This Abe Andrews interview can be viewed on the Australian Missionary News IPTV at http://tv.bushorchestra.com/Mission/videopages/abe_andrews.html or www.safeworlds.net
The Australian Missionary News IPTV anchorman Mark Tronson first asked Abe Andrews about his background. Abe responded that he grew up on the Sunshine Coast and had always been involved with Christian Surfers. Having been a qualified teacher, he moved to being the Chaplain on the Men's Surfing World Tour in 2008.
Abe and his wife Lisa live at Palm Beach on the Gold Cost, and both of them are involved with Christian Surfers at both Palm and Burleigh Beaches.
He said that he became involved with the Men's Surfing World Tour Chaplaincy when he was approached by Christian Surfers to try the Chaplaincy out at Snapper Rocks, Coolangatta in 2008 for the QuickSilver Pro.
He developed some wonderful working relationships and had a good feel that this role was working for him. In 2009, Christian Surfers appointed him to his current role as the touring chaplain, and both he and his wife travelled with the team to the 10 Pro Events around the world.
Abe Andrews found that his role involved caring for the surfers' total personal well-being; which meant knowing their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Lisa's role proved to be enormously significant, as she interacted with the wives, partners and families of the 45 professional surfers on the world tour.
They found that the women naturally talk to each other more than the men; so Lisa's role was pivotal in providing a deeper level of understanding to Abe about the men's needs.
The potential of this type of chaplaincy, Abe emphasised, is fully realised when he can build trusting relationships with the men in the first instance; and then place importance on ministering to the whole family. He would like to see this chaplaincy model expand across Australia and the surfing world at club level.
Some of these top surfers have been on the pro surfing circuit for well over ten years, and as there are ten major events plus a host of minor meets, winning the 'same event' time after time loses its magic. They have strict training and diet, although there is travel and it all seems glamorous, for some at this level, it becomes routine. The passion has gone from both surfing and from competition and all they find is emptiness within them.
In all of this, Abe Andrews has recognised a single issue that he has witnessed, and that is the key to helping athletes succeed in their sport over and over again. He is finding through this specific, targeted ministry, that the surfers are seeing through the modelling of the Christian marriage between himself and Lisa, that there is something more; and that this emptiness of the soul can be filled with Jesus.