Update - August 2002
Last
month, a series of circumstances put us into contact with a Christian family
that was visiting Roatan. I invited their teenage daughters to join our
soccer team for practice, and Erica, who is 15, decided to participate two
different times. She is pictured at left with some of the team (Can you
guess which one is Erica?) Anyway, the family made a generous offer to
provide some equipment for the team which we had not been able to provide.
As many of you know, we have had to purchase tennis shoes for most of the
girls simply to practice, so tacos (cleats) and chimpas (shin guards) simply
were not possible at this point. The family took the name of each girl on
the team and planned to provide for each one of them.
A couple of weeks later, I received an e-mail from Erica’s mother. Here is an excerpt:
About an hour after Erica and I returned home from shopping for the cleats, we were in the kitchen cleaning, she left the room and returned, she handed me a wad of money and said she wanted to contribute towards the soccer items for the girls. I asked if she was sure she wanted to do that (because she has been saving for a guitar), she said "Yes, I'm sure , Mom, don't cry about it!" I later counted it, and the amount was $210.00!
I for one, was very humbled and blessed by this. Erica was a great help to us during the practices, but her heart obviously went out to the girls she was playing with. I have been around many teenagers who talk of their willingness to help others, but few are willing to do so if the cost is very high for them personally. With Erica, this was not the case. She sent a note with the boxes which read in part:
Please tell the girls the reason we are sending them the stuff is because God has blessed my family, so we are able to bless others, and God wanted to use our family to bless them because He cares about each one of them. Your family and the team are always in my prayers.
Thank you, Erica, to you and your family, for allowing God to use you in providing blessings to others!