I said yes to a missional life with a leather ball in my hands. God’s creativity used my life to grow his kingdom in ways I couldn’t imagine. Now, after 40 years in overseas ministry, he still surprises me.
Basketball in Central America
I was passionate about basketball and loved Jesus. Fresh out of college, accepting an invitation to play in Latin America was a no-brainer. I started playing for the Guatemalan club team, Liceo Guatemala. In the earlier years, I recall leading a Sports Ambassadors team to many Central American countries, but not Nicaragua.
I played in Nicaragua six times — not in an official ministry capacity, but for a national basketball tournament. For some 10 days each year, from 1981-1986, I participated in the Ulloa tournament, the biggest sports event of the year in Nicaragua. Over the years, I played for several countries including Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. Never on a Nicaraguan team.
During this decade, the United States and Nicaragua were engaging in a covert “war.” The U.S. was arming the “contras” who were fighting the Nicaraguan Sandinista government army. You wouldn’t know this on the basketball court. The press published a photo of myself alongside the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, our arms around each other, flashing big smiles. That international tournament was highly publicized and prioritized. My name appeared regularly in the newspapers.
The Nicaraguan Basketball Federation invited me to join their team for the ’87 tournament. In God’s sovereignty, an illness sent me back to the U.S.. God’s plans did prevail, as during that time of recovery I met Pam.
I moved on from my time in Central America, still serving the Lord with a basketball in hand.
A Surprising Honor Shows God at Work
On May 4, 2024, the Nicaraguan Basketball Federation sponsored a special event to honor me, hosted at the American University in Managua. Four decades had passed since those Ulloa days. I hadn’t taken Sports Ambassadors to play and represent Jesus in Nicaragua. There was limited connection with the Nicaraguan church or believers or Christian workers in the country. The visits were dominated by the focus on the tournament. I would arrive with my team at the start of the tournament and leave immediately after the tournament.
At the event honoring me, I asked myself: How was my identity so prominently linked to being a Christian, even as a mission worker, as one who honored God?
The basketball federation and the players graciously and generously honored me for my basketball achievements and performance in the Ulloa tournaments. As presentations were made the big screen behind us showed that picture of President Daniel Ortega and myself smiling and embracing.
I was also commended and thanked by many for my open and clear identification with Jesus and for honoring Christ in my play and persona. Not only players who played against me in the 80s, but also other younger players in Nicaraguan basketball came to honor me and thank me for my Christian witness — players who are now in leadership in the church, education, and other areas.
God surprised me and used me for his purpose. Not in the words I spoke or ministry, but rather in the way I played a game I loved dearly. Christ’s love for me and my transformation in him shined and made a lasting impact. Kingdom creativity is God’s specialty!
The Three-Dimensional Player
Excerpt from a Facebook post from La Vieja Escuela del Baloncesto Nica, written by Wesley Savery:
“Two tournaments with Cosmos, and one with your team of U.S. Ambassadors, were enough for you to be baptized as ‘The most beloved American in Nicaragua.’ Your average of 25 points per game, your chivalry when playing, your accessibility, and your kindness won over the Nicaraguan fans who packed the Polideportivo España in Managua every night. Everyone, including President Ortega, wanted to meet and greet you.
It is difficult to recount in a single writing everything Bruce contributed to basketball in Central America, but even more difficult to separate his sporting life from his ministerial and spiritual life — so I will not try. At night he was a professional basketball player who trained and played at the highest level, and during the day he dedicated himself to the task of training and discipling young players, teaching them and developing them to become three-dimensional players.
Bruce played with the same intensity, seriousness, and commitment both in the best gym in Central America and on the humblest court in the most forgotten neighborhood in the region. Bruce’s leadership, humility, and empathy made him win friends throughout Central America. A guy who preached by example. He slept anywhere — carpets, living room chairs, and church pews. And ate whatever — mosh, baleadas, pupusas and gallo pinto, Vigoron. Bruce was undoubtedly one of the best basketball players in the history of Central America, leaving a mark on every country he played in. The three-dimensional player — he who develops his sporting ability, cultivates his mind, and gives his life to Jesus Christ our Lord.”
One Challenge recently interviewed Bruce about his experiences living and serving overseas. Check out a clip on Instagram.