LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga.- The Covenant College Men’s Soccer team left campus on Thursday, August 2nd for a soccer missions trip to the Cayman Islands. The team arrived on campus three days before leaving in order to prepare as a team for the trip ahead. During this time they were able to meet with the new Covenant College President Derek Halvorson, who, as seen in the picture, addressed the team the evening before their Thursday morning departure from the Chattanooga airport.

During their trip, the Scots will be playing teams from the Cayman Islands in preparation for their upcoming season. Junior Garrison Dale will be sending updates about the team as they spend time with the native people and seek to share the Gospel on and off the field. Below, Dale writes about the first day of the trip and the team’s plans for the week.

Cayman Islands Trip Update from Friday, August 3, 2012:

The Covenant Scots Men’s Soccer team arrived safely in the Cayman Islands after an early morning departure from the Chattanooga airport on Thursday. The Scots are looking forward to playing teams from the island (including two games against the Cayman U-23 national team), practicing in preparation for their regular season, and sharing the Gospel with residents and vacationers on the island.

Each day the players are given time after lunch to build relationships with local shop owners, vacationers on the beach, anyone, hoping that God will open the door for chances to share the Gospel. The team will also be ministering to young soccer players on the island by opening their Saturday morning training session to local youth.

The team’s first game is on Saturday night against the U-23 national squad. So far, God has provided safety for the players in training, allowed the team to eat some great meals together, and opened the door for the Gospel to go out.

The Cayman Islands are beautiful and God is good.

Update:

The Scot’s first game against the U-23 national team on Saturday night ended in a 2-0 loss. Moments of quality were overshadowed by an overall lack of match-level fitness. In spite of the disappointing score line, the team’s first scrimmage showed potential and the guys are ready to work to meet that potential.

Earlier that morning, the Scots opened their session to a team of youth soccer players from the island. The kids were divided into groups and sent to different stations ranging from juggling exercises to shooting drills. It was an awesome time to establish relationships with the kids and share a little bit of the love of Christ.

The weekend closed with Sunday morning worship at First Baptist Church and a trip to Rum Point, a beach on the northern tip of the island — great snorkeling, sand soccer, and sun burn. No rum was consumed. Practice resumes in the morning.