Different conditions, same great game!

After teaching all day long, what is the first thing you want to go do? Play soccer of course and the great thing is I get to do just that. Oh, nothing gave me great joy than to be able to go out on a fresh cut field of grass and help middle school and high school students appreciate the great game of soccer. Okay, I must admit, I wrote something untruthful in the last sentence and it is only fair to tell you the truth. No, the grass was not just cut when we played on, well actually, there is no grass to cut since it is all sand and that might be too difficult to cut. Yes, we play on a sand field that was valleys and mountains across it(not literally but you get the point). So not the ideal conditions for playing soccer but yet at the same time it is. You see, football is the same, no matter where or how it is played. That is why I love football in Africa because they have the worst conditions possible but they are still amazing and very competitive. They don’t mind that they play on sand because they don’t know any different it is just us, spoiled Americans who are use to watered, cut grass fields that complain. Don’t worry, I won’t complain, because by coaching soccer, I am able to share a passion of mine with other students of the game and it gives them an outlet outside of school.

I am coaching with another teacher who graduated from Spring Arbor University when I was a freshman. Listen to this- we played against each other for one year at the university level but of course didn’t know each other until we started talking about where we went to college. It is a small world and God is good all the time. So, we share a lot in common even though we use to rivals. I think it helps the kids respect me since they know this other teacher is a good player and I came from the same league as her. She is a beautiful woman of God as she pours all she has into the students and knows how to connect with them. I will be specifically helping with the girls as they are not at the same level as the boys. This will enable all the players to work at their level. We are also hoping to find some other teams to play since we are currently not in a league. Hopefully in the next few years, we can work toward this goal. If you ever feel the need to donate something, talk to my parents as we need soccer balls and cones. We only have 7 balls for 20 players, but we make do with what we have. Like I said, different conditions, but it is still the same game. I am excited to be connected with the older students at the school since I have little ones all day. I also can’t wait to see how the Lord will use this sport to spread His message to these students and other schools we play.