The next Mia Hamm

Our daughter is an awesome soccer player. I mean that with all my heart.  She has never made a goal and she has only kicked the ball a handfull of times, but she is an incredible player.  Let me tell you why......Hallie has passion. She is dedicated. She has endurance.  She has heart!

Hallie started the year very excited about soccer.  She was excited about playing a game that she knew nothing about because her friend, Lucy, was going to play too.  Rusty had to show Hallie a game of soccer on TV so she would know what she would soon be playing.  Hallie was excited about picking out her soccer ball, shin guards, soccer cleats and soccer socks.  Aunt Connie even bought her cute t-shirt sleeve ties with soccer balls on them to wear when it gets hot.  Hallie couldn't wait to wear her new gear to soccer camp! It was to be a 3 day soccer camp to get the girls acquainted with the game, their coach and new teammates.  The first day of camp was a busy day....Honey was in town and we were busy playing with her.  It was a rush to get to camp that evening and we even had to stop at kmart to buy shorts because we didn't have enough time to make it home to change.  Hallie was a bit nervous but walked out on the field and listened as her coach prayed for her team and the time they had together.  You see, Hallie has been fortunate to play for a Christian Homeschool team that values prayer, encouragement and friendships.
Hallie was, understandably, apprehensive in the beginning.  She was fine as long as Rusty or I was there to watch her and cheer her on.  The first few practices did not go well. In fact, Hallie stood still for the first 20 minutes of one practice and wouldn't participate because she was afraid.  As soon as I came back from taking Sawyer to the playground, she ran to me and started crying saying she didn't want to play soccer anymore.  As parents, Rusty and I were ready to pull her off the team and shield her from anything that upset her.  We just wanted to hold her and love her and tell her it would all be okay and she would never have to play sports again! :)  But, we also knew we couldn't do that.  We wanted to teach her that we don't give up on things when they get hard or scary.  2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and discipline.  We constantly prayed with Hallie and encouraged her to persevere and she did not disappoint!
It has been inspiring to watch God transform Hallie over the past 15 weeks into a strong and courageous girl who is excited to play soccer every week.  She counts down the days until practice or her soccer game and she is truly joyful! Granted, she does not have an aggressive bone in her body and she rarely gets in there to kick the ball, but she loves playing the game and she has such determination and endurance!  She never stops running after the ball and she cheers on her teammates the entire game. I believe that playing for a Christian homeschool group has been extremely beneficial for Hallie.  She has coaches who truly care about her as an individual and who pray for her and her teammates.  That has been such a blessing to us and we are so thankful!

Hallie has much to learn about the game of soccer, but, over the past few months, has learned many valuable skills to help guide her through this game of life. To God be the glory!