Athletes in Action News and Commentary

Cameron's Comments - June 28, 2010

Today was the 28^th and we traveled up to Lake Atitlan, which was almost a 4 hour drive outside of Guatemala City. We left the Biltmore around9 and the bus ride was pretty quiet. Everyone either went to sleep or listened to their ipods . . . then went to sleep.

As we were heading up the mountain on the way there, it got so foggy and cloudy that you could barely see 10 feet outside the bus, at some points it was a little scary. When we finally saw the lake, it was beautiful with all the mountains and waterfalls surrounding it! The view was just magnifiscant (haha, I know I spelled it wrong)!

When we arrived at our hotel, it was more of a little village type deal because there was a bunch of houses all around each other with a courtyard in the middle. We all picked our room and roommates, then went down to this restaurant called Chinatas for lunch. I think, after the three hours we were in there, that the majority of us came out of there almost as hungry as we were before. Enough said. When we were done eating, it was raining pretty hard so whoever didn’t stay for shopping went back on the Tuk-Tuk carts.

We had some down time to chill and relax a little bit, which was nice. At 7:00 we all had team time in people’s rooms and the high school team talked about a highlight of the trip and favorite thing we are bringing home. The college team had a purity talk which sounded interesting.

After that we all ate dinner, which was steak, rice, and frijoles. They also gave us this dessert thing that was like pudding but tasted a bit like waffles and syrup. We then split back into high school and college teams and each person told his experience, his future, and his struggles that he’ll be dealing with, then the guys all prayed for him. It was a pretty strong conversation.

And that’s about it for the second to last day! Thanks for reading, pray for us!

Andrew's Audience - June 26, 2010

 

Being the first time out of the country and coming from a small town in Ohio, this trip thus far has been extremely humbling and so different than what I’m used to being around. Today was a good example. Of that.

I woke up this morning with a phone call from the front desk. Rubbing my eyes open and sitting myself upright, I answered the phone. Turns out that my laundry was ready but I needed to pay for it. I calmly explained to him that I didn’t want my clothes cleaned by the hotel but they took it anyways after I had left the day before. After not coming to a conclusion on the situation, I told him I would come to the front desk and talk face to face. I grabbed a quick shower and headed on down. Luckily, Craig was downstairs so I was able to tell him the story. We both went to the front desk and told them what had happened. They understood and gave me the laundry for free. Sometimes it’s the little things in life that can make a day sweet.

Next we were off to eat at Applebee’s for lunch with the AIA Track Team that’s also staying in our hotel. I was more interested in the U.S. vs. Ghana soccer game though. The next two hours were very frustrating as I watched the U.S. lose 2-1.

After the game and being completely satisfied with my bacon cheeseburger, we headed back to the hotel for team time with the track team included. We sang a few praise songs and then we were able to share with everyone the main thing we learned so far on the trip. This was really cool because many opened up and shared different things God has been showing them.

It was now time for our game. We were all pretty pumped to play our final game in Guatemala. The only problem was that we were up against the Guatemala Women’s National Team. For some reason, which I don’t know why, it’s hard to be really competitive against girls. None the less, we still won the game 75-43.

Only three days left in our trip now and I’m shocked at how fast the trip has gone. God has really grown me through this trip and it has been a true blessing to know my teammates and have new people in my life. I praise God for it all!

 

P.S. - New pictures have been added to the Flickr photo gallery (http://www.flickr.com/photos/51181902@N02/)

 

Josh's Jotting - June 25, 2010

Today was a great day for us here in Guatemala that kept us busy and entertained. We all started off eating breakfast and then we loaded the bus and headed to a new town called Guastatoya. Along the way, Craig asked us if we wanted to stop at McDonalds for a snack. We all loved the idea of eating American food, especially McDonalds! After we finished eating, we had a great time for the remainder of the bus ride playing Mafia.

When we arrived in Guastatoya, we met a family there at the gymnasium and they took us to the downtown market for lunch and then let us walk around the market for a while before our clinic. The market was a very interesting experience. Aaron, aka Skip, ended up buying a cowboy hat and he wore that around the rest of the day. Craig and a few others bought cheap DVD’s that are only in theaters right now, such as Toy Story 33 and Prince of Persia.

The clinic was fun as always because the kids we work with have such a great time and are so thankful to see us in their country to help them with the game of basketball. This was our last clinic and afterwards we were all in for a treat. We all got to ride around town in Tuk-Tuks, which are little 3-wheelers that people drive around town for transportation. They are basically taxis for the Guastatoya people. We all loved that experience.

The games were humbling as usual because the Guatemala people always come out and support their team and our team. We won both games by quite a bit, but you would never know that by the crowds reaction, as they cheered just as much for us as they did their hometown team.

That wrapped up another day for our tour in Guatemala. Stay tuned for more pictures and blogs for our last four days here in Guatemala.

Jordan's Journal - June 24, 2010 - What A Day

 

 

            At this point in the tour, a lot of us guys are tired. In my opinion, this is completely understandable considering each team has played 6 games in 6 days to this point. Getting up early and getting back late…not a good combo for high school and college guys.

            However this morning was a nice change of schedule. We all had the opportunity to sleep in which was very much appreciated.  We had our team time at 11:00 to start off the day. I can’t speak for the college group, but the high school group has really benefitted from that time together. The bus left around noon headed towards Chimaltenango for the day. As we arrived, lunch was already being prepared for us. We ate at a small resort type place. After a good lunch, they gave us a tour of the place. Quite the setting!

            One thing I have learned on this trip is that the schedule is never set in Guatemala. Things can change at anytime. We were told our clinic was at 2:00. At 4:00 we were still at the resort. We headed for the city gym where we would be doing the clinic and playing the games. Mainly teens showed up so we were able to have a more advanced clinic, which made it fun. Immediately after, the high school team had their game. Battling a slick, concrete court, we were able to win by a comfortable margin. Afterwards, I was able to share my testimony for the 1^st time with the other team. That was a sweet experience! It’s a great reminder every time those talks take place of why we are really here. The college team also pulled out a victory. Craig was able to suit up, and rumor has it he even hit a three!

            After filling ourselves with Burger King and getting a few games of the team’s favorite card game, Mafia, in on the way back, we made it to the hotel around midnight. Even though our daily schedule is roughly the same, each day is special in its own way. Today was no different.

 

 

Moments with Matt - June 23, 2010

We started the day at about 9am to enjoy some of the continental breakfast that is offered at the hotel and also the fantastic finish to the USA soccer game. Landon Donovan scored with very little time to send the lobby of our hotel into a frenzy. Once the game finished we headed on our way to start our day of baskeball. 

                We first arrived at ”Equina la niña pura con seccion” which is a very poor school outside of Amatitlan, Guatemala.  The children were prepared for us, bearing gifts on our entry.  The gifts were homemade candies handwrapped with a little tie on it.  We did a few basketball drills with the kids and gave them some small gifts such as cars or wallets.  Each of our players were able to go into the classrooms and take pictures and sign autographs for the kids (haha).  We spent about an hour there and were surprised and humbled to know that these kids had bought us lunch from Pollo Cabero, which is like a KFC. 

                After lunch, we had some team-time in which we continued to get to know each other and Coach Colton shared information about his family, fun, faith, fears, and future, which each player and coach has done. We also got to see the famous Lake Amatitlan and were guided by two local chicas.  One of the major highlights was seeing some live music near some of the vendors, where we proceeded to get a picture of there mustaches.

                In the late afternoon, we headed to the gym where we set up camps for some kids.  We enjoyed teaching them some of the fundamentals of shooting, passing, and dribbling.  After the camp was over, Craig shared his faith and was applauded loudly by the large amount of believers in the gym.

                Later in the night, both AIA teams played a team named La Renda and both teams won.  The teams were very prepared for us, as both games were hard fought wins. The environment was great, we were able to bring in a nice crowd and have a DJ during the game.  We were also entertained at halftime by a live performance by some of the teenages of the town. After the game,  Spencer D. (aka Big Country) shared his faith with the players and was given a Gautemala jersey as a gift.