Choma Meets Macha

This morning we woke up early, watched the sunrise, ate breakfast, and were supposed to get on the bus to leave for the village of Macha at 6:45. Push the Rock is a sports based ministry present in the community there. Last year Caroline had the opportunity of working with the Messiah College student athletes in Macha and today we partnered with them in their sports ministry. However, the bus was running on Africa time again so we actually left at 9:05. While we were waiting for the bus, the members of our team either made string bracelets or played sports with the U10 and U12 Armour’s soccer teams who were coming with us to Macha.

After a long and bumpy ride we arrived in Macha and began our day with Push the Rock. We split up and partnered with Messiah College student athletes serving at the base in Macha that week. We worked on different sports stations, which consisted of games such as lacrosse, tug of war, and volleyball. After the session we continued to play with the kids while our Armour’s kids got ready to scrimmage the players from Macha. During the scrimmage our team and Messiah’s students continued to have fun with local kids and adults. We danced, played games such as netball, and Coach V taught the kids how to play softball.

After the scrimmages, we had the opportunity to share another Zambian meal, which included Nchima. Post lunch, we played volleyball against the Messiah College athletes. We won two of the three games in the match, and it was fun for us to come together to work as a whole sports team.

We ended our time in Macha with worship with the Push the Rock staff, Messiah Students, and the children of Macha. Elam spoke about how God loves each and every one of His children the same, no matter the differences between us, and He loves us so much. He also made the point that it is no accident that we all were gathered together today. God had planned all of our interactions far before today and knew that we would all cross paths to love on each other. Two Messiah students sang songs for the children to listen to and spend time with God. We want to give a special thanks to Push the Rock and Messiah College for letting us be a part of your mission in Zambia.

Sadly, it was then time to say goodbye to our new friends, but we got to head back to Choma for a delicious meal waiting for us (thanks Mumba!). We spent the rest of the evening in discussion and fellowship with our team and the Poetice/EMIZ staff. It is always wonderful to hear the different God sightings and highlights of the day!

Worship, Fashion, and the Beautiful Game

We woke up on this crisp Sunday morning with breakfast and went to church at Bread of Life in Choma. The service was very memorable and spirited and everyone seemed to enjoy the new atmosphere. During the service, the pastor preached a powerful message how the God the people of Zambia serve is the same God that is worshiped around the world. We all thought that this was very relevant to our whole mission of spreading God’s word. At the end of the service, the pastor asked if there were any visitors in the service today. Although we stand out, we stood up in our seats and were welcomed by the congregation. They then ushered us into a separate room and gave us food, talked with us, and extended us an extra warm welcome.

After service, we had the opportunity to explore the downtown market. The market was comprised of numerous small wooden huts with various items to sell such as food, clothing, electronics, etc. The main attraction for everyone was the chitenge shop. A chitenge is a traditional wrap that women wear around their waist similar to a skirt. They come in a variety of colors, patterns, and fabrics. We thought of them as a way to connect with the culture, a reminder of our amazing trip we have had so far, and a cool fashion statement when we get back to campus.

When we got back to base, the rival volleyball games continued as a few more victims were hit in the face. Although this trip has been such a blessing in itself, it was great to have some down time and enjoy the Sabath because we have been very busy these past couple days. It was another great way to connect with each other.

For lunch, we had a classic American grilled cheese with veggies topped with some Coca Cola. Once everyone finished lunch, we prepared for the afternoon as the families from town were coming to the base to learn how to assemble the water filters. When the dirty water was put through the filter and came out clean, the faces on the parents were overjoyed. We then broke into small groups and let the parents assemble the filters on their own with the help of a member from Team Z. Each family that attended went home with a water filter that they will be able to use for a lifetime. Not only does the water filter prevent water borne illness and disease, it also serves as a friendly reminder that God cleanses us of our sins! Everyone was so thankful for what we were doing to help the community and the different families.

Later Sunday night we went to the soccer pitch to support the amateur men’s team as they battled for the first place seed. While some were cheering for our guys, others were spending time with the younger kids in the community playing crowd favorites such as: duck-duck goose, jump the river, ring around the rosy, clapping games and several others. Although the guys had a tough loss of 0-2, they brought their best effort and we couldn’t be more proud of them!

To finish off the night, we ate spaghetti for dinner, cleaned up the base, played cards, and had our debriefing session. One point that Coach V talked about was how Sawyer has been very generous with their equipment and made it possible for us to come here and change the lives of many. She hoped that one day we can take what we have learned with our time here and can apply it in our future lives to keep changing the world for the better. #WordsOfWisdomFromCoachV. In our debrief, everyone testified to feeling God’s presence these past couple days and we all just look forward to see what else He has in store for us and in what ways He will bless us and the community!

Sincerely yours,

Alli VanderStoep & Kyle Weck

 

Sports, Jesus and Water Filters

August 21,2017

We didn’t sleep in today!! The rooster from Coto Brus called his cousin and told him we would be here. We left home base around 7am for a 30 minute bus ride into Los Chiles. The morning began with a sports clinic. The kids came from all over to play a mixture of sports that included: Follow the leader, Disk Golf, Catch, and Cabezas y Manos. Some of these were extra fun because the field we were in was full of water due to an early morning rain. The first clinic ended with Matt and Frankie sharing their testimonies with the children. All this was done before 9:30am. Shortly following the first clinic the second one began. Many children came eager to play despite the heat and humidity. The second clinic consisted of: Dodgeball, Wiffle ball, and Lacrosse (lead by our fearless Juliana). The children really enjoyed learning these new games. After lunch we returned to the field where the kids and their families came back with buckets ready to receive water filters. The water filter instruction and demonstration was led by our very own Melinda and included a gospel message. After the demonstration each team member was able to assemble 5-6 water filters for the people of the village. It was great to see their smiling faces as they walked away with their new filters. We made filters for 65 families! This was incredibly cool, yet humbling to witness their joy over something we often take for granted. And when we get home we will have to make sure to send more water filters to this community because there are still families in need. Thankfully the Push The Rock staff visits the local ministry here often. After the final filter was assembled, we were done for the day. To show her appreciation, a women named Esperanza (Hope) made us Arepas (similar to the best pancakes you have ever had) and brought us a refreshing cold drink. On the bus ride back from Los Chiles we stopped at an Iguana bridge. This was quite literally a bridge with Iguana covering it. Our dinner was wonderful as always. After dinner we gathered together, sang some worship songs, and continued our study of 1 John. The night finally came to a close with one last water filter assembly for a local futbol coach who works with the ministry we are partnering with.

Tomorrow we return to San Jose and will get to experience some of the beauty in the area of Arenal Volcano along the way. We thank you for the continued support and prayers as our wonderful journey comes to a close. Buenos Noches!!

Love,
Mostly Frankie…some Cody….plus a little Matt and J-dawg

10,000 Reasons why we love Costa Rica

August 20th, 2017: Day 6

We slept in today! For the first time all trip, we slept in past 6 am to a much later 8 am (get at us 8 am classes). We got all dolled up and took a lovely stroll down the road to a local bakery where we proceeded to fill our bags with an abundance of sugar and carbs. While slightly reminiscent of Good Time Donuts, it was fully lit and lacked our favorite donut man. Nonetheless, we were all satisfied (except Matt who couldn’t decide whether or not he liked his pastry). Luke would like to add that he personally enjoyed a fresh home brew of AMCA coffee.
After carbo-loading, we loaded up the car. As we’re sure many of you are on the edge of your seats in anticipation, the rumors are true. El Toaster (our bus) has returned!! It might just be an urban legend, but some say that they saw Heather Randall cry when we heard that it was again our trusty steed for the trip to Los Chiles. Before making our long journey, we attended CED church in San Jose.
We loved church! Everyone was so hospitable, and they provided a translator for us during the sermon. The worship songs were interesting to navigate at first, but we quickly caught on to how many of them were the same chapel songs we sing back at Hope, like 10,000 Reasons and Cornerstone. It was so humbling to be a part of international worship like that, knowing that The Lord is above all worship in every language. We think that many of us will look back on this day when we sing those same songs in chapel when we return to campus. The pastor sent us out with a benediction, reminding us of how we were living out the scriptures written in The Great Commission. Though we’ve already used this word to describe our church experience, humbling is truly the best word that can capture the experience. Being a part of the international church was an incredible experience, one that we will all hold in our hearts for years to come.
Back on El Toaster, we were ready to conquer the world. The City Mall didn’t know what had hit them when us gringos piled in and promptly hit up Mickey D’s, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. Pizza Hut was a bit of a struggle with the language barrier, and most people ended up with a mystery meat on top of their pizza (the most popular vote right now thinks that it was Canadian bacon). Many of us were pleasantly reminded of how nice it is to have a drink with ice in it, a luxury we had not experienced since our last plane ride. After we explored a little bit and sadly learned that Costa Rican Nike costs the same amount as Nike in the US, we headed out and popped back in El Toaster yet again.
El Toaster never disappoints. It provided us with A/C, laughter, and safe travels. Favorite memories included hot spot interviews hosted by our very own Matthew Douglas (Douggy Fresh) VanDyken, rainbow spotting, and a quick pit stop at a tourist shop with candy. The interviews stuck out as the fan favorite, including questions such as celebrity crush (male & female), what it feels like to be an All-American Athlete (@Frankie @Sydney), and Hope College CFA (Crush From Afar–which has yet to receive any answers). After what felt like the shortest bus ride yet (3 hours), we arrived at our new home for the next two nights. Los Chiles is about to be quite the aventura–that’s adventure, for you non-Spanish speakers. We’re all about to come back fluent. Look out world.
After settling in to our new quarters, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and kicked off team time with some worship–catch us on Spotify, Kust recorded it. We’re getting ready for bed now and are eager to lead two more sports clinics in the morning and a big Sawyer water filter clinic and distribution for families in the community in the afternoon! Buenas noches!

Love from The Squad,
Luke, Heather, and Julianna
P.S. There was a giant frog that Julianna caught in a lacrosse stick.
P.P.S. Heather is getting emotional just writing about El Toaster.
P.P.P.S. We thought Luke deserved a shoutout here too.

What a Day

We woke up this morning to the power out in all of Choma. This apparently happens often in the area. After breakfast, we went to the hall for morning prayer and worship. This included songs in both English and Tonga as well as praying out loud. Throughout our worship, we had Armour’s kids slowly drifting in curious about the music and what was happening. God was present in this moment and was felt by everyone in the room.

Today, all of the Armour’s soccer teams came to the Elijah Missions International Zambia (EMIZ) base where we are staying. They came to learn from our group. Caroline and Coach V gave a group message about the importance of teamwork and connecting sport and faith. After this, the kids split into their teams and went to four different sessions lead by us, Team Z. These included first aid care, static stretching, core training, and the importance of teamwork. At the end of these sessions, some of Team Z gave a little of their stories and how they put God into their sport. Despite how young some of the kids were, they still were able to take a lot from this, which was amazing to see. The locals from the mission were very helpful in translating throughout the day.

After the sessions, we all gathered together for lunch. Once we were done with lunch, everyone brought their plates to be cleaned and were shocked to see four little girls taking initiative and offering to clean everyone’s dishes (close to 100 people). Boys were also drying the dishes for everyone.

Next, we Team Z, got into different groups so that we could teach them sports besides soccer. These were volleyball, kick ball, softball, and fun relay races. They all loved learning the new sports and were very talented at them.

The highlight of the day was when we were able to show the kids how to use the Sawyer water filters. They watched us assemble the filters and see that they worked on dirty, rocky water, creating a clean stream. They listened intently and rushed forward enthusiastically to see how it worked. After, we explained the symbolism of how the filter acts as God does when he transforms us from dirty sinners, to a pure and saved person that can never go back to being dirty,

Once the kids left, we all gathered together to play a competitive game of volleyball, which included getting hit in the face, and some definite winners and losers (for now). The dinner bell (pan) rang us over to our first authentic traditional Zambian dinner. This was AMAZING. We had chema, fried chicken, greens, soup, cabbage, and okra. All of these were eaten with our hands. During the meal, Richie, the chicken, decided it would be fun to bother everyone. He wanted to jump on the bench and Maya’s plate.

We introduced new card games to our Zambian brothers and sisters. They learned both spoons and Euchre. While we were playing, the power went out again and we were able to continue playing under the light coming from phones and a headlamp. Sooner or later, the lights came back on, and we all cheered and it stayed on for the rest of the night. God is working in our team and through us and we are excited to see how he’ll use us in the days to come.

Maya Smith & Brian Simonich

Lessons from Zambia

 

We woke up in Zambia this morning feeling a WOW moment that we are finally here!! The day was started off with devotions and a Biblical meditation session on Psalm 91 with Mumba, a Poetice staff member. It was cleansing and a great way to start our day. We then had a cultural talk with Bruce, a speaker from Livingstone and staff member of the Elijah Mission. He has traveled around the world and is a very wise man who spoke about the cultural differences between Africa and the U.S. and how we prioritize task, teams, and self differently when working in groups. They were very valuable lessons for our group.

After lunch we were split up into groups and visited different villages in the community. We were faced with poverty many of us had never seen before. Some of the houses did not have a roof, and most of the houses did not have electricity or running water. As we walked through the community, there was joy and excitement from the kids as they would gather around us and give us hugs and hi fives and ask us “How are you?” We could see that the Holy Spirit is very powerful in this community by their welcoming nature and kind hearts. Our staff member that showed us the community said “even a simple smile or wave will bring the members of the community happiness and a glimpse of hope.”

After viewing the community, we were assigned different groups that will participate and work with the various age groups of the soccer teams with Poetice. There are four teams: 10U boys, 12U boys, 16U girls, and the local amateur men’s team. The kids seemed to be very shy when we first arrived, as were we. We played multiple icebreaker games and taught the kids some games that we learned from the U.S. The children also taught us some Zambian childhood games like: 7UP, the Zambian version of Simon Says and Red Rover. Towards the end of the day, the children were very comfortable with us and were very passionate about including us. It is crazy how a simple little game or sport can break barriers. The kids would dance with us and follow us everywhere we stepped. The little children did not know much English so this was a small challenge for us. To overcome this we spoke in God’s language showing each other love and compassion for one another in whatever activity we were doing. Seeing the smiles on each of the children’s faces showed us that God is truly with us this week.

Britta Johnson & Eddie Ip

We Made It!!

We officially made it to Choma! We boarded our plane out of Johannesburg this morning around 11 am and landed safely in Zambia. Then, we took a 3 hour bus ride from Livingstone to Choma, our home base for the next week. We were all glad to finally be done with the travel and to officially begin our time with Poetice. We were received by Poetice very kindly, and immediately after getting off of the bus, people came to introduce themselves and say hello.

We were invited to a celebration and dinner for their summer interns. It was in honor of the last night that the group of interns will be here. It was emotional and opened our eyes to the good work that is in progress here. They talked about the things the interns did throughout the summer and concluded with everyone standing and singing worship music together. Based off of the worship and experience of tonight, it is obvious that God is working and is on the move in this community. This makes us all the more excited to start serving here and begin working with the kids in the sports camps this upcoming week. Tomorrow we will start orientation and get to meet the soccer teams. We are looking forward to starting the program here and to sharing the amazing things that God has in store for us.

Jager and Sara

Our Home Away From Home

August 19th, 2017: Day 5

The rooster chimed in for the third consecutive morning two hours before wake up call. The early 5:30 wake up was filled with bittersweet endings as we prepared to leave Coto Brus and our wonderful host family. We received one last feast that consisted of eggs, rice and beans, cheese, fresh fruit, toast and avocado. After a delicious meal, we said our goodbyes to Ricauter and his family (including buster the dog, who…… stole everyone’s heart, but lost his…). We packed the bus and Ricauter sent us on our way with one last prayer in Spanish. It wrapped up our stay perfectly as we battled the language barrier all week, but still managed to learn and show God’s love to all we encountered.
As we started our six hour journey back to AMCA, we were thrilled to hear that a quick stop at the beach would break up our travel. As we travelled through the vast mountain ranges we encountered many bumps and turns that dampened our opportunities to sleep. Thankfully the never ending, beautiful views of Costa Rica filled our minds with joy. We approached the coast and knew the beach wasn’t far. Randall (the driver that brought us across the country), steered us in the right direction, and we ended up at the beach safe and sound. We watched the waves crash in and explored the wonders of what lied ahead of us. Taking pictures, collecting seashells, walking through caves, and climbing rocks were the favorite adventures. Some of our more daring teammates: Cody, Luke and Jack, got a whistle from the lifeguard for wandering too far on the rocks (REBELS). After a team selfie, bathrooms breaks and sweaty armpits, we boarded the bus for the final leg of the trip.
We arrived at AMCA with smiling faces and hungry tummys awaiting the tasty meal ahead of us. It was comprised of spaghetti, bread and coconut bars, which all tasted delicious and reminded us of home. After lunch, we went to the bank, aka Mike, and exchanged US dollars for CR colones. Once we received our colones, we loaded up El Toaster and headed to the market. We all spent money on wonderful gifts for all you readers! Kust even had to go back to the bank and exchange more. Haha @Kust. We had a fun time bartering with the merchants, and J-dawg shined her true colors by marking down prices left and right. The market was a really cool experience and a way for us to dive into the culture in a new and exciting way. After that market, we decided to expand our horizons and head to WalMart. Yes, you read that correctly, we went to WalMart. Many bags of Costa Rican coffee were purchased including Kust’s 10 bags. Luke finally bought a razor and shaving cream to shave that thing he called a beard (LOL). Our journey came to a close and we headed back to AMCA for some R&R. Our dinner of chicken, potatoes, salad and coffee flan reminded us of home once again. We spent the remainder of the night in team time, discussing 1 John 3:1-10. We enjoyed this fellowship with one another as we continue to grow as a group. Thanks again for keeping up with our wonderful journey, and can’t wait to share all the memories with you when we get home! YOU GUYS ROCK! (Get it, Push the Rock LOL)
Love, Matt and Sydney

And we thought Push The Rock was just a metaphor

August 18th, 2017: Day 4

Everyone on our team is embracing their roles, the rooster included. He woke us up once again in the fourth hour. Coach Kust complemented the rooster with a false alarm much earlier than our expected wake up call. Luckily, a hearty breakfast awaited us, including some heavenly, fluffy pancakes. We then loaded ourselves and the equipment onto the bus and headed to our first school of the day. We would be remiss if we failed to mention the river we drove through to get there. Thankfully, our 90’s Isuzu bus, battle wounds and all, doubles as a World War II era tank. Once we arrived, we provided the school with clean drinking water in the form of two Sawyer water filters. Meanwhile, the rest of our team began playing with the children. We split into two groups, one of which played soccer and the other wiffle ball. After a heartbreaking defeat to the local children in soccer, we bounced back for a rousing game of dodgeball, in which the children begged for mercy. Ha ha. Just kidding. But in case you were wondering, we won. We finished our time at the school with testimonies from two of our team members: Hailey and Heather.
After some downtime and a nourishing lunch, we took a short hike to our second school of the day. Immediately upon arrival, it promptly started pouring rain in biblical proportions. Luckily, there was a large covered area ideal for some controlled chaos that challenged our ability to think on the fly. Without an outdoor space to play games, we managed to invent some new games to play with the kids. Even though the rain continued to fall, our spirits were lifted by the smiles of the children. We demonstrated setup and use of two more water filters and left them with one more for future use. We concluded our time with two more testimonies, this time from Sydney and Madison.
Since it was raining, our bus driver came to give us a ride back from the second school. On our return trip, we happened upon a mudslide that left some rocks in the road. This gave us an opportunity to embrace the name of our sponsoring organization as we literally Push(ed) the Rock(s). Preceding dinner, we serenaded our gracious host Ricauter to the tune of Happy Birthday. We celebrated his birthday with an incredible dinner, which included smoked pork, mashed potatoes, fresh pineapple, salad, and yuca. We ended the night with a powerful testimony from Nattie during team time. We also continued our discussion from 1 John, keeping in mind that God is light and in Him there is no darkness. We were left with a question to consider: In what ways do we take sin lightly and how can we move forward into forgiveness?
We are thankful for the relationships we have built in Coto Brus, and anticipate further growth and blessing as we return to San Jose in the morning.
Que Dios te bendiga,
Cody, Jack, and Hayley