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We are home!

     I have gradually been acclimating back to life at my home, but there are some memories and thoughts that continue to sit on the forefront of my mind and my heart.

When asked, "how was your trip?" I can give you a very simple and short answer:
"It was great.  I met a lot of great people and built some great relationships. I learned a lot and God really stretched us! It was an experience unlike any other!"

All true things and all great things. But I would like to reflect for just a moment.

     Our trip was unique in many ways, not only for us, but for the Club as well.  None of us, Jack, Jarrett, Grant or I had ever spent that much time in another country. None of us had ever been out of the country with such a small group of people. None of us could translate Spanish to english (or visa versa)  and some of us (Grant and I) had never taken any formal Spanish classes before.  The Club had never had a small group of young guys want to come down for three weeks and just help out.  With such a unique disposition and with few official plans, we had, in a sense, willingly thrown ourselves to the "mission trip" wolves.  We often found ourselves in wondering, what are we doing? where are we going? what did he say? why are we here? how much? what time? ummm....what? really?  This was not a traditional or common "mission trip." We had an experience that was unlike anything we had ever experienced, but for that I am very grateful.
      The best service we could be was to simply live and love and serve and pray.  We didn't move any mountains or rebuild the city.  But we did dive into the culture and have an up close and personal experience with the people of Medellin. We became a part of the families and and built relationships with those around us. We became coaches and assistant coaches with player who looked up to us.  We smiled and did our best to have conversations with kids, coaches, parents, friends, and strangers.
      God worked in us and through us in the most simple and unseen ways.  It is difficult to understand that simply being present can be a valuable contribution to an organization or a person, but I truly believe that is what we did... and it was amazing to see how simply being present actually encouraged those around us and showed them God's love.
      The beauty of the trip was not necessarily found in what we did or how much we did, but it was found in becoming a part of peoples lives and loving those around us!
     I pray that we can always be ready and willing to love those around us, in the greatest and most awesome ways and in the most simple and unseen ways.

     If you were wondering, here are some prayer requests of the people we worked with in Medellin:

For the CDUC- their coaches and administrators.
                       - the influence of the club on the kids and the community as a whole (to continue to help young people, resist drugs, stay out of gangs, go to school, and have a relationship with Jesus Christ)

For the kids on the various teams who live in rough neighborhoods and/or poor households.

For the churches- that they would continue to stand strong and grow both in their faith and influence

One more: Pray for Cyrus. Our friend from Colorado who is still in Medellin and will be traveling throughout South America for quite some time! Pray for his safety and that his mission to love and serve those he meets is a reflection of Christ's love! (Check out his blog on the left side of our blog)


one final thing..... THANK YOU!!! To all of you who prayed for us, thought about us, and read our blog. We truly appreciate your support! God Bless!