2018 Arizona Crusade Day 4 Update

"We’ll slide all the chips in on game 1 and see what happens after that.”  That was the strategy that Andy Solomon and I decided while sitting in the back of the van while traveling to FCI Phoenix.  This was a unique part of the trip.  We had played and ministered at Phoenix on day one of our trip.  Now we returned there for the last day of our trip.  We split four games at Phoenix on day one and really didn’t look particularly sharp.  We also got word that we played the B team on day one and now we were slated to play against the A team for 3-4 games.  Our team was beat up at this point of the trip, but we needed to make it through the day while being competitive enough to hold their attention.  If we could win game 1, we figured we would hold their attention long enough for the spectators to stick around for the Gospel message during our speaking time.

We came out and played our best game on the trip.  In between the games Rodney Stewart shared his testimony and Dave “Cogs” Cogliano shared the Gospel.  These are two of my best friends in the ministry, and I really relished the opportunity to be there when they are serving.

Our morning session ended a little early and we enjoyed some breakfast food at McDonalds before returning to FCI Phoenix.

When we returned we played two more games.  We grinded out two more wins and finished on a high note!  In between the games, Warren Miller shared his testimony and I shared the Gospel.  Warren played professional baseball for several years and had some great stories to share about his testimony.  That is tough to follow!  I shared the Gospel and used my message about my visit to Angola and seeing the old electric chair last Spring.  I talked about how tough it would be to see one of my kids receive capital punishment, but how that is exactly what God did for us when He sent His Son to die in our place!

Overall on the day we saw 10 men make decision to follow Jesus and we were able to leave all of our leftover literature with the prison chapel program.

We returned to our hotel and enjoyed some local carry out pizza.  One of the best ways I was blessed on this trip was that my longtime friend, mentor, and original IL Saints teammate, Corky Schumacher was able to visit and join us for devotions!  It was fun to have him meet so many of the guys whom I have ministered with over the years.  Ben Morrow did a great job with devotions for the week and we spent several minutes sharing stories and praises about the trip and each other.

I really enjoyed this trip and I really am looking forward to starting our season in Illinois on May 5th!

I really appreciate all of the prayer and support for this ministry over the years!

2018 Arizona Crusade Day 3 Update

 All of the good things that we did on this trip could be written down and in a blog or email like this, and, after a few hundred words, you would read about all of the good and bad things that we did as a team.  Actually you could take the 31 years that the Saints Prison Ministry has been around and probably fill a few books full of inspirational and infamous stories of prison visits.  The last verse in the book of John (21:25) says, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did.  Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written”  

While we had our team devotions and while we were in the vans, we stressed as a team that there really isn’t anything we did this week.  Sure, we made some sacrifices like missing work and traveling across the country but once again, there wasn’t anything that we did to change the hearts of the men we visited.  We were careful to reminded each other, “Look at what God is doing!”

On Friday, we visited FCI Tucson.  This place has a wacky softball field and a team that was really wanting to beat the Saints.  We lost two close games to the inmate teams.  It’s not the outcome that we wanted, but the FCI Tucson team enjoyed the victories!

In between games, longtime missionary athlete, Butch Smith shared his testimony.  Butch’s story is a good one about how he came to know Jesus in the middle of his life, after a rough childhood.  After Butch, Kirk Smith shared the Gospel.  Kirk is naturally funny and really cares about the men in the prisons.  Kirk shared the Gospel from the book of John.  He starts his message with his version of John 1:1, “In the big inning was the Word…”  This really makes the men laugh and helps Kirk engage with them.  He also shares the last verse in John and reminds them of all the great things Jesus did.  He tells them, “This is the God that I serve!”

After we left FCI Tucson we enjoyed a Taco Bell/Subway meal.  This was a fun time to sit down and enjoy a meal with guys that I don’t normally get to enjoy a meal with.  When we were done eating, we went back to the USP where the correctional officers were holding a closest to the pin golf ball driving ball fundraiser.  Missionary Athlete, Warren Miller, participated and drove several golf balls close to the pin!

We traveled back to the the complex and visited the Tucson Federal Prison Camp.  We won our game rather easily.  Tim Travis shared his testimony.  Tim’s story was about running from God as a young man before returning back to Him later in life.  Ben Morrow shared the Gospel afterwards.  Ben is my teammate here in Illinois and has grown so much over the years.  I met Ben at the Turkey Bowl flag football tournament that I used to coordinate at my church.  Ben shared the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32.  This story really resonated with the men at the camp and I have seen this message be really meaningful to inmates over the years.

Between both facilities, we handed out close to 200 Gospels and saw 17 indicate that Jesus was now the Lord of their life!

2018 Arizona Crusade Day 2 Update

 Today we visited USP Tucson. We went in with the schedule of four games and one speaking time.

We lost the first game but rallied back to win the second game. Both games were relatively competitive, so that helped us keep the crowd engaged.

Our setup was a little different as we weren’t allowed to preach on the field but we were allowed to share the Gospel in the chapel. We had a really nice chapel service. Longtime Saints veteran, Rob Fogel, shared his testimony about how he came to know Jesus. Joey Foster shared the Gospel with the men in the room.

After our normal sharing time, we had an opportunity for some of the inmates to share their testimonies about what God was doing in their lives. It was nice and encouraging to hear how inmates acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and how he was working in their lives. After a couple of inmates spoke, Doug Metzger shared his testimony again. Doug talked about how wonderful it is that God is the God who forgives and shows grace. He talked about how we should remember God’s grace when we feel guilty about the sin that we struggle with. This is a powerful message to share with these men. Several of these guys feel awful about what they have done, but God still finds them valuable and wants them to repent and follow Him.

After our lunch we played two more games. We won the first game and lost the second game. We weren’t able to share the Gospel again, but we were able to pray with them again and talk to them as we were leaving.

Overall on the day, we handed out over 100 Gospels of John and saw 16 men make decisions to follow Jesus.

Just like everyone else needs to, the men in these facilities need to repent and follow Jesus, but one common theme I heard today was that several men I talked to today were very lonely and were grateful that we took a day to come and visit them. I had one man repeat a statistic that I have heard before: After seven years, an inmate’s family typically will not write, call, or visit.

This particular inmate was thrilled to get a birthday card from the Saints. My specific prayer request for today would be that God would comfort those who feel lonely and that He would bring people into these guys lives who can mentor and disciple them.

2018 Arizona Crusade- Day One Update

 Late 1980’s and early 1990’s baseball is the greatest era of Major League Baseball. Of course, that is a completely objective statement and can most likely be debunked as an untrue statement. To me, however, these are the years when I fell in love with the game of baseball. Players like Cal Ripken, Nolan Ryan, Tony Gwynn, and the 1989 Chicago Cubs, were so much fun to enjoy on TV, video games, and baseball cards.  Growing up with a certain generation of baseball means that one misses the players and teams from the previous generations. There is so much about baseball that gets passed on through stories. I am currently reading a biography of an infamous player turned notorious manager of the New York Yankees named Billy Martin. Billy loved the game of baseball and was no doubt good for the game but there were countless people who couldn’t stand Billy’s short temper and bad decision making off the field. The Yankees wanted Billy to go away because he wasn’t always a positive influence for his teammates. Billy was not always a well-liked guy.

Today, we arrived safely and on time to FCI Phoenix. This was one of the more complicated travel schedules I have encountered.  Adjusting to the time zone difference was rough especially after getting up early with short rest the night before, but prison ministry isn’t easy and there is always a need to be flexible with our schedule and resources.

We lost the first two games of the day. Both games were close but they also reflected the energy level our team had after a rough day of travel. (no excuses of course, but we were a little out of sorts to begin the day).

During our ministry time, Doug Metzger shared his testimony. Doug had a history of making some poor choices growing up, and his story included a judge who showed grace on his life and how God drew him back. Doug’s story is powerful and really resonates with the inmates that we meet.

Andy Solomon, coach of the Middle Georgia Saints, shared the Gospel. He shared from Luke 19 and talked about the story of Zacchaeus. People disliked Zacchaeus and they wondered why Jesus wanted anything to do with him. Despite his bad reputation, Jesus wanted to meet with Zacchaeus and ultimately Zacchaeus repents. Andy talked about how Jesus came to save and how important it was to repent and follow Him. Despite what Zacchaeus did as an unfair tax collector, what Billy Martin did as a short-tempered manager, or what any of the men we will see in prison have done in their past, Jesus came to save sinners and He died for them.

After a short Subway break, we returned for one more game and won the game!

We handed out over 200 Gospels and we had 33 men indicate that they had made a decision to follow Jesus.

Praises

• Today was “The Hot Day” with temperatures in the upper 90s. It actually didn’t feel that hot and there might be something to the whole “It’s just a dry heat” after all!

According to the forecast, the rest of the week should be in the 70’s and 80’s with no rain!

Prayer Requests

• Our team woke up early and arrived without much time to get ready. We did our best today but we’re all very tired from having gone through quite a time change. It showed in the way we played softball, and I have no doubt that it affected the way we interacted with the inmates. Please pray that we are well rested for tomorrow’s visit to USP Tucson.

• Missionary Athletes Rob Fogel, Jimmy Cochran, Tom Carberry, and Joey Foster will be sharing their testimonies and the Gospel during our two speaking times at USP Tucson.

• USP Tucson is not necessarily a dangerous prison, but it does house some men who did some terrible things. (There is one inmate who was recently sentenced there who has been in the news for committing some terrible crimes over the last several years). I have been doing this ministry for seven years now and I really have struggled with what to say to this man if I had the opportunity to talk with him this week. I suppose my prayer request would be that we would view these men as still men who Christ died for. Please pray that we are bold and that these men would find hope and forgiveness for their crimes in Him.

2018 Arizona Crusade Starts Today!!

 Dear Friends and Family,

The odyssey begins today with an early flight from Peoria, a stop at O’Hare in Chicago, a long flight from Chicago to Phoenix, and then a quick change into our softball uniforms at the airport, and an arrival at the Federal Prison in Phoenix by noon!  Yes, you read that correctly, BY NOON!!

Today we are leaving to minister in four different prisons in the state of Arizona!  I would very much appreciate the prayer support for myself and the 14 other men who will be on the trip.

Here are a few very specific prayer requests for our team:

Traveling Mercies–  There are 15 men going on this trip from all over the place!  We have three guys flying in from New Jersey, several from Georgia, and three of us from Peoria, IL!  There will also be several hundred miles of travel by rental vans (no, we are not taking the Illinois Saints bus…).  Please pray that transportation won’t be a hindrance to sharing the Gospel this week!

Team Unity–  This is going to be a great group to be around this week but we will be spending around 100 straight hours together!  Please pray that fellowship will be sweet and moral will be high as we serve together.  This is a veteran group of Saints and this will be solid group to hang out with all week on and off the field!

It’s Going to be HOT!-  OK, so being stuck in sub 30 degree temperature since Thanksgiving should take away my right to whine about this, but, we will be getting off the plane into upper 90’s Arizona heat!  We are going to play through it but please pray for safety for us and the inmates!

Team Performance–  The results of the games aren’t important but it is critical that we play well and that we earn the respect of the inmates.  If we play well and earn their respect, they will be more likely to stick around and listen to us share the Gospel.  Please pray for tired arms and legs as we go further into the week.

Speakers–  Pray for the Missionary Athletes who will be sharing their testimonies of how they met Jesus and for the Missionary Athletes who will be sharing the Gospel.  I will be sharing the Gospel with the men at FCI Phoenix this Saturday afternoon.  Please keep me in prayer that I will speak clearly and effectively communicate how Jesus has changed my life.

Families–  Each of the 15 Missionary Athletes are leaving a family at home so they can minister.  Please pray for all of the wives and moms who have to brave work and kids by themselves.  I’m very thankful for the support that I have from home on these trips!

Inmates– Most importantly, pray for the men that we will encounter as they are the purpose of this trip.  Pray that they hear the Gospel and will see a need in their lives to follow Jesus!

Please keep checking my blog (www.tomgibson.me) and at my Facebook page for updates throughout the week.

Thank you in advance for the prayer support and for all of the encouragement many of you have been over the last several years!  I’m looking forward to sharing the stories from this week!

Inside the Mind of Gibby- Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

After traveling by bus the past two seasons, I really have enjoyed the camaraderie that develops on those trips… but sometimes I miss the distinct characteristics found only in the car pools. 

On the bus there will be a couple of sleepers and the occasional cell phone user, but we will typically enjoy one big group discussion. In Illinois that might be something like the brilliant decision of the Chicago Bears to let Alshon Jeffery walk away because his production was slipping. How did that work out for Philadelphia Eagles fans? (From a Bears fan to Philly: congratulations and you’re welcome!)

When carpooling, you must choose and choose wisely, for the choice of which vehicle to ride in may determine what kind of day you are about to have! Each carload will be unique, and you’d better be ready for a three-hour discussion about the Atlanta Braves bullpen, South Jersey politics, or the difference between the ESV and the NASB versions of the Bible! 

For example: 

Vehicle 1 - The Spiritual Vehicle: This is the car that will break down Calvinism and second-degree separation. Someone will be the Greek translator using Google and will try to figure out what Paul really meant when he talked about his thorn in the flesh. While this is an in depth Sunday School class moving at 70 mph, the riders in this vehicle will despise the riders in vehicle 3. 

Vehicle 2 - The Sleeping Vehicle: Everyone in this vehicle is out before we leave the parking lot. These guys will be groggy the whole day except for the driver- he will be all kinds of bitter about having to be awake and not having anyone to talk to. This is the vehicle that is most likely to forget their license or shoes in the car! 

Vehicle 3 - The Vehicle Full of 5th Graders: As soon as this car pulls into the prison lot, the riders stagger out laughing and giggling because they have been quoting lines from every Adam Sandler and Chris Farley movie of the late 90s. They have to be reminded between three and 47 times to pipe down as we are going through security. By the middle of the first game, they have an inside joke that they think is hilarious but no one else gets. 

Vehicle 4 - Sportstalk Radio Vehicle: This vehicle is a great vehicle to ride in…unless you don’t play fantasy baseball, or you haven’t followed the NBA in years, or you really don’t care who the third-string quarterback is at South Wisconsin County Wesleyan Community Welding College… This vehicle is full of armchair General Managers who will break down exactly where their favorite teams’ seasons went wrong. This vehicle will also erupt into nuclear war when the topic of whether or not Tim Tebow should be in the NFL comes up! 

I have sat in all four of the vehicles and have lived to tell about it! While buses are more efficient and are great for camaraderie, the carpools are an unmatched team building exercise on wheels!