Update: Days 1-2

Leaving Messiah early Sunday morning, we traveled all day, arriving in Medellin in the evening. The bus ride from the airport to the stadium complex in the suburb of Bello was jaw-dropping. As soon as we rounded the mountain and the city came into view, everyone’s eyes were glued to the window for the rest of the trip. The lights of the city at night were mesmerizing, rising up the steep mountains surrounding the city, eventually blending in with the stars that could be seen through the thick clouds. Once we got to the stadium complex and were welcomed warmly by Marcos, the director of C.D.U.C, several of us played a pick-up game under lights on the new synthetic turf field.

After eating a delicious breakfast made by the cooks here at the stadium, we had a time of worship and prayer with the C.D.U.C. staff. It was an awesome experience to sing worship songs we know well in English, instead sung in Spanish. It was a great reminder of how the church of Christ is global and that we have so much in common with Christians in an entirely different continent, despite countless differences in culture, language, and life experience.

Later in the morning, Coach McCarty lead a coaching clinic for the C.D.U.C. staff, beginning by talking about the importance of team chemistry, relational investment in players and coaches, and creating buy-in in the members of a team. After the talk, we demonstrated some of our foundational drills at Messiah and learned some new ones from the coaches at C.D.U.C. After the clinic, we began work projects at the stadium. C.D.U.C. is planning on building a new soccer field on the complex, so we cleared rocks and weeds from the field site and began work on drainage ditches and a rock retaining wall surrounding the field.

After a little break, we split up into 6 teams and played a round robin tournament on the turf stadium field, with Messiah players and C.D.U.C. staff intermixed. Everyone was pretty exhausted after a long day of work in the sun, but the competition was still great, and we played until after dark. After an excellent dinner, we walked down to some of the shops down the street and sampled some of the favorite local sodas, Postobon, Quatro, and Colombiana.

This morning several groups are heading off to different sectors of the city to help coach the various C.D.U.C. coaches with their youth teams in the morning. Once we all gather back at the stadium, we’ll get ready for our first tournament game at noon versus the top team in Medellin, Antioquia Seleccion!

Here are a few pictures from the first couple days: 

Getting the bus loaded upon arrival in Medellin

Checking out the new synthetic turf field at the stadium with the city lights in the background...followed by a pretty serious game of pick-up under the lights. 

Monday morning devotional with the CDUC coaching staff...a great time of singing, prayer, and a message from Coach McCarty on "Amigos y Amor" 

Coach McCarty and Coach Faro led a coaching clinic throughout the afternoon featuring demonstrations from the Messiah and CDUC players. 

Beginning to work on the new field going in above the stadium, Marcos down in front giving us our assignments. 

Making some new friends and showing off some of our skateboarding skills

Hanging out in some of the shops right outside the stadium, enjoying some snacks and drinks

Thanks for your prayers and support. We wouldn’t be here without you!

God bless,

Messiah Men’s Soccer

4 Days Until Departure!

The team assembles on Friday morning for 2 days of training prior to our departure.  Stay posted for more updates.

Here is a link to our prayer calendar if want to lift up the team throughout our trip.  We have set aside 9:19 pm
 each night to pause in prayer for the trip and invite you to join us throughout the coming weeks!  Our prayer comes out of Daniel 9:19 where Daniel calls out that God would be honored by his people.  This is our prayer as well.

To take a look back at our trip in 2011 as well as the small group of 4 that returned in 2012 scroll back through the blog.

Thanks for your support and encouragement!

Home

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!

Goodbye

We leave in the next ten minutes from the Guzman house for the airport in Medellín. Our flight takes off at 1:55 and we should arrive in Ft. Lauderdale around 6pm. Colombia has been an awesome experience, but we are all anxious and excited to get back to the States! Grant will be flying all the way back to Philly tonight, while Sam and I will be sleeping in the airport tonight. Both of are flights, to Philly and WV, will leave Tuesday at 9pm. Send a prayer up for us...we are flying Spirit Airlines!!!

More Photos!

We have posted a bunch of photos! I hope they prompt you to ask questions and make you want to listen to all of our stories. We leave for the US in a few hours. God Bless!

Trust...a reflection

Everybody desperately desires to be trusted. The newly licensed driver wants her parents to trust her on the road with the car. A man wants his girlfriend to know that she can trust him while she is gone for a month. I wish to be a friend that people can share anything with, while still feeling safe and secure. The list goes on and on. We all, deep inside, desire trust.

On the other side of the spectrum, trust is very cautiously handed out. Most families, except the Woodworths, lock their doors at night. In Colombia, we sleep in a guest house that is secured by 4 different locked doors and gates. We put up walls, borders, and checkpoints to screen people before letting them close to us. Honestly, I walk down the streets of Medellín, and think every single person is planning to kidnap me, steal all of my stuff, and leave me for dead. Without even saying hello, we count people out.

The foundation of trust is respect. Colombia is a very interesting place to see this play out. On one hand, the people here are incredibly hospitable, way more then I have ever experienced. It is impossible to walk into somebodys home, and not be offered the best chair to sit in, as well as a drink and some food. Old ladys will make way for some punk, sweaty, gringo teenagers to sit on their clean furniture, and they will do it over and over again with a smile on their face. We will be on the Metro, and see young people giving up their seats for their elders. I have mad respect for this. On the other hand, Colombia is a place, like most places, lacking respect. As I was standing in the middle of a busy intersection last night, dodging motos, buses, and taxis, and seeing my life flash before my eyes, I had zero respect for anyone. The streets are crazy here. It is literally every man for himself. We all know the history of Colombia with drugs and violence, this has caused there to be giant gaps in respect and trust for so many people and places. We know which neighborhoods to stay out of, and which streets not to walk down. When we smell the drugs, we get out of there fast. It is incredible how conscientious we need to be about where are bags our at all times. For two minutes, I put down Hayden and Michelle's camera, and it was stolen. This place lacks respect, therefore trust.

We find this gap of lost respect and trust not only in Colombia, but in so many different avenues.   It may be on a team, at a workplace, within a family, or in a church, it happens everywhere. Why is this? Because we are human, and we continually fall short. Everyone, myself included, will fall short. Selfishness and pride really do exist and find their way into relationships, hoping to kill and destroy. And sometimes they do.

But, there is hope. Isaiah 26:4, "Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal." We have a God who will never fall short. Unlike the relationships of this world, we have one Friend who will never lie to us, never let us down, will always be there, whatever the circumstance, and however great the task. I have been really encouraged by Isaiah 40:28 as well which reads, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable." As much as I fall short time and time again, God never gets tired of being there for me. His Grace is freely lavished on me, despite me. Oh, may my trust in Him and His plan be unending.


My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

—Edward Mote (1797-1874)

Tienes un Amigo,
Jack

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