A Leap of Faith: Tournament Time

Buenos Noches! I am writing this as I sit among 25 Mexican athletes as well as our own team packed in a room watching The Lion King. Long story short, one of my best friends down here, Abbey, has never seen the single most-grossing animated film ever so we all decided to have a movie night. I am amazed that so many girls showed up tonight... we have had trouble getting girls to show up to outreach events but something about Simba and the promise of popcorn, Coke, and Oreos brought them out in masses today. Funny how God works in the smallest of things.

These past two days have been pretty packed. Yesterday we spend the afternoon running a kids basketball clinic, coordinated with a local missionary family working within a particular neighborhood in Puebla. We had about 45 kids show up, again a surprise to us that so many showed up. We all had a blast being able to legitimately act like children. We ran stations, played games, gave out jerseys and Mandi shared her testimony and the gospel. Lots of fun with the kids.

The team in front of Popo, the volcano

Meet Jessi. She's an idiot.

We attempted an ab workout

Yost working with some of the UDLAP girls

Eating lunch with the girls after practice

Marnie and I working at the kids clinic

Amy and Monica working with defense station

All the kids

Mandi shared her testimony with the kids

Today our tournament began and God is all over it. Our team was able to get into tons of spiritual conversations, I was even able to share the gospel as it applied to sport to three Mexican athletes over dinner after the games.

We won our game, in a pretty exhausting 65-71 victory. It is such a blast playing with these girls against some really tough competition. We are all attempting to transform our minds into thinking about sport as an opportunity to worship. We have talked a lot about a “thank-you” response: playing with a broader purpose in mind, for eternal glory, and giving our 100% all the time because God has given us the ability and passion to play this game.

Prayers as we continue the tournament tomorrow that more girls would be interested in hearing our motivation for competition (to glorify the one who created us), as well as just in general follow-up from the girls I shared the gospel with today, and the girls I am sitting with right now. I know God has begun to interest their hearts in the gospel and it is my prayer that it would elevate into their hearts being gripped by it.

I love you guys- you are really prayer warriors because so many of these have been answered. Keep you updated.

Katie