Being a church of God event we took an offering during the "ball players" service. What should we do with the funds received of $176.00? Twila Briscoe's college roommate from Anderson (college) University and her husband were starting a new Christian school on the mission fields of Paraguay, we felt like the funds would be a good use there. The Alfa-Omega Christian school has become a local consideration for the funds that we have received each year since.

In 1984 the players from the First Church in Hickory North Carolina challenged the other teams to raise the support for scholarships for the students who needed help to pay the $125.00 tuition for the mission school. Martin and Tabitha and their family have been back for Labor Day Weekend five times in the past few years. Their oldest son Norberto has graduated from Anderson University and the School of Theology and some of the gifts of the softball tourney have helped him reach his goal and he has now returned to Paraguay to pastor and start the first Christian radio station in Paraguay with his wife Julie.

In 1987 the Briscoe's spent three weeks in Paraguay sharing and meeting the folks of the churches of this country. While there they shared in worship services and the schools graduation and helped to build playground equipment for the school. During the 1998 Tournament worship service to celebrate our twentieth year of playing we raised $20,000 for the school and the national work of Paraguay. The softball teams and their churches have raised now close to $150,000 that have been relayed through the world service office in Anderson to the Kurrle family in Paraguay.

For more information on Paraguay and how you can be involved, contact the tournament coordinator Chad Briscoe. Click on the commitee link for information on how to contact him.