Fútbol: The Joy of Guatemala & Casa Bernabé
Soccer, which the rest of the world calls fútbol, is the number one sport in Guatemala, and it's a huge part of the culture. It's an affordable sport for anyone to play, because all you need is a ball, an open space, and a group of friends. In a country where so many people struggle through poverty, fútbol is an equalizer that brings everyone together.
And never more-so than when the national team plays. The national team is beloved by all Guatemalans even though historically they have never won any international tournaments.
In addition to corruption in the government, a high level of corruption exists within the infrastructure of fútbol in the country, and children of wealthy families are the only ones selected for the high level teams. Many of the kids at Casa Bernabé are excellent players, but they wouldn't be considered for the top teams because they lack connections.
Even though they'll never make careers out of fútbol, our kids practice faithfully and play with passion. Right before the country shut down for the Covid quarantines and Casa Bernabé closed its doors for months, we were able to finish our new soccer field. The field has been such a blessing to everyone on campus, particularly during the pandemic, because it allowed everyone to gather and play together, creating a sense of normalcy during uncertain times. Everyone from the little kids to the house parents was sorted into teams, and we created our own league inside of Casa Bernabé.
Today we have a Soccer Academy on campus led by one of our house dads, Wilmer, and we frequently host local teams to play tournaments. These tournaments are a way for us to share the gospel with kids on the visiting teams, and our academy helps our staff disciple our Casa Bernabé kids to help them grow closer to God.
Guatemala has never qualified for the World Cup, but they're hoping this next one can be their chance. The national team is better than they've ever been, and they've been on quite a run lately. In the recent Gold Cup in the United States, Guatemala nearly made it to the final, but they ran into the US team in the semifinal and narrowly lost. Our director, Edgar Salguero, and his son, Santi, were able to go to the game while they were in the US visiting family, and they had an amazing time even though the team lost.
Every pair of eyes in the nation was glued to that game, and the kids at Casa Bernabé were all in their houses shouting at the TVs. In the lead up to this next World Cup hosted in North America, everyone will be cheering hard for the blue and white, buying jerseys, and rooting for Los Chapines to make history!
