Calling the Hogs in Guatemala

When you are thousands of miles from home and making new friends, one of the best ice breakers is a Hog Call. That's what the mission team from Fellowship Bible Church of Northwest Arkansas did in Guatemala last week.

As reports from the College World Series came in via international texting late one night, Arkansas fans decided that the orphanage -- Casa on the Rock -- near Guatemala City could benefit from some lessons on the Razorbacks.

So Sarah Henry, daughter of this writer, got with her team of missionaries from Fellowship Bible Church of Northwest Arkansas and set out to teach all 450 of the orphans the Hog Call. There were also mission teams from churches in Tennessee and Florida there and they joined in the fun, too.

It went great, especially as texts messages came in every half inning with scores of an Arkansas victory over South Carolina to send the Hogs to 2-0 in the CWS. The buildup was incredible and the Hog Calls got louder as the kids found out what the spirit of Arkansas baseball was all about. The mission team, around 30, was mostly Arkansas baseball fans and the kids -- mostly elementary school ages -- found a team they loved to cheer for, too.

"We worked on it for a few minutes before we taped them doing the Hog Call," Sarah said. "They all loved it."

They all understood what kind of fighting spirit these Razorbacks have and were quick to become fans. They liked these fierce pigs.

I was reminded of the importance of Razorback baseball when I agreed to send the half inning reports to the one phone with international texting set up for the group. Apparently, the mission team made sure to be close to that phone on the evenings the Hogs were playing in the CWS.

And then there was this from Sarah on what she planned to do if the Hogs had advanced to the championship round. She left a packed bag with her mother. She landed in Northwest Arkansas on Saturday afternoon this past weekend. She wanted to be picked up at the door and driven to Omaha in time for the three-game championship series, if the Hogs were still alive.

That didn't happen. It was probably a good thing for Sarah. She was exhausted after a week of Bible school at the orphanage. It's the third time she's made the trip. And the only down time came when the Hogs fell to Carolina in the elimination game and the text arrived with the final score.

The mission trip has been an annual event, always scheduled in June about the time of the CWS. A diehard UA baseball fan with season tickets, Sarah knows that Guatemala trip will happen again and again. And, when she gets off that plane and the Hogs are still alive in the CWS title series some year -- and with 450 fans in Guatemala ready to Call the Hogs -- she'll have a bag ready for a trip to Omaha.

The church in Northwest Arkansas has an active role with Casa on the Rock. For more information on the orphanage, go to CasaOnTheRock.org.