Competition

I realized quickly after graduating from college that one of the big things missing from life was competition. Intramural sports were one of the most fun parts of Vanderbilt for me - especially during my senior year, when I was only taking a couple of classes, I think I spent more time on the intramural fields than in class! I absolutely loved getting outside with a bunch of friends and playing soccer/frisbee/football/whatever, and there are few feelings better than falling into bed exhausted after running around in the grass all day.

I could definitely feel the lack of competition last year in Kenya. Even though we had some heated ping-pong matches, it doesn't have quite the same feel as a good team game outside. A few weeks ago, though, I found the answer! There is a guy named John who got to Kenya about a month ago to work with Kim Pace's Blue Sky Ministries - he's from Georgia and happens to be a big ultimate frisbee player. We asked around and found a group of westerners who play ultimate every Sunday afternoon at one of the International Schools in Nairobi, and we've joined in the last two Sundays. It's a great atmosphere - intense enough that it's a challenge and I can really get into it, but not so intense that a mistake ruins your day. There is a great mix of people from different places and with different experience levels, but pretty much everyone has played "organized" frisbee before and is at least decent.

Having not played a sport like this (lots of running, sprinting, and diving on the ground) in a year or so, my body was definitely feeling it after last Sunday! Between super sore muscles and all kinds of scrapes, I was totally exhausted on Sunday night - and most of Monday and Tuesday too - but it was a beautiful feeling. It feels SO good to get out and run around till I'm about to fall over, and I've found that I definitely need that adrenalin rush of diving in the end zone for a catch...there's just no substitute for winning!

So this Monday morning, sitting at my desk sore and stiff again, I'm thanking God for providing answers to needs that we might not even know we have. Sometimes it's the little things, like a frisbee game, that can show us He cares about us and knows what will make us happy or give us something new to get excited about.

Thanks Lord!