Back in the U.S.A.

May 26 & 27, 2013

On Sunday the 26th, we began our day with a bus tour of Cordoba.  The sunny skies and warm temperatures made the extensive tour quite enjoyable.  We were also amazed by one of the stray dogs who "joined" our tour after only a few minutes.  After visiting a gorgeous Catholic church, the dog decided to lead the bus through the city.  He had to have covered several miles of roadways!  The tour guide said that this is a normal occurance for this dog.  He has learned the route and seems to enjoy leading the way!  We spent most of the afternoon at the mall - go figure - to purchase our final trinkets before leaving Argentina.  In the evening, we played our fifth and final game of the trip.  We faced a very impressive all-star team from Universitario Club.  We were told prior to the game that a future Leonas - Argentina's national team - plays on the team.  Little did we know that this team not only had the best youth player on the roster (she was 14 years old), but also won four state championships!  These young players definitely lived up to all of the hype.  Although we came out on the losing end of the scoreboard, it was quite exciting to see so much skill and potential in the youth of Cordoba.  Following the game, we spent time fellowshipping and sharing pizza with the team.  With the help of translaters from the OM ministry, we were able to learn more about the players and their desire to come to the U.S. to play.  In the next two years, the team's coach and manager would like to bring them to Messiah College with the hope of challenging other college and/or club teams from the area.  With several hours to burn before we headed to the airport, we decided to put our bowling skills into action.  Two lanes split between 19 people led to a long game and much dissapointment!  Each lane had a unique pitch to it which never allowed the ball to go straight.  Needless to say, the adverse playing conditions minimized our competitive spirit and allowed everyone to have fun without being too competitive.  At 11 p.m., we left the hotel for the airport and said goodbye to Will, our SCORE International host.

At 2 a.m. on Monday, May 27th we left the lovely country of Argentina and headed home.  Our flight was relatively empty, which made things very comfortable so we all could sleep.  On our second flight from Panama City, Panama to Washington, D.C. (Dulles) we experienced quite a bit of turbulance along the way, but were more than overjoyed when we made it to customs and saw the "Welcome to the U.S." sign! 

After spening a week in Cordoba and San Francisco, each of us have walked away with great memories, some soreness, and a genuine appreciation for the many blessings God has given us.  As we all go our seperate ways this evening, I'm sure we will reflect on our trip with family and friends.  We'll share all of the unique things that were different than the States (i.e. - drinking mate, eating mystery meat, not being able to flush toilet paper, stray dogs, minimal traffic signs and yet no accidents, great coffee, and a wonderful host family), talk about all of the young players we taught and teams we played against, and reflect on what God has shown each of us through this trip.  We each will have a different story to tell, yet we all can agree that we got more out of this trip than we could have ever given.

Many thanks to everyone who supported us, who prayed for us, and who followed us through this blog.  We greatly appreciated your involvement in making this trip a success.  We would also like to thank the Herndon family - Will, Alle, Bekah, and Natalia - for all of their love and support.  We are so glad that we could come to your hometown and invest in your community.  We pray that your church will see the fruits of our labor in the very near future.

Blessings,
COACH BROOKE GOOD

Saturday, May 25th

Well our week is almost at an end. Who knows how we have fit all of our activities into six days! From teaching field hockey, to playing field hockey, to trying every kind of mystery meat on the planet, we have pretty much covered all our bases. Today we covered yet another, as we took part in the San Francisco Independence Day parade. On the 25th of May, Argentina celebrates the beginning of their revolution for independence, and we were lucky enough to participate in the festivities. Our last moments in San Francisco were spent listening to the warm and welcoming applause of the city. After the parade we mostly slept through the four hour ride back to Cordoba. Upon arrival, we spent the night shopping around the market admiring hand-made merchandise and purchasing souvenirs. The market, although reeking of smoke and dipping with hippies, was full of life and artistic talent. After spending every peso we had, we left for a traditional barbeque at OM, a mission organization with whom we have previously been connected. We chatted, danced, and of course, ate meat! The day has been relaxing and culturing, a perfect way to bring a close to our visit. Tomorrow we will take a tour of the city and play our final game before heading to the airport. We may not post tomorrow due to time, but will try our best to give you our closing thoughts! Time for bed : )

-Caroline Wulf

Friday, May 24!!

Hola!
Today we had the morning off so we went shopping around San Francisco. People were able to purchase items for themselves and family members. It was fun walking around and exploring the town. After lunch, we had a clinic at the school for people who were training to be P.E. teachers. We then had a team reflection time of the trip and our experiences so far at a cafe. It was great to have some time to talk and enjoy some pastries, cappuccino, and matte. Next we had our last clinic with young girls and we got to play games with them. Later we had the opportunity to visit our host's family's church for their youth group at which Coach Brooke and Brooke Sands shared about our trip with the group. We got to interact with young girls and boys before heading off to finally eat some food (Pizza!). We appreciate your love and support and we cannot wait to share our stories with you when we get home!
With love,
Heather and Britt

Thursday, May 23rd

Hola familia y amigos! :)
Today was another busy day but we were able to enjoy the afternoon siesta :) After breakfast we left to lead two clinics in physical education classes. The first group of girls were familiar to some of us, since we were with them when we split the night before. It was great to see our friends again! After our two sessions we went back to the hotel for lunch and had a few hours to relax and sleep. Some of us walked around San Francisco after lunch and enjoyed some more of the delicious ice cream down the street! It is now 12:30 and we just arrived back from dinner. We had a clinic in the older section of San Francisco with mothers and daughters. After practicing with them they brought us inside and gave us pastries and hot chocolate, with milk straight from the cow :)  Our game tonight was against the team we played yesterday afternoon. It was on a dirt field in the dark which made it very difficult but we still had fun! We lost 3-2, we blamed it on the darkness. Caroline scored her first collegiate and international goal!! Celina had our second goal of the game. After the game we had a cookout again with the girls. It was a great time to interact with those we just played against and to build those relationships. It is amazing how a sport can bring people together. We have been realizing that the people in this country are so welcoming and friendly, they are so willing to give gifts and invite us into their Club and town.
It is crazy to think our week is almost over! Check back for more posts :)
Thank you for your continued prayers,
Juliana Hershey :)

Wednesday, May 22nd

 The picture above is Las Charitas and MCFH

This picture is from the game this afternoon La Fabrica and MCFH

We began our day a bit later today after a late night last night! This afternoon we played against La Fabrica.  We tied 2-2 with goals from Rachel Cox and Celina Nissley.  There was no time for fellowship after this game because we had to head out to the high school gym classes that we were teaching.  Our group split into two and each group taught two girls physical education classes.  After tasting some delicious, fresh fruit, our groups split and went to two different clubs to work with young girls and also some middle school and high school girls.  The young girls surprised many of us with their skills!! Both groups were able to play a 10-15 minute game with the older girls we were teaching.  Then, we went to the F.A.S.T.A college to talk with students who are studying to become teachers of English or English translators.  We sat in a big circle and introduced ourselves and then were able to talk in small groups (2 of their students, 1 MCFH player/coach).  Then we headed back to the apartment for dinner, which we were all very thankful for because we didn't eat much today.  Tomorrow will be filled with more field hockey...teaching as well as maybe playing/practicing with La Fabrica!

Check back later for more updates!!

Emily Bower

Game 2 - Tuesday, May 21

We played our second game tonight against a team from San Francisco, Argentina.  The field was a dirt field and only half of the field was lit.  It was very challenging to play on, but we improved as the game went on.  We played two 35 minute halves.  In the end, we overcame adversity and won the game 1-0 with a goal from Emily Bower.  After the game, we used our translator to invite their team to pray with us and also said each team cheer together.  Then we went to a small place for dinner with their team as well as lot of fellowship.  Even though many of the players from the other team did not speak much English, we were able to use the translators to engage in great conversation and we made many new friends.  Before the night ended, Juliana Hershey and Britt Horst shared their testimonies with the group!

It was a great night, but we are all very tired!!! We will play another game tomorrow afternoon around 12:00 PM (11:00 AM EST).

More posts later!
Angela Klaczak

Tuesday, May 21

We've arrived to our hotel in San Francisco, Argentina! We took our things to our rooms and ate a quick lunch in the hotel.  Around 4:15 (3:15 PM EST) we are going to walk around the small town and grab some ice cream.  At 6:00 (5:00 PM EST) we will head to teach young girls some field hockey skills, followed by playing a game later this evening.

Stay tuned for more posts!
Emily Bower

Game 1 - Monday, May 20

Well, we have officially played our first international field hockey game!!! We played two 25 minute periods, one 20 minute period, followed by a brief demonstration by the Argentina coach and players on the proper way to do a reverse chip.  After the game we had some nice fellowship with the girls from Argentina full of wonderful conversation supported by translators.  We lost 2-1, with a goal scored by Brooke Sands, but our team put on an impressive show.  So much so, that the general manager of the club that we played at asked if we would like to play another game when we return on Sunday.  Tomorrow will be another day of travel as we will take a bus about 4 hours to San Francisco, Argentina!

Check back for more updates!!!
Emily Bower and Angela Klaczak

Monday, May 20

After a relaxing morning that allowed everyone to catch up on some sleep, we walk to a small place for lunch.  Many of us were excited to drink familiar sodas (Pepsi, 7UP, and Orange Soda) but also hesitant to taste the new foods.  We helped ourselves to the salad bar, which had plantains drizzled with honey...which seemed to be a favorite.  Then we were serve several different meats, some more interesting than others.  We finished the meal with delicious ice cream.  The team then spent most of the afternoon touring Cordoba.  We saw some beautiful universities and cathedrals, and stopped in a few shops.  Now we have some time to rest before heading out for our first game!

Check in later for more posts!!!
Emily Bower

Sunday, May 19

Hola from Argentina!

After a moving send off last night which involved a hike with candles focusing on being a light on our trip and a hours of travel, we've arrived to our hotel in Cordoba! After 12 hours of travel everyone is ready to stretch out and catch up on some sleep.  The first flight of the day was a 4 hour flight from Dullas Airport in DC to an airport in Panama City, Panama.  After a brief time of relaxation, we hopped on our second flight taking us straight to Cordoba, Argentina in 8 hours.  We'll spend the day in Cordoba all day tomorrow, as well as play a game at 8:30 PM (7:30 EST).  We will then meet up with some missionary friends of Messiah coaches.  Time to get some sleep tonight!

Thank God for safe travel today and that all of our luggage arrived! Check back tomorrow for another post!

Brooke Sands and Emily Bower

Greetings from Grantham!!

We began the preparation for our trip yesterday with a mid-morning practice on our own Anderson Field. Practice was very productive, and it was nice enough out that some of us were able to get a little color (or a lot) as well. We then all gathered for lunch in the on campus cafe, The Falcon, and then met up with a few other groups who are also going on different trips for a pre-departure meeting.   Aaron Faro, the man who helped to set up our trip and make it possible, shared with us what it means to go on a short term mission trip, and encouraged us to stay focused on serving God and His people with an open heart, and an open mind. While we are in Argentina, we will be focused on discipleship, exercising our individual spiritual gifts, taking risks and trusting God with them, as well as working on becoming dissatisfied with a complacent life.

Later in the meeting, we worked on our personal testimonies, and really focused on the changes and benefits that have accompanied our spiritual journeys. We then broke up into smaller groups after focusing individually on our testimonies, and worked on sharing them with others. For many of us, this was the first time we really opened up and shared, or even really put much thought into this. It was really beneficial for us to open up to those who we know and are comfortable sharing with, so that if we are asked to share while in Argentina, we will be a little more comfortable and have some idea of what we want to share about our story.

This morning, while our lovely seniors were walking across the platform in front of their families, loved ones, and Coach Good to receive their diplomas, a few of us from the rest of the group went to Bakers diner, a local favorite, for breakfast. The rest of the day today is free time for us to finish packing up, shopping for any last minute things we forgot, and to check out of our rooms. Tonight at 9:00, we will meet as a group for our final send-off, and then it will be early to bed for our departure of campus tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM sharp!

More to come and keep posted!!

Brooke Sands and Angela Klaczak