Noticias de Monterrey - Friday

Good news, we arrived safe and sound in Monterrey on Friday night. The trip went smoothly despite barely making our connecting flight in Houston. And we made it through customs without too much hassle (From our entire team of suspicious looking guys, only Meredith, our trainer, and Gambrell, our assistant coach, were stopped and searched).

Andrés Garza met us at the airport and took us by bus to our hotel in downtown Monterrey. El Gran Paso Inn is on one of the main streets of Monterrey. I could spend hours describing the beautiful mountains which surround the city and reach with jagged peaks into the belly of the sky. The summits of a few are rarely visible because they are hidden in the clouds! Meanwhile, the bright colors which decorate many of the buildings and the countless advertisements pasted on every square inch of the buildings themselves are mesmerizing. And at night the entire horizon is dotted with lights which also reach partway up the mountainsides.

I was personally intrigued by the monumental sculptures that are prominently placed along the main roadways and at every major intersection. The styles range from bronze figurative works done in a baroque manner to some rather abstract contemporary pieces made with various industrial materials like steel and concrete.

As our first day in Monterrey came to an end, I relaxed in our hotel room watching a local television station on which a mariachi band was playing. It took me a while to fall asleep because I was so excited about playing our first game and getting to know some of the people we'll be spending time with....

....Coming up in the next 'Noticias de Monterrey' Saturday edition, I'll tell you about our game with the Tigres, my interesting encounter with a die-hard Tigres fan, and a few more highlights of the day. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we seek to worship the Lord in everything; while playing soccer, hanging out with the teams, or having a meal with the local church. It is my prayer that the Lord would overcome the language barrier and that the Gospel would be spread as much by our actions as by our words. Praise the Lord for our safe travel thus far, and may His name be glorified in Mexico!

Ready or Not, Here We Go!

We are so close I can already feel it...and it is really hot! ;-)

Seriously though, I am packing today and trying to make sure I don't forget anything too important. All the guys are going to arrive in Chattanooga tomorrow. We'll spend the night at Covenant and then fly out in the afternoon. In case you are interested, here is our schedule for the next two days:

Thursday, July 26
2:00 PM – Arrive at Ashe Gym
2:30 PM – Move in to Mac
3:15 PM – Trip Briefing
4:00 PM – Equipment
4:45 PM – Dinner in Great Hall
7:00 PM – Training Session @ Highlands

Friday, July 27
7:30 AM – Breakfast in Mac Lobby
9:00 AM – Training Session @ Highlands
11:30 AM – Lunch
12:30 PM – Move out of Mac
1:00 PM – Load vans for Airport
1:15 PM – Depart for Chattanooga Airport
3:55 PM – Flight to Houston

As you can see, we are almost ready to go. I am so pumped about the trip, it is crazy to think that it is almost here. As we get closer and closer to kick-off, please remember to keep us in your prayers. I feel as prepared as I'll ever be, but I know from past experience how wild things can become. Just pray that no matter how hectic things get we will be able to trust the Lord. It is so easy to get flustered over some (un)important detail or change in plans. But I truly believe that God is more visible when our plans fall apart. Hopefully, things will go smoothly as we travel, but may we praise God in the craziness too.

Thank You Supporters!!!

I have been blessed beyond my expectations with the tremendous support from friends and family and am happy to report that all my financial support has been raised!!!

To those of you who have taken advantage of this opportunity to support me, I want to express my sincere gratitude. Your words of encouragement, commitments of prayer, and financial support are such a huge blessing. Although you cannot all travel with us to Moneterrey, you truly have come alongside our team. I pray that the Lord will use our hands and feet to spread the Gospel as we seek to be a tangible evidence of His love. Without your support this mission trip could not happen.

As the trip rapidly approaches, please continue to cover us in your prayers. Specifically, that the Lord would work in my heart and in the hearts of my teammates; transforming our passion for soccer into a genuine care for the people we will be serving. It is my prayer that soccer would be only significant as a tool for sharing Christ's love. While we will be doing a lot of soccer stuff, my hope is that our focus would be on the bigger picture.

Also, please be in prayer for the church plant in Monterrey and the people in the community where we are serving. Our impact, although hopefully profound, will be limited by the short amount of time we'll be spending there. Please pray that the Lord would continue to spread the Gospel throughout the city of Monterrey and the nation of Mexico too!