This summer, we had FABULOUS interns here. One of them, Daniel, came down to run a soccer camp for the 7-12 year old boys in Montellano, Chichigua and Pancho Mateo, three areas where our school aged kids come from. He took the kids from a neighborhood of chaos and brought them into a world where sportsmanship and working as a team matters. Beyond soccer, the kids also learned bible verses as Daniel taught them about salvation. Soccer camp ended a few weeks ago, but the memories will endure.
Daniel worked with Cakito, a 17 year old Haitian boy from Pancho Mateo who was part of the original Makarios school. They led 5 teams of boys for practices and scrimmages for 4 weeks, before having a final tournament!
Game 1 of the Quarterfinals: Montellano vs Pancho Mateo (Red vs Green). The game started out with bright blue skies and a relatively green field. It had been raining all week, so this was about to change. The teams played hard, and ended up in a 3-3 tie at the end of the game, prompting a shoot out.
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With more rain and more soccer playing comes… more mud. But what is more fun than a muddy soccer game to a 10 year old boy? The Semifinals brought Chichigua, Montellano and Pancho Mateo together in a mudfest. And the team from the Austin Stone was there to cheer them on!
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The second semifinal game was put on hold when we weren’t allowed to use the goal on the field. With only two games left for the summer, what was there to do but make new goals? A quick trip to the Makarios house, some 2 by 4s and large screws later, and voila! Soccer goals!
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Ultimately, the Pancho Mateo boys won the day. We had a ceremony where each kid won an award, with the top two teams receiving extra fun medals. The boys demonstrated their summer learning by reciting their memory verses while Daniel gave a great mini-sermon on our need for Jesus. And to end the summer… Popsicles!
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A big thanks to Daniel and Cakito for all they accomplished over the summer!
