Our second (also last ) Monday of the trip marked the first day of VBS at the new church, as well as the start of our soccer ministry on a new field. We started our morning with breakfast at our hotel then a short trip down the road to the church for VBS. We immediately had a time of worship which was encouraging seeing the kids go all in on the first day. We then had a lesson by Nathan and Sara, and then rotated stations with the kids between crafts, games, scripture memory, and snack. We ended the camp around twelve and stuck around and passed soccer with some of the kids. This was super refreshing for the team, as the children we interacted with were full of joy and respect for us, as this was a challenge we worked through in the previous week.
Following this we went back to the hotel for lunch, and then had two hours of team time before we left for soccer ministry later that night. Many of us played card games, sat around and talked, or relaxed in our AC cooled rooms. We left for soccer ministry at 3:30, and were able to walk to a turf field 2 minutes down the road. As soon as we arrived to the field we were all astonished at the scenery we were playing in. The field was in a valley with a beautiful view of the mountains around us. We then started our ministry at 4, handing out free jerseys, cleats, socks, and shorts to all the players that came. We split up the kids by age, and had a couple leaders work with the younger kids on a side field, while we had a team of eleven playing against a younger club St. Lucian team. We played for 45 minutes (I am our lockdown goalkeeper) then brought everybody back in as I (Elijah) shared a part of my testimony and shared the gospel to all the players that came. All the leaders then broke out and chose a couple kids to talk with, sharing the gospel and investing and asking questions about their beliefs. This was fruitful as multiple kids accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior!!!! We also were able to begin making relationships with the kids, and know that we have a week to come with them. We finished our second half of our game with the kids, winning 7-5! We left feeling grateful and full of joy (also exhausted) with our ministry at the field, and are looking forward to continuing it this week. We enjoyed dinner and a relaxing team time with testimonies and shoutouts back at the hotel. Thank you for your prayers and support, please pray for safety and strength to finish out this last week strong!
Ps: I love you mom sorry for such short texts
-Elijah Tlumach
Following this we went back to the hotel for lunch, and then had two hours of team time before we left for soccer ministry later that night. Many of us played card games, sat around and talked, or relaxed in our AC cooled rooms. We left for soccer ministry at 3:30, and were able to walk to a turf field 2 minutes down the road. As soon as we arrived to the field we were all astonished at the scenery we were playing in. The field was in a valley with a beautiful view of the mountains around us. We then started our ministry at 4, handing out free jerseys, cleats, socks, and shorts to all the players that came. We split up the kids by age, and had a couple leaders work with the younger kids on a side field, while we had a team of eleven playing against a younger club St. Lucian team. We played for 45 minutes (I am our lockdown goalkeeper) then brought everybody back in as I (Elijah) shared a part of my testimony and shared the gospel to all the players that came. All the leaders then broke out and chose a couple kids to talk with, sharing the gospel and investing and asking questions about their beliefs. This was fruitful as multiple kids accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior!!!! We also were able to begin making relationships with the kids, and know that we have a week to come with them. We finished our second half of our game with the kids, winning 7-5! We left feeling grateful and full of joy (also exhausted) with our ministry at the field, and are looking forward to continuing it this week. We enjoyed dinner and a relaxing team time with testimonies and shoutouts back at the hotel. Thank you for your prayers and support, please pray for safety and strength to finish out this last week strong!
Ps: I love you mom sorry for such short texts
-Elijah Tlumach