Water skiing and Jesus — organization offers both to special group
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
MARBLE FALLS — If you notice an influx of boats on Lake Marble Falls and its beaches in Johnson Park this week, it’s all because some folks want to share a lot of love and the word of God with some special people.
And they do it through a little waterskiing, wake boarding and tubing. Maybe it’s not how Jesus walked on the water, but for volunteers with Skiing with the Galilean, it certainly opens doors to sharing the his message of hope, love and grace.
“I remember when I was 5 years old and learned to (water) ski,” recalled Todd Garrett of Skiing with the Galilean. “I was blown away looking at the water as I skied across it.”
A second encounter 12 years later had an even larger and more lasting impact on his life. He wasn’t raised in a Christian household, but when he was 17, a girl asked him if he knew Jesus. He told her he understood him to be a significant person historically, but that was about the limit of it.
That initial conversation, however, led him down a path where he discovered the man from Galilee.
“At one point, I thought, ‘What if we combined the thrill of learning to ski with the thrill of the Gospel?'” Garrett said. At first, the group started by introducing typical youth to the message through waterskiing, but they soon found a portion of society that often gets overlooked: orphans, foster children and special-needs youth.
“About seven years ago, we began doing it for foster kids and orphans,” Garrett said. “That’s when it exploded.”
Skiing with the Galilean will be in Marble Falls on June 24-26. Volunteers and organizers will bring boats and all the necessary gear. But, mostly, they’ll bring a love of Christ to share.
The first day will include a group of special-needs adults from the Marble Falls area during the morning session. More special-needs youth will follow in the afternoon. On June 25, the day includes special-needs youth, orphans and foster children with June 26 reserved primarily for orphans and foster children. Garrett expects more than 400 people to attend the three-day event including youth, parents, foster parents and sponsors.
“It’s all free for the kids,” he explained. Through donations, the organization will even provide lunch and dinner for the attendees. “Marble Falls has been wonderful to us. I believe this is the fifth year we’ve been to Marble Falls. If I could say one thing, I would say ‘Thank you to Marble Falls for being so gracious.'”
Go to swtgusa.org for more information.
daniel@thepicayune.com