Foutbòl (Soccer) Game

Yesterday morning our older boys were invited to another orphanage in Titanyen to play a soccer game.  They love to play soccer and were eager to get to the field.  The boys put on their blue jerseys, cleats, and soccer socks with shin guards, and climbed into the Kubota.  The boys held on tight as the Kubota drove down one hill and up another to the soccer field.  

All of the other children piled into our pick-up truck and were driven to the soccer field.  We sat on the sidelines in the tall, dried up grass.  I led the children in some simple cheers.  We shouted, "Alle, alle, alle, vit!", (which means, "Go, go, go fast") and "Bon, bon, bon travay!", (which means "good, good, good job!".  We even had a drummer boy on the sidelines.  He found a big metal can and a large plastic jug and used 2 sticks to drum to the rhythm of our cheers.

The players were good sports and used different strategies to take the ball from their opponents.  It was amazing to see them kick the ball with their feet above their head.  One boy did an backwards cartwheel.  They seemed to keep the ball up in the air a lot and would bonk it with their head or kick their feet high.

What a great game!  We won 4-0!  The kids had a great time and it was fun to connect with other children in the community and build new friendships.  On the way home, I piled into the Kubota with a few of our children to head back to Grace Village.  Well, we didn't get far when we realized our tire was flat and the gears were not shifting.  So, we decided to walk back to Grace.  The Kubota driver stayed with the Kubota and waited for the mechanic to come and fix it.  One of the male guardians and I decided to run up the hill.  Woohoo!  What great exercise!  Today was a blessing to all of us!