God is so good and has blessed me and helped me grow so much over the last 7 years. This past Saturday I was in prison but the day was also special because it marked the 7th anniversary of my first trip to prison with the Saints Prison Ministry. When I left to go to Ohio and eventually walk through the doors of Toledo Correctional Institution, I had no idea that I would still be doing this 7 years later!
Tomorrow I will be leaving for Indianapolis, Indiana on what will be my 16th Crusade with the Saints Prison Ministry. I will be traveling with two of my teammates from the Illinois team and we will meet up with the rest of the team who will be traveling in from Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi.
As always, I would appreciate the prayer support for myself and the 15 other men who will be on the trip.
Here are a few very specific prayer requests for our team:
Traveling Mercies– Like I stated before, we have men traveling in from several states. Please pray for safety and that logistics would flow smoothly.
Team Unity– This is going to be a great group to be around this week but we will be spending over 100 straight hours together! Please pray that fellowship will be sweet and morale will be high as we serve together. This is perhaps the most veteran group of Saints I’ve ever been around and this will be a solid group to hang out with all week on and off the field!
Terre Haute Camp Team- Our Illinois team played the camp team in 2013 and they beat us up pretty badly. Please pray that we can return the favor to them this time around!
Team Performance– Of course I’m kidding about the Terre Haute Camp Team….
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 New Castle Correctional Facility on Saturday afternoon. Please keep me and the others in prayer and pray that God draws these men to Him!
Families– Each of the 16 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 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 given over the last several years! I’m looking forward to sharing the stories from this week!
