Updates!

We miss Hilma. Okay that really isn't an update because that is a constant for us. The good news is we have heard from Hilma via email a good bit (not as much as we would like...haha) and we actually called her a few weeks ago. Hearing her voice sent us basically over the moon!


The great news is that she is doing well in school. Math and English are both a bit of a struggle for her because she was out of school for three years but she is keeping up. She is also playing volleyball for her school, Cornerstone. We are thrilled for her, pumped that she is doing so well, but saddened that we can't drop everything and fly to Belize this minute to see her.



We are planning to head back to Belize in January though! Horray! Our dates are still to be determined. Of course our main goal is to see Hilma, visit her school, see her in action, hopefully catch one of her volleyball or football (soccer) games while we are there, etc. Our second goal will be to help out The Belize Project in any way we can while we are there. The Belize Project is the main organization of which Sports Servants is a branch. The Belize Project has many branches, one of which is the Education Branch that has a goal of helping support teachers and students in 9 presbyterian schools in Belize. These schools for the most part are supported by missionaries and churches here in the U.S. and are in desperate financial need. On top of that these teachers are working for half salary, some of them are working for free and all of them need encouragment, training and supplies! Now that we have an obvious personal attachment (Hilma) to the education system in Belize we feel really strongly about helping out in this area as well as being volunteers for Sports Servants in the summer. Our hearts are full with concern for these precious Belizean students and always for our Hilma.


We had a Sports Servants reunion last week to catch up with all the summer volunteers as well as the huge team of people who volunteer here in the states doing behind the scenes work for Zac. It was a very fun night. Zac put together a slide show of pictures from the entire 8 week summer....I was definitely not ready to see Hilma up on the big screen....but here are some pictures of her that made the slideshow....

These pictures are from the coaching workshop that Sports Servants puts on for Belizean teachers to come learn how to be coaches. The goal right now of SS is to remove the "American crutch" and help the Belizeans step up and run the show in their villages. These pictures are so moving to me because our sweet Hilma, who could shove a soccer ball down your throat before you could even blink, is one of the only girls at the coaching clinic, learning with the guys, taking advantage of the resources in front of her, soaking it up. She is actually a better soccer player than all the guys put together (no offense guys)!

Also, just love how she plays in jeans....what a girl! And yellow is her favorite color if you didn't know...now you do.

So please continue to pray for Michael and I as we make decisions about going back to Belize, as we continue to work with The Belize Project's Education Branch, as we help them with fundraising for the education in Belize and as we walk with God as ordinary people in this broken world. PLEASE continue to pray for Hilma...we just miss her so much. She is worth your prayer time, I promise!!!

The Day to Day

I guess I've been thinking a lot about the daily grind now that I'm back in it. We weren't even gone that long but I have come to realize that being away from the norm for any amount of time throws me off a bit. The most recurring question I've had about our time in Belize was "what did you do every day?" And that is a great question! My days were a little different compared to Michael's days because I was in the village of Cristo Rey and he was in the town of Corozal. His day required a little more driving because the guys weren't actually in a village and we were but our days were pretty similar.

So a typical day for me was:

4:00 am Wake Up Call by this guy...



This rooster lived next door and would literally cockadoodledoo from 4am (when the sun rose) until the sun went down...it was very strange. But then I would roll back over and sleep until...

6:30 am when my REAL wake up call came via the loudest bus horn I have ever heard in my life. It totally scared me the first day because it was so loud and they honked right in front of our house. Looking back that was one of the greatest sounds because I am such a morning person when I don't have to rush around to get to work, and in Belize I got to have from...

6:30 to 8:00 to read, journal, pray, eat my breakfast and just start the day off slowly. The other girls in the house were up, doing the same but we kind of all had our own spots in the morning and I just loved that time by myself.

8:30 to 9:00 time for us to meet and plan for the Girls Camp and prepare for the day.

9:00 to 11:45 Girls Camp in Cristo Rey (Michael was at Guys Camp in Calcutta Village) Girls Camp in Cristo Rey was so much fun because we lived in Cristo Rey so we had the opportunity to really get to know the girls well. They would get to camp early to hang out and stay as late as we would let them. The girls are totally precious. I coached the "little girls" ages 5-8 in soccer drills and some volleyball too. Even though I didn't play soccer growing up, the girls were easy to coach because they really wanted to learn and I had the basic skills under my belt (thanks to Coach K)! Here are some of the girls after our Champions Ceremony that we had the last day...more on that later.

Here are the "little girls" before they played their "game" on Friday.

Left to Right: Jacelli, Jennifer, Jovanna, me, Annette, Kelsey and Damris

Noon to 1:00 Lunch and Rest

1:15 Leave for San Narciso Village for co-ed camp (about 25 mintues away) Michael and I were together for these camps - super fun.

2 -4:30 Co Ed Camps - San Narciso

5:00 back home to get ready for the night's events.

The nights events were these:

Monday - Dinner with the whole team at the Na's house (a family in Cristo Rey)

Tuesday - The girls game in San Victor Village

Wednesday - Dinner, just the girls, at the Pene's house (a family in Cristo Rey)

Thursday - Dinner, just the girls, at Hilma's house in San Narciso

Friday - Girls sleepover at our house with Perla, Edna and Hilma

MUCH MORE on all of these nightime events to come!

Here are some other fun day to day details. This was my home for the week, The Manse.

Michael lived at the Hotal Maya in Corozal, which was basically a palace compared to the Manse....

...with a fabulous view of the Corozal Bay. But I wouldn't have traded my time at the Manse for anything!

So those are just a few more details about our day to day lives in Belize. To say we miss it is the understatment of the century! I promise to be better about updating this blog! God is still opening many doors for us to stay invovled with Sports Servants as well as the Education branch of the Belize Project. Stay tuned!

Meet Hilma

Before we even met Hilma, we knew her name.

When we arrived in Belize (Saturday July 11th) we spent one night on the Ambergris Caye with the team of Sports Servants volunteers who had just completed their first week of camps and were taking a weekend break. Laura (a recent Vandy grad from Vermont who will be starting her first year as a teacher in DC in just a few weeks) had already formed an incredible bond with Hilma during the first week of camp. We knew Hilma was an incredible football (soccer) player....she has a reputation for being extremely talented.

And she easily lived up to that reputation. The first day I saw her play at co-ed camp (Monday July 13th) in San Narciso I was amazed. She made it look so effortless. At only about 5 feet she is a complete power house. She is one of those people who have that celebrity quality that puts them in an ageless category. I had no idea she was 17...because she really just seemed so much larger than life.

Hilma had arranged for the girls in our villages (Cristo Rey and San Narciso) to play an actual game with the girls in San Victor on Tuesday night. I can't really tell you how big of a deal this was because the girls rarely get the chance to play, with a team, in an actual game. They have no organized sports. I know its so hard to wrap your mind around but there is no YMCA, no city league, no church league. nada.

Our Tuesday night started around 6:30 as we (Abby, Girls Camp Director) drove around to several different villages picking up the girls for the game. It seemed ridiculous at the time but looking back it was so much fun. I think by the time we got to the game we had around 19 people in the 'ole toyota stick shift truck...including 11 players, 1 sub, 1 pom pom girl (me), 3 guy coaches, someone's mom and 3 little sisters.

We drove FOREVER down this long, dirt, unlit road until we finally got to San Victor only to find the field dark (no lights on), the village deserted and no team to play. But Hilma was on it. In 20 mintues...poof...field lights on, the San Victor girls team ready to play and what felt like the entire village appearing out of their houses to watch the girls play. It was like something out of a movie. And of course, our girls smoked San Victor 5-0.

Looking back I think Michael would say that was the night he clicked with Hilma.

Here are the girls before the game....Hilma is on the end on the right holding the football.

Check out this link on YouTube where Zac is interviewing Laura before the game. Hilma is featured in the clip and another precious girl Enelli is the one who speaks at the end...she is adorable!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=616gcptX7Fs

Up until Wednesday I was really intimidated by Hilma. I'm old...not that great at soccer...white....the list goes on...so I couldn't imagine Hilma wanting to hang out with me....what did I have to offer her? But on Wednesday something clicked between us. I could tell there was a lot more to this girl than what was on the surface. She began to ask me questions...just little things about marriage, what its like to live in the US...just little things and I could tell she was really wanting to be my friend. I can't put my finger on why that schocked me but it totally did.

On Thursday, Hilma invited us (me, Abby, Laura (all volunteers) and Perla and Edna (Belizean friends) to her house for dinner. After dinner Hilma started again with the questions...saying she wanted our advice. And then it was like this veil was lifted from my eyes and I began to see Hilma as this little person who has lived through more in her 17 years than I am sure I ever will. Her story is equally heartbreaking and inspiring. It is amazing how you judge someone and then find out what they are really going through. In the midst of all her life turmoil, the Lord called her to be his child and she is a Christian, which is the most comforting part of this entire story.

And that's when I fell in love. With Hilma.

I guess its important now to mention that Michael and I lived in different villages when we were with Sports Servants. He lived in the town of Corozal with the guys and I lived in the village of Cristo Rey with the girls. We had the option to stay together but it just made more sense to live with our teams. And it was one of the best decisions we made. So this info is important because we only saw each other about once a day...sometimes twice...but we really only had about 15 mintues each day, just the two of us, to talk.

So we really didn't know until the last night (Friday) that we BOTH wanted to take Hilma back home with us...to be our daughter. Yep...we always said we wanted to adopt a teenager.

But we knew that Hilma wasn't really ours to adopt. Even though it isn't an ideal situation, she does still live with a loving mother and she basically helps raise her two little sisters, who adore her. I was so emotional at the time that I couldn't really think outside the box...how can we help Hilma? I know we are meant to to something here...but what?

Enter Mr. Big Ideas...Michael Martin....with the "Let's send Hilma back to high school!"

Enter Mrs. Details...Callen Martin....I've been told I'm great at execution.

Hilma had been out of school for 3 years. She basically graduated from their 7th/8th grade level (called Standard 6) and had to quit school because her dad (who isn't very involved in her life) wouldn't pay for it anymore. Oh yea...there are no public schools in Belize...none. Everyone has to pay if they want to go and the school systems are for the majority, in financial need.

So on Friday night when we approached Hilma about setting up a scholarship fund for her to go back to high school, she was elated!!!! Tears, hugs, thank yous, more tears....excitement....it was so much fun. She just kept saying "thank you for this opportunity" through her tears.

I have never met a more deserving person in my life than Hilma.

So we all put our heads together, everybody, Abby, Laura, Perla, Edna, Zac, Micahel and I and we came up with a plan with Hilma. In 14 hours we helped her choose a school, Cornerstone Presbyterian High School. It's close to her village, Perla and Edna already go there, Sports Servants has a connection with the principal there and most importantly, they have a football (soccer) team. We came up with a list of things that she has to do to maintain the scholarship: like email Micahel and I once a month (hopefully more) with her grades, books she is reading, what she is learning, etc.

That night (Friday) we were having the girls (Hilma, Perla and Edna) over for a slumber party (it was their first ever, and their idea...more on that later)...and we were exchanging addresses. When Hilma handed me her address, it took me a minute for it to sink in. It was the first time I had heard her last name. Martinez. Hilma Martinez. MARTINez. I couldn't believe my eyes. Michael and I always joked about adopting a little boy with the last name Martinez from the Dominican so we could have a Major League Baseball Player as a child. Well, different country, different gender, different sport...but we got our Martinez. I almost started crying...I said "Hilma, Martin, Martinez...same...we are family." And she said "you are my mom and mike is my dad"...I don't know what it feels like to be a parent but since that moment I think I have a general idea. It was like my heart just opened up in a way I didn't know it could.

Michael said to me at some point that night...this is what we were missing. Hilma is what we were missing in our lives. It is like we lived our entire lives for God to get us to this point...to meet this girl.

Then came the toughest part of the week...saying goodbye. We spent a few minutes on Saturday morning getting Hilma's mother's blessing for her to go back to high school. Her mom was so grateful and it was obvious that she loves Hilma very much. Then we said goodbye. It was awful.

Michael and I were insanely sad as we flew from the main land to the Caye for our vacation portion of the trip. It was mind blowing...we were at this fabulous resort and all we could think about was seeing Hilma again, getting back to the mainland. From that point on God just worked it all out. We were able to get word to Hilma that we were coming back on Tuesday. We were able to track down the principal at Cornerstone to meet with us on Tuesday about Hilma being accepted to the school. There was a place for us to stay (for free) at the lovely Hotel Maya in Corozal. Detail after detail fell into place which made for a fabulous day with Hilma and totally worth leaving our vacation to see her.

And brace yourself. Some of you (my mom) know how much I LOVE school supplies and shopping for school supplies. After we met with the principal of Cornerstone, we took Hilma school supply shopping!!! While there were no polka dotted trapper keepers (my fave ever), we did find her a sweet backpack and all the essentials including a Recorder....does that bring back memories or what? She has to have it for music class...I think I can still rock Hot Cross Buns on that thing.

We also set Hilma up with her first email account that day. So far she has been great about emailing us...of course we would love to hear from her every day but we are so impressed and encouraged that she has picked up on it so quickly. Access to computers is pretty hard to get in the villages and we are hoping she will have more computer access when she starts school.

Which is actually THIS Monday. She will do a three week summer session and then she will start her real school year on the 24th of August. She has an open house at Cornerstone on Monday at 8:30 for new students and Travis, one of the SS volunteers will be going with her, which is such a blessing. Michael and I wish so much that we could be there for her first day of school. It is actually kind of killing us that we won't be there. But we pray that she knows how much we love her and most importantly that she knows how much the Lord loves her.

We miss Hilma so much. It's crazy how someone you know for such a short time can make such an impression on your life. We thank God for putting Hilma in our lives. We pray we get to see her again soon. We ask you to join with us in praying for her, that she will thrive in school, that she will continue to walk closely with the Lord, that she will know how much we love her and how much God loves her. We just miss her so much.

The Faces of Belize

Pictures first...stories later...promise.

We are back!

It is really hard to believe we are BACK in the U.S. God was so faithful during our trip...we felt your prayers every step of the way...from the very beginning when we sailed through customs to the very end as we really struggled leaving the people we met in Corozal. It is amazing how we just had this idea before we left that we were going to do our good Christian deed and help Sports Servants this summer....and as it turns out we were blessed by the people there more than we could have imagined. We have 800 pictures to sort through and many stories to tell and we will be updating this blog more and more in the coming weeks.

Of all the amazing people we met during the trip, one girl found a place in our hearts that we didn't know we had. Her name is Hilma, she is 17 and has had a really tough life so far. She is probably the best football (soccer) player in the area and was forced to quit high school to help her mom. Michael and I have set up a scholarship fund for her through Sports Servants for her to return to high school. She is overwhelmed and so grateful for this opportunity and we just ask for your specific prayers for her tomorrow as she takes her placement exam. She will be attending Cornerstone Presbyterian High School in Cristo Rey and we are so excited for her!!!

Michael and I are just so thankful for our time in Belize. We appreciate all of the prayers and support through the amazing journey. We can't wait to share more and plan on being a part of Sports Servants and Belize for a very long time.

Check list!

1. Passports...check.
2. Malaria Pills...check.
3. Vaccinations....check.
4. Gruelling soccer practices where Callen almost passed out...check.
5. Gruelling soccer pracitces where it was apparent Michael missed his calling as a soccer player...check. (he really is awesome).


Still left to do:
1. Pack...kind of important.
2. Target run for bug spray, gatorade powder mix (not for callen obviously), pepto bismol, imodium, Emergen-C, power bars, hand sanitizer...all of this is on the list...i promise...what have we gotten ourselves into?
3. Get mail keys to our sweet friend Polly who is getting our mail for us.
4. Clean the condo in case we have a showing (fingers crossed).
5. Pray for my travel anxiety to subside!!!

6. Pray, Pray, Pray!

I just want to take this time to thank our supporters who are supporting us through prayer and also through donations to Sports Servants! We can't thank you enough for all your help!! If you think of us, please refer to the prayers requests below...we just covet your prayers so much.

Check it out!!!!

Please go to this link if you have a chance! It is a short You Tube video of the first day (yesterday) of Sports Servants Soccer Camp in Belize!! Zac, the founder of this ministry is the guy with the camera. You can see exactly where Michael will be (in the guys camps) when we head down there. This is really just so cool! Thanks for uploading this Zac!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkFObZ8NTU&feature=player_embedded

Books!

I'm really excited that in our daily schedule in Belize we have a built in time for personal prayer and devotion. At least we do in the girls camp...I haven't actually seen the schedule for the guys camp!! It is so difficult for me to carve out a time each day for me to spend just on Bible Study and devotion...so I'm just so thankful to have that as such an important part of our schedule in Belize. It is obviously the best way to begin the day and helps my perspective. That sounds cheezie but if we are all honest with ourselves, we are better messengers of Christ if we spend quality time with Him, in prayer and studying the Bible each day.

We weren't assigned any books in particular to study in our personal time, so Michael and I pulled all my favorite books out from college and let him choose. He chose well to say the least. These are two of my VERY favorite books and I can't wait to reread them...especially since my life has changed so much since I read them the first time around. I recommend both of these to y'all!!! Happy Monday!!!

How we got here....by Callen

Why Belize? That is a great question. I'm learning more each day how out of my hands my life and all my decisions really are. Its amazing how quickly I make plans only to have them all fall apart right in front of me.

Michael's job schedule really only allows him to take vacation during the months of June and July and at the end of Spring Break (which is funny to me that some adults still get Spring Break). Anyway, we knew that we wanted to do something fun this summer, for Michael's 30th birthday (in August) and for our 3rd wedding anniversary (in July). We always dreamed of going back to our Honeymoon spot in Belize (Victoria House) and we hadn't planned any other trips for the summer...so we thought about it and decided to go for it and we booked the trip.

Back up a couple of months...Our dear friends Tiffany and Jeb are super involved with a mission called Freedom's Promise. Please check out their website. "Freedom's Promise is dedicated to rescuing women and children affected by the human trafficking trade. Within our own community and abroad we walk out life with those rescued from bondage, restoring them to freedom and hope." One of the ways they "rescue" women and children from the human trafficking trade is to provide them with a skill, such as sewing. Because of my "sewing skills", they asked us to come along on their next trip in October (they go twice a year) to Cambodia. We were thrilled because Michael and I had both been praying for an opportunity to go on a mission trip. We committed to the trip, began making plans only to realize (about 6 weeks later) that there was no way Michael could be away from his job that long (10 - 12 days) during the school year (he doesn't teach, but its still impossible for him to be gone that long during the school year). Obviously, we were so bummed. I was in shock. I couldn't understand why it wasn't working out for us to go after we had both been so willing.

Back up a couple of years....Girls...just a word of wisdom. Listen to your husbands. You might think, just because you are the normal planner in the family with all the good ideas that your husband doesn't have any good ideas. But he does. He really does. Michael has been mentioning to me for years that a guy at MBA (Zac Hood) started a mission project in Belize and that we should consider being a part of it. So after our Cambodia trip fell through, he casually mentioned...again....hey my friend Zac Hood...Belize...mission trip...yada yada yada....you get it. It was like I was hearing him say it for the first time. Wow. I'm learning lessons everyday.

So we called Zac, who said he had been praying for some more help for the summer, and we signed on to the trip. We had already booked our flights for our vacation to Belize, so we just switched our first flight so we could work with Sports Servants for a week before our vacation.

I'm learning to let go of my "plans" for my life a little more each day. I'm constantly amazed how the Lord works things out according to His plan. I'm so thankful to be part of Sports Servants this summer.

Specific Prayer Requests by the Martins

Over the weekend we had a great prayer time with some of the volunteers that will be in Belize this summer with Sports Servants and some others who are involved in The Belize Project in the education area/schools programs. It was so encouraging to hear the prayers of the people who really know Belize and who have experienced what we are about to.  We are so encouraged!! Some of you have been asking for specific prayer requests...so here they are! 

Michael's specific prayer requests:

1.  For God to use him to witness to the Belizeans.

2.  For his words and actions to be representative of Christ and that he may be a Christ like example for the kids of Belize.

3.  That he would put all his trust in God and realize that whatever happens is part of His plan.

4.  That he will keep his heart and mind open at all times. 

Callen's specific prayer requests:

1.  That we will get through customs with no problems....we are transporting two HUGE gym bags full of Bibles that have been donated!!!

2.  That I will be an effective volunteer soccer coach in the girls camp and help my Team Leader (Abby) in any way possible. 

3.  That the Gospel will be in my heart and on my lips when God gives me the opportunity to share his message of hope to these precious kids in Belize. 

4.  That I will be flexible and let the Lord lay out the plans for my day and my time. 

Thanks so much for praying for us!! 

General Prayer Requests for This Summer

The entire summer ministry for Sports Servants begins this Monday June 30th and continues through August 15th....so its easy to see that Michael and I will just be a small part of this great summer. In this post we have the general prayers requests that we are praying and that we would love for you to pray as well for the entire summer ministry. These requests were developed by the founder and staff members that have been involved with this ministry for a while...so they really know the hearts of the Belizeans and the needs of the ministry and the people. Thanks in advance for your prayers. We will hopefully post our specific prayer requests this weekend.

Prayer Needs for Summer 2009

Larger Areas
· That Belizean hearts would be changed and affected in Belize
· Volunteers can go with a daily trust in God for their hearts and for Sports Servants
· That our communities back at home would support, pray, and be encouraged
· Summer of transition to Belizean leadership—removing the crutch
· Development of summer camp and school program models
· Partnerships with schools
· Go Deeper into culture and understanding Belize and Belizeans
· Meetings with principals, officials, Prime Minister
· Warfare- that which is against us

Programs/Camps
· For our ability to understand and discern our role in helping the Belizeans lead
· Priority with Belizean leadership
· Jesus Ek and his leadership
· Nardo Che and his role as Assistant Coordinator and leading other youth coaches
· Children would learn and grow in their understanding of Jesus and God
· For beautiful moments on and off the field
· For the villages and communities to come alive and embrace these programs
· For strength and courage to enter difficult conversations with Belizean leaders
· That we would continue to understand the vision and direction for our role in Belize
· That we would come closer to building a model for integrating our programs into the schools and that a model for our summer program would be further developed
· Two-week workshop- For God’s will to be done in regards to attendance, accreditation, curriculum, and new program development
· For the understanding and creativity to adapt and change as necessary

Belizean Leadership
· That the Belizeans would truly lead
· That they would help each other
· That they would begin to dream and have hope because of our presence
· That more parents and youth would emerge to help with programs

U.S. Volunteers
· Core Group that we would serve each other, love each other well
o Find our roles within the summer, Help bring in other volunteers
· Safety, Health, Energy, Rest
· Times of rest would be peaceful
· That we know better the heart of God towards us
· That we hear God speak to us
· That we can empty ourselves instead of feeling overwhelmed to be so prepared
· That we may serve out of gratitude and not duty, out of love and not obligation
· That we are better for our communities back at home when we return

So.....we are going to Belize!!! by Callen

Soccer is the game we will be playing in Belize....Catch up is the game we need to play now!! Many of you know, but many of you don't know that Michael and I are volunteering for a week this summer with an incredible ministry/service project called Sports Servants.

Personally, we have been praying for an opportunity like this for a while. Here is a portion of our support letter we sent back in May to catch you up on some of the details. We are so excited/terrified about this trip. We can't wait to see the Lord at work in Belize and in the hearts of the people we will meet there.

We started to look at our lives and the blessings of friends and family that God has given us. We were praying for God to present an opportunity for us to give back in some way. After taking a closer look, the Lord began to weigh on our hearts and show us that the greatest gift we have to give right now is our time.

Some of you know that Michael grew up going to an awesome boy’s school here in Nashville, Montgomery Bell Academy. The relationships he has built with the guys he went to school with are amazing. Zac Hood, an alum who works at MBA with Michael now, founded an incredible ministry program in Belize a few years ago. You can read all about his selfless journey to start this ministry at http://www.sportservants.org/. Sport Servants’ mission in Belize is to establish permanent sports programs where children’s lives will be forever changed. Sports Servants desires to develop, fund and activate organized youth sports programs around the world in order to empower children and youth, strengthen their communities, and positively impact the future human relationships of the world. Sports Servants looks to serve areas of need by developing organized programs while training leaders so that people can have permanent programs that bring hope to their communities. We believe the lessons we learn in our youth have an enormous impact on our lives and the environment we grow up in can greatly affect our future actions and beliefs.

Michael and I were equally fortunate to grow up in homes and communities where there was always an organized activity for us to take part in; be it tee-ball, soccer, softball, cheerleading, baseball, at the YMCA, our schools, city leagues or at church. We both know how important this aspect of community is. The story of Belize, a relatively new country in Central America, is that children love to play sports, especially football (soccer). This picture is vastly different from the American version of this game, as the Belizean children are without organized teams and programs, capable leaders and basic equipment. Despite this, their desire and love for sports causes them to play on. Which is why Michael and I have committed to volunteer a week (July 11-18) of our lives this summer to be a part of this wonderful ministry. We feel God calling us to give of our time and talents (one of us a bit more talented in this area of sports than the other…ha ha).

So that is just a little backgroud to get you caught up on where we are. We are SO excited about this opportunity the Lord has given us to serve. Stay tuned for more posts (I am going to try to post every day or every other day) until we leave. We will have our specific prayer requests hopefully listed tomorrow...we would LOVE your prayers!!!!!!