“Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say ‘infinitely’ when you mean ‘very’; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.” 
  —  C.S. Lewis 

February 1st, 2011. 

I forgot how much I enjoyed running.

Thank you for my wings Lord. I’ve missed them.

Thank you Cay. For your paintings. Each and every one. you are incredible. Fact.  

I love you. more.  

Hello Everyone!

Today I have some videos I thought would be fun and exciting to share, however I’m not the greatest blogger and can not figure out how to upload more then one video at a time. So, this first video shows that I am on my way to full range of motion. After a few more exercises and deep tissue massages that day I was able to bend my knee so that my heel touched my butt. Thats pretty exciting in the therapy world and now I know why. Ha.  

I am currently six weeks post surgery, and the video above was taken 5 weeks and 4 days post surgery. I am coming back strong one day at a time! 

My mind and heart is exactly where the Lord wants me to be, fighting. :)

(Isaiah 58:8 NKJV) Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

The day after surgery: 11/24

If you perhaps did not read the verse about this photo please do me a favor, go back and read it.

And today, 6 weeks post surgery: (below)

Pretty amazing huh. 

(Proverbs 3:7-8 NKJV) Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. {8} It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.

Grace, peace and love

Leah Lynn

“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.”

c.s.lewis

oh mr. Lewis… thank you.

I find it very frightening how dark our world can be. By dark, I don’t mean literal darkness or even “sinful” and “evil” darkness.  I am referring to one being ignorant. The definition of ignorance is lacking the desire to understand, or be aware.

I recently experienced a drastic unexpected turn in my life.  One little ligament snapped and almost every single aspect of my world changed.  It may have taken me a while to realize, but now currently being 4 weeks post surgery - I think its something I would now like to share. My world was and is drastically turned around.

Location- I literally went from Ecuador/Brasil to… the United States.

Language- Portuguese and Spanish to… English.

Routine- 2 daily training’s, meetings, maintained and observed diet to… therapy, freedom and lack of desire to even eat. (My body without all the exercise I am normally accustomed to is just not very tired or hungry often.)

Community- Living in an environment with a National soccer team of professional female athletes to… my family and a few close friends.

Focus- Going from a very clear physically demanding regimen, and the fact that I strived to play for Christ and live for Him alone to… trying to understand how the Lord will use me to live out the gospel in being available to who he now puts in my life, and learning to be appreciate of the time and love He provides.

Major changes have affected my life on a daily basis due to a split second in time.

The unexamined life is NOT worth living.  In ANY place or religion.  Going back to C.S.Lewis, I had to be honest with myself that I suddenly was scribbling like the mad man.  The thing is…almost everything did change.  There are thousands of mad men scribbling in a cell BUT, I have learned that soon our, my, hands become weak and my eyes see, because there is LIGHT.  That is the Truth.

Now I will refuse to be ignorant, (or at least fight that battle as much as I can).

I say almost everything changed because…hear me out on this…ONE thing did not.

He reigns.

This I know.  I have been saved by grace and have committed my life to being a warrior in heavens army on earth.

That never changes.  Ever.  Sometimes I’m in the front lines, and sometimes I’m in the back.  Sometimes I’m strong and sometimes I am weak.  Sometimes I am loud and sometimes I am quiet.  Sometimes I see the enemies and sometimes I just don’t. Sometimes I’m on the battlegrounds and sometimes I’m in a cell.

But this I know.

I’m fighting.

Grace, Peace, Love and Power.

Wake the warriors and just keep fighting.

Leah Lynn

For you are the fountain of life, the LIGHT by which WE SEE.

Psalm 36: 9

“

B.C Johnson, in The Atheist Debater’s handbook, throws down this challenge: “If God exists, there will be evidence of this; signs will emerge which point to such a conclusion.”

I agree with Johnson that evidence will exist- in fact has already emerged- that points to God’s existence. The evidence has, in face, emerged in so specific a way that it is clear God wants us to know more than that he simply exists. He wants us to know that we can know Him.

“

And then we go beyond knowledge. We go beyond a life of acknowledging the facts.

A life beyond acceptance.

But, by faith. We believe. We reach out with all of our heart and take the gift of grace.

We are given a spirit. Of power, love, and self-discipline.

And we walk.

Each day.

Following Him.

The very creator of Love is asking to go on a walk with you. Doesn’t your heart just drop?

Signs will emerge huh.

Oh there is nothing like Christmas.

I am off crutches, biking, doing squats, going up and down the stairs and lots of therapy. Stitches are out of my knee and onward I go.

Love letters always have an address, that’s the beauty of them. They are either unintentionally sent or purposely received. Both cannot be unknown. There is always an address and always a message. Love.

Christ is Love,

Leah Lynn

Hello!! I have been MIA and…it is time to write.

I have realized, well to be honest, the Lord went at my heart again and He has taught me and has shown me a lot this past week.  In one of my previous blogs right after my injury I stated the story of me playing this beautiful game was not over and I would fight like hell to make it back, I meant it.  And to explain how that has looked for me this past week - I’m going to have to open up my heart and let you in a bit.

Going from intense physical training, strict eating regimens, crazy traveling itineraries, having spent 24 hours a day with 19 other women and understanding a specific call and mission from the Lord to be on the National Team to…

Lying in Bed.

(The amazing Dr. Richard Erickson performed a successful reconstruction of my ACL the day before thanksgiving).

Well, it is not easy.  I was beginning to wonder, over analyze, and become anxious and fearful. Bottom line I was hearing that whisper in the back of my head, you know those LIES. Or in other words, and if you haven’t identified them yet, I’ll help you out, Satan! He is a powerful and deceitful piece of crap.

Fighting like Hell this week was fighting my attitude and thoughts. Fighting the Lies. Fighting the Doubts.

I am coming back. And I am coming back stronger.

I am staying positive. I trust a great, great God. I do not have control over when, and to be honest I don’t even know or have control over what will happen tomorrow - so to worry about 5/6 months from now is meaningless.

Thursday in therapy I bent my knee 110 degrees on my own without any pain. We were planning on pushing it past 90 degrees on Monday and “it was going to be painful.” Ha! Boooooyaaah! I am already walking around the house without crutches at a week and three days post surgery. I can’t have a panic attack because the World Cup draw in Germany was a few days ago and I’m not sure if I will be released in time to compete. I am taking it one day at a time. One day at a time, 6 exercises, 20 repetitions, not 3-4 sets but 4 sets a day.

I will say it again.  I will have a mighty coming back.  I am coming back stronger physically, mentally and spiritually.  He who is in me is greater then he who is in the world.  Greater is my faith, than those whispers telling me I can’t.  My fight last week was not one you could see, I could have easily never have told you.  Or better yet, I could have lied to my self, moved along and been just fine.  But it was real, I was experiencing it and Christ could see it and I had to take it on guns blazing.  He brought me out of the storm. Praise the Lord.  Satan is silenced at the mention of the Son.

For those of you that do not know…

WE WON THE SOUTH AMERICAN WORLD CUP AND QUALIFIED FOR THE WORLD CUP AND THE OLYMPICS…

I have no regrets.   I would not change one moment of it.  I played with the greatest players in the World. My team is awesome and I am proud and honored to be one of them.

Injuries are part of the game. I will be back!

Pictures are worth a thousands words right… enjoy. :)

Wake the Warriors. 

Surrender to who was, who is and who is yet to come. 

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel 

Immanuel: God with us. 

Grace, Peace and Love,

Leah Lynn

An inside look at the Brazilian National Team Locker room about 30 minutes before one of our games. 
I hope you enjoy. 

 
We won against Argentina!! It was a 4-0 victory. The goals were beautiful and the game was very intense with 3 of our players receiving yellow cards. Chile and Columbia were the other two teams who advanced to the final round and they tied 1-1 yesterday. 
Tomorrows Semi-Final is against Columbia. 
 
Lastly, one of the girls on my team, the right lateral, Maurine partially tore her hamstring in the game and prayers for her to feel peace, guidance and a desire to seek the God Almighty in this hard time would be greatly appreciated. 
 
 
Whatever you do, do it with all your heart. Be passionate, Live boldly, Commit to what you are doing and be the best at it. Enjoy life, Spend it loving the people around you. 
 
God has given you a gift, whatever it is, use it. 
Have Faith. 
Believe. 
Fight. 
 
Grace and Love, 
Leah Lynn 

The truth is I have sat down to write about 3 post’s since my last and they somehow always end up being too deep, too intense and way too long to be posted. 

My mom has said to me, “Leah, they don’t all have to be deep and spiritual, you can just update people with soccer news.” 

Well mom there is a problem with that. I’ll explain below in two sections. The first being an update, to all of those who are amid supporters of the game of soccer and what its doing in my life. And the second being, well, way more important. 

Update: 

Good morning from a little hotel named “Hotel Florida” in the city of Latacunga, Ecuador.  

The team has now left the city of Cuenca and is currently preparing for the quarterfinals, on the 17th and the semifinals on the 19th. We played our third game against Columbia and won 2-1, and the fourth and final game of our bracket ended with a 3-0 victory against Paraguay. This has put us in first place in our bracket with the highest amount of points in the tournament. 

The swelling in my knee has now gone down after a lot of elevation, ice and using crutches. I have been doing “Compex” (an electra-stem machine that flexes my quad) twice a day to maintain the muscle I have for a faster recovery. I am walking almost perfectly normal, almost at full range of motion and am in the weight room doing workouts. Now we wait to fly back to the states and have surgery. 

Now the Truth: 

There is this verse, Colossians 1: 16 “ I was made by him, but I was also made FOR him.” 

Now mom, one thing I have learned is that if I write anything, it should be about the Lord. Soccer is what I do, but its not who I am. It’s a platform to build relationships and talk about the God of love and grace. You have told me stories about this man and provided me with a community of believers my entire life, and I am beyond thankful. However mom, I fell in love not with a Religion and rules of what I should and shouldn’t do, but with this man named Jesus. 

I have received many notes and messages asking how I really feel. I can’t possibly be this strong and handling this the way I am. The truth is, I’m not. The Lord is. Some of you may get this and some of you may not. When I was told in the ambulance I had torn my acl, despite the fact my trembling hands were counting the months and when I realized my dream of a World Cup was no longer possible, yes tears began to fall - but if I had to describe the experience with one word, the word would have been peace. 

First there was Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans of a future”. Then there was Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged, for I am with you wherever you go”. And Psalms, “Be still and know that I am God”, and the promise from Isaiah, “Those who trust in me will run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. Luke 9, my favorite verse, “What does one gain if they gain the whole world but themselves are conquered or destroyed?” 

I experienced an unexplainable peace. Christ and the word was my stronghold. I think I surprised the doctor a little in the ambulance when I asked Him to pray with me and in another language told my God I trust you, help me to see your plans and I beg you to strengthen my faith, but I trust you, my God I trust you, whatever you decide to take away consider it GONE, I trust YOU. 

Im not a hero to my 11 year old nephew just because I play soccer on the Brazilian national team. My 11 year old nephew is my hero because he sends me a letter that says this, 

“hi leah its dawson, i just wanted to say i love your blog. What i mostly love about your blog is that you inclood god in every single one of them. I cannot beleive you were asigned to write in the school news paper, but you got kicked out because you inclooded god in most of it. If i was the head of the scool news paper i would give you a RAZE!” 

I play soccer for moments like that. 

I write about Jesus for that reason alone. 

That I will never forget. 

Grace, Peace, and Love, 

Leah Lynn 

(Mom, I’m not throwing you under the bus. I only hope to be the same women of faith and character that you have become, and do exactly what you did and do for me if I ever have a little girl. You became not only the greatest mom to me but also my sister in Christ and my best friend. You are incredible. I love you.)