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Harding Volleyball

Volleyball by Katie Dather

Harding Volleyball in the Dominican Republic - Day 4

Hey friends and family!

This was a special day for all of us. We got to see our friends at Pasitos de Jesus once again. This time we used our volleyball knowledge and skill that the Lord blessed us with to do a clinic with the girls. We had translators help us teach them to pass, hit, serve receive, serve, and set. They probably love volleyball more than we do! It was so amazing to see the joy in each of their faces with something as simple as hitting a volleyball. After a while we joined in the shade to get water. It was Kelli McKinnon's birthday, so the girls sang to her in Spanish—something Kelli said she would never forget. We then sat at a table and clapped the beat to the cup song together in a circle. In return, some of the girls at Pastidos taught us a song they clap to on the table. It took about thirty minutes of them laughing at us and saying "No, Americana" before we got it right, but it is something that will stay with us forever. When it was time for us to leave, the young girl who taught us the beat grabbed our pinkies, as if making a promise, and said "amigas." As we were leaving, she hugged me and said, "You will be in my heart forever," and continued to tell me how much she loved me. As we drove off, many of them gathered in the front yard to wave us good bye. It was difficult for us to leave those wonderful girls, knowing we may never see them again. I pray that we made a lasting impact on them, but I know that they made one on us. Even though there was a language barrier, the joy and love of Christ was overflowing at Pasitos de Jesus.

That afternoon we had the opportunity to play two volleyball teams in Santo Domingo. We drove past the beautiful capital city and presidential house. When we got to the gym, the two teams were very welcoming to us. After playing the first match, a couple of the players stood at the end of our bench, cheered for us, and got into our group huddle. They were all interested in being friends with Emma. Afterwards, Katherine shared her powerful story to both of the teams and Hector, our translator, led the group prayer. As we were leaving, we decided to give them some knee pads as a gift. It softened our hearts to see how grateful they were for something that seemed so small to us. That concluded our planned activities for missions and volleyball. We are all extremely thankful to the translators, bus drivers, and SCORE International for this truly remarkable experience and the opportunities they opened for us to share the love of Christ.

God bless,

Katie Dather #4

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Players Mentioned

Katie Dather

#4 Katie Dather

OH
5' 7"
Redshirt Freshman
Kelli McKinnon

#8 Kelli McKinnon

MB
5' 11"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Katie Dather

#4 Katie Dather

5' 7"
Redshirt Freshman
OH
Kelli McKinnon

#8 Kelli McKinnon

5' 11"
Freshman
MB
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Phone: 501-279-4760