More Than a Game: How Basketball Opened the Door for the Gospel in Guatemala

The gym was packed.

Fans filled the stands. Players battled down to the final seconds. The energy was high as True Victory Athletics and the Wizards de Patzún competed in an exciting international basketball game in Guatemala.

Then something unexpected happened.
At halftime, the game stopped.

Players from both teams gathered at center court. The crowd grew quiet as a True Victory player shared his personal story of how Jesus Christ had transformed his life. For several minutes, the focus shifted from basketball to the hope of the Gospel.

This was the kind of opportunity that brought True Victory Athletics to Guatemala through a Global Teams trip with Christ For the City International (CFCI).

True Victory Athletics, a ministry of Fayette Baptist Church in Somerville, Tennessee, exists to use sports as an opportunity to share the Gospel. For their second year in Guatemala, the team partnered with CFCI’s Guatemala base, led by Geovani and Wendy Juárez.

Together, they played five basketball games, led two sports camps, visited schools, served alongside the local ministry, built relationships, and shared the Gospel.

“I loved their passion for the sport, but what I loved even more was their clear and intentional goal of proclaiming the gospel through sports,” Geovani said.

Across five games, an estimated 500 people attended—including approximately 350 children and teenagers.

At halftime, players from opposing teams would join the True Victory players at center court while one of the Americans shared a personal testimony. The response surprised and encouraged the CFCI team.

“They listened carefully and respectfully to what was being shared, especially the players from the opposing teams,” Geovani said. “It was amazing to see how closely the teenagers listened to what the Americans were saying.”

The international game against the Wizards de Patzún was one of the week’s most memorable moments.

The game came down to the final seconds. True Victory scored with five seconds remaining to take a two-point lead, then held on to win.

But the final score wasn’t the most important part of the night.

“Our hope is that everyone in attendance that night was impacted with the Gospel,” a leader from True Victory Athletics said.

The basketball games were only part of the ministry.

During two sports camps, the team taught basketball skills while also sharing their testimonies and the Gospel. More than 40 children made decisions to follow Christ during the camps, according to the team’s trip evaluation.

“Winning or losing a basketball game has zero effect on our eternal life,” a team leader said. “But to see kids give their lives to the Lord through the basketball camps and the testimonies shared at the basketball camps—that’s when we knew this is why we came. All glory to God!”

And God opened another unexpected door.

While visiting a school, Geovani shared the Gospel with a group of teenagers. Because the students regularly heard Christian teaching, he wasn’t sure how they would respond.

He invited them to respond—and 33 teenagers accepted the invitation.

“I didn’t expect a positive response,” Geovani said. “It was definitely the power of God working despite my initial skepticism.”

For Geovani, the moment became a reminder that sharing the Gospel is an act of obedience, even when we cannot see what God may do through it.

“Many times, without meaning to or intending to, we undervalue what we do,” he said. “We think it’s not the right time to share the gospel, or we don’t give it importance at that moment. But we don’t know what God’s plan is for that day or for that moment.”

None of this happened by accident.

CFCI’s Guatemala team helped organize the week and connected True Victory Athletics with local communities and basketball teams. Those relationships are opening doors for future ministry.

After the team returned home, Geovani began receiving calls from local contacts who wanted to do something even bigger—with more activities and more opportunities for teams like True Victory Athletics to come.

“Bringing more teams like this would be a great blessing for everyone,” he said.

That’s the heart of CFCI’s Global Teams: bringing visiting teams alongside local ministry leaders who already know their communities, relationships, and needs. Together, they serve, build relationships, and create opportunities to share the Gospel.

For CFCI’s Guatemala team, the partnership with True Victory Athletics is another way to reach more people, strengthen local relationships, and continue the work God is already doing.

And the impact goes both ways.

The True Victory team returned home with a renewed desire to live on mission, a stronger sense of community, and a deeper appreciation for the blessings they experience in the United States.

Sometimes the greatest victories don’t appear on a scoreboard.

Sometimes they happen when a basketball game pauses, a testimony is shared, and an entire gym gets quiet enough to hear about Jesus.

And sometimes, God uses a basketball to open a door that no one expected.

The key, Geovani said, is simple: “Be willing and keep going.”