Life After Graduation
 
What happens after the final whistle is blown?
 
Each year there are thousands of high school graduates seeking to play their desired sport in college. There is an illusion of this being the ultimate test of strength and perseverance as well as the false reality of "I've made it." At the very same moment there are thousands of college graduates whose careers have officially ended and their names become something of the past.
 
After countless hours of training, competition and sacrifice, there is a screech and an echo that hums in an athlete's ears. It is a whirlwind of memories and in that moment the athlete is caught between the past and the future. It is a sound that signifies the end of a chapter and a ribbon-cutting on an unpaved adventure.
 
In this moment, the heart of a Christian athlete is revealed. It is the stark reality of where one has placed their identity over the course of time. Once the final whistle is blown the Christian athlete is a living day version of Matthew 25:14-30 and the Parable of the Talents. What they do and how they proceed will disclose what they have done over the course of the past four years.
 
While stories of adversity and achievement can dominate a headline there are stories similar to Central Christian College of Kansas alumni, Rachel (Meier) Dalton (c'18), that are often overlooked. Rachel is originally from Anaheim, California, and answered the call to step onto the water with Jesus has He led her to a place of unfamiliarity with no family nearby and over a thousand miles away from home to rural Kansas. During her time at CCCK, Rachel would place in the top 5 of the NAIA nationally in total assists in 2016, receive conference recognition as a 2^nd team Aii member and compete in the NCCAA National Tournament. As Rachel etched her legacy into the women's soccer program, she was also being equipped for life after graduation.
 
Rachel's story is not one about overcoming adversity or scoring a game winning goal. Her story is relatively common and often disregarded. Upon graduation, the newlywed Rachel and her husband moved back to Anaheim and she quickly answered the call Jesus places on all His children to go and love your neighbor and to make disciples. In a city filled with over 300,000 people, Anaheim can be a place of intimidation for a recent college graduate. However, Rachel viewed the city as Jesus described in Matthew 9:37, "the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." Rachel quickly integrated herself into the community by becoming a youth soccer coach in addition to joining a local high school as an assistant coach as well as the strength and conditioning coach.
 
Despite being in a "non-Christian" environment, Rachel has been able to lead by example. She has helped encourage young female athletes to be the "light on a hill" and lead prayers in a public high school setting. She has also risen to the challenge of becoming an impactful youth soccer coach, and is investing into the younger generation. Through this opportunity, she has been able to organize team Bible studies, mentor several athletes and encourage them to be strong and courageous in their faith. While many are unable to see the fruit of their labor, Rachel has seen two of her players create non-profits, one being an orphanage in Mexico and another a school in Haiti.
 
So what happens when the final whistle blows and you are no longer an athlete? You go and make disciples!  

Go Tigers!
#Ambush