Grains of Sand are Heavy

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings to you in the Holy name of the Jesus Christ! We are well! Almost everyone is fully recovered, though Joe Deaugustino took a serious turn for the worse today. We were working hard this morning, and he just didn't feel well. My personal diagnosis was dehydration, supported by his 70 minutes of intense play last night, not to mention at high altitude while working very long days.

I finally got a hold of some pictures of our soccer camps! Today was exactly similar to Tuesday, beginning with construction work at the job site and at Pan de Vida, then both teams coming together for a soccer camp, dinner, then practice with Cumbre Alta tonight. Though it was not nearly so long as yesterday, it was still challenging in its own ways. 

The soccer camps are generally dictated by the availability of facilities. Today, we arrived expecting to have 2 turf fields all to ourselves. Instead, we ended up with 3 paved volleyball courts with no nets. It was funny for me (not for coach) to watch him crumple up his practice plan and throw it on the ground. Coach Dreves is gifted by being very organized, and normally plans his practices in advance. Though it was challenging to adapt to the changing circumstances, he has recognized how beneficial it was to be flexible. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape. Being flexible requires stretching. Stretching is sometimes painful. It was awesome to see the kids get involved. The first day was an introduction day, yesterday was a step forward, but today was a sweet day of fun and excitement. They were really excited, and all of them seemed to make connections throughout the practice. 

Today is Peter Tobias' birthday! Peter turns 22, and he also gave the message today at the Bible school. He spoke on the peace of God (Philippians 4:7) and how it surpasses understanding. He shares his birthday with our good friend Christian, the man who works with Pan de Vida. Christian let some of us throw some punches at him today (while wearing gloves), and he said Peter was one of the best punchers on the team. Feliz Compleanos Peter and Christian!

Construction continues. Literally, all that our team did today was carry buckets upon buckets of sand and stone up the hillside to the site where it is easier to mix into concrete. Very arduous work, but the time with brothers on a beautiful day is a gift that I was really thankful for. In addition, I continually recognize the value in this. Yesterday, Oscar (the founder of Pan de Vida) reminded us that we might be miracles in peoples lives. While I initially wrote that off as shallow Christian mumbo-jumbo, I realized how true he was. We don't know what our actions can do, and we will never know how for reaching they are. We are just fish and bread in the hands of a God who will multiply and provide. What is even cooler, is that we have the chance to bring life and change lives through simple actions like carrying buckets upon sackos upon buckets of sand up a hill.  

The metal joists will act as a scaffolding for the cement. The steel plates were painted with gasoline yesterday and will mold the cement into a wall as it is poured into the hole.

I have also been thinking about the imagery of many grains of sand. It's astounding to think that those many tiresome trips up the hill were because of such minuscule things! One of our core values is that the whole is more than the sum of the parts. For us, this means that who we are as a team is more than who we are as individuals. There is something significant about us together. A beach is amazing because of the effect of many grains of sand. Carrying a bucket is hard because of the compounded weight of all of those grains of sand. They are finite and quantifiable by themselves. Together, they are infinite and intangible. I think the same is true of a culture, whether that be of a church, a team, or a family. Together, there is greater significance than by themselves, though the individual pieces are essential elements in comprising the whole. We as Christians are merely grains of sand being washed by oceans of God's grace and love. But when Christians are together, maybe we can form something beautiful. Maybe our purpose is insignificant by ourselves, but significant in the total effect! 

Thank you all for reading and praying. Please pray for Joe. Dehydration shouldn't be taking lightly, and I will be monitoring him very closely over the next 24 hours to see how things progress. Thanks for your encouraging comments as well, it really blessed me to read them today. 

God bless you all. 

#31 on the field, #31 in your hearts.

Blake Baer

A Day Full of Grace

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm trying to get this train back on the track, so that means posting two blog-posts tonight! Thank you again for your support and prayer. It is such a blessing to know that you guys are behind this trip, and truly, you have helped make this possible.

A little update for you worried parents: Everyone, except Nate Curry and Mrs. Dreves, have recovered to 90% or more. Nate and Mrs. Dreves are slowly on the mend, but will take a little longer.

A picture of us with Cumbre Alta after we faced them in a friendly scrimmage on Wednesday. Cumbre Alta won with a final score of 4-3. 

This day was ridiculous. No matter how you slice it, it was the fullest day we have had here. Each of the segments of the day was daunting and (in different ways) challenging, but when combined together, it made for an extremely difficult day. I found myself praying consistently, just asking God for another smidgeon of strength to endure through the next activity or to get the next task done. In each of these prayers, God was incredibly gracious to provide sustenance, not only for me, but for the entire team. 

It began with another day at the work site, carrying more and more buckets of rocks and sand to make twice as much concrete as we had yesterday. I was really touched to watch members of the team take time to play with the family kids or to just sit and talk with them. In my task-oriented personality, I got annoyed with what I perceived to be a lack of effort on their part. However, I was humbled to realize what a difference that will make in these kids lives. Maybe they will remember the group who helped construct a wall behind their house... for sure they will remember the Americans who took time to play with them and make them laugh. Just another drop of grace today.

The project goes well. We mixed tons and tons of concrete, so they got to do some good work. We also prepped some scaffold/mold/form type metal sheets which we will use tomorrow to help shape the wall. 

Posing for GCC bananas, a Twitter account at Grove City dedicated to students and their bananas. 

The other half of the team continued to paint the finely-sanded wall at Pan de Vida. Some of the guys still weren't fully healthy, so it was a chance for them to rest a little bit while still getting to move around. 

The next step in this day was to put on another soccer camp, similar to the one yesterday. We will put them on again on Thursday and Friday. Again, I don't have any pictures of the camp itself (I'm so sorry) but this is what happens when Rob, your main-man photographer, is under the weather. Yesterday, we lost our soccer field half way through because someone had a reservation. Today, we got plenty of time for the kids to scrimmage and enjoy playing the beautiful game. Again, the chicos seemed to want nothing to do with looking like they cared about anything, while the chicas were super excited and grateful to play outside. Below are some pictures of the Bible school, the worship, and some fun games we played as ice-breakers with the kids. Trent shared a little about what God had been teaching him recently from Proverbs 3:5-6 while Coach shared from Proverbs 16:9. 

Christian, the ex-kickboxer was so excited to play soccer, than he volunteered himself to play on a team. It really made me smile to see him enjoy playing with kids half of his age. He is an incredible gift for us in our mission down here. Coach gave him a GCC soccer shirt, and Christian wore it so proudly through some dirty concrete mixing and the sweaty soccer camp. He told me after the camp that he was going to wash it so he could wear it tomorrow also. 

In 2014, there was a great story of Coach Edwards trying to say "two touches" but said "two tacos" (dos tocas vs. dos tacos). Coach Dreves is very fond of making fun of Coach Eddie by telling this story, but today, he literally said the exact same thing. He was tried to tell the kids to take two touches, and before he could help himself, he told them to take two tacos. The entire team was rolling on the ground laughing. There are a few other great Coach Dreves stories, but they will tastefully be tucked away for another time. 

After the soccer camp, there was another food distribution. By this point, my Spanish words were all used up, and I had no energy (again, I found myself asking the LORD for strength). I can't even imagine how the others were feeling, who were feeling sick earlier in the week. We were given the task of taking care of the kids, but I by the mercy of God got to work in the kitchen. I frankly don't know how it went outside, but the rumors are that Coach Dreves was bit by an overly-affectionate little kid. We ended up getting to eat dinner at 6:50, with an expected start time of our game at 7:30... Not a terrific amount of time for digestion. 

We got to the field, and only had about 15 minutes to warm up before kick-off. We went down 3 goals in the first half (1 goal was virtually unstoppable, 2 were momentary lapses on counter attacks). In the second half, we came back to tie it 3-3, ultimately losing 4-3 to a tremendous upper corner shot. It was a blessing to experience the camaraderie with the opposing team. It was fun to connect with them and to play good, hard soccer against a very skilled opponent. 

It was an amazing experience to play tonight. As we were in the huddle before the game, I started to tear up when I thought about this being my last season of playing soccer. I thought about the guys I was standing with, and thought I wouldn't rather play with anyone else. After the game, I was so immensely proud of our team for how we played. We went through one of the longest days imaginable, didn't have time to warm up, carried heavy buckets of rocks all morning, played at 9,000+ ft., ate dinner 40 minutes before the whistle, had only 2 subs for the first half and none for the second, had a majority of our team who was sick, and were frankly just plain tuckered out after a long day. But to come back from 3 goals down to tie it up 3-3 was such a testament of the guys' character, hard work, and grit to never say die. I am tremendously proud of these fine young men, and I look forward to the chance that we have to play together this fall. 

Grace upon grace upon grace. It is a grace to get to play soccer with a team like that. It is a grace to get to serve by carrying rocks on such a beautiful day. It is a grace that God provides strength for each moment. It is a grace that we get to be here in Ecuador, experiencing more and more of his grace in each and every day. 

Please continue to pray for our soccer team, but also pray that God will work miracles through our 3 fish and 5 loaves of bread. We don't have much to offer sometimes, but the LORD will accomplish much through our inadequacy. May hearts be changed, both in the team and in the Ecuadorians, for the glory of God!

#31 on the field, #31 in your heart,

Blake Baer

First Soccer Camp

Greetings beloved friends and family,

Thank you for your continued prayers. I am terribly sorry for not posting yesterday. I was partially afraid of catching Ebola (or whatever sickness my teammates my have), and also very much needing rest after a long day of work and soccer. It was a long day but a good day.



Mrs. Dreves, Nate, Wade, Rob, Isaac, and Ryan were all unable to come help due to their sickness. Despite our diminished forces, we had to split into two teams: one team went back to the job site at the house, the other team started working on some projects at Pan de Vida.

I was in the team at the job site, and our consisted primarily of hauling rocks/sand, and mixing concrete. It was encouraging to realize how much our help was benefiting the family. It was not an easy job, and it would have been much harder for the father and oldest son (who were both partially disabled) to do by themselves. It was truly a gift and a blessing for their family. The project continues!






The other team got to work back at Pan de Vida. Trent wasn't feeling 100%, so he stayed back to help at Pan de Vida to be close to the Alliance Academy in case things took a turn for the worse. Alec, Justin, Trent, and Brooks all sanded a huge wall surrounding the building. They sanded it again. And then they sanded it again, much to their dismay. Ecuadorians are somewhat perfectionistic, it seems. After they sanded it, they began to apply the first coat of paint.



At about this point, our team came back from the job site to have lunch at Pan de Vida. Their kitchen is amazing. Everything has a labeled place. The loyal and faithful staff is so good at cooking for large numbers of people. It astounded me that they could feed so many people in an organized fashion. We then met the 19 boys and girls aged 12-18 who were going to be in our soccer camp.

The camp began with a game, followed by a worship led by Cap in Spanish and English, and then a short Bible study on Romans 8 We then drove to a small 5v5 soccer field in the a beautiful complex. It rained on the way, but when Jeff (a staff member with Pan de Vida) prayed, it turned into a beautiful day for a soccer camp. Coach still had to unexpectedly adapt to the rain by doing a Simon-says warm-up. The kids seemed guys s a lot of fun, especially the girls. The guys seemed a little too-cool-for-school in my opinion, but I remember that age, and certainly wouldn't expect anything else from them. Some very memorable moments followed, particularly on the bus ride home when the girls started chanting our teams nicknames, and some new ones. Malcolm was Tomate, Justin = Leche (milk), Blake = Oso (Bear), Joe = Queso (cheese), Cap = dinosaur, etc. Most have no significance at all, some have a ton of significance in an inside-joke sort of way. Needless to say, it was an amazing time for all.


That night, we got to practice with a local Division 4 semi-professional soccer team, Cumbre Alta, that we have had connections with since we were last here 3 years ago. It was an incredible opportunity to be a part of their culture and to see how they ran things. We  (I) learned a lot about specific applications for our Grove City culture.

I'm drawing a skeleton for you to see our day, but it is woefully short in fully capturing the details and the wholeness of the experience. I find that words are frustratingly impossible to illustrate an experience. By definition, an experience simply must be experienced in order to be understood. The same is certainly true with our trip to Ecuador. I hope that you will hear more stories first-hand, but I am unable to capture the fullness of our days, even if I could use 10,000 words.

Our team still is under the weather, so please continue to pray for wellness.

Thank you, and goodnight!

#31 on the field, #31 in your heart,
Blake Baer

Working for the Lord

"23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." - Colossians 3:23-24

Day 4: Sickness strikes

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings to you in the name of the LORD Jesus Christ! I hope and pray that you are all well. We are so thankful for your prayers and support for this trip, and I know that God is at work in large and small ways alike. 

Anyone who has traveled into a foreign country can tell you that sickness is to be expected. While it is expected, it is still not easy. Our morning began with the sad news that our teammate Justin Lind had a rough night. He was in gastrointestinal distress, to say the least. Our risk became more realized when Rob Audia (the school's sports media manager) was also not feeling very well. Despite the setbacks, we still set out to work on a building project at one of the houses we visited yesterday. 

We arrived at Pan de Vida, and met Christian. He is an ex-kickboxer who found the LORD (or should I say, the LORD found him) three years ago. Since then, he has been a faithful volunteer at Pan de Vida. He is also the project manager for the hit squad (what they call the construction projects), and was our commander for the project today. Before leaving the base-of-op, Alec Gehman also felt ill and he wisely decided to remain back at the Alliance Academy. A couple other guys also weren't feeling a 100%, so our team morale was probably at a low-point for the week so far. 

The work commenced with a gusto though! Christian took most of the guys to the back of the building to begin digging and hauling dirt away from the site of a future retaining wall. Because of my injured wrist and my uncommon skill with painting (questionable), I was chosen to paint the steel beams on the underside of the interior roof. When our team sets out to accomplish something, we accomplish it. Despite that we were missing our two best Spanish speakers (Rob and Mrs. Dreves who had elected to stay back at the Alliance Academy to tend to our wounded), Justin and Alec, we still ferociously attacked the project and got it to within manageable reach of completion for tomorrow.

The team outside got to enjoy some great camaraderie as they sweated together. In addition to the digging, they also worked on figuring out who Coach Dreves' 20-questions celebrity was (it was Tom Hanks!). It was fun to hear them shouting "sackos" when the chain needed to move dirt. I loved hearing them outside because I know this is a foundation for an incredible team culture down the road. In as much as I know that we are there to serve the Ecuadorians, I also desire to see Christ work in our culture and in our own individual lives. Days like today really helped me see that in a new and real way. I was blessed to work inside, getting to chat (if you can call my broken Spanish "chatting") with the family and get some amazing one-on-one time with the guys who came in to help me. Below is a video of our bucket chain in full swing. 

After the project finished, we packed back up and went to our field to train. When we stopped at the Alliance Academy, we found that Justin and Alec had both turned a corner, but now Mrs. Dreves wasn't feeling well. We had a very light training session, partly to accommodate to some sore muscles and partly because we have a busy week coming up. After showering, we made our way to the local Supermercado for some local Ecuadorian snacks. It also served as a chance to pick up tons of disinfectant and paper towels to clean the entire academy. We have begun to quarantine the people who are sick, and a quiet night followed by a solid night's rest certainly won't go amiss. The supermarket was a fun time to see their culture, such as mayonnaise coming in bags. Nate Curry was particularly excited by the well-priced gummies. 

The day is near spent, and I am fearful for my own health at this point. Please continue to pray for the wellness of our team. The team's morale is certainly pretty low at this point, haha. In reflecting on the day, one thing that stuck out to me was something that Coach had shared earlier in the week in his Bible study on "randomness." 

Everything happens for a reason. Justin, Alec, Rob, Mrs. Dreves, and everyone else got sick for a reason. In our minds (especially in Justin and co.'s), it may seem like a waste that we came all the way down here in order to help these people, but got sick instead. I found myself wishing that I was outside working with the other guys today. We are facing a season without an assistant coach. Some guys are fighting injuries. Yet, all of these things are ordained by God and foreknown (Psalm 139:16). In addition, they are promised in Romans 8 that they work out for our good. We can't see God's big tapestry, we are just the individual threads in it. The back of a tapestry may be pretty ugly to see, but golly, the front sure is breathtaking. 

Lord, thanks for letting us be a part of your tapestry. 

#31 on the field, #31 in your hearts,

In Him,

Blake Baer

Immersed in the Culture: A Prayer of Reflection

Buenos Tardes, and Happy Sunday! 

Today was an incredibly reflective and eye opening day for many of the team members, where God was seen in many different experiences, conversations, and environments. With that reflective attitude in mind, I'd like to share the team's journey today day in a little different way: as a prayer of praise, gratitude, humbleness, and request...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heavenly Father, we come before you with humble hearts, grateful for the opportunity to let Your will be done here on Earth, specifically in this beautiful city of Quito. We give you thanks for healthy bodies and the strength that you restore in us with each renewing day. 

We are in awe of how the Spirit moves in incredible ways, and how many voices come together as one, no matter the language, cultural, or personal barriers that one may encounter. We thank you for the opportunity to experience a different church setting this morning at Dios es Fiel, one in which was completely in Spanish, one that, for many, is entirely new. For the ability to sing as one, read scripture as one, and partake in communion as one body. Lord thank you for this church's passion for the Lord and energy in praising him. We ask that you ignite that fire within our own hearts to share with our communities back in the U.S. and to bless the congregations here in Quito, that they continue to share the wonderful news of the Gospel and be transformed and moved by Your power. 

Also, Lord, we are so gracious to work alongside Pan de Vida this week, and for revealing Yourself through our first ministry opportunity. We do not know the magnitude of the impacts of us serving food to the "beneficiaries," helping children color crosses in Sunday School, or sweeping the streets. However, we know this: that this kingdom work that You prepared in advance for us to do is our calling and our act of worship to You, our creator. We ask that you be with the families who were recipients, that they would feel your presence and see Christ within us as we serve. And for the children, that you would develop their childlike faith to see God's provisions. What an inspiring picture to interact with the kids and be rejuvenated in spiritual energy by their pure joy and willingness to hear the Word of God. In the midst of such hardships, we ask that you use these people as a conviction to our own hearts in challenging us to hold onto Christ as these Ecuadorian people do daily. May we not forget of your faithfulness in their lives, as well as our own.

For the families that we visited today in bringing food and seeing their houses and the previous work Pan de Vida has done for them, we ask that you open our eyes to the poverty that surrounds the city, grant us empathy, humility, and reflective hearts towards our possessions and our purpose for being in Ecuador. Thank you for the way you've impacted their lives, so much so that they are willing to share their personal stories to complete strangers and sing of your blessings. As we work this week on creating a protective wall against mud and dirt for one of these families, we ask that you grant us physical and spiritual strength to do the work that you've called us here for.

Thank you God for the laughs, for your beauty in creation, for all the dogs (and even a pig) that we've encountered along the way, and just for the opportunity to connect as a team while focusing our hearts on servitude. While we know that there will be plenty of hardships here in Ecuador as well as when we return home, we remind ourselves of your word in Revelation which says that '[you] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.'

God, you are everlasting to everlasting, the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and the End. Help us to remember that wonderful truth, and to continue to exhibit the love that Christ showed on the cross for us to those we are helping this week.

In your most holy name we cry out, Christ Jesus, Father,

The Grove City Men's Soccer Team

 - Nate Curry

Breathtaking Mountains and Churches

Hello Friends and Family!
Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and support for us as we finished our second full day here in Ecuador. It was a full day for our team. It gave us a lot of time together and a lot of time spent pondering the wonder of God through his creation and some beautiful churches.

The day began at 8:00 this morning for a great breakfast provided by Felix and Alex, two graduates of the Alliance Academy where we are staying. The food was the same fare as yesterday, consisting of eggs, a biscuit, balogna, and some unknown mystery cheese. I will try to get a confirmation on the type, and let you know. 

Upon completion of the breakfast, we met with our friend Rodrigo who took us to a cable car ride up a mountain in Quito. This cable car is the steepest in the world, and took us to an elevation of about 12,000' above sea level. We then climbed to an elevation of 13,551'. The mountain was quite literally breathtaking, both in its grandeur and in the lack of oxygen for its breathless climbers. Despite the effects, the entire team emerged unscathed (aside from Isaac Dreves who has some skinned knees from an ambitious run down the mountain). It was humbling for me because it gave perspective to the endurance and fortitude of the Everest summiteers. It was an excellent photo opportunity, and the team took advantage of every...and I mean EVERY...opportunity.  

The low part of this trek for me personally was when Rodrigo showed us these tiny blue flowers. He said that in Ecuadorian tradition, a person could pick a flower and blow on it three times, and if the flower curled its petals, it meant the person was with the correct lover. To my chagrin, my flower did not close its petals. Neither did my second, third, or fourth flowers. Megan and I will need to have a talk I guess...

After the trek, we drove to a beautiful cathedral that was reminiscent of Notre Dame gothic style. It was mixed with Ecuadorian style to produce a towering and imposing monument that could be seen almost all across the valley. I always feel a certain sense of reverence and respect when I am in a church like that, so I chose not to take any pictures of the interior. However, Rob Audia has certainly given respect to the church in every way imaginable through the quality of some of his pictures. 

This experience was very humbling for me in a similar way to the mountain - I felt very small. The beauty of the cathedral was meant to inspire wonder in its worshipers, and I was no exception. The towering spires, the vaulted ceilings, and the stained glass seemed other-worldly in their magnificence and power. There was a man who came up to me and said he could not work, and needed money for bread. I initially said no, and turned my coldest shoulder on him. A couple of seconds after I did that, I looked up and saw the church and realized where I was standing. In a moment of shame, I went back to the man and gave him a coin, but it was only after being so convicted of my own hypocrisy and cold-hearted selfishness. How can we as Christians claim to be followers of the light, but not give to the "least of these" (Mat. 25:40)? Is that not the entire reason we are down here? Even more embarrassing, I was even standing in a church as I turned away someone who was begging for money. It is a reminder of my own need for the grace of God, and that as we come as bearers of the good news, we also are recipients ourselves. 

We then feasted on a wonderful meal. For an obscenely small price, the entire team got to receive an app, an entree, a desert, and a drink. It was a blessed fellowship around a long table, and the taste of Ecuadorian food revived our spirits. For some, it was also an opportunity to catch a quick catnap before continuing our adventure. 

After lunch, we went to the historical section of Quito. This section is the first world heritage site ever founded due to its rich culture. The cobbled streets, wide sidewalks, and street-side shops were picturesque, and the entire team enjoyed getting to be among the throng of Ecuadorian people. We toured another church, this one of the Jesuit faith. It took over 160 years to build, and in looking at it, it became obvious why that was. In a typical baroque fashion, every square inch of the wall was decorated with ornate goldleaf. It stretched to the vaulted ceilings, and even to the small wood carvings on the confessionals. 

Finally, we ended our day of touring by supporting the Ecuadorian economy - we went to a marketplace. My teammates and I tried our hand at bartering, with varying success, as we walked through the open air, colorful market. I regret to inform you that certain unmentionable members of our team have sought to revive the fanny pack fad. 

The bus ride home was punctuated by a goodbye to Rodrigo, our faithful and friendly tourguide. As he waved goodbye, the team surrounded him in prayer, and it was a special moment of witnessing. It was really special to see him so blessed by coach's gift of a scarf as well. It was a quick turn around for soccer practice though. The team got to play on the same field as yesterday in another 75 minute training session. The altitudes effects were more visibly felt, compounded by our long hike up the mountain earlier in the day.

Tonight, Coach Dreves gave a Bible study on some things that God had placed on his heart during the night. It centered on the topic of "randomness," and how nothing is random in God's kingdom. Everything happens for a reason. Ephesians 2:10 ("... handiwork, which God prepared in advance for us to do.") and Psalm 139 were two texts that the team got to discuss, focusing especially on how God has plans and purposes in every situation.

To round off another excellent day, the team played a game of zoo. For those unfamiliar with this fine game, it involves each teammember picking an animal and signalling to other animals (teammates) to a certain beat. It is wildly fun, especially when Connor Roggie and Ryan King invent animal signals that are virtually impossible to perform. It was a great time of team bonding, and hopefully it shall continue tomorrow.

In conclusion, thanks for reading. God is good all the time, and His mercy endures forever! Through a couple of conversations with players, I have already felt the LORD working in hearts. I am tremendously thankful and blessed to be friends with each and everyone on this team, and I look forward to what the LORD has in store for us tomorrow.

In Him,
Blake Baer

#31 on the field, #31 in your hearts