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Timothy Project: Valor Guatemala 2015 Final Update

Jul 23, 2015

Screen Shot 2015-07-22 at 11.03.49 PMDanny Brooks and the team from Valor Christian High School have returned from Guatemala where they took soccer equipment donations via CrossTraining’s Timothy Project. Read the original story here.

Brooks shared this update from their trip and the time that the student team spent in country:

Our soccer ministry was one of the most impactful components of our ministry this summer in Guatemala.   Over the 28 days, we gave out various soccer balls in different villages and schools. It was always amazing to see how impactful a soccer ball could be to kids who have nothing to play with.  We hiked to one village, Pacayalito, where there is very little contact with the outside world and much less with light skinned people.

A Guatemalan boy is excited to receive a soccer ball from one of the Valor students.

A Guatemalan boy is excited to receive a soccer ball from one of the Valor students.

The children were very hesitant to even talk with us.  It was amazing to see their change in perspective when we gave them a soccer ball.  I have never before seen children play with such excitement!

We also had the opportunity to distribute various soccer donations and cleats in a few in different communities and see how this opened the door wide open for the Gospel.  One day, in particular, we climbed a small mountain in a very poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Zacapa and played soccer with the locals on their dirt field located at the summit.  This is the same community where Pastor Wilmer lives and where he has been developing relationships over the last two years.

Many Guatemalans have never owned a pari of soccer cleats and play in "crocs" and sandals.

Many Guatemalans have never owned a pari of soccer cleats and play in “crocs” and sandals.

Despite the fact that many of the locals played in flip-flops and crocks (none had cleats), we quickly learned that our soccer skills were lacking in comparison.  After the game, Pastor Wilmer invited the locals to his house where nearly 35 pairs of cleats were neatly laid out on the ground.  You can only imagine the excitement when the young men and boys realized that each one would get to pick a pair to keep!  They understood that day that the love of Jesus for them is as tangible as a pair of cleats.

Later that night, all of them gathered at the local church for a service.  The following week, we played soccer with this community again, this time on a synthetic turf field in town.  They dazzled in their new cleats!  Afterwards, Pastor Wilmer had everyone form a circle in the indoor field and invited me to share the Gospel message with them.  This was an amazing experience as they listened with incredible attention and seemed noticeable moved by the words from the Bible.  I can’t wait to hear the updates from Pastor Wilmer about how God will continue to move in the lives of these young men!

On behalf of Valor Christian and the Guatemalan people touched by your generous gifts, thanks for helping make CrossTraining’s Timothy Project successful! Please forward our project on to others so that we can continue to see lives powerfully changed.

A dirt field is the "field of dreams" for these Guatemalan children.

A dirt field is the “field of dreams” for these Guatemalan children.

#TPT