Please, please, please send me your prayer requests. I'd like to spend a lot of time next week thanking the Lord for each of you and would love for you to send me an update and any prayers I could be praying for you. I love you!
my email: katie.hancock@athletesinaction.org
Also, I'll be sending out a hard-copy of December's newsletter. If you do not recieve one of these, or would like to, e-mail me your address and I will make sure you get one.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Week Three: a Mexican prison and a road trip
As the title suggests, I did get my first experience with a Mexican penitentary today. Marnie, Jolita, Abbey, Natalie, John and I all loaded up and went to visit a good friend of theirs named Julio- probably one of the sweetest, most kind-hearted people I have met, not only in Mexico, but in my life. He has been wrongfully accused and spent almost the last two months there. He was a former baseball player at UDLAP and his dad is the coach. In fact, after we went to visit Julio in prison I walked over to the baseball field after I finished with soccer practice at UDLAP and met his father. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree- he is a precious man and I think he was pretty impressed at the way I threw a baseball. He jokingly offered me a hundred thousand dollar contract to come play softball on his team. I told him I'll be there at the scrimmage tomorrow- no payment necessary.
The prison experience was, actually... amazing. The men in there treated us with nothing but respect. They bought us coffee, showed us their rooms, taught us the favorite board game and even played it with us. Once Julio figured out I played the guitar, he went up to his cell and got his roommates guitar, brought it down and let me play it. I mean never in a million years did I think I would look up from my job one day and be playing Sweet Home Alabama on the guitar to about fifty Mexican prison innmates. But the Lord calls and our job is only to respond and in doing so I have recieved some of the most amazing life experiences. Julio is studying the bible with John and some of the inmates have asked John is, upon Julio's release, he would continue coming to the jail to talk with them. Very, very cool.
On Thursday I got the amazing opportunity to travel to Xalapas, Veracruz with the women's soccer team Abbey and I are working with from UDLAP. These girls are good- a couple of them have been given a summer Olympic opportunity to go and try out for the team. The drive was gorgeous and the time was so fun. I got to spend a lot of quality time with the girls- it was a great trip to connect with them before they head home for the holidays. We are super excited to start up a bible study with these girls next semester. The coaches are very open to giving us full access to the team so next semester we might have to opportunity to travel to ALL the games with them! Appartently they travel quite a bit to all the Mexican states so this is an awesome opportuity God has opened up to Abbey and I to spend more time with the girls and also see the beautiful country.
This past weekend was a great time for me to catch my breath after a full week. Marnie and I went downtown into what has quickly become our favorite area called Sappos- a huge antique market. I stocked up on a bunch of stuff for my room and picked up a few Christmas gifts. I can't wait to visit back home and celebrate my all time favorite holiday!!!
On Friday Marnie and I got to meet up with some friends of ours and play on their travelling basketball team. I had soooo much fun! It's fun to get back on the court and play against real competition- especially with Marnie. She seems to read my mind so we just have fun and play pretty well together. We ended up winning pretty big and the team asked us to come play again with them so hopefully we will get to do that this week sometime.
Saturday morning came quick as Marnie and I went off to run a clinic/practice for a friend of ours who coaches twenty 12-14 year old boys. He told us to make them puke and we gave it our best... It was such fun. They boys were sweethearts, super open to our coaching and hard workers. But nobody lost their breakfast, so I think we will give it another shot next week and see if we get any better results :) The funniest part was at the end when all these sweaty adolescent boys came up to thank us for getting up that morning and coming to help them train. I don't know how many of you know the Mexican custom for thanking and greeting people, but it's a big kiss on the right cheek. Now, imagine doing that twenty times with young boys who have been sweating for the last three hours. It was a major lesson in cultural adaptation to say the least.
One last bit of news: I have been praying for an opportunity to go to London in August for the 2012 Olympics this week and... (drumroll)... I think there is a good possibility that it will happen!!! Thank you God for being so generous in blessing me with these amazing opportunities. I cannot wait!!!!
I do have a couple of prayer requests:
- the basketball team I am working and practicing with at UMAD is experiencing some, well, trials. Abbie and I are currently meeting with two girls every week for one-on-one times, talking about their life and the bible. On Saturday morning I went to their game and found out that Diana, one of the girls I meet with from Ecuador, was released from the team and given a plane ticket to return home for good. I am really sad to see her go- she was one of the girls I really connected with and showed a great interest in growing spiritually. I have to give her some credit, she took the news well. She seemed to be under this peace that surpassed all understanding when she was talking to me. I think she is understanding that the LORD has mighty plans for her life. I just wish I could spend the next year watching it.
-On the same note, the other girl we were meeting with is Reina. She's a baller. Sharp-shooting point guard that loves to play hard. She also loves the LORD and I have had great conversation with her. She was also dismissed from the team following the game on Saturday. I've been praying a lot for the coach of this team- I don't see his reasoning or rationalization for the way he does things. I don't want to say that Reina's dismissal was completely irrational because I don't know the backstory, but I hope this was a mistake and she gets back on the team. She has been working extremely hard on both her school and basketball life, as well as growing spiritually. I really, really pray that she could get back on the team.
So basically, the only two girls I was having meetings with and connecting deeply with have been dismissed from the team and as it stands now, will not be back next semester. I'm pleading with you to pray with me that this would not be the case. This team and university so desperately need a strong Christian woman to emerge as a leader and I had prayed that Diana and Reina would be just that. I know the Lord is going to deliver, I just don't know his plans. And that's okay because I know he is at work here. On Wednesday night we are having a Christmas party with the girls and sharing the gospel. Hopefully this will be a time of great food and fellowship and spark some spiritual conversations that could lead to more in-depth studies later. This team is really on my heart and I feel especially called to them. I konw the Lord is investing here and I just want to be a part of that.
I thank you so, so much. I can't wait to come back to the States for a while and celebrate with you all.
Hasta luego! Talk to you later!
 |
| Marnie, me, and Jolita on the way to see Julio |
The prison experience was, actually... amazing. The men in there treated us with nothing but respect. They bought us coffee, showed us their rooms, taught us the favorite board game and even played it with us. Once Julio figured out I played the guitar, he went up to his cell and got his roommates guitar, brought it down and let me play it. I mean never in a million years did I think I would look up from my job one day and be playing Sweet Home Alabama on the guitar to about fifty Mexican prison innmates. But the Lord calls and our job is only to respond and in doing so I have recieved some of the most amazing life experiences. Julio is studying the bible with John and some of the inmates have asked John is, upon Julio's release, he would continue coming to the jail to talk with them. Very, very cool.
On Thursday I got the amazing opportunity to travel to Xalapas, Veracruz with the women's soccer team Abbey and I are working with from UDLAP. These girls are good- a couple of them have been given a summer Olympic opportunity to go and try out for the team. The drive was gorgeous and the time was so fun. I got to spend a lot of quality time with the girls- it was a great trip to connect with them before they head home for the holidays. We are super excited to start up a bible study with these girls next semester. The coaches are very open to giving us full access to the team so next semester we might have to opportunity to travel to ALL the games with them! Appartently they travel quite a bit to all the Mexican states so this is an awesome opportuity God has opened up to Abbey and I to spend more time with the girls and also see the beautiful country.
This past weekend was a great time for me to catch my breath after a full week. Marnie and I went downtown into what has quickly become our favorite area called Sappos- a huge antique market. I stocked up on a bunch of stuff for my room and picked up a few Christmas gifts. I can't wait to visit back home and celebrate my all time favorite holiday!!!
 |
| This is what happens when you spend all day in Sappos. Lucky for us, Mexican cab drivers can pack down a taxi. |
Saturday morning came quick as Marnie and I went off to run a clinic/practice for a friend of ours who coaches twenty 12-14 year old boys. He told us to make them puke and we gave it our best... It was such fun. They boys were sweethearts, super open to our coaching and hard workers. But nobody lost their breakfast, so I think we will give it another shot next week and see if we get any better results :) The funniest part was at the end when all these sweaty adolescent boys came up to thank us for getting up that morning and coming to help them train. I don't know how many of you know the Mexican custom for thanking and greeting people, but it's a big kiss on the right cheek. Now, imagine doing that twenty times with young boys who have been sweating for the last three hours. It was a major lesson in cultural adaptation to say the least.
One last bit of news: I have been praying for an opportunity to go to London in August for the 2012 Olympics this week and... (drumroll)... I think there is a good possibility that it will happen!!! Thank you God for being so generous in blessing me with these amazing opportunities. I cannot wait!!!!
I do have a couple of prayer requests:
- the basketball team I am working and practicing with at UMAD is experiencing some, well, trials. Abbie and I are currently meeting with two girls every week for one-on-one times, talking about their life and the bible. On Saturday morning I went to their game and found out that Diana, one of the girls I meet with from Ecuador, was released from the team and given a plane ticket to return home for good. I am really sad to see her go- she was one of the girls I really connected with and showed a great interest in growing spiritually. I have to give her some credit, she took the news well. She seemed to be under this peace that surpassed all understanding when she was talking to me. I think she is understanding that the LORD has mighty plans for her life. I just wish I could spend the next year watching it.
-On the same note, the other girl we were meeting with is Reina. She's a baller. Sharp-shooting point guard that loves to play hard. She also loves the LORD and I have had great conversation with her. She was also dismissed from the team following the game on Saturday. I've been praying a lot for the coach of this team- I don't see his reasoning or rationalization for the way he does things. I don't want to say that Reina's dismissal was completely irrational because I don't know the backstory, but I hope this was a mistake and she gets back on the team. She has been working extremely hard on both her school and basketball life, as well as growing spiritually. I really, really pray that she could get back on the team.
So basically, the only two girls I was having meetings with and connecting deeply with have been dismissed from the team and as it stands now, will not be back next semester. I'm pleading with you to pray with me that this would not be the case. This team and university so desperately need a strong Christian woman to emerge as a leader and I had prayed that Diana and Reina would be just that. I know the Lord is going to deliver, I just don't know his plans. And that's okay because I know he is at work here. On Wednesday night we are having a Christmas party with the girls and sharing the gospel. Hopefully this will be a time of great food and fellowship and spark some spiritual conversations that could lead to more in-depth studies later. This team is really on my heart and I feel especially called to them. I konw the Lord is investing here and I just want to be a part of that.
I thank you so, so much. I can't wait to come back to the States for a while and celebrate with you all.
Hasta luego! Talk to you later!
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