Have I told y'all about the Anteaters? I mean, not the animals that eat ants, but the flag football team that Adam coaches. As a side note, I've decided that my goal now that Adam is a football coach is to be just like Tami Taylor. Clear eyes. Full heart. Can't Lose. I've been sitting here thinking about our game tonight (which we won 18-0), and thinking about how much time and money and effort and heart-space the team takes up. And thinking about margins. And realizing that sometimes, you have to throw all your "margins" out the window.
See, a few months back, this happened. Afterwards, Adam went and visited the boy who had been shot in the hospital. He told Adam he had just been hoping someone would come sit with him. So we sat. And then we found out he was sleeping on a bed frame with a rod-replacing-the-bone-in-his-leg, which couldn't be comfortable. So we brought him a mattress. At this point, we consider him a friend, and I give him hugs and a hard time for limping around, and Jayci asks where he is on a regular basis. So when him and some of his friends from the gang asked Adam if he would start a football team to keep them out of trouble, our answer was naturally "of course."
Unfortunately, the entire gang basically got arrested a few weeks back, which kinda-sorta took out our team (and also makes this whole story a whole-lot-less compelling). However, boys have been coming out of the woodworks and begging to be a part of the team, and I'm kind of in love with the places we've been going and the kids we've met, and the boys who are excited to be a part of something positive. Despite the fact that the team kinda takes over every single margin with messy scribbles involving practice and more practice and games and rides and boys knocking on the door and asking for water all the time.
Some of the boys' moms came to the game two weeks ago, and I overheard them talking to each other about how happy they were that their boys were doing something positive instead of roaming the streets and getting into trouble. Which, obviously, made my heart very very happy.
Each week we spend a few hours doing practice and making sandwiches for dinner and packing chips and mixing gatorade. And today at Target, Jayci saw some cookie dough and insisted that she wanted to make cookies for all "my boys." Melt.
One of the (super-talented) boys designed a logo for our t-shirts, and I totally think that having official team shirts contributed to our win today. We paid for the t-shirts out of our pockets (like I said, kinda trampling all over the margins with this one). But we got 20 extra t-shirts, so for $20 you can have a t-shirt and pay for a t-shirt for one of the boys too. If you're interested, send me an email at Becca1612 at hotmail.com (or just leave a comment with contact info and I'll contact you).
Also, this team picture is perfect right? Even though I brought my camera without a memory card so I had to use my phone instead.
See, a few months back, this happened. Afterwards, Adam went and visited the boy who had been shot in the hospital. He told Adam he had just been hoping someone would come sit with him. So we sat. And then we found out he was sleeping on a bed frame with a rod-replacing-the-bone-in-his-leg, which couldn't be comfortable. So we brought him a mattress. At this point, we consider him a friend, and I give him hugs and a hard time for limping around, and Jayci asks where he is on a regular basis. So when him and some of his friends from the gang asked Adam if he would start a football team to keep them out of trouble, our answer was naturally "of course."
Unfortunately, the entire gang basically got arrested a few weeks back, which kinda-sorta took out our team (and also makes this whole story a whole-lot-less compelling). However, boys have been coming out of the woodworks and begging to be a part of the team, and I'm kind of in love with the places we've been going and the kids we've met, and the boys who are excited to be a part of something positive. Despite the fact that the team kinda takes over every single margin with messy scribbles involving practice and more practice and games and rides and boys knocking on the door and asking for water all the time.
Some of the boys' moms came to the game two weeks ago, and I overheard them talking to each other about how happy they were that their boys were doing something positive instead of roaming the streets and getting into trouble. Which, obviously, made my heart very very happy.
Each week we spend a few hours doing practice and making sandwiches for dinner and packing chips and mixing gatorade. And today at Target, Jayci saw some cookie dough and insisted that she wanted to make cookies for all "my boys." Melt.
I firmly believe that Jesus is doing something beautiful on the margins with this team.
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