Trojan News
08.18.2010 | Women's Soccer | Viewed 1235 times
NASSAU, Bahamas - The Trevecca women's soccer team left Saturday morning (8/14) for a week long mission trip to the Bahamas. Different members of the team will share their experiences during the week. Check back often to read the latest comments and see photos from the trip.
Pre-trip interview with Coach Brett Armstrong
Day One (Saturday, August 14, 2010) - Joanna Aluoch
NASSAU, Bahamas - Although leaving Nashville at 4 a.m was not my idea of fun, I knew that God had something exciting in store for this week. We left the airport and our first stop was in Atlanta, Georgia then out to Nassau, Bahamas. The fly in to Nassau was breathtaking. As we dropped out of the clouds and grew closer to the ground the different islands began to appear and it left me speechless.
We are now staying in the Towne Hotel in downtown Nassau. It was an interesting experience watching people not only drive on the opposite side of the road, but some of the cars have the steering wheel on the right side!
Coach decided to take us on an adventurous 30 minute walk to a restaurant called The Green Parrot. It was by the ocean and was worth the walk! We decided not to waste anymore time and head down to the beach.
Being in the water made me stop and really think about this opportunity that God had given us to be here. Because of the size of our group, people are always watching us. We are constantly being a witness. In the ocean, I began to think that God is the water. Touching everyone who desires to come to Him and we are the waves; He sends us out to give everyone a taste of what His love is like and I believe we will do amazing things this week.
Thank you so much for all the prayers from back home, They are truly appreciated!; In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Love of God, fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and forevermore.
Joanna Alouch is a freshman from Lebanon, Tenn. - click to read her signing story
Day Two (Sunday, August 16, 2010) - Danyelle Martin and Aubree Thomas
NASSAU, Bahamas - Today was an eventful day for the Trevecca women's soccer team. We got a true taste of the Bahamian culture. Starting off our day, we traveled to the Central First Church of the Nazarene in Nassau. There, we experienced the true worship of the Lord and saw how He is working all around the globe. From there, we went the The Conch Fritters Grill, where we tried fried conch fritters, which is a popular dish found in the Bahamas. Next, we rode the ferry over the beautiful clear waters of Nassau to Paradise Island, and spent the rest of the afternoon touring the Atlantis Resort. Two of our favorite sites at the hotel were the miraculous aqarium and the breathtaking beach. Wrapping up the day, we ordered pizzas and reflected on what we wanted to gain from this trip. We are so excited to see what the day brings tomorrow.
Danyelle Martin is a senior from Fairview, Tenn. - Aubree Thomas is a senior from Englewood, Ohio
Day Three (Monday, August 17, 2010) - Taylor Beaulieu and Kayla VanEs
NASSAU, Bahamas - On Monday, we started the day off at 6:30 a.m. with a team jog along the beach. Even though it was so early, the sun was already blazing. We could already tell it was going to be a scorcher! After breakfast, we headed out to H.O. Nash Middle School.
The plan was to run a soccer clinic for all ages. We didn't really know what to expect or how many kids would even attend. We were prepared to be flexible no matter what the situation. After being there for only a few short minutes, kids began arriving. Despite the heat, all the kids were ready to learn. We ended up having around 20 kids aging from elementary to high school. We ran through several drills and also played a few games, which the kids all responded well to.
It was amazing to see how much it meant to the kids that we were there. All of us are already starting to form relationships with them. We feel the connections will definitely continue to grow. We are already making plans to stay in contact with the school and the kids. We didn't expect for these kids to have such a great impact on us.
The soccer clinic ended around lunch time, and we took a short break to eat and regroup for our next project. For the next few hours, we helped prepare classrooms at the middle school for the upcoming school year. This included stripping paint off walls, re-painting rooms, mowing grass, and picking up trash around the schoolyard.
After a long day of hard work, we headed back to the hotel to rest and recuperate. We ate dinner at the hotel and concluded the night with a devotional on the rooftop deck. Here we recapped everything and shared our personal experiences from the day. We are all so excited about going back to the school tomorrow. Even though we are all pretty exhausted, seeing those kids and the work we are getting done around the school makes it all worth it. We are all hoping to develop even stronger bonds tomorrow than we did today. WE CAN'T WAIT!
Taylor Beaulieu is a sophomore from Smyrna, Tenn. - Kayla VanEs is a sophomore from Gallatin, Tenn.
Day Four (Tuesday, August 18, 2010) - Heather Halstead and Carissa Ulmet
NASSAU, Bahamas - Early this morning, as the sun was rising over the ocean front, we crawled out of bed to do some soccer training for the day. It was a humorous sight for the Bahamians, as 22 of us girls ran down the streets of Nassau with soccer bags on our backs. This was a part of our "conditioning" for the morning. We found a public park just down the road from the hotel to get a soccer practice in.
Later in the morning, we headed back to the middle school for more soccer camp with the children of Nassau. One of the girls that came mentioned how it was the first time she had ever played soccer. She had been convinced to come with one of her friends. Because of the large turn-out, we split up into a 'younger' and an 'older' group. It turned out to be very productive at the end of the camp. During the huddle-up we had at the end, we asked the kids what their favorite part of the day was. They replied,"Everything". Again, all of us enjoyed the day teaching kids the game of soccer and building relationships along the way. At the end of the day, we had 5 rooms completely finished (painting).
Mid-evening, we got the opportunity to meet the Bahamas U15 National Girls Soccer Team. We also got to train with them for the night. It was a beneficial and enjoyable experience. One of the girls from the morning camp made it out to watch us practice. She was thrilled to spend more time with us. It's amazing how God is already working through us in her life. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and hearts! But more importantly, the children and people of Nassau, Bahamas.
Heather Halstead is a junior from Columbia, Tenn. - Carissa Ulmet is a junior from Lemont, Ill.
Day Five (Wednesday, August 19, 2010) - Kate Worley and Lindsey Robinson
NASSAU, Bahamas - We were so excited because Coach let us sleep in and get some much needed rest today! After breakfast, we boarded the bus at nine o'clock and headed out to H.O. Nash for another great day with the kids. Driving up to the school, we were happy to see a few campers all ready to go. When Coach Jules (the local soccer coach) arrived with his bus of kids we were sure this was going to be another busy day. After camp started, Coach Armstrong told us Coach Jules said the kids were in his yard at seven this morning ready to go! This was a huge encouragement to know that the kids really enjoyed the camp and valued the relationships we were building with them.
Today was an extra special day for one of the girls. Divornia was turning ten and chose to come out and celebrate her birthday with us! She told Heather Halstead that she was so excited she fell asleep smiling, smiled all night long, and woke up with a smile on her face because she was coming to camp! We are all so excited to see how each relationship grows through the next few days we have with the kids.
After camp, we were able to have some free time for the rest of the afternoon. Some of us decided to relax at the local beach, while others of us decided to get our shop on at the straw market! We met back at the hotel to eat dinner as a team. Finally we went up to the roof and had some debrief and reflection time.
We are so excited to see what the last day brings in the Bahamas!
Kate Worley is a sophomore from Maumee, Ohio - Lindsey Robinson is a sophomore from Atlanta, Ga.
Day Six (Thursday, August 20, 2010) - Audra Fullen and Neira Ahmespahic
NASSAU, Bahamas - This morning, we got the privilege to sleep in until 8:30 a.m. Then we headed to H.O. Nash Middle School for our final day of soccer camp and restoring the school. The kids were disappointed that the camp was coming to an end, but were eager for what we had in store for them. We spent about an hour working on technical skills and some fun games with them.
We then brought all the kids inside a classroom for a skit, tying in our main purpose for the week: the lessons we were conveying to the kids through soccer were that of love and compassion, just as God has for us. Kate Worley, a sophomore on our team, led the skit by introducing "the best juggler in the entire world, Lanie Foutch". She then asked if any camper was brave enough to challenge Lanie in a juggling competition. One eager camper stepped up, but couldn't match Lanie's juggling. His "punishment" was to do twenty-five push ups. Once it was clear that he was struggling, Danyelle Martin, a TNU senior and captain, offered to relieve the camper of his punishment by doing the push ups for him. Once she finished, Kate wrapped up the skit to tie in the message that Jesus took the punishment for our sins.
Afterward, we prepared lunch for all the campers. We felt this would be a good way to end the week with them. Noticing how little they have but how happy they are made us come to appreciate what we have. After lunch, the kids loaded back on their bus with huge smiles on their faces, and promised us they would be at our scrimmage later. We then restored the school by pulling out weeds in the courtyards and finalizing the work we did up to that point.
We headed back to our hotel to relax and get ready for our game, then headed to the College of the Bahamas to face their women's soccer team. As we arrived, we saw the kids from camp running toward our bench. This made us truly realize the substantial impact we have had on these kids in such a short time. The fact that they made an effort to come support us showed the strong bonds we made with these kids. We won our game 4-0, with goals by Aubree Thomas, Heather Halstead, Justine Forth, and Audrey Robinson. We thanked the team for hosting us, and as we headed to our bus, it was evident that both our team and the campers were saddened by the fact that our time with them had come to an end.
After many hugs and goodbyes, we filed onto the bus and headed back to the hotel. This experience has solidified the fact that we are blessed to have been able to come here and make these connections with these kids and see the impact we made on the community.
Audra Fullen is a freshman from Brentwood, Tenn. - Neira Ahmespahic is a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn.
Pre-trip interview with Coach Brett Armstrong
Day One (Saturday, August 14, 2010) - Joanna Aluoch
NASSAU, Bahamas - Although leaving Nashville at 4 a.m was not my idea of fun, I knew that God had something exciting in store for this week. We left the airport and our first stop was in Atlanta, Georgia then out to Nassau, Bahamas. The fly in to Nassau was breathtaking. As we dropped out of the clouds and grew closer to the ground the different islands began to appear and it left me speechless.
We are now staying in the Towne Hotel in downtown Nassau. It was an interesting experience watching people not only drive on the opposite side of the road, but some of the cars have the steering wheel on the right side!
Coach decided to take us on an adventurous 30 minute walk to a restaurant called The Green Parrot. It was by the ocean and was worth the walk! We decided not to waste anymore time and head down to the beach.
Being in the water made me stop and really think about this opportunity that God had given us to be here. Because of the size of our group, people are always watching us. We are constantly being a witness. In the ocean, I began to think that God is the water. Touching everyone who desires to come to Him and we are the waves; He sends us out to give everyone a taste of what His love is like and I believe we will do amazing things this week.
Thank you so much for all the prayers from back home, They are truly appreciated!; In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Love of God, fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and forevermore.
Joanna Alouch is a freshman from Lebanon, Tenn. - click to read her signing story
Day Two (Sunday, August 16, 2010) - Danyelle Martin and Aubree Thomas
NASSAU, Bahamas - Today was an eventful day for the Trevecca women's soccer team. We got a true taste of the Bahamian culture. Starting off our day, we traveled to the Central First Church of the Nazarene in Nassau. There, we experienced the true worship of the Lord and saw how He is working all around the globe. From there, we went the The Conch Fritters Grill, where we tried fried conch fritters, which is a popular dish found in the Bahamas. Next, we rode the ferry over the beautiful clear waters of Nassau to Paradise Island, and spent the rest of the afternoon touring the Atlantis Resort. Two of our favorite sites at the hotel were the miraculous aqarium and the breathtaking beach. Wrapping up the day, we ordered pizzas and reflected on what we wanted to gain from this trip. We are so excited to see what the day brings tomorrow.
Danyelle Martin is a senior from Fairview, Tenn. - Aubree Thomas is a senior from Englewood, Ohio
Day Three (Monday, August 17, 2010) - Taylor Beaulieu and Kayla VanEs
NASSAU, Bahamas - On Monday, we started the day off at 6:30 a.m. with a team jog along the beach. Even though it was so early, the sun was already blazing. We could already tell it was going to be a scorcher! After breakfast, we headed out to H.O. Nash Middle School.
The plan was to run a soccer clinic for all ages. We didn't really know what to expect or how many kids would even attend. We were prepared to be flexible no matter what the situation. After being there for only a few short minutes, kids began arriving. Despite the heat, all the kids were ready to learn. We ended up having around 20 kids aging from elementary to high school. We ran through several drills and also played a few games, which the kids all responded well to.
It was amazing to see how much it meant to the kids that we were there. All of us are already starting to form relationships with them. We feel the connections will definitely continue to grow. We are already making plans to stay in contact with the school and the kids. We didn't expect for these kids to have such a great impact on us.
The soccer clinic ended around lunch time, and we took a short break to eat and regroup for our next project. For the next few hours, we helped prepare classrooms at the middle school for the upcoming school year. This included stripping paint off walls, re-painting rooms, mowing grass, and picking up trash around the schoolyard.
After a long day of hard work, we headed back to the hotel to rest and recuperate. We ate dinner at the hotel and concluded the night with a devotional on the rooftop deck. Here we recapped everything and shared our personal experiences from the day. We are all so excited about going back to the school tomorrow. Even though we are all pretty exhausted, seeing those kids and the work we are getting done around the school makes it all worth it. We are all hoping to develop even stronger bonds tomorrow than we did today. WE CAN'T WAIT!
Taylor Beaulieu is a sophomore from Smyrna, Tenn. - Kayla VanEs is a sophomore from Gallatin, Tenn.
Day Four (Tuesday, August 18, 2010) - Heather Halstead and Carissa Ulmet
NASSAU, Bahamas - Early this morning, as the sun was rising over the ocean front, we crawled out of bed to do some soccer training for the day. It was a humorous sight for the Bahamians, as 22 of us girls ran down the streets of Nassau with soccer bags on our backs. This was a part of our "conditioning" for the morning. We found a public park just down the road from the hotel to get a soccer practice in.
Later in the morning, we headed back to the middle school for more soccer camp with the children of Nassau. One of the girls that came mentioned how it was the first time she had ever played soccer. She had been convinced to come with one of her friends. Because of the large turn-out, we split up into a 'younger' and an 'older' group. It turned out to be very productive at the end of the camp. During the huddle-up we had at the end, we asked the kids what their favorite part of the day was. They replied,"Everything". Again, all of us enjoyed the day teaching kids the game of soccer and building relationships along the way. At the end of the day, we had 5 rooms completely finished (painting).
Mid-evening, we got the opportunity to meet the Bahamas U15 National Girls Soccer Team. We also got to train with them for the night. It was a beneficial and enjoyable experience. One of the girls from the morning camp made it out to watch us practice. She was thrilled to spend more time with us. It's amazing how God is already working through us in her life. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and hearts! But more importantly, the children and people of Nassau, Bahamas.
Heather Halstead is a junior from Columbia, Tenn. - Carissa Ulmet is a junior from Lemont, Ill.
Day Five (Wednesday, August 19, 2010) - Kate Worley and Lindsey Robinson
NASSAU, Bahamas - We were so excited because Coach let us sleep in and get some much needed rest today! After breakfast, we boarded the bus at nine o'clock and headed out to H.O. Nash for another great day with the kids. Driving up to the school, we were happy to see a few campers all ready to go. When Coach Jules (the local soccer coach) arrived with his bus of kids we were sure this was going to be another busy day. After camp started, Coach Armstrong told us Coach Jules said the kids were in his yard at seven this morning ready to go! This was a huge encouragement to know that the kids really enjoyed the camp and valued the relationships we were building with them.
Today was an extra special day for one of the girls. Divornia was turning ten and chose to come out and celebrate her birthday with us! She told Heather Halstead that she was so excited she fell asleep smiling, smiled all night long, and woke up with a smile on her face because she was coming to camp! We are all so excited to see how each relationship grows through the next few days we have with the kids.
After camp, we were able to have some free time for the rest of the afternoon. Some of us decided to relax at the local beach, while others of us decided to get our shop on at the straw market! We met back at the hotel to eat dinner as a team. Finally we went up to the roof and had some debrief and reflection time.
We are so excited to see what the last day brings in the Bahamas!
Kate Worley is a sophomore from Maumee, Ohio - Lindsey Robinson is a sophomore from Atlanta, Ga.
Day Six (Thursday, August 20, 2010) - Audra Fullen and Neira Ahmespahic
NASSAU, Bahamas - This morning, we got the privilege to sleep in until 8:30 a.m. Then we headed to H.O. Nash Middle School for our final day of soccer camp and restoring the school. The kids were disappointed that the camp was coming to an end, but were eager for what we had in store for them. We spent about an hour working on technical skills and some fun games with them.
We then brought all the kids inside a classroom for a skit, tying in our main purpose for the week: the lessons we were conveying to the kids through soccer were that of love and compassion, just as God has for us. Kate Worley, a sophomore on our team, led the skit by introducing "the best juggler in the entire world, Lanie Foutch". She then asked if any camper was brave enough to challenge Lanie in a juggling competition. One eager camper stepped up, but couldn't match Lanie's juggling. His "punishment" was to do twenty-five push ups. Once it was clear that he was struggling, Danyelle Martin, a TNU senior and captain, offered to relieve the camper of his punishment by doing the push ups for him. Once she finished, Kate wrapped up the skit to tie in the message that Jesus took the punishment for our sins.
Afterward, we prepared lunch for all the campers. We felt this would be a good way to end the week with them. Noticing how little they have but how happy they are made us come to appreciate what we have. After lunch, the kids loaded back on their bus with huge smiles on their faces, and promised us they would be at our scrimmage later. We then restored the school by pulling out weeds in the courtyards and finalizing the work we did up to that point.
We headed back to our hotel to relax and get ready for our game, then headed to the College of the Bahamas to face their women's soccer team. As we arrived, we saw the kids from camp running toward our bench. This made us truly realize the substantial impact we have had on these kids in such a short time. The fact that they made an effort to come support us showed the strong bonds we made with these kids. We won our game 4-0, with goals by Aubree Thomas, Heather Halstead, Justine Forth, and Audrey Robinson. We thanked the team for hosting us, and as we headed to our bus, it was evident that both our team and the campers were saddened by the fact that our time with them had come to an end.
After many hugs and goodbyes, we filed onto the bus and headed back to the hotel. This experience has solidified the fact that we are blessed to have been able to come here and make these connections with these kids and see the impact we made on the community.
Audra Fullen is a freshman from Brentwood, Tenn. - Neira Ahmespahic is a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn.
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Office of Sports Information 615-248-1606 (Fx 615-248-1565)
Office of Athletics 615-248-1271 (Fx 615-248-1565)
Switchboard 615-248-1200
