The afternoon was as Josh says it best, “hot as a firecracker.” Our team has been serving in a barrio immediately outside of Ocotal, Nicaragua. It’s a very rough area. Children begin participating in gangs, drugs and drinking as young as ten years of age. It is normal for fourteen year old girl’s to be mothers. On yesterday afternoon’s agenda was a visit to the local school. When we arrived the children were at recess. The rugged school was small, and the playground had a fenced basketball court with three tires next the court. There were a handful of children climbing in the trees, while a group of older 
girls played what to me looked like a Spanish version of Ring around the Rosie. We started off our time by playing a four on four pick up game of “futbol.” Even with my limited soccer skills, the game was a quite fun. However, there was one problem. While the eight of us played soccer, about forty other children sat in front of the fence asking to play. Dan’s ingenious solution to this problem was to have all forty children play on one team at the same time.
Today´s header- forty Nicaraguan ninos verse the three American gringos. I wish you were there, because it was a comical site to see. First, imagine forty children on a small basketball court. They were all dressed in white button down shirts, blue dress pants and skirts, and black school shoes. The blazing sun was beating down on the court, and I had forgotten to bring my water bottle. The soccer ball was old and not fully inflated. At any given point in time, the ball had about eight pairs of shoes encircling the ball attempting to kick. Immediately around those eight children was a much greater group of another fifteen children, who were unable to penetrate the inner kicking circle at that moment. These children, while unable to reach the ball, were still kicking. Beyond those children were numerous other children running around the court with what seemed to me no real intention of scoring a goal. I am convinced in Nicaraguan school yard soccer the point is to simply kick the ball as hard as possible in any direction. (These children forgot to explain these new rules to Josh, Dan and I). And lastly, there were another group of young girls. I am certain they had no idea what was going on, and furthermore, I am certain they had no desire to even play soccer. They were amused by these gringos that showed up for the afternoon. Their agenda included following me as I ran around the court, attempting to tickle me throughout the game (which again was another rule of soccer unbeknown to me) and to talk very fast in Spanish (so I had no chance of comprehending what they said).
After the soccer game, I taught a group of children the Gator chomp. Josh (knows full well the Florida Gators are much cooler that the Virginia Tech turkey Hokies, but he will never admit this truth) 
then proceed to teach a group of boys the Virginia Tech turkey call. Recess came to close with a schoolyard college team chanting showdown, which was effortlessly won by the newly created Florida Gators. (Josh may have another opinion on that statement, but I am right).
“He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like the little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of God” Matthew 18:3.
catch tangible glimpses of the heart of God. They are careless and clueless and precious. Their smile melts my heart. Having ten minute conversations with a child in a language I don’t understand makes me laugh. They ask me questions in Spanish, and then they pause and wait for my response. Often I respond in a very normal tone with something completely off the wall and smile. They smile back and continue on in our conversation as if this is completely normal. Children have a faith and an ability to trust. They have a love and a delight in life. We loose this somewhere in the years between the afternoon play ground and the afternoon business meeting. When I am with children, I am reminded that our faith is simple. 
