Sports Lessons

By Chris Diaz

There were many opportunities to play sports and other extracurricular activities. The most common sport in Uganda is soccer. Soccer is a game of honor, respect, and representing a country, school, or league. Throughout all levels of socioeconomic status, people find a way to play the game.

Walking in Bombo Town, children would make a soccer game with whatever they could find. They would juggle the ball with their friends or meet at school and play. Recently we played against the school, St. Johns, near the GOD East Africa campus. Our team of interns acknowledges that soccer isn’t our strong suit. But we played to the best of our ability until the leaders came in to help.

As a non-committed soccer player, I progress to learn different positions and strategies. Continuing to play in various locations, the prison was by far the most interesting and dangerous. The field was very uncovered, with two sidewalks crossing each other, potholes in many spots, and a tree in the middle. Hundreds of prisoners surrounded the field like an arena, and a section with dorms resonated.

Everyone proceeded to pray for us not to injure ourselves because of the dangers of the field. GLory to God, nobody was injured, and we tied the game.

An important lesson I learned was communicating your observations and perspective. One day the team played soccer with each other, and our goals were bags on the grass. The rule was to score from the waist and below. The opponent scores in a way where it looked like it was out, but with a different angle, it was inside. Only one of the leaders spoke up about the goal being inside, yet the rest were saying it was no goal. One of the leaders emphasized how not speaking up and voicing your observations can harm the team.