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