play!

Schmello, it's been a while since a solid update, hasn't it? Several, and I mean several, interesting weeks have flown by. After the Virginia team left it wasn't long before the WCUMC family team showed up. This was our last team of the summer. It was a fun week getting to reconnect with people from Woodinville and to experience their sense of hard work and trust in God. Halfway through their time here, my friend Brookes, the hijo of Halle and Kathy, flew into town. We had a bit of a vacation when the W. team left, heading to Montilemar, just an hour away on the coast. It was a beautiful resort with an unlimited supply of french fries and drinks. Mmmm mmm good. It was a fun time to get away and just relax! We befriended the entertainment workers at the resort and were all-star pool aerobics, volleyball and polo players. Although, I was not impressed by their "A history of Michael Jackson" dance recital. La-de-dah. Well, that's the past 3 weeks in a nutshell. But I gotta tell you- this week has been one of the best.

Since we have no teams and I don't have much to do, I've been spending a ton of time playing! I'm already pretty good at it, because heck, I'm a Rec major. But this week has been SO fun making a fool of myself. Soccer, basketball, volleyball, tag, jenga... the list goes on. The other day I was in the library helping kids make crafts when I saw a boy sitting on a couch alone. I asked him if he wanted to read books, and he eagerly jumped up, grabbed a book and started to read to me! I'm not sure how old he is, maybe 7 or 8, but he struggled his way through the book valiantly. Once that one was over, he got another... and another. I think the library is so successful because kids around here don't have tons of books lying around their house, or someone to read with all the time. It's really good practice for the kids academically, and it gives them more imagination and a change of pace. Love it. I've also been getting to know a few kids better than others, one of them is named Francisco. We call him Fran. Lately we've been playing the same basketball game 23423535 times a day. The past few days I've been noticing something's not sitting right with him, but when I ask what's up, he just shakes his head. What he doesn't know is that I have a pretty good intuition about those kinds of things. I'm praying I can help him, or talk to him about what's going on. I'm loving all the kids I am meeting and all the friends I am making here. They are gems beyond compare. Everyone keeps asking when I am coming back, all I can say is that I will come back when I have a reason. One of the kids responded saying "Tienes MUCHOS amigos aqui, antonces..." so there, I have one I guess. :)

A few weeks ago I met a friend named Norman. Halle has been telling me about him since I got here, so I was excited to finally meet him. Norman and a few friends came by to play lacrosse at El Salero, and they graciously invited me. Finally a sport I'm actually good at. I kept up with the boys and even showed them up a little. Boo ya. So Norman works for an organization called Lacrosse the Nations (LnT). They have 2 locations in Nica, one in La Churreca (the dump) and a new one here in our community. Norman and the La Churreca coaches brought their kids to El Salero yesterday to play lacrosse. I'd been waiting for them pretty much since I woke up, so when they pulled in, I was ecstatic and ready to play! I was so impressed with the way the coaches were promoting the sport. While not all the rules were correct, I learned why. They are working hard to teach the kids how to play a competitive sport non-violently, in a friendly way. For all you lax junkies, this will mean something to you: they only let one person from each team go after a ground ball , checking is not allowed and you can't go after the goalie. All hard for me to follow, but it made perfect sense. Those three things are the most aggressive parts about the game, once the kids can learn, maybe they will be introduced. At first, I was playing with the girls. But they had 3 gringos there already, plus the boys were a wee bit better. I had so much fun playing with the chicos - I seriously love this organization. Yesterday I emailed 5 lacrosse coaches in Bellingham, asking if they would be interested in hosting a tourney with proceeds going to Lacrosse the Nations this fall. Prayers for that please- all I need is one coach to get on board! Seriously though, dream job.

Okay, I'm off. Tonight is the last Noche de Juegos for the youth while I'm here! Thanks to the Woodinville team for all the nailpolish- it's being used tonight! hurrah! I leave here on Wednesday- crazy!

xoxo!