Josh Nimmo '07
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Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training -
Owner and Head Coach at CrossFit MetroEast
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Participated in a month-long mission trip to Ukraine with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
Josh Nimmo ’07 is passionate about fitness and his faith, but he never expected to travel halfway around the world to share them both with the people of Ukraine. In the midst of running his own CrossFit gym and planning a wedding with his fiancé, he felt called to join a group of area coaches in their mission to provide coaching and ministry to more than 250 Ukrainian athletes and coaches.
How did you end up teaching CrossFit and sharing your faith in Ukraine?
A couple years back, I received a visit from an FCA Ukraine staff member interested
in learning more about running a CrossFit gym. We developed a connection chatting
about fitness and even talked about me someday going to visit him in Ukraine. Two years later, that turned into a reality when the MetroEast FCA approached me about an opportunity
to serve the people of Ukraine.
As exciting as this opportunity sounded, I knew it would stretch my faith to follow
through with this big of a mission. As an independent small business owner, leaving
the country and my business for over a week would be trying. My fiancé and I were
in the middle of planning our wedding. On top of that, I had never left the country for ANYTHING. Now I was going to go across
the world to a country that I knew little to nothing about and tell people who didn't
even speak my language about Jesus.
What was it like to experience life in a different culture?
I was blown away. We went to a country where the capitol city was established sometime
in the 6th century. Rivne, where I spent most of my time, was founded in the 1200s.
Although the cities themselves have been established for quite some time, Ukraine
is in its infancy as its own country.
Many of the sports we coached in the Ukraine are very new to the athletes there. Despite
the teams’ limited exposure to American sports, their drive and work ethic were second
to none.
What did this trip mean for you as a coach and a person?
The most memorable moment was when I got to minister to some junior high and high
school boys after a few days of training them. I talked about my journey through sports
and faith, we prayed together, and at the end, a few of the boys even thanked me for
sharing my testimony. It was during this trip that I could feel God calling me to
continue to serve him by impacting young men through coaching.
Another way it affected me was my confidence as a coach. Handling big groups of kids
and adults in our gym can definitely be stressful. None of that is as stressful as
walking into a gym with 20+ athletes, everyone waiting for you to lead them, and none
of them can understand what you’re saying! I knew right then, if I could figure this
out as a coach, I could do anything!
What were your main takeaways from the trip and what advice can you offer Americans
on developing a global mindset?
Be grateful for what you have, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Many of the amenities
and resources we have in the U.S. just aren’t readily available in other areas of
the world. The teams and coaches in Ukraine were far less concerned about fancy facilities
or brand new equipment. They just wanted to learn how to play their sports better!
Fitness is a universal language. I ended up coaching five classes a day to athletes
who seldom knew what I was saying. At first I was overwhelmed. Once I decided to just
be myself and coach how I always coach, the exercises did the communicating.
Many times we fear what we don't understand. The things someone eats. The way someone
dresses. Or even the way someone worships (or doesn’t). I would just challenge us
all to be less judgmental of someone not like you, and more inquisitive in finding
out why.
