesome and free of tattoos. But what happened in the next 10 minutes was a social phenomena. I'm not sure how, but word spread like wildfire that Justin Beiber was playing basketball on the local court. Before we knew it, the perimeter of our court was surrounded by throngs of school age girls, all who apparently wanted to get a picture taken with Jake. The Filipino girls were polite enough to let Jake play the game uninterrupted, but let me tell you that they 'ooohed & aaahed' every one of his cross-over dribbles and jumpshots.  And when the game finally ended about 45 minutes later, he was mobbed. (I'll post pictures of this phenomena later.) 

In the end, we can't be sure if the local girls really thought Jake was Beiber, but frankly, we couldn't care less. What we do know is that we've broken through some kind of invisible barrier that felt like it's been holding us back. We were finally able to engage with the entire group of kids, not just boys. We had a large group of younger children doing coloring books in the middle of the court, while the rest of our group spread out and struck up small group conversations with people of all ages. No, it didn't stop raining, but trust me when I say that sunshine broke through this afternoon. It wasn't the sun, but rather, the love of the Son, Jesus Christ.

Let me close with the verse of the day that Biblegateway sent me early this Thursday morning. It comes from Ephesians 3:20 -"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might think or ask."  I don't know about you, but it makes me smile that God's mighty power includes using the dynamic of "Beiber Fever" to his glory.  

Keep the Faith ~ Pastor Art