Hope Spot 40- Pickled

Last Thursday was World Pickleball Day.

I only know this because I started playing Pickleball a month ago.

So, what is Pickleball?

A cross between tennis and badminton and squash – but adapted for those of us who are a bit more ‘senior’.

The ball is plastic and has holes in it, so it goes slower. You hit it with paddles so you can’t smash it as hard. The net is lower so it’s easier to get over…

… except I didn’t get over the net. I went through it.

My opponent had done a sneaky little drop shot, and for some silly reason I thought I had a chance of making it from the back of the court to reach the ball.

Next thing I know, I’m off my feet, in the air, splattering a somersault , before crash-landing in a tangle in the net.

As other players ‘rushed’ to my aid – it’s hard to go fast when you’re laughing so hard – I came to an important understanding.

While your brain may tell your body to do what a 20 year old can do …

… my body clearly could not, leaving me red-faced and starfished on the floor.

That got me thinking about what you and I do together for others through ALWS.

People tell me sometimes they wish they could do more. Or regret that things in their life have changed. Or they’ve got to an age where they can’t help as they used to.

That’s why your new ALWS Gifts of Grace catalogue has gifts from $3 to turn on a tap at a school in Nepal …

… to $13,188 to build a four stand toilet block at a school in South Sudan:

Both gifts are precious, and life-transforming, and show that no matter how you are blessed to help right now, there is a way you can.

There are seven Gifts of Grace under $10 – take a look …

… along with $18 sports gear for young people at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. At the moment, soccer is played with a ball made from rolled-up rags, like the one you see Nathan holding in the photo at the start of this email.

(Nathan lives in Burundi, and you can read all about his life in Nathan and the Fluffy Fertiliser Factory children’s book, that is a feature of this year’s Gifts of Grace.)

As for Pickleball, invented in 1965, it’s the fastest growing sport in the US.

It needs to be, as players like me injure ourselves when our bodies no longer do what our brains think they can do!

I just hope my bruises – to body and ego – recover before I embark on the 13 kilometres Lyndoch to Gawler (SA) ALWS Walk My Way on Sunday! You can sponsor me here.

What’s most important though is that what you and I do through ALWS, doesn’t depend on what’s in our brain (giving money away!!!) …

… or what’s in our body (our financial capacity to help)

… but what’s in our hearts – love. That never runs out, or wears out, or gives up.

That’s why I keep on thanking you for being a blessing ALWayS!

PS: Printed ALWS Gifts of Grace catalogues should hit mailboxes next week, complete with a very special surprise! If you like, you can start choosing from 30 gifts right now – simply click here!

Photos: All photos ALWS