Off to Augusta

The Lord has provided me with the opportunity to go with the youth of Grace Community Church here in Statesboro to Augusta for a mission trip.  We'll be going into the inner city promoting a sport camp, while working at a food bank in the evening.  I'm really looking forward to be able to connect with some of these high schoolers and serve along side of them.  Be back Friday!

Still awake...

Well I am currently on the plane ride back from Zurich to Atlanta stretched out over an entire middle row of 3 seats!  Our couple days in Zurich weren’t too eventful as we caught some stormy weather.  On Saturday, Dan set us up an appointment SportClinic Zurich where we received a tour and had a Q&A with one of their staff members.  SportClinic Zurich is sponsored by Swiss Olympic and consists of a sport medicine/rehab facility, biomechanics, and an exercise-testing lab.  Theresa, the lady showing us around, told us how the facility sees a mixture of both Swiss athletes and everyday people coming in for services.  Starting my Masters in the fall at USC in Applied Physiology (Exercise Science), it was really cool to see a view of the field internationally.  Upon leaving SportClinic Zurich, we went and saw Terminator Salvation, which I thought was much better than T3.  That essentially concluded our stay in Zurich, as we are now flying back to Atlanta and then to Savannah.

Below I just want to expand/comment/share on what this trip has meant to me personally, whether it be academically or spiritually…

Academically, I have been so fortunate to have such an opportunity.  With aspirations to teach, being around professionals like Dr. Dan Czech has provided me with an ideal way to enhance learning…make it FUN!  Again, the energy and attitude he brings into the teaching setting weather in a classroom or out on a baseball field in France has provided me with a wonderful illustration/model.  Do I want to develop my own “style”?  Yes, but I also want students leaving with the “fired up” mentality to learn more about the subject or even themselves like Dr. Czech does.  I’m looking forward to experiencing this in the Fall as a GA.

Spiritually, I don’t know where really to start.  Not always being one much of words, it’s hard to say (God’s grace in itself).  As I type, I am cautious not to try to write what sounds good or “deep”, but rather the feelings I’ve honestly experienced. As I mentioned in previous posts, and I won’t go into detail again, the Lord has opened my eyes to the ways he wanted to work in me on this trip.  He has romanced/wooed me revealing a greater love. It’s been a feeling of “Wow!  Look how minute and small I am”; yet He still wants a relationship with me.  Driving to/from Barcelona seeing the countryside, running in foreign countries, looking down from 6,500 feet above, seeing Dan’s heart ache from being absent from his wife/kids, being vulnerable with one another, Patty/Boris’ willingness to provide/help us; it’s these things that God has used to show me what his love is like.  It’s beautiful, it yearns, and above all else it’s sacrificial.  Lord, teach me to love.

Coming off this trip, I’ve begun to wrestle with a new outlook on living my life, at least for the time being.  I definitely feel as though if it’s the stage of “Cowboy” alive in me, but I have grown to have such an increased desire for adventure.  It’s a desire for more than college football on the weekends or just sitting around watching television.  (Disclaimer: I’m not giving up on going to USC football games and being a fan.  I enjoy that fellowship with good friends/family.)  It may be missing a game or two to partake in something greater…a greater adventure…a different adventure.  And you know what, maybe I’ll just bring others along.  Actually, I wouldn’t want it any other way but to be with others.  It’s been interesting.  Maybe since around the beginning of the spring semester, my interest/taste in music has expanded and grown so much.  I remember thinking back in the fall that my playlists needed something new, a different sound.  I believe it was the chance to attend a few small gigs in the Carolinas that sparked this new growth.  Growing up, sports were my thing.  It’s what I did.  I had a couple tries at guitar, but sports reigned.  Again, I’m still passionate about sports, teams, etc.  However over the past 6 months, concerts/gigs, some aspects of art, and the wilderness has surpassed with a more appealing beauty.  Being here in Europe, I was able to see/hear the differing cultures of such things.  Whether it was the American cover band in the packed out Irish pub, decorative yet sometime obscene street art/graffiti along bridges or train ways, or the snow capped Alps, I experienced a new high much like that of painting up at a nationally televised USC football game.  I realized that our God has created an amazing world for us, and I want to experience more of it.  To give a better illustration, I want to take mine and Joe’s Young Life guys camping, on road trips, to soup kitchens, volunteering.  I want them to EXPERIENCE God’s love and grace, not simply hear about it a few times a week from us.  I want to go to more concerts, especially small, non-mainstream bands that I’ve hardly heard of.  It will be interesting how this plays out.  I already feel like I’ll be in need of some sort of adventure these next 3 weeks between returning from Europe and leaving for Trinidad and Tobago.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to fill that void…

For the weeks following up until Trinidad and Tobago, I’ll be doing some lab work on campus at Georgia Southern.  I’ll likely post at the end to tell about what I’ve been doing.  Hope you enjoyed!

The Ascent

Yesterday was a pretty awesome day in Salzburg.  We got up and enjoyed another great breakfast at the hotel.  I’ve come to enjoy this Nutella spread that is so prevalent here in Europe.  I had seen it and heard about it in the states but had never tried it out.  Past few days at the hotel I’ve been making a turkey, Swiss, egg, and Nutella sandwich.  Yea, it tastes pretty amazing, but I do miss my Jif Reduce Fat Creamy Peanut Butter!  We made a list of various things to see in old town and went to work.  We started off by going to the Mozart Museum and followed it with the catacombs located along the St. Peter’s Church within the mountainside.  Next, we picked up some tickets to go on a speedboat tour along the river at 6.  For lunch, I was not too hungry thanks to a filling breakfast and just hit up the market for some bread, fresh grapes, blackberries, and a peach.

Our entire stay while in Salzburg, I’ve had my eyes glued to this 6,500-foot mountain (Unterberg) that sits in the distance from our hotel, eager to make my way up it.  After getting lunch, we caught the bus out to the mountain where you can take a gondola all the way to the top.  Prior to getting on the gondola, we met Hannah and Amy.  They were both graduates and former tennis players from a small Christian school in California.  Amy worked for World Missions filming various stories around Europe, while her friend Hannah was from Slovakia and is getting her MBA and had met up with her to vacation.  We stuck around one another while around the top of the mountain sharing our adventures thus far, etc.  We got up to the summit where the weather was windy and cold (~35°F) but relatively clear.  We walked out of the coffee shop, and there it was.  We were in the clouds!  We continued the ascent up to a large steel cross that had been constructed at the peak.  

The view from above was unlike any other!  My God, “romancing” me with his beauty!  We continued to trek along the mountaintop taking all kinds of pictures and making fools of ourselves (Trevor and I performed shirtless jumping pictures).  Having time to sit up 6,500 feet above sea level, the Lord was really just putting my heart at peace.  This trip up the mountain and the view from the top completely summed up what this trip has taught/meant to me spiritually.  The beauty from the top was just like God saying to me, “Hey Daniel.  You know all those awesome things that I’ve revealed to you over the past couple weeks…their beauty and how it amazed you?  Well take a look at this!  Let this ‘woo’ you.”

Once returning to the coffee shop where the gondola let out, the six of us grabbed some hot chocolate and then made our way back down.  Hannah and Amy recommended a China buffet place for us to eat for dinner (a place they had only seen, not eaten at) and then an Irish pub to listen to some music afterwards.  Tired from a busy day, we gave them our boat ride tickets and planned to meet up later.  We went back to the hotel for a little bit, and I had every intention of taking a nap.  However with this beautiful weather and scenery, I couldn’t just pass it up.  I had some God time out on the balcony and then went for a run.  The runs have been so good.  As I’ve said previously, there is this underlying motivation running in a foreign country with a 6,500-foot mountain in your view.

We then made our way back into town to try out this China buffet, and let’s just say not exactly the best food I’ve ever had.  Different tasting than American Chinese food, but still had that all you can eat buffet taste to it.  We ran into Hannah and Amy again, highly recommending that they find a different restaurant to eat at.  The four of us headed on to the pub to just hangout and listen to some music planning to meet up with Hannah and Amy for the live stuff next door later on.  Meeting Hannah and Amy has really just caused me to reflect back on all the awesome/loving people we’ve met on this trip so far.  Whether it was Boris in Toulouse, Patty in Regensburg, or these girls in Salzburg, it’s been so cool to see how the Lord has allowed us to cross paths with these individuals, share passions/stories, and learn about their faith life.  About week ago, I mentioned how I felt that I was not allowing myself to see how God was revealing himself to me and working in me.  I was expecting it to only come through interactions with other people, but He revealed to me that it was his beauty He wanted to reveal…and believe me He sure has.  Anyways, it was so awesome to look back and see how through realizing that, the Lord continued to provide in my interactions with others like Boris, Patty, Hannah, and Amy.

Well after leaving the pub, we said our goodbyes to our friends to only realize that the bus stopped running at 11.  We made the decision that we would walk back, but this was very short lived after realizing it would be about a 2-hour trek if we were lucky (ended up taking a taxi).  However, for the 30-45 minutes we did walk, we did see a hedgehog.  Yea, that was pretty sweet.

As of now, I am currently on the train as we are making our way from Salzburg back to Zurich (beautiful).  We’ll be in Zurich until Tuesday and then catch our flight back to America!

 

The hotel we are currently staying at does not have free Internet access.  This will likely be my last post until I get back to Statesboro on Tuesday.

I'm There

Good day today.  Got up this morning around 8:30 and took a step out onto the balcony...yes!  The weather today was a little windy, cool (60s), with increments of cloud and sun.  After trying yet again to take it all in (failed), we headed down to get some breakfast.  The breakfasts in Europe have been pretty awesome for us.  They usually consist of breads, cheeses, meats, granola, fresh fruit, and this awesome juice (guessing it's apricot).  After eating, we headed into the old town area.  Our first stop was the Salzburg Cathedral.  

We then walked around looking at all the typical touristy shops and then headed up to the Hohensalzburg Castle, which first started construction in 1077.  This provided some pretty awesome views from both the front (city of Salzburg) and rear (Alps).  Dan headed back to the hotel to get some work done, while we headed back down into the township and got some food at a local market.  I picked up some fresh fruit (grapes, peach, and a plum) along with some bread.  We then made our way over to the Mirabell Palace Gardens.  One of the fountains in these gardens is where the Do-Re-Mi song from "Sound of Music" was sung/filmed
.

The gardens were beautiful.  I have never seen so many roses in my life.  This is also where we caught the candid shot of the fella getting close with his lady friend.  This group of people, likely a family, were taking photos on the steps and Trevor and I were standing to the side waiting for them to finish.  We notice on the first take this guy pinch the girl's butt.  Once seeing this, we figured he had to do it again on the second take, and as you can see he did...and we caught it. We got a huge laugh out of this.  After Trevor and Chad did some modeling in the grass (Chad had me on the grown laughing), we made our way back to the hotel.

When I got back to the hotel, I sat out on the balcony (something I could literally do all day) listening to the most recent Midtown sermon and then realized I was in great need of a nap. 

 After sleeping for about an hour, I got a small workout in and went for a sort of "nature run".  I ran along the road in front of our hotel and then cut up along a small creek that followed along the highway through the woods.  Wow!  It sure does make running a lot easier and so much more enjoyable when you have a nearly 6500 foot mountain in the distance.  After the run, we all went and ate downstairs in the hotel.  Later on in the night we came back down to have hot chocolate on the front porch.  I asked the group when was a time/moment when they thought to themselves "I'm there right now".  Like a feeling of comfort/peace, relaxed and joyful.  We all shared and as Brett Dennen and Ray LaMontagne continued to play on my laptop while I sipped my hot chocolate amongst the chill from the Alps, I thought to myself, "I'm there."

On to Salzburg

Wednesday, we finished up the clinic in Regensburg by heading out and watching the team play an inner-squad scrimmage.  They looked pretty good.  It is clear that Germany produces some bigger dudes than France and can better compete.  Patty cooked for us tonight, and we had some amazing chili dogs!  She is awesome (even did our laundry)!!  She has already offered to drive us to Salzburg, Austria (~3 hr drive Thursday morning).  We finished off the night by continuing to walk around the old town area and plan for Salzburg.  Our stint in Regensburg wrapped up the clinics.  We are now heading to Salzburg, Austria until Sunday and then will be back in Zurich to fly back home on Tuesday.

Patty was right on time in the morning, and we hit the road for Salzburg.  The ride was pretty good.  I was up the majority of the time looking out the window but found myself eager to dose off.  Dan, remembering Patty saying that she doesn't drink alcohol anymore, asked her how she was able to conquer that addiction and resist the temptations.  She went on to say that she didn't think we wanted to know.  It wasn't but maybe 15-20 minutes later that she randomly begins telling her story.  I won't go into details, but it was clear her life had been rescued!  I think one of the best parts of this trip has been the loving people we have met such as Boris and Patty.  We arrived in Salzburg and checked into our hotel.  It's like a bed and breakfast type place, and the four of us were able to fit in one room saving us a bunch of money.  The view off our balcony is phenomenal!  I sat out on it for a while today and just listened to music.  Rather than getting a much needed nap, I decided to just take a walk down the rural road outside the hotel.  It was mostly cloudy today, and you could only see Mt. Untersberg from our porch.  As I was walking, patches of sun appeared and in the distance was the beautiful and still snow capped white Alps.  Hopefully, we will get a really sunny day later in the weekend to catch an even better view.  Whenever I am outside here my eyes are glued to this monstrous mountain in our backyard.  Initially, I just felt this joy thinking, "Hey!  Look what our God did." (similar feeling when in Pisgah).  Now, I look up the sharp cliff with such a cringing desire to hike my way up it.  I believe it's the "Cowboy" in me at play.  I'm hoping we'll make the ascent sometime Saturday.  Tomorrow, we're going to sleep in and hopefully just have some time to relax like when we were in Zurich.

Good Morgin!

Mom and Dad got in Monday night pretty late.  They have been vacationing around other parts of Europe since earlier this week, and Dad helped out today at the clinic.  After an awesome breakfast at the hotel, Martin came and picked us up and we spent most the morning out at the field with the coaches.  We put them through various drills and games, teaching them things that they could implement at practice to get their kids more confident and focused in their game.  After having a tough afternoon at the plate in France, I had Dan throw to me some in the batting cage.  To my relief, the swing quickly returned!

Once getting back to the hotel, we cleaned up and then headed into the old town part of Regensburg.  During the Second World War, the old town section of the city did not get bombed due to the wrong coordinates; therefore, much of that section of town is very historical.  There is even a Roman wall that is still standing.  We walked along the river to this part of town and grabbed a traditional plate of sauerkraut and brats.  Not the best thing I have ever eaten but “when in Germany”.  We then continued to get some gelato and walk around town visiting the large cathedral you see posted and various other landmarks.  We headed back to the hotel, and I took that time to just walk down by the canal, read, and take some pictures.  In so many different places in Europe I have seen various street art and graffiti but have not been where I could take any pictures…finally got to do that.

All six of us then headed back into town to get dinner and just walk around.  We walked up in the steeple of an old church and took some pretty awesome pictures.  Dan pulled the rope of the church bell allowing it to sound two loud “dongs”.  We arrived at the top of the steeple for some guy to tell us that it is a hefty fine to ring the bell.  I believe Dan then made a quick descent back down.  It was awesome up at the top of the church.  Out one side you could see the sunset (something I have yet to see in Europe since it sets so late) and out the other the well-known cathedral.

Hope all is going well back home!

Sporting a Speedo in Spain

SUNDAY…

We got up Sunday morning and enjoyed what we thought was an amazing complimentary breakfast.  It wasn’t until after our second trip back to the buffet that we were told it cost 11 euros.  Well let’s just say that after that I made sure to eat at least 11 euros worth.  I’d say it was worth it.  They had meats, eggs, baked beans, beanie weenies(?), cereals, fresh fruit, pineapple, orange, and peach juice, doughnuts, croissants, etc.  Again, I made enough trips to make my 11 euros worth it all.  After eating, we decided that we would drive into town (an adventure in itself) to hop on one of those city tour buses where you can sit up on top.  Yes I realize how not “far off the beaten path” and touristy these things are, but it was the best way to see the city anxiety free and get to the beach.  We got off at the 5^th or 6^th spot at the waterfront without a cloud in the sky and the Sun beating down.  Barcelona, being the host of the 1992 Olympics, had many of its dorms and related buildings down by the ports.  We walked around those and then sought out the sand and blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea.  As one could imagine with many European beaches, this one was full of vulnerable sunbathers.  Curious about this post’s title?  I’ll just say that I became one with the culture and leave it at that.  We walked up and down the beach and came upon a sort of outdoor gym.  It was maybe the size of a small playground consisting of makeshift pull-up/dip bars, a row machine, and sit-up/push-up area.  Dan, Trevor, and I did a improvised workout before we walked on back to the bus stop.  Hey, how often can you say you worked out at an “outdoor gym” (more like an adult playground) on the beach in Barcelona, Spain?  We finished off the bus tour around the city seeing many of the different sights.  Getting off the bus, we talked to an Irish lady and she asked us about Obama.  What we thought of him, etc.  This wasn’t the first time this has happened while over here in Europe.  Judging from the signs all over Barcelona, this lady’s and Boris’ viewpoints, it seems as though they all like Obama.  So whether you like Obama or not, it is clear he is making an impact on our international image and relations.

We got back to our car, and then hit the road back to Toulouse, France (mini-adventure navigating our way out of the city, aka “man moment”).  The ride back to Toulouse takes about 3.5 hours, and it was absolutely amazing!  Outside of Barcelona, the fields of the Spanish countryside reminded me of the movie Gladiator.  In the movie Maximus Arreleus (sp?), a Spaniard, is shown walking through the fields of what seems like to be wheat outside of his home.  Along the highways were these same long golden rows, and I could picture it so clearly in my mind.  In between Spain and France, we crossed through some high mountains, and I felt the crawling desire to make the ascent up like Zack and I had a month ago in Pisgah.  Rather than sleeping, I kept my nose glued to the window taking in the beauty.  I began to think back on trips growing up.  Whether it was through the Grand Tetons of the Rocky Mountains, along the northern California coast, down the Florida Keys, or into the mountains of British-Columbia, I realized that in many ways I had missed so much of what was really there.  As a kid, I kept my eyes glued to a Gameboy (usually Mario, Zelda, or Madden 96) during car rides missing much of this “hidden” beauty.  Do I regret it?  Not really, because I don’t think I would have been able to fully grasp the beauty of it all as God’s creation.  Recently on this trip I’ve felt a need to be more courageous, steeping out of my comforts, sharing my faith with everyone, etc.  I’ve felt as though that’s what I needed to grow as a Man of God.  However, I began to realize on the way back to Toulouse that the Lord has shown me to me that I should be patient with that.  He has so much beauty and adventure He wants to share with me at this moment, and He wants to grow me in that first.  Do I think He is not going to provide me with such opportunities at all and that I should be passive to such things?  Not at all, but I shouldn’t be overlooking what He is doing at this moment.  It hit hard me on the ride back (oddly enough with techno music blaring).  We had passed through the Spain-France border and were making our descent down into the lower land of France.  It was that instance when the clouds slightly part and the rays of light shine through as if Heaven was truly opening.  I thought to myself, what is it in us that makes all this so beautiful?  What is it that when we see something like this, we feel so small and have such joy?  The answer came quickly…the heart.  It’s not something that can truly be explained or grasped mentally, but a feeling of the heart being pursued and fought for.

On the way to Barcelona, we had seen a couple castles and remembered one not far from Toulouse that we wanted to stop at.  I was super pumped about this.  I’ve seen Civil War, American Revolution, and even Native American constructs, but never anything from medieval times.  The castle we went into was from the 12^th century!  Though I kept my eyes peeled, there were no fire-breathing dragons flying around.  It was interesting because inside of the castle walls were essentially a small town; everything from shops to restaurants and hotels.  Though I loved seeing this massive piece of history, all the touristy places took away from it some.

We are now back to the hotel that we were staying at while doing the clinics here in Toulouse.  Our flight leaves for Munich, Germany tomorrow and then we will be picked up and taken to Regensburg where we have already been told we will be starting the clinic that night at 5.  We will be teaching many of the same concepts and methodologies there in Germany as we did in Toulouse but to both the academy players and also coaches from the area.

 

MONDAY…

Boris met us at our hotel this morning and generously gave us a ride to the airport.  He is truly a standup guy with a passion and heart for developing young men while growing the game of baseball.  It was a pleasure to meet him.  We arrived at the airport pretty early, which provided some good time to just hangout and read (just started Irresistible Revolution).  Dan has begun reading The Way of the Wild Heart so I am eager to discuss different parts of it with him.  The flight was good; more time spent reading as well as reviewing my notes for presenting at night.  We were picked up from the Munich airport by a lady named Patty; your quintessential “baseball mom”.  She provided us with the approximately 45 minute ride to Regensburg sharing all about the team.  The ride was pretty nice.  Just wide-open countryside lined with acres and acres of hops and “pockets” of villages in the distant.  I still haven’t gotten as good of a feel for the program here in Regensburg as I had the first day in Toulouse, but I feel like I will learn a lot within the next couple of days.  Right as we arrived we headed out onto the field (beautiful by the way and home to 2009 Baseball World Cup) where we met some of the various coaches who had come for the 4-day clinic.  The audience here was slightly different.  These coaches were mostly older adults who were trying to learn more about the game of baseball (and softball) whether it be rules, drills, practice designs, etc.  The players they coached ranged from ages 3-65!  Many of them had only been playing the game 3-5 years.  Dan introduced the 10 fundamentals of Head’s Up Baseball again while Trevor, Chadwick and I followed with the concept of CPT.  I absolutely love the way Dan teaches.  As an aspiring professor, I can only hope I offer the knowledge and energy he brings through his animated style.  That ended it for the night, and we planned to return in the morning for another session.

Evening In Barcelona

Barcelona is interesting...there are soooo many people.  We headed into the downtown area to grab some food (I had a ham, pineapple, and quail egg pizza...very good!).  In Toulouse, all the people looked very "French".  Here in Barcelona, the people are much more diverse.  I feel like I am not even in Europe any more.  We walked up and down the streets visiting random shops and an awesome market.  The market had everything from fruits, vegetables, meats, ice cream, candy, etc.  I grabbed some ice cream (an oreo and strawberry mix).  It was clear to see that the city was still in celebration after their victory against Manchester United in the Champions League Final.  Got some good pics for you Steve.  We are headed to the beach in the morning and then will hit the road back to Toulouse!

It's been a while...

Sorry for the delay in posts.  The hotel we are currently in does not have free wi-fi so my Internet use has been limited…

TUESDAY…

After about 4 hours of sleep the night before, we got up early Tuesday morning to catch our flight from Zurich to Düsseldorf, Germany, and then to our destination of Toulouse, France.  The flight wasn’t too bad at all.  I was able to finish The Way of the Wild Heart and passed it on to Dan.  I am already planning on reading it again after he finishes.  I recommend it to anyone, male of female for that matter.  He gave me the book The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, which I am very eager to start reading.

We arrived in Toulouse around 1:30 and were met by Boris the coordinator and pitching coach of both the senior and junior national French baseball teams (Pole Toulouse).  Individually they are The French Baseball Toulouse Academy as part of CREPS, the whole academy (http://www.ffbsc.org/default.asp or http://www.midi-pyrenees.jeunesse-sports.gouv.fr/web/creps/11-le-creps-de-toulouse-mp.php).  CREPS is an athletic/academic academy in Toulouse, France home to over 20 sporting teams, both male and female.  Check out the link above for more information.  The academy houses, feeds, teaches, and trains these young athletes ranging from around the age of middle school to seniors in high school.  The junior national team that we will be working with is mostly 15-18 years of age.  Boris took us on a tour of the academy and explained to us how everything works.  He showed us all the facilities, ranging from a completely “grassy-turf” infield (baseball), rugby and soccer fields, professional sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, track and field, fencing, tae kwon do, you name they had it.  He also introduced us to many different coaches, all who had seemingly high athletic achievements nationally and on a world level.  And then out of the woods sitting on top of a small hill was a CASTLE! Yes a castle.  The director, doctors, and other administration are housed in a large castle like building on campus.  We had the opportunity to meet the head director, tell him what we were planning on doing with the team, and get invited on a 6:30 a.m 1-hour run.  We declined graciously after Boris warned us that he was a marathon runner.  We also got to see the medical area where they perform physicals, nurse injuries, and consult athletes.  They didn’t have the most fancy machinery, but they did have a BioDex.

            After the tour, we had the opportunity to meet the team.  Only about 3 or 4 of them can understand/speak English so they served as our translators.  Boris allowed us to put them through a CrossFit workout as their weightlifting for the night.  Nearly all of them wanted the throw up by the time they were done.  I did get a lesson in French, learning that “aleah” means, “let’s go”.  So as they were running, we were constantly yelling, “Aleah, aleah!”  After the players had regained their stomachs, we ate dinner in the on campus dining area.  The food consisted of bread, salad, yogurt, chesses, a desert, meat (beef/fish), fruit, and vegetables.  It was all very healthy, yet served in portions to fill the athletes.  Sorry Andrew, it was nothing like the T-Tabe at school.  Only water was served to drink.  It was very interesting to see where Sodexo was the supplier of the food being the same company that supplies Russel House on campus at USC. 

After dinner was served, we met with all the players in a study room.  Dan presented why we were here and the importance of being not only physically tough but especially mentally tough in the game of baseball.  He presented the 10 fundamentals of “Heads Up Baseball” and introduced the idea of CPT.  “C” being Self- Control, “P” being Plan, and “T” being Trust.  Trevor took Control, Chadwick took Plan, and I ended with Trust.  It was a lot different than teaching this Maymester at USC in the fact that I couldn’t just ramble on and expand on ideas.  I had to keep things simplified so that they would not be lost in translation.  In a lot of ways this was good, because it made us get to the point and keep the methodologies simple.  Once we finished up, we challenged the team to a scrimmage the upcoming Thursday.  Loser will have to do a “human machine” in front of everyone at dinner.  On Thursday, the 5 Americans (1 MLB Euro coach), and 4 of the coaches are going to take on the French junior national team in a live game, 7-inning scrimmage.  Boris gave us actual jerseys and pants to wear.  I cannot wait!!!  Those pictures will definitely be up!

 

WEDNESDAY…

We started off the morning on Wednesday meeting with both Boris and Gerardo, who is the head coach.  We met for about 2 hours, allowing for them to ask questions and talk about their current coaching strategies.  We worked to offer advice on different ways to run practice, present constructive criticism that would benefit the players the most, and improve the psyche of the athletes.  It sounds like the majority of the players are intimidated.  Countries like Spain, Italy, and Germany have players who’ve grown up playing the game of baseball and have a much stronger history of the game.  Many of the players for France have maybe been playing 4-5 years.  This is very helpful in planning our approach for further sessions with the players.  Wednesday was like an end of the year field day for the athletes; so many of them were at the sand volleyball courts.  The four of us headed that way and joined them.  The night before we had challenged any 4 on the baseball team to a volleyball game (separate from the baseball game), loser had to do a human machine that night during the banquet.  Well let’s just say the Americans swept the French.  We played about 5 games winning every single one.  The final game was the toughest.  The French team consisting of Boris (very good!), a couple baseball players, and a girl from the volleyball team stood in a straight line and sang the French National Anthem prior to the start of the game.  Worried that we would mess up the Star Spangled Banner, we decided to do our talk on the court.  We ended up winning a close one 21-19.  It was so much fun just getting to be out in the hot sun (80-85 degrees) interacting and playing with these kids.  It provides us with a good opportunity to personally reveal how we can maintain that focus/concentration.  During the game, I figured that they were talking some trash in French, but I had no clue what they were saying.  After that we rested for a little while.  Dan, Trevor, and I headed out to one of the rugby fields to spend some time in fellowship.  We decided we are going to read through/discuss Philippians as a sort of Bible study.  I am really looking forward to spending that time with those guys, studying the Word.

We headed towards the banquet and prepared to watch the human machine.  It was great!  There was like a sort of pep band playing, so the kids motions and sounds were nearly in sync with the music.  We then had dinner and broke out into another night session with the team.  Tonight, they split into three groups and had three different areas to visit.  Dan went through some Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Trevor talked about goal setting, and I addressed concentration/focus.  Though speaking for translation is pretty tough, I’ve really enjoyed these opportunities to teach.

After our domination on the volleyball courts, the guys’ attention shifted to our game on Thursday.  We’ve begun to talk a little to get them excited.  I’ll be playing second, Dan at short, and Trevor and Chadwick in the outfield.  I am hitting leadoff and have already decided that I am going to be looking for that first pitch fastball to crush!  When we got back to the hotel, we suited up in our uniforms and snapped some team photos.  It’s GAMEDAY in the morning!

 

THURSDAY…

            The French got their revenge on us this morning, beating us 4-1 in the scrimmage.  However, I cannot express how much fun it was!  Being able to go out and play the game that I grew up loving so much, free of both anxiety and stress was great!  Being in full uniform, going through the ole warm up routine, and stepping into the batter’s box brought back memories that made it hard to believe I am already two years removed from the great game.  As I mentioned yesterday, I was leading off and starting at second (later moved to shortstop).  Was I able to perform to my expectations?  Honestly…no.  Did that bother me a little…yes!  Offensively, I struggled.  Who knew only three games of intramural softball in the spring could slow my swing down so much.  Defensively, it was just like before.  Dancing around, scooping up whatever came my way.  I could’ve stayed out in the field all day and just fielded ground balls.  Though we fell short of the victory, it was also great to the see the athletes making the mental adjustments as they were playing.  There performance definitely saw improvements both individually and as a team.  So we lost, and yes that meant that when we got to the dinning room we were going to perform a human machine in front of around 50-60 people.  Well we did, and they loved it, video taping us and giving us high fives as we finished up.  (Don’t know what a human machine is…think of a chorus of noise making and dancing where everyone has their own act.)

We then headed back to the hotel and caught a train into downtown Toulouse.  It took us a long time to get a ticket because we only had paper money and the machine only took coins.  By the time we got into the city center we only had about an hour to walk around.  We found a patch of grass and just laid down to read for a little while

.  We headed back to the academy for dinner as well as the night session.  Prior to dinner we put the team through another CrossFit workout, and then when coming back out to the fields we did some Team Dynamic and Active listening exercises.

FRIDAY…

            Friday afternoon we returned to the academy to do some imagery sessions with the players that were still there.  On the weekends many of them go off to play with their club teams, but most were still on campus.  I took fielders, Chadwick had the pitchers, and Trevor ended it up with hitting.  This session concluded our time with the French junior national team.  Trevor and I ended the stay with a game of ping-pong against a pair of French girls coming out victorious.

            The work done in Toulouse has been really good.  The team and the coaches have been so open to our teachings and presence in general.  Boris was an absolutely wonderful host and has such a heart for growing the game of baseball in the country of France.  Tomorrow we plan to get up early and head to Barcelona, Spain for the weekend.

*I apologize if the posts have been bland.  With no Internet the past couple days, I’ve just been able to take short notes on the things we’ve done and experienced.  Hopefully now, I can be a little more descriptive.

TODAY…

We over slept a little this morning and didn’t hit the road until around 9.  I was fine with that because I was finally able to get a full nights rest.  We rented a car Thursday morning, so we packed in tight with our luggage and hit the road.  With Dan driving, me navigating, and Trevor and Chad in the back, we cranked up some French radio (techno, rap, oldies, and today) and headed on our way.  The drive was beautiful.  Though it was still cloudy from the rain the night before, the extending fields of what I am guessing were olives crept along and up the sides of the growing hills.  Every so many miles (excuse me…kilometers) you could see off in the distance old castles.  We decided that on the way back on Sunday, we would stop to check these out.  Seeing these castles and other stone ruins in the distance just made me thing back of the history Europe has compare to that of the U.S.  By no means am I history guru, but thinking of our proximity relative to the beginning of civilization (a trip I want to make in the near future) was pretty cool.  As we continued on our way to Spain, elevation began to increase as we worked our way along the countryside.  I noticed that there were no billboards along the highways in France, and off in the distance you could see little townships up atop of hills.  Boris had told us that unlike Spain, France prides itself in the smaller, rural, towns.  We crossed the Spain border as were amongst the mountains, and then began to make a descent into sunny and warm Barcelona.  Navigating was tough and once we were actually in Barcelona, we nearly ran out of gas while searching for our hotel.  I had to put to use what little Spanish I had retained from high school and college in order to find the place.  After talking to gas station attendants, the police, an EMT, a pet-store owner, and random people on the street, we have finally arrived.  I believe we are headed out in the next little bit to grab some food and begin to experience yet another culture.

After skipping out on the Lenny Kravitz concert and heading to bed around 9, we got up this morning at 11…well rested.  We hopped back on the train that took us back towards the lake and downtown.  For lunch, I had a tomato-mozzarella sandwich and banana from a kiosk in the city center area, reminded me of Union Station in NYC.  We sat by a fountain, enjoying what was likely a NYC hotdog equivalent preparing ourselves for another day.  After finishing up we walked to the Swiss National Museum.  The museum was essentially a walk through time from Creation to present day history.  We got a kick out of the prehistoric history section consisting of a VHS version of Jurassic Park and a few toy dinos

aurs.  Further on, they had artifacts and pieces dating back to ancient periods (i.e. jewelry, ceramics, tools).  The exhibit went on to reveal historical pieces such as military/arms, artwork, politics, etc.  We also went into another church and were able to have some great God time just sitting in the presence of such an ancient place.

After that we made our way back towards the lakefront.  Dan and Trevor went and found a café for some time to read and spend in fellowship as Chadwick and I walked down along the lakefront.  Along the lake, there is like a canopy from the trees with various grass lawns to rest on.  We realized today was a holiday, so there were a lot of people out and about.  I later went back to read that it is Whitmoday; a holiday as part of the three baptismal seasons.  It was interesting to note today how hardly no one walks alone.  You don’t see anyone with their head stuck in their cell phones or ears clogged with headphones.  People are consistently in one another’s fellowship and company.  If they are alone, many are sitting, people watching and in no rush.  I like this.  Chadwick and I found a stretch of lawn and spent some time relaxing and reading (another day of great weather).  We got up from there and continued down the lakefront.  We came upon these rocks that had been perfectly placed creating small towers.  These things had to be glued together; there was no way!  I went up and touched the top of one only for the top rock to wiggle.  Quickly backing away, we realized that a guy had put these 15 some towers together and bris

kly walked on our way.  Since the boat ride the day before, I had been eager to feel how cold the water was.  We found a good area to place our feet in.  Well I didn’t think it was too bad so I slipped my sandals and shirt off and hopped right in for a full swim.  It was frigid but very refreshing.  The water was so clean!  After fooling around for a little bit and causing young children to beg their parents to allow them to follow, we made our way back towards Dan and Trevor.

When we came upon Dan and Trevor sitting out in front of a café, there was a young boy with his family chasing around his dad and reaching for something in his hand.  The father handed the boy the small item only for us to realize it was a cigarette.  The boy, no older than 3, began walking around his family huffing and puffing.  His older brother would come up to him and blow off the ash, and then the boy would explode into a screaming/crying tangent.  As the 3 year old continued smoking, the family tried to get the boy to walk over to a group of girls with it and join them in a smoke.  I was just waiting for him to start drinking a beer.

After sitting for a while and doing some discussing about our plans for the clinics, we got up and headed through the crowed alleyways searching for a place to grab some food.  We wanted something authentic so we found a Swiss fondue restaurant.  I had a bacon and plum brandy flavor, which was quite interesting.  I’ve learned to keep my Nalgene on me for water, because their tap water is bottled and can be expensive.  Though the meal was a little pricier, Trevor put it best in saying that it was an authentic experience.  Our waiter informed us on the history of Swiss fondue, as well as sharing with us the best place to get some gelato.  After grabbing some, we headed back to the hotel.  There is a sort of recreation park down from our hotel consisting of basketball and tennis courts and about four soccer fields.  Trevor and I went for a run through some of the neighborhood and then hit the soccer field for a little workout.

Overall, today was great!  We had an idea of where we were, what trains to take, and where interesting places were to eat.  This made our time a lot more enjoyable.  It’s nice to not necessarily be on a strict routine, running from place to place, trying to experience the entire city in a couple days.  Being able to just relax, sit in one another’s company, and realize you can’t understand anyone around you makes it an adventure in itself.  Tomorrow our flight leaves for Toulouse, France, we will have the opportunity to meet with the Jr. National Team and observe some.  I am really looking forward to the opportunity to teach those guys and engage with them on and off the field.

Galatians 4: 6-7

6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”  7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also and heir.

 

…Beloved Son