It's Game Time!

     I'm sorry it has been so long since I have written but so far my days have followed a similar routine and I don't want to bore everyone this early into my year.  I am still taking classes at the Maryknoll Language Institute in Cochabamba so life has been filled with charades, questioning looks, and lots and lots of studying!  I was able to travel with a few other students  and one of our professors to Copacabana, Bolivia.  There we hiked to ruins that date to pre-Incan times and we took a boat on Lake Titicaca to La Isla del Sol.  Lake Titicaca holds the record for being at the highest altitude in the world!  Both the city and the lake are incredibly beautiful and are a good reminder that God's beauty can be found in everyone and everywhere, even at 3,800 meters (12,600 ft)!
     What I really want to talk about is an opportunity I was blessed to have this past
weekend.  My cousin works at a school on the south side of Cochabamba where there is a lot of need.  He put together a weekend basketball tournament that hosted 26 teams from ages 8-18!  With having such a large tournament, there was a need for a lot of volunteers to keep the day running smoothly.  The goal was to build character, leadership, teamwork, and an awareness of social issues in Bolivia through the tournament.  It was a double elimination tournament for three age divisions with different team-building and social issues workshops for teams to attend between games.  Each team was given points at these workshops based on certain criteria like: working as a team, following directions, and are they attentive.  That means that there was one winner for each division, as well as an overall winner based on these workshops.  All day the kids played with their hearts in the game, and more importantly, you could see on their faces how much fun they were having and how grateful they were to Michael for arranging the tournament.  In a country where children do not have much of a voice, they were empowered through having different responsibilities throughout the weekend.
     The greatest lesson I have learned through my weeks here, and was made clear at the tournament, is humility.  What I loved most about helping at the tournament was being able to work with kids for two days.  It's been hard for me to remember my mission since I'm here in Bolivia and am not at my mission site, but this was a great reminder of my mission that every child I meet knows Christ's love through me.

It also was a reminder of how little Spanish I know when I tried to speak with the kids who flocked to my table.  I was laughed at for my English, for my Spanish pronunciation, for saying things wrong, and for the completely wrong vocabulary, however at the end of the day one girl told me entiendo (I understand) and I couldn't help but smile that I said something right.  I know I will have similar events throughout the year but I know that God (and a lot more studying) will get me through it.  I look forward to learning more of God's lessons for me.