Weekend Player Retreat!

Buenos Dias, amigos.

A few days ago the team took a bit of a break from the normal schedule to have a players retreat with the CDUC U-20 team. This overnight retreat provided our players a great way to build relationships with the future leaders of the CDUC. Many of the kids on the U-20 team also help coach at different sectors around Medellin and will become full time coaches in the future. It was a great way for our players to try to positively impact and encourage these future leaders and in turn be impacted by them.

The retreat started off with a fun game of tanks, a Messiah soccer staple. After some fun we split into groups and just had some discussion time. With enough bi-lingual speakers the language barrier wasn't a problem. This was a a chance for young men from different cultures to bond and learn about each other. It was really awesome to see connections being made and relationships being started between our players and theirs. The discussion time ended with a lot of rain and a little bit of Messiah mud wrestling on the field, which the CDUC players were quite entertained by. After dinner and some more conversation, we took to the field, somewhere we all felt comfortable in no matter what language we spoke. The hours of eliminator and 6v6 scrimmages flew by. That night a few of the CDUC players shared their testimonies with a group of our players. Some of their lives were very different and much harder than most of ours. They offered such a different and unique perspective on how God has helped them in such a hard city to grow up in.

The next day we concluded our retreat with a trip to a local waterfall where the players had a great time swimming and beating the heat. After a little swim, Ben Page, one of our favorite Charlotte Eagles, lead us in an interesting and challenging discussion. In this discussion, Ben challenged us to think about what our specific talents and gifts from God are, and how we can use them to carry out God's will in soccer and in life in general. Ben really tied up our retreat and our trip so far with a great message and discussion.

It was so awesome to see our players bond with the CDUC U-20's throughout this retreat. It wasn't just a chance for our players to take a break from coaching and manual labor. It was a chance for us to encourage these guys who are already making an impact in Medellin and sharing God's glory with so many kids who really need it. Medellin is a hard place for these players to stay on track in, so it was important for our players to take some time to let them know how awesome it is that they are taking so much time and effort to make a positive impact and encourage them to keep it up. The CDUC players also had a really positive impact on our players. Through relationships, discussions, and testimonies they provided a different and unique perspective that was challenging and inspiring to our players.

Dios De Bendiga!

MMS