The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

DEVON McDonald is more than excited, but he’s pleased with the progress being made in hosting the first Sports World Go Positive Tour to the Bahamas.

McDonald, a former player with the famed University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL), will be coming along with two other ex-pro football players and a former female softball player, for a week-long tour in New Providence and Grand Bahama.

“I feel very good about the upcoming trip to the Bahamas, which we are calling the Go Positive Tour,” he said. “God is in charge and as we are obedient to what he has planned, we will all benefit from His word coming to pass in the Bahamas.”

The group, comprising of Steve Grant, a linebacker with the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Colts, Charity Butler, a former shortstop/second base at the University of Southern Mississippi and a Swedish national champion and Lee Rouson, a former running back with the University of Colorado and both the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns, are scheduled to arrive in town October 5 and leave October 13.

During their stay here, they will participate in a number of events as they also encourage positive choices, as their theme suggests, to the many young people whom they hope to impact during their schools visits, skills camp and family rally in the park.

“We hope to accomplish our mission as ambassadors for Christ,” said McDonald of the group of players who have all made a commitment to serve God and in terms of spreading the message to those whom they come in contact with.

“God has anointed each of us to effectively present the message of hope. We have diversity in gender and ethnicity and sports involvement, which should add to the excitement. We have people that are effective at what they do.”

A local committee, headed by Jacquie Bain, has been formed and has been working diligently to get all of the logistics ironed out for the visit.

“We are extremely pleased and thankful to God for the success that we have achieved so far,” Bain said. “We have been able to partner with a number of entities, including the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

“We have also been working with the Police Force, the district superintendents in the schools and the local football and softball organisations to help pull off what we think will be a grand and fabulous week-long event in the Bahamas for the Sports World team.”

Sports World will be a part of the Ministry of Youth’s National Youth March October 6. A training session for youth leaders is set to be held 6:30pm October 7 at Bahamas Faith Ministries.

Then on Tuesday, Sports World is scheduled to hold the first in a series of school rallies at BFM for schools in the central/south/western district. On Wednesday, another rally is slated to take place at the Joe Farrington Road auditorium for the schools in the north/eastern district.

On Thursday, Sports World is set to be in Grand Bahama where rallies will be held at Sir Jack Hayward, St Georges, Tabernacle High, Bishop Michael Eldon and Eight Mile Rock, followed by a football skills camp 3:30 to 5pm at the YMCA.

After a day of leisure to enjoy the sights and scenes of New Providence on Friday, Sports World is set to close out their trip by hosting another skills football camp at Fort Charlotte 9am to noon Saturday. The final event is scheduled for Saturday night with a family rally at RM Bailey Park.

“We are really looking forward to the schools tours as Sports World intends to impact the lives of our young people,” Bain said. “We have had tremendous success so far with the local committee and we are really grateful for the amount of work that they have put in to make this a success.”

McDonald said he’s really eager about what will happen on Saturday, first with the skills camp and then the family rally.

“At the camps, we are expecting to help the young men develop their skills in football, more specifically in the positions of linebackers and running back,” he said. “It gives us a great opportunity to speak to them as young men looking to become men. It will be a great fellowship.”

As for the closing out rally, McDonald noted: “It will culminate a great week of ministry. They can expect great music, which will set the atmosphere. They can expect to be illuminated, challenged and encouraged through the messages by the power of God’s word.”

Sports World, according to McDonald, will hope to make a difference in the Bahamas as they are doing throughout the United States.