Captains=Influence

Tonight we're having the captains of the volleyball, basketball, track and field, and soccer women's teams at UDLAP over for dinner. We decided we wanted to show them how important their role really is and that we're here to support them in whatever they need. I'm not sure how close the different sports are. What I mean by that is I know all the athletes know each other from the different teams, I just don't know if they're buddies or just know each others' faces. I think tonight will be cool to get them to hang out and get some recognition.

I've been practicing with the volleyball and basketball girls and it's such a different feel to be just at UDLAP. I feel like I get to see all the girls throughout the entire day instead of just during the 2 hours. It's amazing to see how the ground work has been set by last year and now it's just a ton of growth in the relationships that have already been made. This year already has a completely different feel then last year.

Last week I started with the team talks for the volleyball team and made them binders with their pictures, quotes, and places for them to take notes and they loved them!! They're always stoked to get new stuff especially if it has their picture in it :)

A little taste of home.

2 days after I got home from London, I had 3 of my favorite people in the whole world come visit me from home!! It was so INCREDIBLY refreshing to have them here and to be able to get a little glimpse of my life in Mexico. There's something special about being able to combine my life now with amazing memories and friendships of home. They were here for 2 weeks!! We got to see Puebla, the universities, meet the teams and coaches, visit the world's smallest volcano, and tour all the other little perks and quirks of Puebla.

It's an incredible blessing to have friends sacrifice time and money to come down here! Love you guys!!!

London... in a little more detail.

London was a big whirlwind of an adventure. 3 weeks of non-stop going, exploring, meeting and venturing. We were able to meet quite of few of the athletes that were participating in the games from all different sports and nations. They all wore their gear that represented their country so it was easy to tell and easy to approach them. I had my eye out for anyone from Mexico. There weren't very many around but when I saw them, I knew they were from Mexico! They wore their Mexican gear proudly, whether they be athlete, coach, trainer, or just a die-hard fan that traveled all the way to London to support their nation. I met 2 coaches, one an archery coach and the other, well, he just said he's the best coach in Mexico... we have yet to determine which sport and why he's the best. The cool part is that the archery coach lives in Puebla :) I'm praying we get to meet up with him. We met the men's archery team and one of the men's soccer players (an official gold medalist!!!!). It was easiest to approach them because I feel like there was some common ground already being a foreigner living in Mexico. It just felt natural to start a conversation with them. I didn't just limit myself to talking with people from Mexico however. It was AMAZING to strike up conversations with people from all over the world! We handed out DVDs called "Struggle and Triumph" which has past Olympians giving their testimony about how they combined their faith and their sport and how their identity is in Christ and not in medals that they try and win. It was a cool time to be able to explain what we do and what we believe. Majority of them were very receptive and interested. Along with it, we were able to invite them to the Legacy Breakfast.
   What's the Legacy Breakfast you ask?? It was the first year that AIA put it on and this year there was an Eric Liddell (from Chariots of Fire) award. 2 athletes were given this award, Bryan Clay (decathalete) and Debbie Flood (Rower). They shared their testimony about their identity in Christ and how their faith has brought them to where they are today. If you haven't heard the Eric Liddell story I would HIGHLY recommend it. The room where this breakfast was held was the room where the first UN Meeting was held, Queen Elizabeth had been in there for several meetings, so it held some pretty significant historical meaning... and not to mention is was BEAUTIFUL!!!!! There were 400ish people from all over the world that heard these testimonies :)