Day 7 - Final Day

Day 7 - Final Post

Today began unlike most days so far, after 8:00am. We hit the markets in Antigua after a quiet breakfast around 9:00am. The markets in Antigua may never be the same after the Prep boys were finished. By 11:30, Jaime arrived to pick us up and bring us back to Guatemala City for an afternoon of relaxation followed by our last game. We checked back into the dorms from earlier in the week, had pizza delivered, and settled in for a nice afternoon nap/hangout time.

At 4:00pm, our ride arrived to take us back to Prepa for our much anticipated rematch and meet up with the girls' team. Prepa had claimed to have a few more players coming for this encounter and they did not disappoint. The Prepa team resembled a Guatemalan Junior National Team with several players over 6'4 and quick guards. The girls played first and were able to pull out a 10pt win against a talented select girls team from the area. Between games Georgia, Cade and Richard all shared about what God has been doing in their lives and the changes they have experienced and feel called to make.









After all the gifts were exchanged and testimonies shared, the big game was ready to take place. Prepa started a line-up that equaled ours in size (a first for the week) and looked like they were out for revenge early by taking a quick lead. However, their American counterparts eventually settled in and took a double digit lead into halftime. As the second half started, it became apparent that both teams were very determined to win but our guys began taking their game to new levels. The game quickly got out of hand as the 3rd quarter became a jump shot and defensive clinic by the Americans. Ryan, Thomas, and Austin made shot after shot while defensively the team dominated the quarter led by emphatic blocks by Josh and Thomas. By the early 4th quarter, the lead had reached nearly 40 points and Prepa was forced to wave the white flag and begin subbing out their better players. The effort and result from the game were the perfect ending to a great week of basketball but more importantly it was the culmination of a week were our guys began cheering for each other in every phase of the game.

Of course, in Guatemala the evening doesn't end without an amazing meal. Jaime set up a last meal for the team at a local restaurant that is most accurately defined as the Guatemalan Texas de Brazil. As trays of meat and sides were brought and served to the team, the guys were able to begin reflecting on a week of hard work and challenging moments. When we arrived back at the dorms a team meeting to debrief took place. This meeting lasted over an hour as the guys shared their favorite experiences from the week, lessons learned, attitudes changed, and spiritual depth gained. Most notably, the amount of comfort, blessing and convenience we experience daily in our lives was recognized by the team throughout their time in Guatemala. Also, the impact people like Jaime have had on many of the guys was overwhelming to hear. Now it is off to bed for a few short hours as the ride to the airport will arrive at 4:30am local time or 5:30am CST. What a great trip it has been and it is apparent that God's hand has been at work along every step of the way. Viva Mississippi!




Adios