Day 7: High School PE and and a College Tournament...

Today was our last full day here in El Salvador and we we had a great day.  We started off early this morning because we had to be at the school where we were going at 7:30AM. We went to the school (which is actually the high school that Bill teaches at) and we followed the bus to an El Salvadorian military base where the kids have PE every other day.  There were about 50 kids who all spoke English and are in their last year of high school.  We split the students up guys and girls and half played soccer against some of our guys and the other half went through some basketball drills with the rest of our guys, and about half way through we switched.  After we were finished Nelson and Doug shared their stories with the kids.  It was really fun to get to hear the guys share what was on their hearts and not use a translator.  I think the guys realized that besides being in a different country the people that we interacted with this morning were very similar to themselves.

After we left the military base we headed back to Bill's house to get ready for the tournament this afternoon.  This afternoon we went to the University that Bill teaches at and played a tournament against the 3 college teams from San Salvador.  We played pretty decent.  We won one game and lost two, but the level of competition was very good and the guys played really hard.  After our last game it started raining and we had to cancel the rest of the tourney but like good high school kids our guys were out in the middle of the rain playing half court knock out.  That has been how our guys have adapted though out the week we have been here.  They have just adapted to whatever has come their way and made the most out of it.  Once the rain subsided a little bit Gage and Travis got to share their stories with the players from the other teams.  Each of them did a really good job relating to guys that were just a little older than themselves.  After that, one of Bill's players shared the gospel with the players and he did a great job.

After the tournament we came back to Bill's house with most of his players and we all ate pizza together.  The guys had a great job just getting to hang out and learn about each other's cultures.  After dinner we had our last team time and we had a great time of just sharing about our experiences this week.

Tomorrow we are getting to sleep in a little bit and we will head out to the airport mid morning to catch our 2:00 flight.  We are supposed to arrive back in Jackson at 8:53 tomorrow night.

We are looking forward to seeing yall tomorrow!!

But we are going to live the dream here in El Salvador just a little bit longer!

Day 6: Orphanage, Beach, and a Semi-pro team...

Greetings...

At our team meeting tonight one of the guys shared the following and I thought it was a pretty appropriate recap of our day...

It's not every day that you get to...
-play with kids at an orphanage
-see cows walking in the middle of the road
-see an iguana
-hold a pregnant monkey's hand
-play on a beach with black sand
-ride waves on the Pacific Ocean
-sit in a hammock in a cabana on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean
-and play a basketball game against a Semi-Pro basketball team in the National Gym of El Salvador

Well, today we got to do all of those things.

We spent the morning at Remar orphanage/school in La Libertad, which was about 45 minutes from San Salvador.  We got to hang out with the kids for a while and then played a game against some of the kids.  After the game, De shared his testimony and did an great job sharing his story about the struggles he has faced how the Lord has helped him through.

After being at Remar, we went about 5 miles down the road to a beach resort.  So basically we spent the the afternoon laying in hammocks in cabanas overlooking the Pacific and playing on the beach on the black sand beaches.  It was a great way to just unwind and reflect on the week.  After several hours at the beach we made our way back to Bill's house to get ready for our game.

Somewhere along the way the Under 17 National Team turned into a Professional team that had some former Division 1 basketball players on it, but we have learned to roll with the punches down here in Central America.  We were down 20 at the end of the first quarter, and it seemed like it was going to turn into a LONG night...But in the end we played very good and only ended up losing by 10 points, and for sure earning the respect of some grown men.  The guys learned a lot about themselves playing against really stout competition.

Tomorrow is our last full day in El Salvador, and it is a FULL day.  We are doing a clinic early in the morning and playing in a tournament against college teams tomorrow afternoon and evening...

Here are a few pictures from our day...

De sharing his testimony at the orphanage...

Team photo op overlooking the pacific...

and finally...the calendar cover for the Class of 2012 men of Jackson Prep calendar

For a little while longer we'll be living the dream in El Salvador...

Day 5: Travel Day...

Greetings from San Salvador...

Not a whole lot to update today besides that we have made it safely to El Salvador.  There were no real hold ups at the Guatemala/El Salvador border, and the traffic wasn't too too bad either.  Our driver "Crazy" Eddie got us safely to our destination in San Salvador.

It has been a pretty low key afternoon, we spent a little time doing some shopping and just hanging out at Bill's house (our host).  We had a great spaghetti meal for dinner and we will see what adventures the rest of the night holds.

Tomorrow we will be spending some time at an orphanage at near the beach, and we will spend some time at the beach and we will be back in San Salvador tomorrow night to play the Under 17 National Team.

I'm going to try to upload a bunch of pictures tonight if the internet cooperates so they will show up on the side of the blog and just click the link to see more.

We have now officially made the transition to living the dream in El Salvador...

Some More Pictures from the Week...

Here are a few more pictures from the last few days...

Enjoy!

Day 4: 3 Games...three completely different settings

Right now everyone is packing up all their stuff as we get ready to head to El Salvador in a little while...

First, we went to a Christian high school in downtown Guatemala City.  We did some skill exhibitions and we played a scrimmage against each other for these high schoolers.  It was a lot of fun and the students at the school got really into it.  After the basketball exhibition, Luis got us out in front again to dance for the students to break the ice.  Whit Kendall then shared his testimony.  He did a great job relating to kids that were his age and he opened the door to let Luis share the good news of the gospel with over 200 students at the high school. After the gospel presentation, we were able to spend some time visiting with the students and getting to look around the school.

After we left the school we went to a mall to grab some lunch before our afternoon adventure to the small town of Canalitos.  We drove about 45 minutes away up in to the mountains and the town just appeared in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.  There was a park with a basketball court in the middle of the town and we got out and just started interacting with the people that were there.  Coach Fryant may or may not have had a 20 minute 1 on 1 game with a shifty left handed Guatemalan.  But that is beside the point...The guys were able to interact with people that were around the court and about 45 minutes after we arrived the courts filled up with school kids who had just gotten out of school.  We were able to do a clinic and play an exhibition game against some of the men from the town.  After the exhibition, Carter Thigpen shared his testimony with what seemed like the entire town that had gathered around the court.  He did a great job sharing about the love of Christ, and how we need to serve Him not only by our words but by our actions.

After we left Canalitos we headed back to the National Gym for a game against a combined group of players from several of the younger national teams.  We played the best that we have played since we arrived in Guatemala.  We actually won the game by 30 points.  At halftime Charlie Pringle was able to share his story with the players and the over 50 spectators.  After Luis gave the gospel presentation, a boy named Luis gave his life to Christ.  It is such a fun thing to see how the game of basketball and a simple gospel presentation can change someones life forever.  

After a very long day...we returned to Telma's house for dinner and we got to spend some great time with Jamie, and Luis during our last night in Guatemala.  They told us their stories and how the Lord uses them full time here in Guatemala.  

A quick update on Coach Moore, he is feeling much better and is back in the middle of everything with us...

Please pray for us today as we are heading out as I speak to pile up in the van to head to El Salvador.

More soon!

Day 3: El Tejar, INBC School, and an U-21City Team...

Greetings again from Guatemala City!

We had a very full day today.  We left the house early and headed to the town of El Tejar which was about 45 minutes away from where we are staying.  We got to spend the morning at a Christian Elementary school and the kids from the school won over everyone's hearts.  We spent time doing some basketball exhibition skills and then did some clinic teaching with the kids..(both of which were feats with in themselves since all we had was about 40 feet of courtyard space and one 8 foot basket to work with!).  Not only did the kids steal our hearts, I think the guys were a pretty big hit with the students as well.  Dalton Welch was able to share his testimony with the kids.  He did an incredible job by sharing his story and being able to relate it to the kids.  After we were finished the school fed us lunch and we were mobbed by all of the kids wanting autographs, and just generally wanting to hang out with the guys.

Mrs. Hubbard...I think this was the picture that your ordered...

After we left the school we returned to Telma's house and regrouped for the afternoon...

First we headed into downtown Guatemala City.  After what seemed like a million twists and turns we arrived at a INBC public high school in downtown Guatemala City.  When we arrived there were a lot of kids milling around playing soccer in the courtyard so naturally we tried to show off our soccer skills which were definitely very lacking.  When the time came to play all of the kids in the school assembled in the courtyard and we played a short game outdoors more as an exhibition.  Coach Fryant and Coach Sensing played for the Guatemalan team because they didn't have enough players to play.

During halftime Luis (one of our mission contacts) got all of the guys out on the court to "break the ice" with the Guatemalans...and by breaking the ice he made us do a ridiculous dance in front of this entire school!  Don't worry there is video to prove this!  After the ice breaker, Luke Love shared his testimony.  He did a very good job talking about where our "treasure" is.  After Luke's testimony it opened the door for Luis to do a great gospel presentation to these high school students.  Next, we finished the game and signed more autographs and the guys took lots of pictures with the students.  

Next, it was back in the vans and back to the National Gym for a game against an under 21 City Team.  They also had some players who are National Team hopefuls.  We played pretty well against the guys and it was an opportunity for us to play against a bigger faster opponent.  During halftime, Thompson Moore shared his testimony with both teams and the spectators in attendance.  Thompson did an outstanding job being very real and transparent during his testimony.  His main point was that even when your whole world is falling down around you you can always turn to Christ.  Once again, this gave Luis and awesome opportunity to share the gospel with the players and spectators.  

Next, we finished the game which we ended up winning by about 10 points.  It was a really good victory for the guys.  Then we hit the road back to Telma's house.  We had a great dinner and debriefing session from the day and at that point everyone was about spent so it was off to bed for the night.

We only have one more day here in Guatemala and it is another busy one but we are going to continue to do all we can to share Christ's love with these people.

Late last night Coach Moore got a little sick, so please be praying for him that he will get well and back to feeling better quickly...

Thanks for your prayers and for one last day we'll be living the dream in Guatemala!!

Day 2: Church, Basketball, and Bargaining in Antigua...

Today has been a pretty fast paced day.  We woke up this morning and headed to church.  To the guys that I have talked to this was unlike any other church that they had ever been to before.  We weren't able to stay for the entire service but we were able to stay for the majority of the singing and worship portion part of the service. I have learned that a typical service lasts for about two hours each Sunday morning.  As I snapped a few pictures I caught myself thinking as I'm sure many of the guys did as to how their worship service differed so much from ones that we are usually a part of.  But at the very same time they are worshiping the very same God that we serve.  Coach Horner and were discussing and wondering if they way they worshiped showed more of a reliance on God than we have...

Needless to say the worship service was an unforgettable experience and one that all of the guys seemed to enjoy very much...

Here is one picture just so you have an idea.  (I'm trying to upload all the pictures I take to Flickr...the pics and link to more are on the right side of the page)

From the church we headed back to the National Gym to play the under 15 National Team again.  We played well again this morning.  We played 4 10 minute quarters so the fast pace and long quarters worked against us a little but we were able to pull out another victory.  

Thomas Dunbar shared his testimony with the team after the game.  Today the setting was a little more intimate since we were playing the same team again.  But Thomas was able to share about his struggles as a believer and talked about how he is striving to learn more and more of a follower of Christ.  He did a great job and I think it was really well received  by both the Guatemalan team and our players as well. 

After we finished the game, we returned to Telma's house for a great Sunday lunch.  After lunch we got ready and piled in the vans and headed to Antigua, Guatemala.  It is a great little tourist town up in the mountains.  The guys got to do some shopping/bargaining with the vendors and you will be super excited for all of the great purchases that they made!!  It was a great, slow afternoon to just soak in some more of a different culture.  For dinner we went to a restaurant in Antigua as a team and had a great time getting to retell stories from the afternoon.

Tomorrow will be a full day of sharing and playing in schools and tomorrow night we will play another game in the National Gym against and older team.

Until next time we'll be living the dream in Guatemala...

Day 1: The Trip to Guatemala City

Greetings from Guatemala City!

After we left you yesterday we actually stayed in Jackson for quite a while because of some technical difficulties with the jet bridge to actually get on the plane.  But we eventually made it to Houston in just enough time to make it from the end of Terminal B to the end of Terminal E.  It's definitely a different feeling when you are the last people walking on to a VERY full flight...you don't always get the nicest looks.  The flight from Houston to Guatemala City and the customs process in Guatemala City were both relatively uneventful, and we arrived in Guatemala City to a rainy afternoon.  The guys were amazed by the driving practices of the people here in Guatemala and it was one of the first eye opening experiences to a new culture on this trip!!

Once we arrived we made our way to our host, Telma's, home.  It is a great set up with plenty of places to sleep and shower and hang out.  It is in a nicer gated subdivision inside the city.  We spent the afternoon getting settled and getting ready to head to our first game.

Last night we played the Guatemala under 15 National Team in the National Gym.  Even though they were a bit younger they provided a healthy challenge for us on our first day here.  We ended up winning though. Clay Hubbard had the chance to share his testimony at halftime of the game and he did and excellent job.  He opened up the way for one of the translators to provide and great gospel presentation to the team and the fans that were there to watch.

After the game we came back to Telma's for dinner and some team time.

Today we are headed to church, then to another game with the Under 15 National Team.  Then it is off to Antigua for an afternoon of wheeling and dealing with the vendors and we will cap off the evening with a nice dinner out as a team in Antigua.

I'll post some pictures in a little while...

Until then we'll be living the dream in Guatemala!

Here we go...

Hi Everyone,

After a lot of preparation the mission trip is finally upon us.  We will be flying out of Jackson tomorrow morning bound for Guatemala City. We will be in Guatemala until Wednesday when we will drive to El Salvador. We will be there until we head back for Mississippi on Saturday afternoon.

Please be praying that we may show the people that we come in contact with the love of Christ by not only the words that we say but the way that we carry ourselves on and off of the basketball court.  Pray that we will be a light for Christ to not only the people of Guatemala and El Salvador but to each other and those back at home as well.  Also be praying that all of the details of the trip work out very smoothly.

We will try to update with notes and pictures and videos as much as we can during the trip.  Also if you are twitter literate you can follow Coach Moore and Coach Fryant on Twitter and we will tweet when and where we can.

www.twitter.com/paulfryant

www.twitter.com/cmoore1213

We'll post again soon!!