Danville Follow Up!

 I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for my dentist.  With very few exceptions, I will get to the day of an appointment, and cancel it, because I chicken out or because I find something more fun than getting a filling.  Unless you are Peyton Manning, changing plans at the last minute isn’t a good practice.  Danville didn’t wait until the last minute but they did change our date a few weeks ago.  Date changes always seems to land on a wedding, vacation, or major kids event. We ended up going with eleven guys, leaving four of our Missionary Athletes at home with prior commitments.  Having all hands on deck during the game, meant that we would have some difficulty covering the yard and we wouldn’t have any subs during a long day of softball against a competitive prison softball team in Danville.  Often times when we are short handed, we will discuss how God used Gideon’s army in Judges 7 to defeat the Midianites.  It is interesting to see how God uses what we think is a total mismatch to accomplish His will.

We had yet another early morning as we sluggishly met outside of the bus in the Morton McDonalds parking lot.  We prayed for the day, the men we would be seeing, the guys who would be speaking, and the families that we were leaving behind for the day.  This was a rather quiet bus ride as several of our guys were asleep before we got on the eastbound ramp of I-74.  A few of us in the front of the bus talked about some work details and parenting. Parenting is a rather common topic that will come up with our team as we have several guys in different stages of parenting.  Some are empty nesters (they were some of the ones that were asleep on the bus), some have newborns and really young kids (they were also asleep!), and some of us have teens (we never ever sleep!).  It is interesting hearing the philosophies from the different guys on the team.

We arrived at the prison on time and made it out to the softball field.  This softball field contained many happy memories over the years, and, since we didn’t make a visit in 2016, we were really looking forward to getting back in.  Danville was the first Illinois state facility that we had ever visited as a team in 2012.  When we arrived out on the field, we were greeted by a PA announcer who announced our names as we ran out to the baseline just like in a World Series game. One of the inmates also played the national anthem on his electric guitar and has continued to do so for every visit that we have been on.  Our now Southeast Director, Jimmy Cochran, played so well during that day that he earned the nickname “Gold Glove Jimmy”.  A year later, NJ Saints LEGEND, Butch Smith, flew in to minister with us, too.  Butch took a wicked line drive off of his stomach but he still managed to make the game so much fun that day as he teased and ministered to the inmates.  Finally in 2015, we got our first win versus Danville and we also played a highly competitive, yet hysterical game of dodgeball with the men there.

Once the other team arrived through the gate, we were done reminiscing and were ready to play some softball!  We won game one and handed out over 100 Gospels despite being short handed.  After the ministry time, we came back and won game two!  Before we broke for lunch, we huddled up with the inmates and prayed with them.

During lunch we were treated to some fried chicken patties in the staff dining room.  We ate by ourselves and had some time to continue some parenting conversations that we had started on the bus.

After lunch, we got back out to the field to play one more game against another group of men. We actually won that game as well, going 3-0 on the day, making that the best we had ever done on the field at Danville.  If I was a betting man, I would have bet on us going 1-2 on the day because of how short-handed we were but I was thrilled with how wrong I was!  Josh Frederick shared his testimony about how Jesus Christ changed his life while Drew Aberle shared the Gospel with the men.  During the preaching time, I had an opportunity to talk with an older gentleman who had been locked up most of his life for murder.  He said he knew Jesus as his Savior, but I got called away to talk to the officer in charge before he could finish his story.  During the day, I also got to talk with several guys who are enrolled in a Seminary program that another outside group volunteers their time to run.  We actually met with several guys who had made a decision to follow Jesus during our first few visits.  They are now being discipled and really digging into God’s Word.  Despite only going in with such a small group, God really blessed the day and our team.  It was great to hug some old friends and play some ball in Danville.

We stopped at a Portillo’s in Champaign, IL for some Chicago style hot dogs and Italian beef.  We also had a few moments to talk about the day and enjoy some iron sharpening iron time.

Overall on the day we saw 27 men make decisions to follow Jesus and we handed out 201 Gospels of John.  The bus (which is on a personal 3 game hitting streak without an incident!) made it and from Danville.

Next month we wrap up our season at Robinson Correctional Center.  The last visit of the year is always bittersweet but we are looking forward to seeing the men there and sharing the Good News of Jesus!

Last Saints Visit of 2017!

Our Central Illinois Saints Prison Ministry team makes our final appearance of the year, tomorrow, at Robinson Correctional Center!

Please keep us in prayer as we will share the Gospel twice and hopefully fit four games into the day!

I am looking forward to keeping everyone updated on how the day went!

Thanks for all of your support this season!

2017 Kentucky Crusade- Day 3

 “Well, if I’m not getting in, I wonder what’s open for breakfast?”, I wondered to myself as I waited in the small dark entryway at Luther Luckett Correctional Center.  “I wonder what a local church would think if I walk in and sit in the back pew with my full Saints uniform on?”  Those are the kind of things that you ask yourself when you hear that your name is not on the list of approved volunteers as you are going through security.  My name was left off the list somewhere in the process of the Saints submitting the list of volunteers and the administration approving the list of volunteers.  Over the course of my five years in the ministry, I have seen this happen a few times.  Sometimes they can run paperwork very quickly or sometimes they simply tell the individual who isn’t on the list that they just can’t come in.  After a few minutes of waiting and praying silently, I was allowed to enter.

After a long day at Kentucky State Reformatory, we had some trouble getting runs on the board and lost the first game.  In between games, my Central Illinois Teammate and lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan, Ray Koonce, shared his life story.  Ray is always fun to listen to as he very passionately shares how Jesus Christ impacted his life.  When Ray was done, he made a joke as he introduced me to speak how awesome God is and how He could even bring together a Cardinals fan and Cubs fan to serve together as he introduced me to speak.  I shared a message that I have shared several times in prison this year as I talked about the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross (you can check out the written form of my message here).

Overall on the day, we handed out around 30 Gospels and saw 6 men make decisions to follow Jesus.

Overall on the entire trip, we saw 28 men decide to follow Jesus and we handed out over 500 Gospels.  Although Jesse, Ray, and I were only able to be there for the last three days of the trip, we were blessed and had a blast joining up with great teammates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia!

Double Play! Centralia Follow Up and Danville Preview!

 I really, really, dislike explaining why I didn’t get something done on time.  I am usually the first person to roll my eyes and glare when other people do it.  This follow up really should have been down a couple of weeks ago, but here I am getting it written up about 30 hours before we board the bus to our next visit to Danville Correctional Center!  It has been a busy stretch. When we left Centralia I personally finished a stretch of having Saints events in 5 of the last 8 weeks, including two Crusades.  This coupled with the kids going back to school, a teenager learning to drive, a really busy stretch at work, and watching the Cubs late season roller coaster ride in the standings has really made it a busy late summer! Nevertheless, the day at Centralia was a good one and should be shared before writing the next chapter of the 2017 season in Danville this weekend!

Our day started early in the morning as we met at the Morton McDonalds at 4:45 AM.  The McDonalds was closed but for the record, greasy breakfast food usually doesn’t sit well at 4:45 AM!  After praying, we departed and headed for Centralia.  I was fully expecting to sit in the dark silence until the sun came up an hour later but our bus was chatty with guys talking about how the Bears would do and some general talk on how families were doing.  This is a 3 hour drive and our bus successfully made the journey.  We arrived, and, just like last year, we had two, one hour slots to play softball and share the Gospel.  We played two one pitch games against two different teams.  After a slow start we won the first game.  In the early morning the sun is directly behind the pitcher so we saw some awkward looking swings from both teams!  After the game I shared the Gospel.  We handed out around 15 Gospels and we saw 2 men make decisions to follow Jesus.  We quickly hit the reset button and were back on the field for game 2!  We won the second game fairly easily.  Ben Morrow shared the Gospel while we handed out Gospels to the team and the spectators.  Another two men made decisions to give their lives to Jesus.

After the second game was over, we went to the local Wendy’s for every athlete’s favorite refuel meal:  Baconators and Frostys!  This is really the first time all year that we had the chance to get lunch on the road.  Anytime we can dine with the inmates is huge no matter what they are eating but it is often nice to eat as a team where we can relax and laugh it up before heading back to play softball and share the Gospel.

We arrived back at the facility and played Centralia’s All-Star team.  We had an additional 30 minutes, so we were able to play a normal 7 inning game.  We started out a little sluggish (maybe Baconators aren’t the best lunch for playing three softball games!) but we held on and won the game.  Ray Koonce shared the Gospel with the men there.  It was a blessing to hear him share for the first time!

After the preaching time was over, we hugged the men and headed back for the bus.  This was a fun ride home full of football talk, a bad dad jokes competition, and lots of talk about God and what His Word says.  I am so thankful for this group and what we have had the chance to be a part of this season.

Overall on the day we saw four men make decisions to follow and we handed out around 50 Gospels of John.

Saturday, we are heading back to Danville Correctional Center to play another four softball games and share the Gospel twice.  Danville is one of the most fun groups to minister to.  They pull out all of the stops and make the day as special as they can.  Please pray that we present the message clearly and that God would draw the men we see closer to Him!  Kurt Hand and Josh Frederick will be sharing their life stories with the men on how God changed their lives while Drew Aberle will be sharing the Gospel.

I am looking forward to getting home and writing about what God does in Danville!

2017 Kentucky Crusade- Day 1

“I’m not afraid of going to the joint!”.  This is something that missionary athlete Robert Cook and I heard this week while volunteering in our local JDC (Juvenile Detention Center).  This young man was in his mid-teens, and Rob didn’t give him a chance to say much else.  He shared with this young man all of the times that we have heard inmates stop and tell us about how they wish they knew Jesus sooner in life and what they wouldn’t give to go back and tell their younger selves about the consequences of the choices they had made.  

 

We almost always have a great day in prison.  Our ministry is fun and rewarding.  We love the game of softball and we typically get to play lots of it.  We also have the opportunity to share the Gospel with men who need to hear about Him.  The typical Saints bus is full of guys who aren’t the typical first round draft picks for getting up behind a microphone and telling guys about the Lord.  Our team typically spends anywhere from a Saturday morning to a week traveling the interstates and country roads of our great nation with some of the best friends that I will ever have.  To quote my friend and teammate Rodney Stewart, “I can’t believe I get to do this!”  We have so much fun doing what we do behind bars, but I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the places that we visit are an absolute nightmare to live in especially if one doesn’t know Jesus Christ. God tells us several times in His Word to visit those who are in prison, but my prayer is that I will never see that young man from the JDC in a prison yard.  My prayer is that God gets a hold of his life.

 

The Kentucky Crusade began the morning of Tuesday, August 15th, but, as for me and my two other IL teammates, we were all heading for work.  We wouldn’t join the team until late Thursday night.  We woke up early Friday morning in Lexington, KY.    We met our teammates for the weekend.  It was great to see so many familiar faces from different parts of the country.  We had teammates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and of course us from Illinois.  

 

We arrived at Northpoint Training Center that morning for three softball games and some lunch with the men there.  We won the first game but the inmate team was very good and hit several home runs on what is one of the most interesting fields that I have ever played on.  There are several slopes and valleys in the field as well as a large draining culvert in center field. 

 

After the first game Wayne Hinkson shared the Gospel.  I hung out on the other team’s bench and talked with some guys after the preaching time.  This prison was also somewhat unique as we were not allowed to hand out literature on the field.  Instead, we got to leave a box with the chaplain and the Gospels would be handed out later.  

 

We enjoyed a prison lunch of sloppy joes which was no where near as bad as it sounds.  They also had a really good traditional prison cake which is actually one of my favorites.  The cream cheese frosting is usually a consistent no matter in which prison it’s served.  

 

We came back out and split the two games that we played.  While we were playing, another group was playing music and also sharing the Gospel across the yard.  We did have a little bit of trouble keeping the men’s attention as the other group was doing their preaching time, the same time as NJ Missionary Athlete, John Chisholm was speaking during our preaching time. 

 

Usually we collect cards and have numbers to report such as the number of guys who accepted Jesus and the number of Gospels that we handed out, but, since we couldn’t distribute literature, we won’t know for sure until we see some of these guys in eternity!

2017 Kentucky Crusade- Day 2

 I love statistics in sports. I love looking at the backs of baseball cards and seeing how many home runs someone hit and seeing how they trend throughout their career. One thing I do not love is when we do it in Christianity.

Even after all of the years that I have been involved with the Saints Prison Ministry, I am still hesitant to say, “we had 12 people indicate that they followed Jesus today!”  I don’t know the condition of their hearts, but I know that your average outreach activity doesn’t typically have that many decisions for Jesus.  One of my missionary athlete teammates really made a good point as to why we see that many men make decisions to follow the Lord when we come in. He made the point that we are seeing a bunch of guys who are basically, the prodigal son.  In Luke chapter 15, Jesus is talking in parables about this young man who arrogantly asks for his inheritance early and then spends it all on bad decisions. Once the young man realizes that he has nothing (no resources, no family, and no pride), he begs his father for forgiveness only to find out that his father still loves him and is waiting for him with open arms. We typically see hundreds of men during each visit who are ‘that guy’ and they are ready to make a decision to follow a God who offers forgiveness.

Kentucky State Reformatory is one of the most intimidating building structures that I have ever encountered. There is a huge tower that rises above the Kentucky hills and cornfields;  it looms over the prison grounds and is visible from every angle of the prison yard. The last time we were there in 2014 we played against a really good prison team and we were dreading the team that we would face later that day.  We arrived and took the field and met several men who have seen us play over the years.  We found out from the prison officials that we would be playing FIVE games against one of the better prison softball teams in the country.  We came out swinging and won the first two games of the day!  We shared the Gospel with the men in between games.  I had the opportunity to pray with a couple of guys and hand out some Gospels of John behind our bench.  After the second game was over, we went inside and had lunch with the men there.  This lunch was not as good as the sloppy joes but it was still nice to sit and enjoy some time with the men there.  I sat across from one of the umpires.  Once everyone was done eating, we took turns introducing ourselves and sharing a prayer request with the room.  This was very special and unique.  There were so many of the men who wanted prayer for family on the outside.  There were also several guys who asked for prayer for friends in the prison and that they might come to know Jesus while they are in there.

We came back out and played the second half of the day.  We lost a tough game three but rebounded to win game 4 and win game 5 in the rain!  Wayne Errig shared the Gospel in between games and did a great job.

Overall on the day we saw several men make decisions to follow Jesus and we handed out well over 100 Gospels.

We enjoyed a Mexican meal as a team. I will write about this in a future blog post but I always struggle to order Mexican food without my wife, because I really don’t know what anything is!