“Teaching our boys how to honor and love. How to celebrate and how to be gentlemen this past Valentine’s day. Looked like flowers and heart shaped suckers for the ladies in the village. ”
There is a shift in the atmosphere. As you can feel the days warming up and the drastic approach of the contrasting cooler desert nights, so is the changing climate brought on by the unlikely few. They lace up their cleats, share high-fives and shin guards. When you look at them standing next to each other, you can still see distinct differences. Most of our boys are generally skinnier, shorter, and darker. You can blame it on malnutrition, birth defects, drugs, genetics, hard physical labor, or any of the other factors that commonly precede a first impression of them, but the colors and shapes seen are being blurred by unity. Unity and brotherhood forged on and off the field.
What we thought related us to them has now related them to their own community. Sometimes in rivalry but most of the time in respect, common love and common dreams. Dreams that will lead them into a future where they will not only have shared past experiences and victories, but also brotherly love, tears and loss, empathy… the grounds on which their future lies. They are the future leaders of their communities. But where previous generations have kept their distances between outskirt villages and municipality city centers, this generation is crossing lines. And more than crossing lines, they are calling each other friend, family.
Our boys have been taught to gather around the table, take your place as a son, serve one another, be men of character, pray together, give all glory to God… “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King.” 1 Peter 2:17 And they are infectious with their loyalty to that creed. Onlookers take notice and those closest to them are challenged to the call. It’s one thing to play against a challenging team but it’s a whole different story when you change jerseys, colors, and say “I’m with them.” “Soy MARKED.” The beauty is in what is yet to be seen. These same young men who will one day remember when they sat at each other’s table, no matter how humble it or the food was, will carry that into discussions and planning of community development, political decisions, standing for justice, fighting together to see cycles broken and lives empowered.