June 10, 2010 19:19 by SportsPerformance-Guatemala

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Everyone is Home Safe!

All of the members of AIA Sports Performance Guatemala arrived home safely this last weekend.  Praise God for the ministry they were able to have during their extended stay in Guatemala City.  Thank you for your prayers and support of this team.  We look forward to posting something soon giving some final impressions from each team member. 

Jim R. is off to Mexico with another Sports Performance team.  Be sure to check out their team blog as well to see what God is doing through sports medicine and strength & conditioning!

Paul N. Director, AIA Sports Performance

June 6, 2010 10:12 by SportsPerformance-Guatemala

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Preparing for Home

Greetings from Guatemala,

This morning after Cristobal, Wil, John and I dropped off Alda and Michelle at the airport, we headed off to a professional soccer championship game.  It was an exciting game and quite a cultural experience.  The interesting thing is that Cristobal has regular Bible studies with both of the teams.  Then we were invited by Dr. Chang, one of the National Soccer Federation doctors, to his home for lunch.  It was a relaxing time of fellowship and the meal was great.  I am excited to see how our relationship with him has grown these past few years.  The rest of the afternoon and evening I caught up on the trip financial records before having the last dinner with Wil and John.  We had a good time reflecting back on the trip and the many ways God used our team to share his love with so many.  Despite the difficult situations that started out our trip (volcano eruption and tropical storms) the team grew spiritually and we have become good friends.  We head home tomorrow and I'm only home long enough to wash my clothes (Only seven hours between landing and taking off) before I head to Merida Mexico to catch up with the AIA Sports Performance tour that I'm directing.  They arrived on Saturday and start teaching on Monday.  Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

Jim - Tour Director

June 4, 2010 10:59 by SportsPerformance-Guatemala

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Just a Few More Days Left

As this trip has had some eventful days and some "down" days, today (Friday) was a day to relax and recuperate. Will and John left for the airport around 4:30am to try and go standby on the plane. However, they were turned back because the airlines did not have any space. We stayed at the hotel most of the morning. Alda and I (Michelle) talked and discussed different aspects of athletic training and other random topics. Will worked on some assignments he needed to complete and John read a book. Overall it was very relaxing. We had to move hotels today because the one we were at has a conference this weekend that has booked most of the rooms. We had lunch at a restaurant down the street from our new hotel. It was a decorated restaurant that seemed to encompass the "typical" Latin American restaurant. Something that I have enjoyed about being with this group is the amount of laughter we have shared. I don't think I have laughed this much in my life. It has been an enjoyable trip mainly because of the fun we have had as a group. For team time tonight we discussed balancing listening with asking wondering question when trying to develop God space. Something that stuck out to me is that the better we listen, the more wondering questions will come to mind, which can open up doors for a great conversation. After team time, we prayed for each other as we go our separate ways. Tomorrow, Alda and I will be leaving and the guys will be leaving on Sunday.

Michelle

June 4, 2010 10:02 by SportsPerformance-Guatemala

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Ministering through service and friendship (FIFA and Si Deportes)

Hello Everyone!!!

Throughout this trip, God has provided us with many opportunities to show his love to the sports community here in Guatemala City, and yesterday (Thursday, 6/3/2010) was no exception. The day started out at Si Deportes where Will did a sports psychology presentation for some of the staff members. In his presentation he talked about developing a positive attitude, goal setting, stages of team development, and enhancing team cohesion. Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of the morning was when the staff begin to tell us how they wanted to instill Christian values in there students and how they didn't want to run a program that did not include God.

 

Our afternoon and evening "appointments" was by far one of my favorite parts of the day (no offense, Will Smile). That afternoon we went to the national soccer federation offices and FIFA training center. There we met with Patty and Dr. Chang (physiotherapist and team physician for the Guatemala women's national soccer team, respectively). Patty asked us if we would be willing to look at a couple of injured athletes and give her our opinion in regards to rehab/treatment options. We spent the next couple of hours doing evaluations on athletes and showing Patty some additional rehab exercises that she could use in order to help her athletes fully recover. I left the training facility feeling privileged, blessed, and extremely grateful. Privilege, that God had given me this opportunity; blessed, that I was able to help Patty with her athletes; and grateful for the facilities, rehab tools, and the extensive medical network that I have access to in Charlotte. I didn't think that the day could get any better. That is, until we went back to Si Deportes.

After a quick dinner, we arrived back a Si Deportes for an assembly with the athletes. We each shared our personal testimony as to how we got to this current point in our lives. Because some the instructors told us earlier that day that some of the athletes/students came from single parent homes, I knew I could connect with them on that level, because I came from a single parent home also. I wanted to let them know that just because you come from a single parent home does not mean that you cannot accomplish your goals. I also wanted to share with them a few of my "failures" to let them know that setbacks are common, and they will happen, but you can't let them discourage you from pursuing what you are passionate about. The most memorable moment of the evening and, in my opinion the entire trip, was when we sat down to eat dinner with the athletes. Although some of us (myself included) are not fluent in spanish, the meal was filled with lots of laughter!! I had to opportunity to meet Melba (who will be participating in the junior olympics) and Mandia (a tennis player). Mandia somehow convinced us to join her in an impromptu dance party. It was so rewarding to see the smiles on the girls faces as we took turns dancing with them. It was AMAZING!! As we walked back to our van to head back to the hotel, I couldn't help but be in awe as to how God lined everything up for us. I don't think that anyone would look at a volcano eruption as being a blessing, but the truth is that if Pacaya had not erupted then events of today would not have happened Smile

 

Eternally Grateful,

Alda Burston, MEd, LAT, ATC (UNC Charlotte)

June 3, 2010 10:51 by SportsPerformance-Guatemala

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Busy Day on Thursday!

Thank you for everyone's prayers and concern for our team!  We have felt God's Love and Protection as we have trusted Him to guide us daily.  Wednesday we had an opportunity to enjoy a day of shopping in the ancient Central America capital of Antigua before Thursday's busy day.  While in the market, I had the opportunity to talk to some college students from Iowa, Michigan and Colorado.  One girl even went to the same high school as Michelle and some knew two of our former AIA basketball staff who work at their school.  It is a small world!  After we returned, we had another good discussion in the book "God Space".  This lession was on "Asking Wondering Questions". 

Thursday morning we will be meeting with the top coaches and administrative staf from the (CDAG) Sports Confereration´s academy called Si Deportes.  We will be discussing coaching motivation and ethics from a Christian viewpoint.  In the afternoon we will be meeting with the sports medicine staff from the Soccer Federation followed by an evening of speaking to some of the top young athletes in Guatemala.  They are preparing for top international competions.  We will have an opportunity to share with these coaches and athletes what God has done in our lives and how they can know Him personally too.

We have airline flights to leave the country.  David leaves on Friday, Alda and Michelle on Saturday, followed by Wil, John and Jim on Sunday.  We will try to go standby but that doesn't look too promising.  Please keep us in your prayers as we finish strong.

Jim - Tour Director