“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.” - 1 Corinthians 9:16-17
Every morning we start with breakfast and eat amazing meals cooked by two Colombian women. Every kind of Colombian food is prepared with love and patience, and it just makes our experience so much better.
On Monday, after breakfast, we worshiped with the sports staff here. It was amazing because the staff not only sang songs in Spanish but had the words in English up and sang them in our language as well. We shared prayer requests then broke up into small groups to pray. When we prayed I remember thinking “Wow, I know I can’t understand every word being said, but I can still feel the emotion and authenticity behind each prayer.”
The group then got to know each other, and that’s where we met Alvaro. He was the first person to be saved because of the COSDECOL ministry. He told us he was here only because God led him. He was very passionate about music, specifically the violin, and at first, he thought he was going to become a professional musician but that all changed when the Lord saved his heart. He then started COSDECOL to help children. It was an incredible story to hear.
We then began our work project and is were the hard work and sweat started. We split into two groups. One group moved rocks to build a wall along the side of one the soccer fields. I was in the second group, and we cleared out a storage room at the top of the stadium. We carried metal poles, bricks, and styrofoam down. I think in total we climbed 30 sets of stairs. The work was hard, but it felt amazing.
After that, we played soccer with the staff where I learned it doesn’t matter what language you speak. You can still build relationships through playing soccer. Since we played with the staff I made so many friends, and we still walk by one another, and I say “Hola” and they will say “Hello” to me. It is amazing the connections you make through the love of a game. The staff was having so much fun playing the different training games we brought. 
Next was a chance to play the all-star team, which was a fantastic experience. This was the third time we played with some of these girls, so we got to build friendships with the players on the team. I am amazed at how the language barrier hasn’t been much of a problem.
At the end of the day, our assistant coach Jennifer Ludemann (Luda) shared her testimony. Part of her testimony incorporated Luke 15, the story of the prodigal son. We split into our groups, and Luda asked my group several different questions. With the story, she asked which son have you been? The younger son or, the older son. This question stuck out to me because I was the rebellious one. I never wanted a relationship with God, but when I was ready to have one, he was standing there with his arms wide open.
On Tuesday, we got to train at the Aranjuez Sector. On our way there, we had a slight mishap with the bus: flat tire and so only six of us made it to the field on time to start training. The rest came after the tire change. We did not have a translator with us, so Claire shared her testimony using Google Translate. I love that it is such a welcoming city. It doesn’t matter if we are using the right words it just matters we are trying. You can’t build relationships without trying. Even though my Spanish is the worst out of the whole group, I am still trying my best, and I feel like the culture here appreciates that. When Claire shared her testimony, and we began to play with the team, I realized regardless of the challenges we face there is always a way to complete the task we have set out to perform.
A tour of a brownie factory came next. It is where we got samples of delicious blonde brownies. Hands down this was the best brownie I have ever had in my life. The tour was interesting because the factory itself isn’t very big, but they produce over 200,000 brownie products every month.
More help with the soccer school was on the schedule next, this time with the younger kids. I worked with the 8-year-old group and they were so cute. They knew I couldn’t understand much Spanish but they still asked me how to say so many words in English. They would use hand gestures or point to things from their shoes to the city to the birds. Just to figure out what the English word for all the objects were. With them doing this I also learned a little more. I learned through this experience kids just love we were trying to relate to them.
One of the last times we played Tuesday was with a group from Acevedo. They train in the middle of the city so their field mostly dirt. Dust was flying everywhere but it didn’t stop the kids one bit. The most amazing thing happened, at the end of the session the only girl grabbed my hand and introduced me to her parents. The fact she wanted me out of everyone to meet her parents was such a blessing. I realized just by me being there it affected her in such a positive way. She just wanted to share what she learned. That reminded me I should be so excited for everything I learn and should share it with everyone I can.
The last thing we did was hear Mitch’s testimony. His testimony was about how he was hiding things he did wrong and pushing him into isolation. Once his dad finally called him out on it he felt a sigh of relief. I feel like throughout all of life I have had the tendency to hide things. While being here I am being more open with others and the three testimonies our coaches have shared have made a difference.
“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.” - 1 Corinthians 9:16-17
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