On October 8, 2014, the Dallas Baptist Men's & Women's Tennis Team traveled to Chile to take part in the DBU Global Sports Mission Initiative representing Dallas Baptist University overseas.  Below is a day-by-day account from DBU's Dean of Student Affairs, Jay Harley, detailing the team's mission trip to Chile.

Day One Blog:
We had a very busy and productive day on Monday here at the Amazing Grace School in La Serena.  Our day ended with a tennis clinic which the kids at school loved.  Isaac Child's has jumped in with great enthusiasm and has pretty good Spanish skills.
 
Last night I talked to juniors and seniors and their parents about attending school in the USA.  We showed the DBU Spanish videos and Hannah Innes shared about her time at DBU.  Courtney McWilliams closed the meeting by praying for the students and families.
 
Brittany and I were able to meet with the family of Maria Jose who will be attending IEP in January.  It was wonderful to sit with this family and talk about their daughter coming to DBU and hearing their nervousness.  We introduced the entire team to Maria Jose so she would know people at DBU.
 
Last night was spent with our host homes which has been an enjoyable experience for everyone.
 
This morning began with the tennis team dividing and sharing morning devotions in classes at the school.  After the devotions, the team shared in classes.  The tennis team is so energetic about sharing.  I don't know that I have ever been on a trip with students who are so excited about talking about Jesus. Most of the students at this school are not Christians, but the school is committed to presenting Christ to the students and their families.
 
This morning, Brittany and I joined some of the parents of students at the school for a morning prayer time and breakfast.  After prayer, parents asked us questions about our lives, DBU, and even how to share Jesus with their non-Christian friends.  It was  interesting to sit and talk and pray with these parents.
 
Today, Brittany Harley will meet with all of the Bible and Religion teachers from the school to talk about how to teach Biblical truth to non-Christian students. She and tennis players will also lead two chapel services for preschoolers.
 
Diego Gonsalvez has been an excellent resource on the trip with his Spanish fluency.  He and Hannnah are great leaders as an assistant tennis coaches.
 
The team is well and very happy. They are a joy to be with.
 
Day Two Blog:
Tuesday was an incredible day for us in La Serena.  We taught in classes all day teaching English and sharing testimonies.
 
Six students here at the school accepted Christ yesterday after members of the tennis team presented the Gospel.  We have been amazed by God's work among the students. The tennis team has been energetic and bold in presenting Jesus to the students.
 
Along with teaching in classes, they led preschool and kindergarten chapel and participated in a field day and dance lessons with the faculty from the school at the end of the day.
 
Today, Wednesday, we are here at the school for the morning and then travel to the elqui valley about an hour away which is a famous place in this area.  While in the valley, we will visit the Mamallucca observatory.  The area around La Serena is one of the top astronomical observatory places in the world.
 
The religion and Bible teachers that Brittany Harley met with asked to meet with her again in the afternoon.  She spent almost three hours total with these teachers as they talked about how to teach spiritual truth to children.  The teachers of these classes seem to be eager to learn to better teach the kids.  Since many of the students here are from Catholic or no church background, they don't have much knowledge or interest in Jesus.
 
The tennis team is doing great. They have wonderful attitudes and serve and love without complaining.  The weather is cold, so while spring is beginning here it has been foggy and in the 50's each day.

Day Three Blog:
We had a wonderful day in Chile yesterday spending half of the day at the Amazing Grace School, and then traveling to the Elqui Valley for sightseeing and tourism.  The Elqui Valley is one of the most popular places to visit in this part of Chile and is known for beautiful mountain scenery, peaceful environment, and star gazing.  30% of the world's telescopes are in Chile, and many of them in the Elqui Valley area as astronomers come and study the skies.
 
We ate lunch in the Elqui Valley next to the Rio Gabriela (Gabriela River) and then visited a hydroponic farm.  There has been no rain in the Elqui Valley in 10 years and visiting this farm allowed us to see how people live and provide food even in the midst of drought.  The farm uses fish to create fertilized water to grow fruits and vegetables.  
 
After the visit to the hydroponic farm, we traveled to the small town of Vecuna where we shopped and enjoyed free time.  During the evening, we went to the Mamalucca observatory and were able to learn about astronomy and the view from Chile. We looked through telescopes at Saturn, Mars, distant stars, and the moon.  We were able to take phenomenal pictures of the moon with our phones through the telescope. We all enjoyed this visit to the observatory and experiencing this part of Chile. The Amazing Grace School has hosted us so well.  They have gone above and beyond to make our stay perfect.
 
We did not return to our host homes until really late last night so pray that we have energy in our last day ministering in the school.  This afternoon after school, we will visit the city center of La Serena for shopping and relaxation.  Tomorrow morning, we head to the airport to go back to Santiago to spend the day with the youth group from the First Methodist Pentecostal Church.  The church is also giving us a tour of Santiago.
 
Due to our flight times activity, I may not have another update until Friday evening.  We fly direct from Santiago to DFW Friday evening arriving early Saturday morning.
 
I hope Thursday in Dallas is a great day.  The Chileans know all about Ebola in Dallas.
 
Day Four Blog:
We are on the plane about depart La Serena to Santiago. Yesterday after school, we are given tours of La Serena and then had an evening party with the seniors from the school and their parents.

Brittany and I had dinner at the home of the Director of the school and her husband who serves as the academic director. We had a wonderful evening.

This morning we arrived at the Amazing Grace school at 8:00 and played with the kids until our bus arrived at 9:15.

When we arrive in Santiago, we will visit with the First Methodist Pentecostal Church and receive a tour of Santiago.

The leadership at Amazing Grace told us they had been praying that this would be the year of spiritual harvest at their school and that God brought the harvest with us. They also said they thought our group would do well with English teachin,g but were so surprised and blessed by the spiritual component.

We are blessed at DBU with such quality Christian student athletes.