Hello! Since going on the race I have really fell in love with the game of soccer. It helps when everyone in Latin and South America love it. So that is often how we connect with kids here. Thus we play fútbol mucho. However, as you all May have known, one day while playing soccer in Nicaragua with some children, I hurt my ankle. I am not really sure how it happened except that there was a cement slab and I fell on it maybe by tripping on a rock but also from a ten year old kid. Either way I hurt my ankle. It was quite sad for me because I knew I would not be able to play soccer with the boys in Nicaragua for the rest of my time there :( 

Insert my friend Eliezer. He is on staff at LASM and works with the boys in the classroom. He teaches them Bible, English and lots about mindset. My first memory of him is walking to get a 5 gallon jug of water. My friend Morgan and I went. They were pretty heavy and we had to stop 3 times on the way back due to being tired. Haha Eliezer gave us a hard time. Eliezer is like a brother to me and teases me like my brothers do back home. When I hurt my foot he said oh we can just cut it off right? Lol this is something my dad would definitely say. My teammate had also brought me a coke that day and he goes is that the medicine? Haha I love his humor and that specific day when I hurt my foot, it brought me a lot of joy and got my mind off what happened. 

After going to the doctors in Nicaragua they said I had a hairline fracture and recommended a cast for 3 weeks. 

It was challenging for me in a lot of ways, to ask for help and not participate fully in ministry. It also brought up lots of questions in regard to healing that I am still talking to God about. 

However, during that time in Nicaragua with my hurt foot, I had the privilege of working with two boys with disabilities. 

One of the boys was Julio, who was the brother of one of the boys in the classroom. I don’t have a picture of him, but I only worked with him for two days before he got sick and had to stay home. I made a bunch of materials for him and did not get to use a ton of them. He was a joy to work with and I just remember feeling at home and comfortable working with him. Julio loved playing with the broom and running around. 

Now meet Hassón, aka Jason in English. 

He is a little boy that came to the ministry for only 3 days right before we left. He was PURE JOY and so so smart and determined. His favorite thing was balloons, and knocking things over. I ended up getting to use the materials I made for Julio with Hassón, so it worked out. 

These boys showed me so much in the short amount of time I got to work with them. There is definitely a need for resources and help for children with disabilities abroad. It broke my heart for the community because I wanted to provide so much more. I thank God for bringing me these two boys and wonder if I had not hurt my foot if I would have even met them? 

Anyway, after being in a cast for three weeks and arriving in Colombia I went to see an orthopedic doctor who told me I could start walking on it. Yay! I was very excited to be making gains after three weeks of being in a cast. This was also good news because the ministry we were at in Colombia is called Ciudad Refugio and it has many stairs. The city of Medellin Colombia also has a lot of hills. So when I arrived in Colombia it was difficult to get around with crutches and very tiring. 

Now, I have been out of a cast for three weeks. The first week I was limping around because that’s what happens when you haven’t moved the muscles in your foot in three weeks so it was really tight. But now i am walking without a limp and I just wear a brace and sometimes a compression sock. Come to find out they really love compression socks here (Colombia) for things. My ankle is still not completely back to normal yet, and still gets sore when I’m on it a lot and a little swollen. I have been continuing to stretch it as it is still tight and not as flexible as my left one. 

This past month in Colombia, It was cool to be in a place (Ciudad Refugio) where so much healing occurs for people and to be healing myself!

Overall, I am thankful for the healing that has come and hopefully will be back to playing soccer in no time. :) That is the update on my foot and a few good things that came from it.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers! 

Till next time,

<3 Cass