I asked one of our tour players to write a reflection for me to post on our website and what she gave me deserves her own post:
Digging a pool with shovels and pick axes was not exactly what I had in mind when I signed up to take a sports ministry trip to Colombia. This isn't the type of ministry most 15-19 year olds dream of when they think about their upcoming soccer missions trip to South America. So you won't be surprised to hear that when our team first started working on the pool there was some complaining and lack of motivation. One day as I was reflecting on the team's morning work at the pool I recalled Hosea 10:12 which says, “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.” As I remembered this verse, I immediately thought of how our team was legitimately whacking unplowed ground with pick axes. As our time went on digging this pool in Colombia I kept Hosea 10:12 in the back of my head. On day fourteen of the tour we finished up our work on the pool. Not as evident though was the work done in the hearts of the team members while being pushed to the end of ourselves working on that pool for hours most mornings. Indeed we broke up some unplowed Colombian ground with pick axes, but Jesus was breaking up the unplowed ground of our hearts too. Relationships were strengthened, prayers were prayed, Jesus was glorified, and ground was plowed in that pool. Sure digging a pool with our time in Colombia wasn't what we expected or even wanted originally. But Jesus used hitting some dirt (and a fair share of rocks) with a pick axe to draw a team of 23 humans farther from themselves and closer to Him, what an honor to be a part of. -Taylor Kyle
Digging a pool with shovels and pick axes was not exactly what I had in mind when I signed up to take a sports ministry trip to Colombia. This isn't the type of ministry most 15-19 year olds dream of when they think about their upcoming soccer missions trip to South America. So you won't be surprised to hear that when our team first started working on the pool there was some complaining and lack of motivation. One day as I was reflecting on the team's morning work at the pool I recalled Hosea 10:12 which says, “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.” As I remembered this verse, I immediately thought of how our team was legitimately whacking unplowed ground with pick axes. As our time went on digging this pool in Colombia I kept Hosea 10:12 in the back of my head. On day fourteen of the tour we finished up our work on the pool. Not as evident though was the work done in the hearts of the team members while being pushed to the end of ourselves working on that pool for hours most mornings. Indeed we broke up some unplowed Colombian ground with pick axes, but Jesus was breaking up the unplowed ground of our hearts too. Relationships were strengthened, prayers were prayed, Jesus was glorified, and ground was plowed in that pool. Sure digging a pool with our time in Colombia wasn't what we expected or even wanted originally. But Jesus used hitting some dirt (and a fair share of rocks) with a pick axe to draw a team of 23 humans farther from themselves and closer to Him, what an honor to be a part of. -Taylor Kyle