For the Last Time this Year!!- Robinson CC Preview

 In the early morning hours of November 2, 2016 I swore off being stressed out about baseball ever again but I have noticed it starting to creep back into my life.  It has been a roller coaster last couple of weeks on the North Side of Chicago as the Cubs have been battling the hard charging Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the Central division!  Their hitting has been streaky, their starters look tired, and the bullpen is banged up.  Every game since Labor Day has felt like a nail biter with every defeat being devastating.

Despite the injuries, the fatigue, and the pressure, the Cubs need to find a way to focus and win these next two games against the Cardinals this weekend so they can clinch the division.

246 miles south of Wrigley Field, our team will be heading to Robinson Correctional Center for our last visit of 2018.  This will be our 3rd visit to Robinson in the last 3 years.  This is also our longest trip of the year so we will all be up before 4 am.  It has been a long summer of softball and guys have sore arms and knees.   We will also be missing some key guys because of work schedules.  Despite those challenges, we need to focus, play hard, be bold, and share the Gospel during this visit.

Please keep our team in prayer as we will play 4 games and share the Gospel twice.  Our two newest players, Jon Isbell and Chris Onken, will be sharing their testimonies.  Robert Cook and Josh Frederick will be sharing the Gospel.  Please pray that God draws these men closer to Him!

Thank you for all of your support all season long and I am already looking forward to what may lie ahead in 2019!

Rainy Illinois and lots of Competitive Wiffleball!

 This last Saturday we met on a rainy morning to travel to Centralia Correctional Center.  It was early and rainy when we circled up to pray.  After we prayed, we boarded the bus and headed South towards Centralia.  While in route, we had an issue with our windshield wipers and we also had to stop to inspect a strange smell under the hood.  As we traveled, the rain kept getting worse and worse which made it clearer and clearer that we would not be playing softball.  By the time we arrived, we were only a little late but still late enough that it would affect our time with the inmates.

Enter creativity and experience!

When we arrived the prison staff told us that because of the rain, we would be in the gym playing wiffle ball.  We played and lost a shortened game.  After the game I shared the Gospel.  I had to modify and cut some of my message out but I was able to finish it shortly before the first group had to leave for lunch.

We had a little more time with the second group.  Most of the team and group had arrived but they were waiting on a couple of guys to show up for the game.  We were on a fixed 60 minutes to play the game and share the Gospel.  To make sure we got it in, we shared the Gospel with the crowd first.  Unfortunately we lost the 2nd game too.  Playing slow pitch wiffle ball in a tiny prison gym can humble some pretty good ballplayers in a hurry!

After the second game was over, we left for lunch and ate at the local Wendy’s.  After a few Baconators and a brief team meeting, we knew that we had to put on a better showing for the last game of the day.  We would be facing the All-Star team and would get a full 90 minutes to play ball and share the Gospel.  We held a 1-0 lead for the first five innings.  We eventually got up to a 3-0 lead but they came back and tied the game.  We lead again briefly and had the game in hand in the 9th inning.  They came back and tied it again in the bottom of the 9th.  We pushed 3 runs across in the top of the 10th and won a hard fought prison gym wiffle ball game!  After the game Jeremy Test shared his testimony and Mike Weaks shared the Gospel.

Overall on the day we handed out 55 Gospels of John and saw 7 men indicate that they made a decision to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.

We wrap up our season on September 29th at Robinson Correctional Center!  Thank you for your faithful support all season long!

Saints Visit Centralia Tomorrow!

 Well, it is 2:49 pm on Friday afternoon and it is raining outside.  I would guess we have received about 3” of rain the last two days.  That’s my best guess.  I don’t own a rain gauge.  Mostly because I’m not a farmer and I’m not over the age of 60.  What I do know is that rain and softball usually don’t go together…usually!  Tomorrow, rain or shine, we are heading to Centralia Correctional Center to play softball and share the Gospel.

Whether or not softball turns into wiffleball or basketball remains to be seen, but we are prepared to share the Gospel with a few different softball teams from Centralia.  Please keep us in prayer as we travel tomorrow.  This is one of our longest trips of the year.  Please keep those in prayer who will be speaking.  I am planning on sharing the Gospel along with Robert Cook, and Mike Weaks.  Please pray that we share the Gospel clearly and that God would draw men closer to Him!

Thank you for praying for our team all year!  It has been so encouraging to see God work in prison this summer!