The Last

Our last full day in El Salvador was memorable, just as all of the others we have spent here. We attended an El Salvadorian church this morning. What a beautiful thing is was to see different people worshipping the same God in different languages. Our God is big, bigger than even religion, language, and culture.

From there we went to a market place to gather up some souvenirs! This market was filled with bright colors and clothes with much El Salvadorian spirit. It's customary to barter with the salespeople, but some in our group were better at this than others! Nevertheless, we're all coming back with some kind of momento from the trip!

We headed off to the beach and spent the afternoon swimming in the Pacific and soaking up the the sun! This day of relaxation with the team has been so much fun. There are always laughs and smiles here, especially with Humberto and Cat leading us. After dinner we reflected on the trip around a beach bonfire with millions of twinkling stars over us. The way God worked here, the meaningful moments we've shared, and love we have felt will never be forgotten. I have been truly humbled by this experience. Not only has the love of this team been encouraging, but the love and welcome of the El Salvadorian people. They received our love and listened to our message with great willingness and heart. Humberto shared with us about the importance of each person's role on this trip. Somehow, God used a group of people that hardly even knew each other for great things in  His kingdom. We are so thankful to Him for the work He did here this week.

We're a little sad to leave, but eager to share with you all the miracles we witnessed this week. We feel like we're on a mountaintop and want to remain there as long as we can. Danny shared withus that how we are feeling now and this life we've been living the past week is exactly the life that God wants us to have. Every act we've performed, love we've shown, and game we played is what the normal Christian life should look like. We won't stop sharing our testimonies and showing love when we get back to the US.  We will continue this work that God has began in us and pour out the living water of Christ. 

Marissa

Soccer Academy

This Saturday morning was spent at the soccer field! It was our last official day of service before we head to the beach to relax and reflect. Sports Outreach Institute offers Soccer Academy for kids every Saturday. The soccer players in our group lead the kids through drills and games, and then shared their testimonies. Quite a few kids hung around afterward to learn more about Jesus. It was amazing to see out team members use their skills to train the children and then share the gospel.

After lunch, we hiked up to the top of a volcano! El Salvador is a beautiful country, and on our hike we were able see another piece of the country. We walked along the path around the crater, looking down over trees and fields. What a view we had! We were looking down at birds and trees! It was absolutely breathtaking. While we were there, we ran into another mission group from America. It was so encouraging to talk with a group that was just beginning their journey as ours is coming to an end.

From there we headed back to the community to dedicate Jose's home. We arrived with friendly faces waiting for us, and full hearts to celebrate this new beginning for Jose's family. Humberto shared about God's work through the building of this house, and Jose shared his thanks. As we gathered around Jose to pray, everyone was just so overwhelmed by thankfulness. It is so amazing to me that God would use us to help this man, and even more amazing that every event leading up to this was a part of His plan. Even though we were so happy to celebrate with Jose and his family, tonight was hard. It was hard because we had to say goodbye to the community. The kids we played with, families we gave to, and the people we loved and prayed with are hard to leave. Goodbyes are so hard when their is so much love and learning between people.

We ended the night at a Mexican restaurant with a live mariachi band! We laughed and danced. Our group is so wonderful, I feel truly privileged to have served with them.

Marissa

Answered Prayers

It was another day in the community where we continued to work in Jose's house. We painted the inside and out, while others played with the kids and prayed for community members. We also had the opportunity to go to a new school. Humberto has been praying for God to open the door for a year and today was finally the day! We were able to go into all grades to pray with students and pass out candy. The students were welcoming and polite, and we know that Humberto will begin a powerful ministry in this place.

Today was our last day at the pool, and they thoughtfully flew an American flag! We were able to lead them in dry land and drills, then finish off with fun relays. We shared testimonies and some were lead to salvation through Humberto's prayer. Many swimmers were prayed for tonight, and we were moved by their thankfulness. We were so grateful for the coach that we worked with as he was so kind and generous. We pray that God will continue to work in that facility and that the children will grow in faith.

Marissa & Renee

In The Community

It truly is amazing how present God is everywhere we have gone in the past five days. Today we headed back to back to Thomas Rodriguez where our group split up into three teams. The first group set out into the village seeking out families and praying with them. The second group spent most of there day helping with Josè (a leader in the community) put the finishing touches on his home. I was a part of the third group where we spent the whole day playing with the kids. It was amazing being able to hang out with these wonderful children who accepted me and let me have a glimpse into their lives. I found myself in many places I had never seen before in the previous days we have been in this   Community. The group of about eight children lead me to some of their favorite spots. I ended up eating about eight delicious mangos and played multiple games of soccer around the dirt road that encompasses the village. I was then lead into one of the children's homes where I sat and stayed for quite some time with the children and their mother. She fed me some of the delicious bread she was making over the fire and then we left. God's presence here in El Salvador is undeniable. He is doing great works through the people of SOI and has been molding my heart in ways like never before these past five days. It is truly an honor to be able to spend time with these children and grow with them.

The Water

This morning started out with sunshine as we drove to an orphanage. This was no ordinary orphanage. This place was a kind of heaven, where adults and children with disabilities are gathered together with smiles, love, and freedom. This facility was well-equipped to care for the needs of these people, but we were able to donate a ton of rice and laundry detergent. The director of the orphanage had a beautiful passion for the people and the purpose of the institution. After a tour, we were able to feed people for lunch. There was something so powerful in the act of physically feeding people who are incapable of feeding themselves. We all experienced so many emotions, wrestled with hard questions, and performed uncomfortable tasks. Through all this, we felt love, saw Christ, and were encouraged. The effect of our presence in this place was humbling and powerful.

The emotional experience of the morning was followed by a relaxing lunch at a restaurant on the top of a mountain. The beauty of God's creation is as vast as the mountain to the orphanage, and more than we could have ever imagine.

Today was the first day we traveled to the aquatic center! The kids that we worked with in the pool were much different from the children we've been working with on this trip so far. These kids spoke English, had iPhones, and had busy schedules with school and swimming. But as soon as we walked in to the beautiful outdoor pool, we knew that our purpose was the same as when we walked in to the developing communities: love the kids. We swam through drills with the kids, and afterwards we had a doughnut social with the swimmers. Humberto shared a beautiful testimony with everyone. We can always be reminded that despite our love of the water, there is a living water that matters more.

We were able to take pictures and share stories with the kids. We can not wait for the rest of our time with them. We never expected to swim in a different country with other swimmers, and we feel so blessed to be able to do this with a missional attitude!

Swimmer Girls:)

All Will See

    Traveling to another country reveals certain universal truths.  There are some things that remain the same no matter where you are: a smile, a hug, a high five, a fun game, a cool hairstyle, and the love of Christ. It's amazing how the language barrier seems to fade away when you act out of the Spirit of Christ. God's love transcends all barriers of the physical, including language.  This message is running through my mind continually during our time here in El Salvador and I am reminded with each new activity that it all starts with love.
    The activities for today were similar to yesterday's agenda. We returned to the same school for the morning and the developing community at night. A truly heartwarming moment was when the kids recognized us from yesterday and greeted us with running hugs and requests for more games!  The opportunity to play tennis was a new option for the kids and their unbridled enthusiasm made the teaching a true delight. Along with tennis, soccer, and of course more "meeka" (tag), I found myself wrapped up in an intense game of hide-and-seek.  The name of the game in El Salvador is "escondilera".  Through the times of fervent searching during hide and seek and intense running to chase after kids for an exhausting game of tag, I was reminded of such a simple truth about God. Although I was getting tired from seemingly endless games of hide-and-seek and tag, God never grows tired of seeking and pursuing us. It's the simple Gospel: God loves us, wants a relationship with us, and is constantly pursuing us. He even showed His love through His son, Jesus Christ.  Those are simple truths about the Gospel and it's certainly important to keep it simple when translating into another language! As a team we are blessed with the opportunity to bring the Gospel to life by displaying God's love unconditionally. With or without knowing Spanish, showing love involves those universal truths.  Acts of kindness that can be understood in any language go a long way. The simple act of presence is an art form involving love, patience, and a lot of time. Just like God's Word, the acts of kindness are applicable, effective, and point people to Christ.  We become the aroma of Christ, just like our mission statement. Even when the only aroma we smell is our feet and body odor from hours of playing in the humid El Salvadorian air, we know that we spread the Good News like a sweet perfume.
    Leaving the school was difficult because we formed relationships with the kids and we left knowing we would not return. With one boy in particular it became clear that he felt and appreciated our love as tears ran down his face during a heartfelt goodbye hug. With the help of a translator we were able to tell the young boy that the love he felt from us comes from God. So even though we were leaving, the love will stay with Him forever. It was the kind of moment that sheds new light on Romans 8:31-39 (if you don't know these verses, you should look them up because they're great!!).
    After the school we returned to the developing communities to deliver more water filters, courtesy of Sawyer.  The love of God was flowing through the community. If God's love is a waterfall, then we stood under it with arms wide open, splashing love on all the people around us.  Prayers, smiles, hugs, dancing children, and joyful parents with a new hope for life with clean water were common sites tonight. All this and more reminds me of how great our God truly is. With the help of a new amigo at the school I was able to translate the song, "How Great is Our God" into Spanish. Because we sang it yesterday, he remembered and began to sing it in Spanish today. It was a moment that I saw God move despite the difference in language. He truly is great and so I thought it appropriate to end with a familiar song in a language that may not be familiar to us.  However, it is a reminder that it is absolutely beautiful to witness God's presence in other parts of the world.
"Cuan grande es dios                           (How great is our God)
Cantale                                                (Sing with me)
Cuan grande es dios                            (How great is our God)
Y todos lo veran                                  (And all will see)
Cuan grande, Cuan grande, es dios"   (How great, how great is our God)

I love you all! Thanks for your prayers and support and thanks for reading! :)
~Hanna 

Meeka Meeka!

Today was the first full day we had in El Salvador and full it was! It started bright and early at 6am for breakfast and we literally did not stop moving all day. The first place we went to was a school that has students ranging in age up to 16 and around 850 students total between morning and afternoon classes.  It ran in a morning and afternoon shift that were very similar but had a completely different sets of students. We split our group into three and had one group assisting Humberto in the classroom, another helping with PE class and a third sorting clothing and helping to organize the sports outreach office and share testimonies and stories of how God has worked in their lives. I was blessed to be a part of the group that had the opportunity to share  testimonies in the classrooms. It was incredible and I was most definitely stretched by it. Because El Salvador is a Spanish speaking country sharing testimonies in English is not super effective, luckily we have some group members that are fluent which made translating much easier and it was neat to learn as a team how to adjust our stories and testimonies to fit the age we were working with. The kids would smile and stare at us in silence or ask silly questions but it was evident that they were so joyful we were there. 
   Speaking of the kids  I think I can safely speak for all of my team members when I say I was shocked at the amount of energy that those kids have. Wow. Anyone of them could audition for the energizer bunny and easily become the new mascot! Their endless smiles and constant laughter was  delightful and made for a truly spectacular day. The kids favorite game to play, aside from football of course, was meeka. I can't tell you exactly what meeka means but I'm guessing it means "tag, you're it!" Whether you were in conversation or not, if you were an able bodied individual you had to be constantly on the look out because there was a very good chance a child would run up to you, pinch your stomach and shout "meeka!" It was often followed by a taunting that  begged for retaliation and a great game of chase. There was never any rhyme or reason to it and you could easily have three kids pinch you in a matter of seconds but that was the fun of it. No one ever won and no won ever lost but those kids just kept running until we were near panting. I didn't see a single kid pant but I saw every team member exhausted at some point!  Recess was the truest form of a controlled chaos I have ever seen in my life. When the bell rang to dismiss the kids, the seemingly small and quiet courtyard teemed with life and the basketball court would easily be holding two different games of football, countless games of meeka, kids riding piggyback and many different passing conversations that meandered through the games. Somehow despite the overwhelming amount of things going on, everything worked smoothly and collisions were scarce. At one point this morning I looked at my watch and my jaw dropped when I discovered it was only 10am. My mind was truly boggled as to how much we had already fit into our day!
     After the morning session we grabbed a quick lunch at subway and then headed back to the school for afternoon classes with a completely new set of students. At this point everyone in our group was tired and nap ready but the afternoon classes had a whole new set of children to love on and so we boarded our van with tired but overfilling hearts ready to love more people. Monday afternoons in the school are always civil day and a presentation was put on where we were given  the opportunity to sing our national anthem and the song How great is our God. We of course slipped in our very own Hannah original complete with beat boxing to accompany the wonderful gospel tunes of her catchy little tune. After the assembly normal structure of English class, P.E. And more testimonies began again. It was a truly a wonderful day at the school and we all look forward to going back again tomorrow!

   Around 5pm we left the school and headed back to the Thomas-Rodriguez community to pass out water filters. It was incredible. Humberto shared the gospel and talked about the living water of Christ and then demonstrated how to use the water filters. The pure joy and happiness on the peoples faces when they saw the dirty water get purified into crystal clear drinking water was an incredible sight.  They have so little but they are always smiling and always cheerful. To be able to show them how to use the filters, a tool that will change their life, was incredible. While the adults were being shown how to use the filters, the children were teaching me and some other group members some songs in Spanish,  and we attempted to sing father Abraham to them in Spanish. It was a slight struggle but it was wonderful to spend time with the children and they found our attempts to be quite amusing.
       I have been in this country for not even two full days and already I have been humbled by the true joy that these people have with so little. It is evident that God is at work in this beautiful country and I am humbled and blessed to play a role in this ministry. Thank you so much for your prayers, love and support!
~ Natasha

Made it to El Salvador

Greetings from El Salvador to all of our friends and family!! As the team got ready to leave at 5 am from Messiah's campus, it was the start of unknown adventures! We found out that two of the team members did not have their passports! Coach John had to end up going home to look for his passport while the rest of the team was looking for my passport! We looked all over campus for it a few times, after this it was still not found.  By this time, I started freaking out and the team had to leave for the airport forcing me to continue looking for it! I found it by the wonderful grace of God at a local diner that we had eaten at the night before. I got to the airport in just the right amount of time to board the plane! The team was the biggest support ever and their prayers are really what I believe caused the passport to be found! They all cheered when it was found and gave me hugs when they saw me. This is the greatest group of team members ever!
It was smooth sailing to Atlanta and then the plane to El Salvador was delayed 2 hours because of mechanical problems! Satan really tried to attack today as we left, but we got to El Salvador and know that God is bigger than anything!
We met the sports outreach international leader, Humberto Alvarez, had lunch at Pollo Campero(our KFC). Tonight we visited a developing community to love people, and ask if they wanted water filters! Theses communities really opened our eyes to deep poverty in the world but also, we were amazed at how happy the people were with what they have. It is an eye opening experience for college students from the United States who are so privileged!

All in all, it was a very long and adventurous day, but we all saw God at work and we are so excited to start the week serving a God who is bigger than all things and who is Alive and present all around us! Your prayers are continually appreciated as we start this amazing week of service! We look forward to seeing what God is going to do!!
-Christie

Carlotta Fenefoss shares on leaving El Salvador

This last full day of our mission trip was bound to be different from the others. We had said our goodbyes to both Karla and her family, as well as hugged the kids at the school in Nuevo Cascatlan for the last time.

We were about to leave San Salvador, giving the city a piece of our hearts filled with vivid memories of the people that we sometimes had spent only minutes with, but despite the short time had touched our hearts and impacted our lives forever. 

Before our visit to the orphanage, we made a short stop at a small, local market that offered typical El Salvadorian souvenirs such as ponchos, hammocks, and bracelets.

Most girls were focused on bringing back small gifts for their boyfriends and families, while others (no names will be named) went all out and bought machetes as a token of their affection (not sure of what affection it is supposed to represent...).

Anyways, headed to an orphanage for mentally disabled children and adults, we prepared ourselves for the last day of giving and reviving the love of Christ through the people we were about to meet.

Still, nothing could ever prepare us for the kind of love, joy, and sense of unity that surrounded this place of God on the hilltop outside of San Salvador.

The strength and love shown by every one of the nurses was extraordinary and was multiplied by the girls as they immediately surrounded the orphans, embracing them, praying for them, and talking to them.

There was especially one moment that exemplified the power of God. As Cristina Giron talked to a lot of the orphans in Spanish they did not seem to recognize anything of what she was saying until she started talking about God. As the word left Cristina's lips you could immediately sense the change in their focus as a light in their eyes started to shine and an occasional shriek of joy would leave their lips and fill the air, mesmerizing the witnesses of these reactions. 

As we left the orphanage, exhausted by the sometimes overwhelming week, we headed to our final destination of our trip, the beach. Here we were given the opportunity to relax and soak in the sun while finally having some time to reflect on all the big and small happenings throughout the week.

Still, all these emotions and experiences of the week could only be summarized through the act of baptizing and welcoming the three new sisters in Christ: Cristina, Niamh Rawlins and Carolyn Springsteen.

Standing in the Pacific Ocean with the waves crushing in, the sun setting and surrounded by all their sisters and brothers in Christ, the three girls were baptized by Coach Klotz, Kelsey Reiman and Alyssa Plowman.

As each of the girls ended the ceremony with a short prayer, the waves kept getting more powerful, reflecting on how El Salvador has made us stronger in our faith, our love for each other, and our love for this country. 

Finally, after having some time to dwell on the happenings of the week, we went down to the beach for our last gathering on this mission trip. We had watched the sun disappear in the ocean, while transforming the sky into millions of colors, with the baptism still fresh in our memories.

We were now given plastic cups for the purpose of scribbling down our most important words that described our experience of the week. With the sound of crashing waves and Eric's guitar playing in the background, we finally got the feeling of peace and calmness that enabled everybody to share their awesome moments that made this mission trip so incredible. 

No words or blog like this will ever come close to describing our experiences or expressing our feelings for this country and the people we were fortunate enough to meet.

Almost no words can describe the relationships and unity this group has achieved through these few days.

Still, this journey lead by God had provided us with so much strength, courage, love, and joy, that it is impossible to not want to share it. This mission trip to El Salvador has given us all more than we could ever expect, led by two words that seemed to always be in the middle of all our actions, relationships and tears.

Relationships between us in the group, relationships between each individual and God, and relationships between us and every person we were blessed enough to meet.

Through forming these relationships, tears of joy and sadness always seemed to follow, stressing the reality and rawness of God's power in every action. But ultimately the tears seemed to always be tears of joy for the people we met, the actions we saw, and the power of God that we felt.  

http://www.lipscombsports.com/wsoccer/

The Team says good to El Salvador

Throughout our lives we meet people who impact us in many ways. On this trip, there have been many for each individual person.

Through the words of Matilde, Karla, Humberto, Coach Klotz and so many others we have all learned so much about both ourselves and The Lord.

Yet it is not always through words that people impact us. They say that actions speak louder than words, and that was ever-so apparent in today's journey. 

We spent most of our day at Karla's house; a place we had all learned to call home. Here we were free to do what our hearts desired.

Some helped the builders continue the finishing aspects of the house, while others stuck straight in with the kids. The atmosphere was amazing. So much love and joy filled us as the sun beat down on our sweating backs.

Through the endless hours of work and play, God ensured we never wavered. Not one complaint was heard of hunger or thirst as we gave all our energy and attention. And those children returned it. They longed for our hugs, our conversation and, in reality, just our love. We all created everlasting bonds and friendships with these kids and soon it began to hit us that this was goodbye. 

We never understood how much a child could change our lives until today. But these children didn't just steal our hearts. They burrowed through our flesh and bones and cemented themselves in place.

With each smile, each gift and each hug, they gave us a piece of their love and we willingly returned it. They showed us the unconditional love that children possess and, through this, the face of Christ. 

But soon the sun began to darken, and the tears began to form as we all embraced for the last time. When we welcomed Karla and her family into her new home and prayed over them for one last time, the reality hit hard.

We had found our family in this neighborhood and now we had to leave them for good. I can't even begin to describe the raw emotion which began to unfold before us. Bodies crippled from tears, tears poured from eyes, and those eyes unveiled so much pain. 

After our final embraces and goodbyes, we filled the bus with an eerie silence. As we sobbed and comforted each other, we saw tears in the eyes of the children who waved us farewell.

While we do not know where these children's futures will take them, we do know that God will be watching over them. We will pray for their safety, their joy and that one day they will find their way back into our lives. 

Following a short break, we headed to a different destination, where we got the opportunity to share the Gospel with girls our own age again. We had been invited to meet and share with the U-20 El Salvador women's soccer team.

To ease ourselves into their environment, we had a short mixer. By getting to know us on the field, I feel they were more willing to accept what we had to share off it.

As some teammates spoke to them, you could see their eyes fixated and their brains soaking in all we had to say. Some shed tears, while others nodded along and, although not all whole-heartedly prayed or worshipped, I know that at least one or two took something special away from our short time together. 

Again, through this simple game of soccer, we were able to form friendships with these unique people, regardless of the language barrier.

But this week has not been about the relationships we have made with the kids, the soccer players or El Salvador as a whole. This week is about our relationship with God, and encouraging others to walk in the path we have chosen to take.

We will never truly know if any of the people we have met will take heed of our words and begin their relationship with God, but we know that through our own we have shared our love, sweat and tears.

These children, these people and this country have opened our eyes to a new world and a new life, and we will never forget all that they have done. 

http://www.lipscombsports.com/wsoccer/

Ali Critcher sends an update

We struggle every single morning to get out of bed and start a new day. But as soon as we get to see the beauty in a child's smile we immediately become encouraged.

Playing with the children of El Salvador is something I could never have dreamed of. The love that fills their eyes is overwhelming. All of the children command attention. 

From 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. we played with children of all ages from the government school. We played tag and soccer for hours and hours, but by God's grace we never ran out of energy.

Each girl on the team met at least one child that will never be forgotten. It's so easy to look past the simple things, such as giving a hug to a 12-year-old girl, but we didn't do that.

The girls and boys at the school may not get the love that is essential to a healthy life. I like to believe that the simple hugs and kisses that were exchanged today made an everlasting mark on these children's lives. 

Our lunch was spent in an overcrowded room that consisted of the team and the precious school teachers. The teachers work for a small salary that doesn't even provide enough income for household necessities.

The first thing that I noticed was a teacher piling up pizza on a plate. My first thought was, "Wow, is she going to eat five pieces of pizza?” I sat next to her and watched her go up for more pizza several times. What I didn't notice was that she was eating some, but she was also piling them on a plate underneath the table. After telling this story to my teammates, I was told that she took the pizza and cut them up for her kindergartners. 

This made me realize so much. I have never had to struggle for a meal in my entire life. I complain often about my food not being good enough, and I often throw it away because it tastes poorly. In this moment I was reminded that a lot of these children aren't going to get a meal when they get home. I was immediately embarrassed about my wastefulness and greediness. 

I was also a part of a group who taught an English class. We shared our individual stories with the students and then taught them simple things to say such as "How are you?" and "What is your name?" I'm not sure if they were able to take anything away from the stories that we each shared, but I feel like God called me to tell my story for a reason. 

God is working in amazing ways here in El Salvador. I can't wait for what the final days of the week have in store for us. I'm so excited to share with everyone in Nashville what God is doing in my life. 

http://www.lipscombsports.com/wsoccer/

Jolene Muir takes a turn to share on El Salvador

I woke to what can only be described as clown-car horns sounding in the streets. At the early hour of 6 am, this was not the most pleasant way to start the day. Yet, as I begrudgingly dragged myself out of bed and glanced out the window, I saw locals on their way as the sun rose over the buildings gifting light to those below. In that moment I felt truly alive. All anger and anxiety was lifted; today was going to be a good day.

We began our adventure at the local school, where we expected to visit classes. But, as with everything in El Salvador, our plans changed.

Amidst a local festival, many classes were lacking in numbers which meant we spent three tiring hours playing "mica" (tag). With sweat dripping from every part of our bodies, there was nothing that could wipe the smiles off of both the girl’s and the children's faces.

From young to old, no child was left to be alone. Sitting back and watching as children were chased, tickled, hugged and simply loved by all of us, there was the amazing presence of pure joy in the air. 

Upon the ring of the final bell, the children retreated to their classes. Left in an eerie silence and calm, it was overwhelming to soak in what had just happened. The Lord brought us to this place, to these people, and in that moment we knew we were right where we were supposed to be. 

As we left the school, in our rear-view mirror, we continued our day’s journey to Karla's house to celebrate her youngest child, Fernanda's birthday.

Armed with cake, candy and toys we were once more greeted by the neighborhood children. Those smiles never left their faces as we showered them with embraces. Their unwarranted joy is something that can only be explained by the grace of God.

With them we played, we laughed, we danced and we attempted to show them the love that God blesses them with. When the time came to say goodbye again the hugs tightened, the tears threatened and the love deepened. Throughout this week, we have built a bond with these kids. They opened their homes and their hearts to us and have impacted our lives in more ways than they will ever know. 

In the afternoon we experienced a new side of El Salvador at ESEN, a private university which claims to be the most expensive and exclusive in the country. Here we met with the women's soccer team for a mixer. Refreshingly, most spoke English, so the language barrier which often troubled us was no longer an issue. Instantly, we connected to these girls as we played the game we all love.

On and off the field, we bonded and shared our stories as we found common ground in our love of Christ. Exchanging Facebook details, it was overwhelming to realize that a soccer ball had brought all of these people together. Through something so trivial and childish, came an afternoon so powerful and meaningful to all. 

From a day full of tears, sweat, love and hard work, came so many things to be thankful for and so much more to look forward to. As we've now reached halfway in our trip, it is strange to think how much we have grown already. Each and every one of us has grown spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally. We all see different things and are impacted in different ways. Whether it is through a simple game of tag, or a child giving a kiss and a bracelet, this week is blessing us in so many ways. 

As we lay our heads down and prepare for what is to come we know that The Lord has a great plan for all of us. Not only for this week, but for wherever He may lead us in the future. And for that, we are forever grateful. 

http://www.lipscombsports.com/wsoccer/  

Hannah Locke Shares...

Women's soccer player, Hannah Locke, shares with the fans the next update from the team's current trip to El Salvador.

 

With a good night’s rest, we woke up and got ready to go to church.
With all the events that occurred in the past two days, the anticipation on all of our faces showed the excitement of the unknown.

As we filed out of the big bus and into the small one-room church, the presence of the Holy Spirit was immediately apparent. As worship started, the leaders sang songs in Spanish, yet through the music we realized we knew the songs too. The church walls started to shake as Spanish and English praises are sent up to our Father in heaven. Here, language is not a barrier. Praise is praise.
Coach Klotz spoke about grace as David translated his message. The two men were perfectly in sync as one would talk with as much strength as the other.

After he spoke, we gathered around, arm in arm and prayed over the team, the families, and our trip. It was an emotional sight to see; tear streamed faces, bright smiles, and loving hugs were passed amongst everyone there. We all felt incredibly blessed in that moment because of how welcoming and genuine the church was toward us, making us part of their family.

Next we traveled to Matilde's house in the developing community. Words cannot describe the power of the Holy Spirit that filled her tiny house made of mud and tin.

As we gathered around this beautiful woman to hear her tell us her story, everyone grew silent and fixes their faces upon her. Matilde is 101 years old. She has no family, and lives on her own. Her only hope and faith is in The Lord, and that is all she needs to satisfy her soul.

As she shared her story with us, you could see the light in her eyes; a pure joy and happiness to be living and praising her Father in heaven here on earth. As we prayed over her, the group was touched by this woman of such profound faith in God. We all left her house with a piece of her to stay in our heart forever, and to remind us that God will never fail us.

As we got on the bus to go see Karla (the woman we are building the house for), everyone grew a little silent. An amazing day was about to become even better. Quiet conversations throughout the bus with music playing softly, we drove through the hills of the developing communities.

In that moment something profound happened that many may not have realized. The sun was slowly starting to set as it shone through the windows on each of our faces illuminating the beautiful landscape all around us. God was so present in that moment saying, "Look at what I have created for you my dear children. Go and make disciples of ALL nations."

We finally get to Karla's house and were pleasantly surprised at the progress made on it. An almost complete four walls had everyone smiling ear to ear, hugging and laughing as the whole neighborhood of children ran up as they saw the bus pulling in.

It was as if a huge family reunion was going on. We all sat around Carla as she shared her story with us and her gratitude for her new house.

The extent of her struggles, pain, and  hardships that she has gone through left us all speechless. However, when she spoke of her difficulties, tears of peace and genuine love for her Lord showed us her constant faith that He would provide.

This single mom of three is a testament of how God never leaves our side even when our sufferings increase. Her courage and strength to raise her children in some of the hardest situations was an eye-opening experience for the entire team. Once again, the Holy Spirit was moving within us as more tears ran down our faces in complete awe and amazement.

The incredible time with Karla finally came to an end as we said our goodbyes and shuffled onto the bus. The exhaustion from such a long day was nothing compared to the joy that had been poured into our hearts from these wonderful women and beautiful children.

As we drove back, the song "Set a Fire" came on, and we all started to sing along. With the sun finally setting over the hills and the words, "I want more of you, God," are sung from our hearts, a peace fell over the bus. We want more of you God, and each day you continue to show us that you want more of us too.

http://www.lipscombsports.com/wsoccer/

Emily Shuler shares

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Emily Shuler took a little time out of her journey into El Salvador to share with the fans how the trip is going. Here is Emily's first update:


Waking up at the not so bright yet oh so early hour of 4:00 a.m., we headed off to catch a flight to El Salvador. Upon landing, you could already hear the call of El Salvador welcoming us and drawing us in.

The team is split with an almost 50/50dynamic of first timers and veterans to El Salvador and among us you can sense this mood that surrounds us all. I can only describe it as a an invitation. "Come and see." The veterans to the rookies, "Come and see this place we love," and The Lord to us all, "Come and see what I have planned for you."

Today we began working on site at Karla's home. We tore down the remaining wall and prepared the ground for the work we will do tomorrow. To see how everyone immediately jumped right in was incredible, but what was even more awesome was the symbolism in what we were doing. We were tearing down our own walls so we could be more vulnerable and open to what The Lord has planned, which will lead to us cultivating the people on the ground here in El Salvador.

But if we think that this trip is solely for us to pour into those we meet and cultivate them, we are sadly mistaken. As some worked on the site, others walked the neighborhood in the developing communities.

 

We came across multiple families and got to know them and their kids and then prayed for them. It was uncomfortable for a lot of us.

But in this you can hear The Lord still saying, "Come and see". Come see my people, come see my provision, come see my love for you here and now. 

The Lord has big plans for this week, and I can't wait to see what he calls us as a group and individually to come and see as he reveals his wonders to us here in El Salvador. 

 

http://www.lipscombsports.com/wsoccer/

 

Working Hard

The team is working hard on a home for a woman named Karla and her children, Humberto shared that the building is going very quickly with the help of team Lipscomb and many volunteers. He sent some pictures so you can see for yourself!

A younger volunteer jumping right in to help!

Prayer Time.

Looking good Lipscomb!

David making it look easy!

Digging away!

The team will have a full day at Pedro Castillo tomorrow helping with PE classes, sharing the Gospel and participating in the afternoon assembly. We ask that you continue to keep the team in your prayers as the week progresses.  They have been working hard and moving fast, please pray for a restful night for their bodies and minds and a great day of ministry 

at Pedro Castillo.

Come back tomorrow for another update!

Getting Right to Work!

The Lipscomb team has wasted no time, day one and they have already been out working on the building project and praying with families in the community!  The head of SOI El Salvador, Humberto is so excited to have this team and see how God will work in each of their lives while they are helping the community of Nuevo Cuscatlán.

Check back tomorrow for more updates on Team Lipscomb!!

Here are a few pictures of the team working hard!

Chris Klotz leading the team in prayer.

Team Lipscomb building away!

The girls ministering with a child from the community.

They aren't afraid to get their hands dirty!



Snack time!

As one comes home, another goes...

We are so thankful that our team from Life Point Church made it safely home from Uganda to Wilmington, NC on Thursday.  We can't wait to hear from the team about what they did, learned, and saw.  Thank you all for your prayers while they were gone.  

But, in true Sports Outreach fashion, there is always something going on!  So, we sent out another team!!  Lipscomb women's soccer team headed to El Salvador today.  This is a huge team of 24; 21 girls from the team, Assistant Coach Chris Klotz, two ministry leaders from Charlotte, Brett McDonough and Eric Bernier and SOI Lynchburg's very own David Granada!  

The team has an amazing ministry filled with the Gospel, ministry to the children at Pedro Pablo Castillo School and Vito Gurato Orphanage, as well as lots of pick-up soccer games with the community.  The team will be busy to say the least.  

We appreciate all prayers for the team while they are in El Salvador, check back here for daily updates about the team's itinerary and schedule!