WFMP 2013

Wow. I don't think I can put into words what this group means to me (but I'll obviously try!)

My first trip with WFMP was to Romania in March of 2004. The relationships forged there have led to some of my deepest friendships to this day! I had the opportunity to go to Senegal and South Africa and the same thing happens...there is something special about serving alongside your brothers and teammates in a different culture. Whether that means laying block for 5 days straight or throwing kids around or playing pick up basketball, there is something special about WFMP.

I have no been on the other end and had the blessing to have hosted 2 WFMP teams in the DR. I was brimming with pride about my school and my team the whole time they were here (and before......and after....). They made it so easy to be proud of them, diving 100% into everything we did! They really grasped the partnership aspect of the ministry and really the driving force behind everything we do here. They forged incredible relationships with our pastors, our construction workers, with our coaches, with the youth group and obviously with all the kids that they interacted with each day!

Some of the highlights were visiting several of our church plants and encouraging the pastors/communities, playing flag football and basketball against local teams (I guess the youth group counts as a football team!), working tirelessly on our future medical complex, sorting and organizing our new Sports warehouse, and building relationships with all of the kids outside of the church where we stayed.

While getting to know so many of the current (I'm old..) players was amazing, but another aspect that made this trip so special was seeing some real familiar faces here. Having my Dad and brother down here to see firsthand my new life and city was so special, even though we were going 100 mph for most of the week it was fun to have so time with them. Ward and Kristin Kriegbaum have been loyal and dedicated supporters since I became a missionary in 2009 and have now visited me both in Constanza and in Santiago. Coach Peltz has been such an encouragement and resource to me and I really value the time we are able to spend together and the conversations we have! He always pours wisdom and encouragement into me each time I see him!

THANK YOU WFMP !!

(Another thing I learned from this team is that I need to remember to take pictures! But here are a few I was able to round up)

Valor Christian HS Baseball

In February, I had the privilege of welcoming my first team! Now I've worked with lots of teams since joining GO last May, but this was the first team where I "recruited" and helped set up. It was very clear since my first meeting with Keith Wahl that God wanted this trip to happen and He had his hand on it the whole way!

I was absolutely blown away by the maturity the players showed throughout the week whether we were building walls, moving sand, throwing kids around or playing baseball. These kids worked hard and loved hard throughout the whole week! In total we had 29 players from Freshman-Senior and 3 coaches as well. We had a blast playing against 2 top local academies and they practiced one afternoon with our older group and really showed them how to practice at an elite level and how to give 100% effort in a practice. It was a huge blessing and I have already seen first hand how it has CHANGED the way we do things as an academy here!

We also were able to spend quality time in Hato del Yaque, which you can see by my previous blog posts is a place near to my heart. The kids still ask about the guys whenever I'm out there! We also got to experience and participate in a fundraising concert at the Hato del Yaque church put on by Cristo Urbano!

Here are some pics from the week. THANK YOU VALOR BASEBALL!