Servants at BNP Paribas

At the BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament in Indian Wells, CA, Terry and I had the privilege of watching great tennis players like Peter Polansky and Genie Bouchard.

Genie Bouchard

Peter Polansky

What intrigued me, though, was the role of the “supporting actors”. These are the Ball Kids!

On a brief TV interview, one young lady explained that she had been picked from several hundred applicants for one of the volunteer positions. She would have to know the game of tennis well, as a starting point. Then there would be training, to find out the demands of her role on the court.

From our front row seats, I had the perfect vantage point. The young girl or boy knelt on a cushion close to the net and the tall referee's chair. Their job was to capture the ball the second it rolled out of play. Poised for action, one knee up, they kept their eyes on the ball, springing up to chase it down, and hurry back to their spot. If it was closer to the other side of the court, they went that way, taking up their position on the cushion on the opposite side. The ball kid already on that side would make a point of getting to the other side of the court when he had the chance.

In each corner of the court, close to the wall, at least four more Ball Kids were positioned. They stood at ease, but alert, their hands behind their backs They would be ready to gather up the balls the Ball Kids on the side would carefully roll in their direction. One of them was in charge of The Towel. They would hold it up after play stopped, or the player would signal for it to mop his/her face and arms. Otherwise it was hung on the wall behind them.

Another job was to be in charge of the balls. They would hold the balls unobtrusively behind their backs. When the tennis player was ready to serve, they would hold their arms up in the air to show whether or not they had balls, and then pass one or two to the player.

What struck me was the smoothness of their movements. They knew exactly where to stand, what to do and when to do it. They were an integral part of the tennis game. They were ready!

As Servants on Wheels Ever Ready, (SOWERs) that is what Terry and I are about.

We have skills and experiences that life has equipped us with. We have volunteered to travel around USA and Canada to help churches, schools, orphanages, camps, or any other ministries in their work. We take the unobtrusive role in being useful, mostly far removed from the “up front” role we took in our careers. Our job is to make our “boss” successful.

Judging by the many comments and expressions of gratitude that have come our way, the bosses are happy. That's not why we do it, but it shows that the SOWER ministry works.

Mark 10:43 Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant