July 14 – Colin Patterson

Today we played a game against the people of Boca de Chavon. It was a very fun game and I had a great time. One of my favorite parts of today was giving all the little kids eyeblack. When I asked them what design they wanted they all replied with “Christo.” This is a true definition of being desperate for Jesus. These kids shared the same 4 bats and didn’t have a catchers mitt. It makes me remember how grateful we need to be everyday. Then Bryce shared his testimony and 3 kids came up and sat right beside me. The one little boy I got the closest with got a bible from another player on our team and gave it to another kid. I then gave him one of my bibles and he was so happy. Then Coach Hudak shared some of God’s word. The “Amens” I heard from these kids were genuine, faithful, and amazing. After the game we went to the boys orphanage and it was nothing like the girls orphanage we went to earlier in the week. These kids were so good at basketball and soccer. The guys were dunking left and right. This was definitely my favorite part of the day because I met a little boy named Juan Carlo and we played together the entire time I was there. He loved the Snapchat filters that distort your face and he loved to play tag. His smile will be a reoccurring image in my head that will never go away. The joy these kids have after being abandoned by the people who are supposed to love you is something I could never do. These kids are straight warriors. God is great.