8 pictures that impacted me from Soccer Camp 2015

1. The journey is as important as the destination: Our German tribe, after unexpected flight delays, multiple flight cancellations and hotel accommodations, they all finally made it to our beautiful RGV late Sunday night to begin Soccer Camp 2015 early Monday morning. Uncertainty is the opportunity to re-discover the faithfulness of God.

2. Faith spells out W-O-R-K-S: To have a total of 143 young and beautiful people registered for Soccer Camp 2015 and to see many of the participant's families interact with the presentation of the Gospel on a daily basis for a week were simply the recognition of success. Soccer Camp 2015 became successful months earlier, when our German brothers and our FBC Soccer Camp 2015 leadership team invested, behind the scenes, many hours, long conversations and full dedication on the guidance  and direction of our God.

3. Attitude over talent: Character always trumps over skills. As a foreigner to the USA, I truly appreciate the effort, dedication and consecration, from my German tribe, to do whatever it takes to introduce soccer as means to an end (Gospel). Seeing my German brothers utilize every single word in their English vocabulary to convey the Gospel was a tremendous encouragement as I get to share the Scriptures on a weekly basis on a non-native language.

4. Discipleship is who we are, not simply what we do: It is always more fun to journey through life, relationships and ministry with people who chose to be nice to each other. I found out this year that Germans enjoy working with people from the Rio Grande Valley because Germans also like each other. Soccer Camp 2015 is simply an extension and a reflection of their life-on-life daily experiences.

5. The Gospel: Something happens every time the Gospel is presented. I was privilege to see, to share and to witness the transformation of lives throughout Soccer Camp 2015. People matter to God. I still believe that the next pastor(s) of local churches in our community will come up from Soccer Camp 2015, at least that's what I prayed during last week.

Commitment: I'm still blown away by the fact that we, the Rio Grande Valley, are the recipients of hosting such an amazing group of followers of Christ. With so many options across our beautiful globe, these German brothers and sisters decided to come and invest in the lives of families and entire communities for ten days in deep-South Texas. What a blessing, what a privilege to join what God is doing in the world thorough His local church.

The Titanic: Germans know how to have fun. No better way to conclude such an amazing week and to celebrate the goodness of our God than on a boat ride in South Padre Island during Spring Break. It is very easy to be friends with our German tribe.

Big Picture: No better way to illustrate the finger print left by Soccer Camp 2015 in the life of our church than the panoramic view of our church facilities. Three new families, from Soccer Camp 2015, showed up tonight to The Summit, our mid-week discipleship school. God has fulfilled His promises to our faith-commmunity. Soccer Camp 2015 was a tangible evidence that God is definitely watching over His church.



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