As you can probably tell from reading some of the other blogs added from our trip, life has been anything but ordinary lately. I guess when you seek extraordinary things with extraordinary people in foriegn lands under an extrodinary God, who should expect that you get ordinary.
I’ve started playing soccer with this Nicaraguan gang everyday at 3:30
in their barrio on an old basketball court. Its so much fun, but
exhausting as they’re all amazing players… when their not taking a smoke
break. They’re all pretty covered in tatoos and most of them have scars. I even met one who has a scar from when he was hit with a machete across his neck… not really sure how he survived that one.
From the point of view of one of the gang members:
A few days ago was just like any other day; me and the guys were sittin around smoking, playing our games for money, and trying to stay outta trouble till the sun goes down. Yesterday we talked about robbing one of the American groups, just for fun. I think they’re tourists or something; not really sure. They seem to be afraid of us though, as they only talk to the kids in our neighborhood. They’re always taking them somewhere and bringing them candy or whatever.
But the next day a few of the guys from the American group came up and asked if we wanted to play soccer with them…. Uh of course. Thats like asking a starving man if he wants food. So we played for 3 hours that day. The next day they came back, this time with a brand new ball. Everyone dropped what they were doing to play. Culebra (Snake) and Perro (Dog) even came out to play. The Americans have been coming back every day to play more and more and its been good getting to know them despite the language barrier. They really seem interested… different. I heard one of them mention Jesus, but then the ball came my way so I had to run after it. I hope they keep coming back, mainly to play soccer, but its also just nice to have someone care about you and not just your drug money.
Josh: Soccer, the universal language. It can bring everyone together in any country and at any age. God has really shown me more about what it means to “Be Strong and very Courageous” Joshua 1:7. When I was at training camp, someone told me that I would be a leader on this trip and that they felt like God was telling them to share the #3 with me. The gang that God put in my life after telling me he wanted me to speak to the gangs is called the 3-point gang because of the triangle like tatoo that defines them… tricky. I have written a letter to the boss of the 3-point gang and had it translated to spanish so that I can one day read it to him. Pray that God will make it know to me the time that I’m supposed to share it with him and that I would be Strong and of good Courage to share it with him. Then I will let the Holy Spirit work in him as He so often does.
