Written by: Lucy Hurst
Wow. As I reflect on the day, the only word that comes to mind is gratitude. We started bright and early at 7 am and headed to the fields to play games, and soccer with the Sports Outreach kids. Those 3 hours of my day made such an amazing impact in the way I view this sport I've played my whole life. As much as I hate to admit it, there are times where I take soccer for granted. I've caught myself not wanting to go to practice because I'm tired, or have even viewed it as a chore. After this week how could I ever see this sport, that is such a gift from God, as an inconvenience. Playing on that field today, and seeing the genuine smiles and excitement that these kids had, changed my perspective in so many ways. Being on the pitch for them was their happy place, and seeing the joy they played with, reminded me of how much love I have for this game. The Lord gave every girl on this team such an incredible gift, and praise be to Him that we have the chance to spread His love through a sport, and connect with people even when we cant speak the same language.
After a couple soccer sessions we made our way to the Tomas Rodriguez community. As we walked into this community, we had no Idea what to expect. From a worldly perspective, these people had very little, however, they lived like they had everything. I don't think I had ever fully grasped the saying " Jesus, plus nothing, is everything " until I stepped into that environment today. These kids ran up to us with the most contagious smiles, and embraced us with the warmest hugs. It's honestly difficult to put into words how I felt, and how the Lord convicted me in that moment. On the bus ride over, I was feeling exhausted, and like I had nothing left to give. Thankfully, the Lord is such an abundant provider, and suddenly energy filled my body, and all I wanted to do was run around, and play tag with these kids. They lived with the type of faith that someone can only get from fully surrendering and trusting the Lord with guiding and providing for their life.
My prayer for this group, and for myself, is that we would bring a child-like faith back to the campus of Lipscomb University. I pray that the next time we step on a field, we would play with the same joy that we witnessed in these kids. Today was such a testament to how faithful our God is, and has reminded me of this question, "am I living for the things of this world, or am I living for an eternal life with our Lord and Savior?"
Matthew 28:19, " Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit." Thankful for the opportunity to be a vessel for the kingdom of heaven!
