Soccer Championship

A few months ago, I (Kelvin) joined the soccer team. This was upon a request from a leader of both the community we live in and also of the soccer team. Now some of you who know me, maybe thinking, why in the world would you want someone who has never played soccer before play on your team? This is what I thought also...until they explained to me that the best goalie they have had on their team was Brayden, a former volunteer here at Give Hope 2 Kids. They went on to inform me that people here are not accustomed to using their hands, so they are terrible goalies. Now previously I had felt that Monica was doing an amazing job getting to know the community, but because of my lack of language and personality I was finding too many excuses not to be as social. I remembered Brayden saying how much he enjoyed being such a positive influence in these young adult lives. So I joined the team as their goalie which has allowed me to be involved in the community and become a positive influence over the lives of these young soccer players. 

Kelvin's position as goalie

 Midway through the season, a nearby village's soccer team split up. 4 of their players asked to play with Urraco. One was a really good goalie, one was one of the best offensive players in the valley, and the others were good defenders. With these additional players, Urraco shot up from second place to a dominant 1st place by several goals. After beating  the former Champions in the semifinal, Urraco headed to the final Championship game for the first time ever.  So this past Saturday, all of Urraco took a bus down to Yaruca for the final game against Rio Viejo.

Jared, Eugenio, and Carolina coming to cheer on Urraco 

The other Goalie of Urraco played because of experience

Rio Viejo in Black and Red Uniform- Urraco in Red

Colliding with player almost made me miss my younger days playing football. 

Urraco is losing 2 to 0 as I watch the 3rd and final goal go over my head with not much time left. 

What an experience this season was for myself. I watched grown men get into fights...referees beat up....Guns fired off on the sidelines, both for both winning and losing...half a team quitting in the middle of a game... horses and cows frequently entering the field while game is going on, but most of all i got the opportunity of getting to know individuals at a different level and have witnessed a chain of events, that started with our former volunteer (Brayden), of more young adult soccer players entering and becoming regulars at our youth service every Friday night.
To many, soccer is just a "game".. to others, it is a "passion". I enjoyed being part of this "passion" to help build friendships that will enable a possibility of God to work more freely through me to those who are searching....

Thank you for a fun season Urraco.... Maybe next Season.....