The Big Day

Morning of “The Game”

Yake (aka Jacob) and Hannah here! It’s the morning of the game we’ve all been waiting for. The day we prove Father Marc wrong. A day that will live in infamy. It’s day that we will beat the Guatemalan’s in soccer.

But, in all seriousness, we are really excited for this game. We’ve found this is more than just a sport – it’s a game that transcends the barriers of language and culture. Once the ball is in play, we’re no longer the Americans and the Guatemalans. We’re all just a group of people having fun. Since most of us speak very little Spanish and definitely not a word of K’iche (except “ick’ex”, which means moon, month, and actually we have no idea), it’s been wonderful to bond and communicate with the people of this culture through soccer, the beautiful game.

At 10am, we are off to visit the coffee co-op up in the mountains. Some of you may be lucky enough to taste some of this coffee once we’re home! After the coffee tour, we’re visiting a public school, which will give us some good perspective on the differences between the private school of Ascuncion and the public school system here in Guatemala. After a glorious six kilometer truck ride, which are always fun, the Guatemalans plan to fatten us up with a traditional barbeque. The “kind gesture” is actually a ploy to slow us down on the field. Yes, we have intimidated them. Since this is our third soccer match of the week we are feeling confident in our skill and teamwork. If you’re lucky, Colleen will be streaming the game live so you can experience the victory along with us. Tune in to ESPN6 Latino.

Love to everyone back home. We miss you and are praying for you often.

J and H

P.S. We don’t know how much more we can take of this rooster.