Dear Team Members, April 6th, 2009
Once in a while, ever so often, you come to these certain moments in life when you find yourself looking back, and you begin to see that all those things that never did make sense, those things that made up a mountain of misfit puzzle pieces in your life, have somehow now taken shape and aligned themselves into an incredible picture. A picture, that you yourself could have never conceived imaginable.
When you find yourself in moments like these, it’s easy to recall the individual steps along the way, and identify the key factors that you stood so firmly upon, factors that you saw as integral to the formation of your dream. Yet as time progressed and as you witnessed so many of those key factors fall hopelessly apart, you were once again reminded of the ways of God in the words of Isaiah when he said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
This past month, after challenge and struggle, after many joys, yet many frustrations, after many late night training sessions, after all sorts of twists and turns, after eight months of trying to speak truth into young lives, after months of coaching a youth boys soccer team, after all this, we were so privileged to witness the first two young men on the team commit their lives to Christ.
It’s been a journey with these young guys. Watching them develop as young men on the field, but also to just watch God move and continue to move in hearts, has been amazing. There have been so many God given moments, during these last eight months, to walk alongside these young men, and to challenge them to pursue excellence in life on and off the field has been a great privilege yet at the same time a huge challenge. With so many of these young guys seemingly coming from places where they are given a daily portion of reason to believe that there lives will never amount to much, this season has been a constant battle, to see the truth reign, that Christ’s plans for their lives are for a hope and a future. And while at times we see mere “baby” steps in terms of progress with them, we see those “steps” and for that we are encouraged and excited.
And all this being said, initially we were in line to coach an age category lower. Our first practice we had 5 players. And they were considering dropping the team. But God had different plans.
As seasons change, as plans are altered, may we continue be willing to allow God transform our dreams into His, as we see the sovereign hand of God working out things for greatness in spite of the fact that our expectations differ.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support
Love you all,
Matt Hama
matt_hama9@hotmail.com
Facebook: Tuscan Bullfighting Adventures of a Spanish Muchacho
http://matthama.blogspot.com/
Prayer Requests
· Boy’s soccer team
· My physical health (currently recovering from shin splints)
· Direction for future
· Upcoming trip to North Africa
