Hanging Out at the Park

Two blocks away from our home here in Autlan is a little park. It's not much, just a basketball court, a dirt volleyball court and some toys for the kids. In the afternoons there's usually just a few little kids playing there if anyone, but around 7 o'clock every night it's the place to be. The volleyball court is full, with people waiting for one team to lose so the next can go in. There's always either a group of people playing futbol or shooting hoops at the basketball court, and of course, there's always kids playing.
When we first moved here to Autlan I never went down to "la cancha" (the park) to play and hang out with the other kids. I was much to intimidated by the teenagers down there, and I didn't know anyone that hung out there either. There was no way I was going to go hang out there and invite myself to play with a bunch of kids I didn't know. Months past and I never went. People from the Church would ask me to play but I never would. Then, my brother Brent started to go down there once in a while. Before I knew it, every night Brent was down at the park playing volleyball. He tried to convince me to come every night, but I wouldn't give in. I would not humiliate myself in front of all of them. Brent was really persistent about it though, and after a while he was pretty much forcing me to go with him. Finally one night I agreed to go, just to get him off my back. I played just one or two short games of volleyball, felt really self conscious and still didn't know any of them. The next day Brent wanted me to go with him again, and so I did. Even though I was horrible at the game, it felt really nice to be around other people. Even if I didn't know or talk to any of them. I started going down there more often, and before I knew it, I started to make friends! One by one I would learn their names by hearing the other kids talk to them, and I even began to talk to a few of them just a little.
As a result of going down there and not knowing anyone at first, I now go down there every night and play basketball and volleyball. I am acquaintances with almost everyone, and some of them have become really good friends of mine. Just today two of them came over and we watched a movie and played futbol.
God has also given me opportunities to share the love of Christ with some of them and I hope that just by me going down there and being nice to the kids down there that they will see Christ in me and I can make a difference in their lives.
I still suck at the games, but I usually just laugh at myself and let the crowd laugh with me when I mess up. Who cares if I'm good at it or not, its the relationships and the time spent together that counts. Its being a light.
I am so thankful that God has blessed me with some really great friends as a result of going down to the park. I wish I would have stepped out of my comfort zone and went down to the park a LONG time before I did, I could have made friends months earlier. :)

Please pray for the youth of Colinas Del Sur (the area where I live in Autlan). So many of them are without hope and don't have a purpose driven life. My heart goes out to my friends here that don't know Christ as their Savior. I am asking God to use me to guide them to His feet and show them His unfailing love. I am trusting in Him and trying to find peace in knowing that His plan will come out of it all, and He can change their hearts. I will be here ready to do all that I can to help them. I can't change them or make them want to come to know Christ as their Savior, but God can. I'm praying hard that He will unravel a beautiful story in many of their lives, and they will come to know Him, and that He will use me in the process.

Enjoying my time in Autlan with the awesome friends God has blessed me with, Jessica