This morning, we held a softball clinic in Boco Chica. We’ve put on many camps before but I think we can all agree that this one was our favorite. We had about 25 girls from a variety of ages and skill levels and even more people from the community came to watch. Today was probably the hardest day regarding the language barrier as we had more stations than translators. Thankfully, some of us have a few Spanish tools in our belts and we were able to be creative with communicating. We were quite impressed with some of the girls’ natural talent but also humbled by how little instruction they have received. We went through the basics of hitting, throwing, infield, outfield, and even threw some agility drills in. Knowing that the game isn’t all about softball, we included a station where Bailey, Alicia, Elison, and Autumn got to know the girls more for who they are off the field.  They discussed what discipline looks like, how it helps you reach your goals, and why it’s important for living into the fullness that God calls us to.

Our biggest take away from the morning is that God’s love has no language. Just by being with these girls, there was a universal joy and understanding that can only be explained by God. There’s something special that happens when you say “God, I can’t do this on my own – I need you.” That’s what happened today when we had to overcome communication. By simply giving our time and attention to the 25 girls at the camp, they felt the same love that Jesus shows us.

After a fun, hot morning at the clinic, we gave each girl a shirt or jersey to keep as a reminder of our time with them. They wore those things as proud as they could! It was crazy to see something that is so simple to us mean so much to them.  Brooklin mentioned that her favorite part was helping the girls realize that there is so much more to life than just softball. This is something that we have made the core of our team. We recognize that our life is not our own and that it’s about so much more than striving to win softball games. Our three foundational values are to “love, serve, & care” – and that’s what we want to carry over to the people we interact with here in the DR.

Prayer: that we stay hydrated in the heat and that we grow out of our comfort zone!