Dear Friends and Family,
This has been an exciting week. I was able to get tickets and attend my first Cubs game in over a year. It was great to see the Wrigley Field marquee, it was nice to see the neighborhood buzzing around the ballpark, and it was refreshing to hear the organist playing before the game. As we walked through the turnstiles, we heard an usher say, “Welcome back to Wrigley Field!”. I actually had a few tears start to well up as I heard that. Wrigley Field holds a special place in my heart as it holds both several of my favorite memories of my childhood and adult life. It has been less than a week later and I find myself waiting to board a plane to Atlanta, GA. I am on my way to meet up with 13 brothers in the Lord as we will depart for Central Florida to visit and share the Gospel in 3 prisons. Being welcomed back to Wrigley Field was cool but being welcomed back to minister in prison is a real blessing and an answer to prayer.
Here are a few prayer requests for our team this coming weekend:
Traveling Mercies– There are 14 men going on this trip. Most of the team is from Georgia but I will be flying in from Peoria while another guy flies in from New Jersey. We will also spend quite a bit of time traveling by bus. We will not be using the Illinois Saints bus as it is quarantined because it tested positive…as in we’re positive we’re not taking it to Florida!
Please pray that transportation won’t be a hindrance to sharing the Gospel this week!
Team Unity– While everyone on this trip is a veteran missionary athlete, we all feel like rookies again as we get to finally go back in. This is a very excited and eager group of men and we will be spending several days together. Please pray that fellowship will be sweet and morale will be high as we serve together.
Team Performance– Full disclosure- this trip came up quick and the quarantine lifestyle hasn’t exactly put me in my best athletic shape. A few of my teammates would tell you the same thing. However, this is a really talented team that we have put together. Please pray that we are able to 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, legs, shoulders, knees, elbows, and backs as we go through the weekend!
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 don’t have an assigned speaking spot but please pray that I will have some one-on-one time in the yard and that I can share the Gospel and pray with the men. Also pray for me as I will be leading the team devotions each evening.
Families– Each of the 14 Missionary Athletes are leaving a family at home so they can minister this weekend. Please pray for all of the wives who have to brave work and parenting by themselves. I used to write this part of the email thinking of leaving my wife with a house full of small kids but these days my kids are old enough that they are driving themselves around and are pretty self-sufficient! Please pray for safety for our kids and for our wives as they minister at home!
Inmates– Most importantly, pray for the men that we will encounter as they are the purpose of this trip. Jesus says in Matthew 28:19a, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” He also says in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day”.
Please pray that God works in the inmate’s hearts and that they hear the Gospel and will see a need in their lives to follow Jesus. Softball is fun, the fellowship with other missionary athletes is precious, but sharing the Gospel behind the prison walls is why we are going. Please pray that our trip is fruitful for the Glory of God!
Thank you in advance for the prayer support and for all of the encouragement many of you have been over the last several years! This is the most excited I’ve been about a Saints trip in a long time. Lord willing, the wait will be over and we will be on the field this weekend!
I’m looking forward to sharing the stories from this trip!
Please keep checking my Facebook page for updates throughout the week!
