Many of our children at Love & Hope have been participating in intramural sports at school. And by sports, we of course mean soccer.
At Luz de Israel, most of the younger students have had a Friday free of classes and full of soccer matches between the different classes. Each class wore a different color shirt and held a snack venta, or sale, for their classmates to enjoy during the games. Herberth’s class even did a dance to open up the event! Before beginning the games, the national anthem of El Salvador was played.
All of the Love & Hope kids involved were excited to compete for their class and played with intensity. It was entertaining to watch the kids and their classmates join together and revel in the glory of winning against another class section, just like the pros!
At CEFAS, Esau and Jacobo have been participating for a few weeks in intramural soccer matches for their respective fifth grade classes. Between fifth and sixth grade, there are four sections and they all compete against each other. In some cases it has been fifth grade against sixth grade. In other matches the two sections of fifth grade play against each other, which means it is one twin pitted against the other! Esau and Jacobo don’t seem to mind though, they are both great winners and know how to lose with grace. Last week, Esau scored nine goals in one match!
Attending and watching intramurals has been a great way for us to see how the Love & Hope kids interact with their peers in a school environment. We are so used to seeing them here at home, relating to other children who are like their brothers and sisters. It is encouraging to see them running around with their friends, sharing snacks and interacting with teachers. We already knew that the Love & Hope kids were wonderful; it is awesome that others see that in them too!