Holey cleats and empty pockets

"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do unto you."
Luke 6:27-31 (italics added by yours truly)

Woah, woah, woah, Jesus. You don't mean that literally, do you? Don't you know I'm in Argentina? Everyone who meets me and finds out I'm from the US asks me for something. If I start giving a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, a jacket, a pair of shoes to every person who asks me, I'm going to be left with nothing! I'm going to have to wear the same boring outfit every day! (not that my clothes are super hip to begin with...) Let's not even mention what I should do if someone steals something from me... If some guy steals my cell phone, am I supposed to turn around and give him my whole backpack?

"Watch out! Be on your guard against all types of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes."
Luke 12:15, 22-23

Touché, Jesus, touché... You have an answer for everything, don't you? But still, I worked for my stuff! I suffered through brutal preseasons, summers filled with fitness, and years of training to earn my soccer gear in college!

What would my teammates at River give in order to have the same opportunity I had to play somewhere where the school gives the players their own cleats, training gear, and running shoes? What did I do to be born in a country where girls can play whatever sport they want and have the chance to receive a scholarship to study and play at the same time?

I'm not sure whether I'm actually supposed to give my clothes to every time my teammates ask me, especially since we're teammates and giving clothes like a donation would probably put me in an awkward position. However, verses like the ones above serve to remind me how blessed I am to be in a position to give. I've never gone to bed hungry because there wasn't enough food in the refrigerator. I've never struggled to buy clothes or shoes. I've never had to stop studying/drop out of school to find work in order to help my family pay the bills.

River Plate Fútbol Femenino 2013

Many of my teammates at River Plate come from very humble families and have had to do some of the things I've never had to do. Most of them cannot afford to buy new cleats even when their current pair is almost completely torn to shreds. A few of the girls rely heavily on the small monthly allowance from the club (about 60 US dollars) in order to be able to pay for travel costs to and from River for training and matches. Another group of girls, mainly those who moved to Buenos Aires from other provinces to play at River and study, eat every meal at the club in order to save money on food costs.

Fortunately, we play for a coach who fights daily with the upper ranks of River Plate to gain more benefits for fútbol feminino (women's soccer) like cleats, running shoes, and a bigger monthly allowance. We also play for a club which provides us with clothes to train in – although we have to return it after every training session and game – while most other clubs do not provide their female players with any gear at all. Unfortunately, we also find ourselves at a club trying to claw its way out of a huge pit of debt due to years of corrupt administration of funds, a club which at times even struggles to pay its employees and other major expenses.

For a girl who's never had to go without, playing at River is opening my eyes to a different reality than the one I experienced in the US. A reality in which dropping out of school is almost the norm, in which one does whatever job will pay the bills (not where one gets to choose the career of one's dreams...), in which one's family is more important than one's personal aspirations... These new experiences are reminding me to be even more thankful to have had the opportunities I had growing up in the United States, to have studied at a wonderful university, to have grown up in a loving family, to have played soccer without having to give up my education, to have the freedom to pursue whatever career I want, and much more.