Friday Fun

Having had a few hours of sleep under our belts (more around 5), we woke up slightly drowsy as expected from flying and driving and getting in late. However, our anxiousness was able to keep us awake leading up to our morning training session.

But, as God's timing would allow, plans changed in a matter of minutes! Morning training moved to the afternoon, and we readily began our first day of sightseeing (of three) before beginning our missions work!

First stop: Pululahua Volcano (Yes, spell check says it's not a word, but alas it doesn't know Spanish as well as we do, ha!). This was breathtaking. The beauty of the landscape and the history of how this came to be was a testament to how seemingly insignificant we are in the world as a human being, YET God chooses to be personal in his love for us: that is the TRUTH, not just an emotion that we feel.

Rodrigo and Franklin, our tour guide and bus driver, then took us to the "New" equator, where using GPS is the exact middle of the earth. Here we were on tour with Miriam showing us all of the unique tricks and fun experiments that can only be completed from the equator. From balancing an egg on a nail (which, 4 of us have become certified "experts" in, myself included haha), showing how water drains in different directions, to trying to walk blindfolding along the equator line, we were fascinated with every last one. There still is that 8 year old kid inside us moms and dads!

Next was probably the most adventurous part of the trip, which I dare say is not for the faint of heart. Our team needed a quick pit stop for some sustenance, to which we decided to try an Ecuadorian favorite/delicacy....... Guinea Pig!
As far as I can recall, everyone had at least one bite in some way (we ordered 3, totaling $76!!!!!!) Needless to say, regardless of many's hesitance to try, most seemed to enjoy it! Fun fact: Andrew Zimmer, the host of the food show "Bizarre Foods" actually ate at this same local restaurant while filming for one of the episode! Easily the most unique part of our journey thus far.... and as you can see by the pictures the most amusing as well...

Stomachs eased momentarily, we walked to where the old equator monuments and such were erected. This area is almost like a tiny city, with shops and restaurants throughout. When the French came to Ecuador to find the equator in the 1700s, this is where they calculated it was, only off by about 200 meters or so, which for you math folks out there is pretty good for no calculators or GPS. The team scarfed down some "American"-esque food for lunch, Cheeseburgers, chicken, french fries, etc. before returning on the bus to head back to the dorms.

A quick siesta (that's a rest/nap all those keeping track at home) and we arrived back at the dorms, to change and head out to the soccer field to train for around an hour. In Ecuador, the sun rises at 6am and sets at 6pm almost every day, so by the time we got out to train we only had around 2 hours of sunlight left! Nevertheless it was a productive session that really tested our bodies ability to handle the high altitude. Prayers that the adjustment continues to get better as the days progress!











Dinner served in the dorm was followed by a brief worship song lead by Cap and Bible Study by Blake, who spoke on two passages in Romans 8 and Ephesians 2 regarding God's incredible love for us. Paul in Romans explains in verses 31 and onward that His love towards us cannot be taken away, nor can we be separated by any means whatsoever. God's love also doesn't save us from the pain and trials of our everyday lives, but DELIVERS us through those hardships, giving us something to cling to in our time of need. An incredibly powerful message that was paralleled with Ephesians 2:4-10 that tells of our role as "God's handiwork," with the identity and affirmation that we have been saved by GRACE. What an amazing thing to ponder and reflect on this week for our team (and for you reading this as well). We have been so fortunate to be in this new environment to witness and talk about such truths, but that can continue at home as well, and we hope to grow closer together as a team and with Christ knowing these truths to be of absolute certainty.

Our evening concluded by the team and staff of the dorm playing a game of "family." This game is a matching identification game where players choose a celebrity to be, anonymous to everyone else, and others have to guess who each person might be after all the names are revealed. Laughter, joy, and just time to bond was a great way to close out our first night of new experiences.

Tomorrow is another exciting day: climbing to 12,000 feet (we are already at 9,000) and then heading to a local market to practice our "bardering" skills. More to come tomorrow! Until then, hasta manana!

Nate Curry

Flying, Landing, Repeat, Sleep (We Made It!)

Buenos Noches de Quito, Ecuador!

Thank you so much for your prayers and thoughts as we began our trip. I am happy to report that the whole traveling group is safely in their dorms for the evening and getting ready for bed (if not already. Our plane from Atlanta to Quito arrived around 11pm 'Quito time' and was followed by a 50 minute bus ride to Alliance Academy International where we will stay for the next 10 days. (For all you Eastern Time Zone people, we are one hour behind you).

The view as some guys left from Philly to Atlanta, God's handiwork on display!

The team all met up in Atlanta around 4pm to catch up and have a meal before we boarded our flight to Quito at 6pm.

Tonight's sunset over the Caribbean was absolutely incredible... at 37,000 feet up (and -45 degrees!)

Approaching the landing in Quito around 10:50pm

One of the wallpaper designs in the dorm we are staying in at the Alliance Academy International. Unfortunately no current player can relate to any of these, though some may try...

Since it is nearly 2am here in Quito, this post mostly consists of pictures of updates of the flights and our arrival. Nonetheless, God has provided an amazing living situation here as a team, and we are anxiously awaiting tomorrow to begin our journey of stewardship and bonding as a team and with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ from Pan de Vida ("Bread of Life," the organization through which we are staying and doing work). 

Lastly, Coach Dreves emailed out a passage from Ephesians which has been the teams preparatory call to action for this trip which I believe has really taken heart already with guys on the team...

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." 

     -Ephesians 4:1-6

Stay tuned for tomorrows post, as tomorrow is our first day of training and exploring the city in the daylight. Pray for softened receptive hearts and minds towards the new environment, and physical strength and health for the days ahead. We are currently 9300 feet above sea level, or thereabouts, so the elevation poses a unique opportunity! 

As one member of our group put it, "we are an extension of something much greater than ourselves."

Vessels for the Almighty

     - GCC Men's Soccer

Nate Curry

Grove City Men's Soccer 2017: Ecuador Here We Come!

Friends, Romans, Countrymen... (wait, that's a couple hundred years off, unless you're Roman and reading this blog)

*Ahem* friends, family, coworkers, soccer fans, and seemingly anyone else who has made their way onto this blog for one reason for another... First and foremost what a blessing it is to be keeping you all updated on such an incredible opportunity that this team has been provided by God. We are thankful for His favor in providing our coaches/veteran travelers with experiences to guide us in what we hope to be a transformative, impactful trip on coaches, players, and those we interact with. In some way I will attempt to share updates that depict our trip vividly in pictures, words, and (hopefully) videos, but in actuality the personal experiences, memories, and just God's handiwork just transcend anything shared over this means of communications. But alas, we will do our best to communicate as clearly as possible through the grace of God and the ways that He works through each one of us in this different environment.

Much like in the past GCC trips, this one for the team comes in the midst of hustle and bustle of summer jobs, internships, camps, and the like. However, through meetings this past semester, training over the course of the summer, both soccer and learning a new language (some with great progress, others.... not so much). Our team consists of those who haven't ever been outside the country, and those who are seasoned veterans to this sort of thing. That being said, with all the potential anxiety, nerves, doubts, fears, excitement, and joy, we can be sure of many things: we serve a God who is ever-present, who provides for every need, and who's grace overcomes every language, cultural, and personal barrier we will ever encounter. Our trip will be a reflection of that statement of faith: not because our team was incredible in the way we conducted ourselves, or how well we played soccer, but by the way that God showed Himself during every point of the trip (to which we will describe as best we can!)

As we count down the hours before we embark on separate plane trips, to our culminating meeting in Atlanta, GA prior to the flight to Quito, we humbly ask that you be in prayerful thought for a couple of requests:

• Softening the hearts of the members on the trip, as well as those we will be interacting with
• Willingness to step outside of personal comfort zones to exhibit Christ-like attitudes of service and humility from the moment we begin our journey (and continuing upon our return)
• Safety, health, and traveling mercies as we encounter the "fun of flying" and experiencing a new country
• To be pushed and stirred on in ways that we might not even have thought possible in service to our King
• Growth in unity and like-mindedness as a team and as brothers in Christ
• Anything else that I've not mentioned that might be of help in any way to be in prayer for 

God has the incredible power to have His will be fulfilled through a multitude of ways, and we are humbled that He has called us to serve in this area of the world. His timing is perfect, and we can't wait to share more with you as the days progress. 

More pictures to come tomorrow, including the joys of multi-stop flights and TSA security checks 😅

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

     - Ephesians 3:20-21

- Nate Curry

In Closing

We're all at home now.  If you haven't received your son yet, you can start to worry (except the Reeses from what I understand).  Some random pictures I haven't posted:

 I'd like to close the cycle of the trip for everyone with this post; meaning, just as we began the trip with goals and expectations in mind, we've reevaluated the trip and now see God in a light that deserves some consideration.  I asked everyone on the team to write for me a "growing point" from the trip, however they would define that.  I did not hear from everyone, but these are the responses I did get back, left anonymous (so as to not humiliate the guys who didn't give me anything inspirational to say)

"One of my favorite moments of the trip was the last day of the soccer clinic.  We really broke through to the kids as they came out of their shells somewhat.  We had a great worship time and they were singing they were [singing] the songs such as 'joy down in my heart' the rest of the day.  In Spanish of course 'Yo tengo gozo, gozo, gozo, gozo en mi corazon...' A great growing point for me as well as not only being able to give the kids and beneficiary families food and clothes, but also being able to really show them what the Lord is all about through the joy and happiness that we displayed"

"Pushing myself past my comfort zone by continuing to challenge myself in everything I do.  Knowing that I can take a leap of faith doing things that are out of my comfort zone because God has a plan for me.  Also, remembering to have fun and enjoy the moment

P.S. If you are in Ecuador and are wearing soccer socks, don't forget to put sun tan lotion of the back of your knees..."

"Growing point for me was in the beginning of the week, [hearing] from Mr. Phillips when he talked about how CHF would go to God in prayer before going anywhere or making decisions.  It hit me that I don't go to God and rely on Him as much as I should.  Even the little things and God wants to hear our prayers and take our burdens, I just have to ask."

"What impacted me the most was seeing how much of an impact a group of college boys can leave on so many different people.  Throughout the week, I kept hearing testimony after testimony of the lives we touched.  We were only there for 1 week!  For one Ecuadorian, she said she had the best week of her life.  Another was astonished by our energy and enthusiasm,  And another was reminded why he serves the God he does.  I had forgotten how much of an impact Christ can leave, if we let Him lead."

"Being that this trip to Ecuador was my first time out of the country, I learned a lot.  I learned a lot about Ecuadorian culture, people, and landscape.  I also learned a lot about missions.  With my personality, I like seeing tangible results to work being done.  During this trip that happened occasionally and helped me to see God at work.  However, I learned that sometimes even if results aren't seen, God is still at work.  I struggled with feelings of insignificance that tied to selfish motives and thoughts.  I didn't think I was doing enough to make an impact because I didn't see results.  However God pointed out to me that I needed to trust that He was working, despite the unseen.  Through this I also learned that God is at work even though our struggles and sins.  He worked in amazing ways this week through me and the team.  Quito and the people I met in Ecuador will always have a special place in my heart."

"Focus on God through short term missions -It is easy to think that we, with our American Dream ideals, can accomplish anything. On this trip we were a part of some awesome activities and experiences, but it wasn't because of us. Yes we prepared and prayed for this trip, but we didn't control it...God did. He was the one who orchestrated the relationships with La Fuente, Pan Da Vida, and Cumbra Alta. He used our open hearts and minds to create good.

-I think of how on Wednesday night, we had the exact amount of food to give out to the over two hundred people. That isn't an accident...that's how God works. This is just one of the many times God showed me that He was in control.

-Returning home, I hope that we don't forget that we are merely vessels in God's hands...that we can do nothing without Him. He deserves the glory and praise. We had and have the opportunity to give Him that glory through our lives.

-I give him thanks for the impact we were able to have on the Ecuadorians and how God used this trip to draw our team together."

"It's difficult to pick out one thing I've learned this week. God is certainly at work in Quito and it was a blessing to be a part of it for these short seven days. Seeing Him work and open doors for the team and various ministries was encouraging. It is truly humbling and amazing to know that the God of the universe chose me and the rest of the team to do His work. He didn't need us by any stretch of the imagination, but He chose to use us and reveal Himself and His love to us and through us. Because of this all the glory goes to God and I cannot claim any of the work as my own. I believe the whole team feels this way. Without Him, our efforts would be futile. Thank you Jesus! God willing, I'd like to return to Quito and reconnect with the people I have served with and have come in contact with. Thank you everyone for your support and prayers for this trip and the team."

"I was and am still struck by God's utilization of groups of people.  Our team was not all Believers going in, and yet it was our remarkably loving attitude towards each other that those viewing us most often commented on as impacting their lives.  To think that the Church is just an amplified version of this communal love gives me more motivation to be involved in it, loving it, and showcasing the best of it.  Regardless of the people I interact with, I now realize the importance of vulnerability like never before; that letting people into my life is life-altering for me, those working with me, and those who witness me from a distance.  Ecuador was also an important training ground for my prayer life.  God finds ways to reward the man who prays often.  Whether that is in answering exact prayers or turning our lives and/or personalities into what we hoped we'd become, God fully understands what we need and want, and very often meets both."

The day of Fries

Faithful followers,

Today was the end of our scheduled ministry schedule (though I'm not ruling out spontaneous ministry).  Our morning was the same as the past two days except for some little details.  Breakfast and worship prep simultaneously, breakfast with our little Spanish-speaking friends, worship time, quick game time, change for soccer, go to Alliance's facilities and play soccer (Yay, grass!), get sunburnt, return to Pan de Vida for lunch and a ceremony for the kids, complete with diplomas and medals, and then say emotional farewells to children and staff .

Worship time finally reached the energy level that I had a feeling the kids had in them, which was so much fun, but also so sad in that it was our last day with the kids.  Highlights include:

Dale combined Justin's lesson on our rejoicing in God's glory and Tim's lesson on God's rejoicing in us into presenting the Gospel through the Romans Road.  He got to point out exactly why Pan de Vida is what it is to the kids, and got to lead them to pursue God, and ask Pan de Vida's staff about future steps in the process of faith.  We had Mario to translate today, which was perfect for such an important lesson.

Lastly, farewells were difficult.  The kids had grown to love us for loving them, and the staff of Pan de Vida has been all too wonderful for us to fully appreciate.  Joyful tears were shed for what was called the best week many had ever lived.  I look forward to hopefully hearing about GCC Men's Soccer doing more with these hard-working people.

After we finished with our Pan de Vida responsibilities, we took a break and planned an evening of sightseeing in Quito.  Our bus never showed up (probably because Alberto was no longer our driver) and so we were forced to use the trolley to get across the city and then taxis to get back.  Boy was that something!  We saw cool things in the night-life of Quito, and it was the perfect peek into what Quito has to offer, without being stressful after such a tough departure from Pan de Vida.

I am very tired, so I am going to wrap this up quickly.  We did a majority of our packing today, and will be sightseeing all of tomorrow before going straight to the airport and awaiting our arrival home.  See you soon, everyone!

Because of all He's done, is doing, and will do, we praise God,

GCC Men's Soccer

Jueves

Hiya folks!

So coach asked if I could upload videos to this thing, and I got all excited because it was a brilliant idea and I hadn't even considered it.  Below are a few videos of our worship and teaching time (including some Spanish singing practice) and a piece of our game with local team Cubra (<-Not sure about that spelling) Alta.  I hoped to include some others, but today's been a day of technical difficulties, including Coach Edwards's camera's memory card becoming corrupted and requiring reformatting in the middle of the day, and now this.  Due to this, I'm afraid we only have pictures of tonight's game, nothing from the morning :(

Today's morning schedule was the same as yesterday.  Wake up before 7, get to Pan de Vida, meet and feed the kids, teach and worship, play fútbol, and send them off after lunch.  We did a quick stair-painting job for Pan de Vida but after that we returned to Alliance and took naps in preparation for our game that night.  We awoke, ate dinner, and played zoo (our patty-cake signs game), this time with Mario (Who has the most adorable perception of an elephant I've seen recently) until we decided it was time to warm up for the game.

The game was equally as much a blessing as a challenge.  We knew entering it that it was a ministry opportunity, but we also had a strong desire to win.  We had to understand Christ's ability, passed onto us by The Spirit, to radiate love while still giving His all in whatever He did.  We weren't perfect by any account.  If I may boast of my weakness for a moment, I played angry at various parts of the game in response to what I considered unjust reffing towards me.  In actually, it was simply a different soccer that we were playing.  The rules were more lax and the result was not as important as the game itself but I was playing a game of conquest and victory.  Thankfully God salvaged what could have been a poor witness of a life changed by Christ, and I was able to have a conversation in Spanish (kind of) with my competitor-turned-friend Andre after the game.  All of us were also treated to a well compiled and presented post-game discussion of the Gospel of Grace by Chad.  Christ was very much in control, which I am not just incredibly thankful for, but direly in need of.

We returned to our rooms and decided to storm the kitchen because dinner had been a long time ago at this point.  Leftover chicken, burritos, and popcorn made the night a good one.

Off to bed.  Our last day of soccer clinicing awaits us...right after a morning that shows up a little too early for my liking every time.

John 1:12-13,

GCC Men's Soccer

Wednesday

I will begin by saying that this has been my favorite day of my summer thus far.  Now that you've got ridiculously high expectations I will do my best to reflect my positivity (ever realize how there's some serious persecution to this word but not "negativity," huh. Does it say something about our culture that only the negative noun gets "real word status") about how God is choosing to display Himself.

Today was spent entirely at Pan de Vida, and what a privilege it is to work with an organization that fills itself with servant-minded people!  Oscar wanted me to make sure I had fully connected you all to them, so if you'd like to see how they roll, they blog here.  They also apparently have a youtube video about the very family who's house we began rebuilding the last two days, but I have not found it, so I'll have to check with Oscar and get back to you.

Day recap: We had to start our day a tad earlier than normal so as to be ready to help Pan de Vida make breakfast for the kids coming in for our soccer clinic later, in the afternoon.  The self-acclaimed (though perhaps soon internationally-acclaimed) Kitchen Crew consisting of Wurm, Legs, Botz, Hinkle, and Jonny Rothgeb took charge.  Meanwhile the larger contingent of us were preparing Pan de Vida's property in and out for the kid's time with us including setting up dining places outside and worship and Bible lesson benches inside.  This was also some key time for Dale, Justin, and I to finalize what our mini church service would look like. 

Kitchen Crew

There's more of them, but I'll stop here

And then the kids walked in in droves!  Soap, water, name-tags, bowls of food, and Spanish were flying all over the lawn as kids washed their hands, grabbed breakfast, and grabbed a seat.  We did our best to sit nearby and begin the process of getting to know them, which was especially awkward in light of the fact that the deepest question the majority of us knew to ask in their native tongue was "Como te llamas."  I don't think anyone would argue that we hadn't broken down many barriers by the time we stepped inside to learn about the reason behind Pan de Vida's generosity: Jesus.

This was extremely effective time for a number of reasons.  1) We could sit with the kids without having to talk to them (Wow, that one doesn't read as well as I wanted it to sound).  Proximity was definitely good for giving us an opportunity to show a desire to be near kids without the confusion of us only sitting looking at them once we had taken that step.  2) We got to sing and be loud and active.  We started with a song in English that was our chance to prove our intent to make Christ known and glorified.  From then on we fought our way through several fun Spanish worship songs that included hand motions and confusing rhythm.  Despite our unjustified enthusiasm over songs that we could hardly sing, the kids still didn't really fill in the gaps, which I was very surprised about.  I thought all kids just wanted to sing "waves of mercy, waves of grace..." and wiggle their arms around, hm.  Justin then gave a tight talk on the joy God's glory ought to bring us.  We ended with a song Jordan knew from his missions work in Guatemala that started to get a tiny bit of feedback from the kids.  Still, it wasn't until fútbol was mentioned that some eyes perked up.

The kids got changed quickly and we lined up at the gate in order to walk to our field [Though I did just now have to verify that it was technically a "field" (Google's definition just leaves me more perplexed - "An area of open land, especially one planted with crops or pasture, typically bounded by hedges or fences.")]  We played on some sort of kind-of-field I guess...

We warmed up with some tag-variations that included soccer components and then moved onto some dribbling and passing basics.  Any coaching was done by one of two methods.  The first was by yelling "Mira, mira, mira, ..." (I'll translate since I haven't received any complaints yet: "Look here, look here, look here, ...") as many times as it took to get everyone's attention and then demonstrating the movement.  The second was by saying something ridiculous accidentally and getting some hysterically inquisitive looks. Coach Edwards told everyone to take two tacos instead of two touches ("!Dos tacos!" vs. "!Dos tocas!") and Coach Dreves at one point told everyone to put their hands on their ducks instead of their heads/hair ("Pato" vs. "Pelo") and continually told kids it was nice to meet them whenever they did things right for the first half of practice until heard and corrected by Sharon (""Mucho Gusto" - "Nice to meet you" vs. "Muy bueno" - "Very good").  As funny as such moments were, there was A TON of good Spanish learning that took place throughout the day that was a big part of our growing comfortable trying to speak more with the kids, and the kids becoming more comfortable with us.

After a quick drink break we ended the soccer time with some scrimmaging which was a blast for all parties.  The level of play here is definitely better than kids of the same age in the U.S... It was also just clearly what the kids came for, so they loved it.  After that we returned to Pan de Vida for lunch.

Lunch was completely different than breakfast.  Interactions were everywhere, and it leaves me very excited to return tomorrow and see what kind of new start we get.

After lunch the kids were on their way and we began the work part of our day.  We painted the basement in and hour or two while the Kitchen Crew got back to business preparing for the dinner Pan de Vida was serving to its beneficiary families.

Pan de Vida does an incredible job of offering this blessing to the downcast of Quito.  There is Biblical teaching for adults while their children are taken care of for them, then they are given a meal and in the case of families, some healthy ingredients for the week's cooking.  The team's 3 roles throughout the evening were 1) welcoming party (and boy were we ever!), 2) Horses for horse-racing... & 3) food distributors.

The families got their food as they left which left us some time for two team-building moments.  Janela (I think) asked to take a shot on the basketball hoop that we had congregated around, and we decided she was gonna shoot until she made one.  As we watched intently, the tension built, and as the ball rolled around the rim and dropped in, human explosion took place as everyone on the court left their feet and everyone sitting nearby stormed the court.  It was so spontaneous and so incredible that everyone decided we might as well do it for the rest of the Pan de Vida workers (and Mario, who obviously made his first shot).  The second was much more organized, by Oscar actually, who suggested we talk about what we've learned thus far.  It was a very genuine time where all of us understood the pleasure it was to serve alongside each other.  Everyone was thoroughly appreciated.

For those concerned about Mr. Phillips and Mario, by all accounts, it's undeniably justified, but they have such blessed timing directly from God.  They have settled the 2 concerns that faced them entering Ecuador: Could someone help them get food through customs and was there a Church-web that could effectively store and distribute aid.  They had no idea how/if those things would be met, and those questions have been answered in 4 days, it still blows my mind the number of ways that they receive tangible favor from God.  They are planning on being able to spend a lot more time with us in the coming days, so I'm gonna start praying for a pair of wings and see if I can't get some effective-prayer juice from them.  That's not entirely a joke, but all joking aside, I know I want to get every possible moment I can with them, because they have much to teach me.

Thus, my list-stuffed post ends along with this endlessly ordained day.  We'll have a similar day of soccer tomorrow, but that's all the foreshadowing you'll get.

-Tim