May 18, 2009

Baylor Athletics Chaplain Wes Yeary and a 16-member team that includes five soccer players, two basketball players and two football players, embarked DFW International Airport Sunday for a two-week missions trip to Nairobi, Kenya.

The Baylor sports ministry team will paint and do repair work on a rehab house as well as host several sports clinics in the capital city of Kenya.

"We want to be a part of something that carries on," he said. "And that's the beauty of partnering with folks over there is we're able to come in and help them build on what they already have or start something that will carry on. We're not going in there to entertain. We're going in there to help and support existing ministries or do some works for some folks that they'll be able to carry it on."

Student-athletes on the team are Lindsey Johnson, Amanda McGrath, Lindsay Smith, Nicky Smith and Rachel Stepp from soccer; women's basketball players Melissa Jones and Lindsay Palmer; and football players Bryan Swindoll and Andrew Sumpter. Also part of the sports ministry team are athletic training graduate assistant Shellie Spiers, student trainer Leah Capps, Baylor Club Soccer player Laura Smith and Baylor student Brittany Berg.

You can follow their trip to Kenya through the Baylor Bears Mission blog.