About
twice a week Josh and I play soccer-sorry, futbol. He played soccer for
years and is a really great player. We play in the heart of the college
section of Jinotepe, so we are playing with 22 year olds, all guys.
I am white, a girl, and the youngest one on the court (we play on a
basketball court with a semi flat ball with the basketball poll as the
goal… not an easy target) Needless to say, I stick out like a sore
thumb. Unbelievably enough, Josh and I definitely hold our own out
there. By the grace of God, I still have some talent left in me and can
show up some of these boys once or twice. 🙂
The court turns into an uproar when I juke a boy. They all laugh and
shout at whoever I show up, and they even mocked one boy mercilessly
because he fell at my feet when I made a move past him. Josh always plays a solid game, so he easily earned their trust. From our play,
Josh and I have definitely begun to win the respect of the college
boys. It has been my favorite way of building relationships here in
Nicaragua and I love playing the sport I adore again. After each game,
I´ve had really great conversations with particular college guys here,
and Josh and I have really started making ourselves known in the area.
It´s hot. It´s crazy. It´s the strangest soccer I have ever played.
They all pull moves out the wazoo and I do my best to not look like a fool. They yell at me in Spanish and I
simply do not understand their hurried shouting. They talk about me on
the court and I have no idea what they are saying. They talk to me on
the court and I have even less of an idea what they are saying. But I
am LOVING the ministry and the relationships Josh and I have been
building. I know all my family and old soccer friends must be wondering
how my pitiful ball skills match up to any Spanish guys… seriously…
it´s all luck 😉 Unfortunately, my speed does nothing on that small court.
In short, I´m so thrilled by the opportunity to play and use one of
the talents God gave me to promote His name. I am having a great time
here and know that God is using my teammates and I in a really great
way. I pray that all my family, supporters, and friends are doing
wonderfully and know that someone in Nicaragua is thinking about you!
Shout out to my fam (especially you Nasty Yonkos) and to Potter, Emily, Nancy, Taylor, my beautiful younglife girls, and Launa!
