Taylorville CC- "Field of Dreams"

 Now that I am 43 and have 3 kids ranging from 15-20, the meaning of the movie “Field of Dreams” means something different to me than it did when it first came out in 1989.  I used to think of it as an almost science fiction movie with lots of baseball history but the father-son dynamic hits me much, much harder now that I am older and my kids are older.  

This trip was going to be an emotional trip no matter what.  This was our first Illinois trip in almost three years so we were nervous and excited to see what would happen.  It was also the unexpected Saints debut of my oldest son, Ryne.  Ryne’s first Saints visit was a combination of us not only needing an extra guy but Ryne seeing an opportunity to serve the Lord.  It was a really fun day getting to experience all of that not only as a coach and missionary athlete but as a proud dad seeing his son serve the Lord.  

Once again, for the first time in nearly three years, we met as a team early last Saturday  morning and prayed as a team.  While several of us have served on Crusades during 2021, it was fun meeting together as the Illinois team again.  

We arrived at the prison and we were processed through.  It had rained quite a bit the night before so instead of playing on the prison yard softball field, we played on another field in the grass.  The grassy part was still pretty wet with quite a bit of standing water and this would come into play throughout the day!

I got to warm up and play catch with Ryne which was special.  I tried not to let the emotional part of the day get in the way of the task at hand, but it was a very special moment for me as a father.  

As we started the first game, guys were slipping and sliding while trying to run the bases.  I slipped several times trying to leave the batter’s box!  We lost a hard fought game one 25-23.  Despite the outcome, both teams had a lot of fun and there were several guys laughing and excited about the day!

In between games, Ray Koonce shared his testimony of how he came to know the Lord and I shared the Gospel message.  I preached from the passages in John 11 and John 12 talking about Caiphas and Mary.  This was the same passage I preached from during our trip to Indiana in June.  In this passage we see that Caiphas hated Jesus because He was in Caiphas’ way while Mary devoted everything she had to Jesus.  I made the point that if we want to follow Jesus, we need to be devoted to Him with everything we have. 

After the ministry time we circled up with the men and prayed with them before our lunch break.  

During our lunchtime, we were able to eat a meal with the inmates.  It was fun to introduce Ryne to ministering in prison over a meal.  

After our lunchtime, we went back out and played our second game of the day.  We played a little bit better and won the game!

After the game Jon Isbell shared his testimony about how God saved him and how God is at work in his life.  Brent Gerber shared the Gospel while preaching through parts of Romans.  

We once again circled up and prayed with the Taylorville team and crowd.  

Overall on the day we had 10 men indicate that they made decisions to follow the Lord and we handed out over 70 Gospels of John.  

Thank you to everyone who has not only prayed for this trip, but has been faithfully praying over the last several years as we have patiently waited for a chance to return to sharing the Gospel in Illinois prisons.  

Please pray for our team as we will be visiting Centralia CC and Vandalia CC on August 13th! 

Illinois Saints are going to Taylorville!

 

Illinois Saints Visit Taylorville!

The first pitch of the 2022 Illinois Saints Prison Ministry season is just hours away as we open our season at Taylorville CC. Every first visit of the year is fun but this one will be very special as it has been nearly three years since we have been to an Illinois prison. During our trip to Taylorville, we are scheduled to play four games and share the Gospel twice. Ray Koonce and Jon Isbell will be sharing their testimony. Brent Gerber and I will be sharing the Gospel. Please keep our team in prayer as we share the Gospel with the men on the yard! I will be sending out an update email next week with some updates about how the day went. (I am still working on the Indiana Crusade Updates, so hopefully I have those done by next week, too!) Thank you again for your support and for praying for the Saints Prison Ministry!

Inside the Mind of Gibby- Supply Chain Blues

Here’s the deal: when there is a nationwide shortage on random supplies, it is bound to catch up with everyone eventually. Despite the stockpile of toilet paper and ranch dressing that we have here in the Mind of Gibby headquarters, we find ourselves short overall on a few critical things. So, grab your Sam’s Club card and let’s go hunting for some much needed – and hard to find – things for our ministry!

Pencils – Ok, you didn’t expect to see this one, did you? We use pencils to have the men and women we visit fill out response cards, which in turn generates follow up packets, birthday cards and a newsletter. If we don’t have those graphite sticks, it is hard to capture that information. Are we low on pencils? Not yet, but at the rate they get left in hotels and vans, we should start looking now! That leads us to our next item…

Patience – I’ve been on several trips and have managed to test the patience of pretty much everyone I’ve come in contact with. Let’s face it, 2022 is a year that we will really need some patience. Maybe you have a rookie on the team who doesn’t pay attention to the 3rd base coach. You will need patience. Maybe your Crusade roommate snores like a Caterpillar D10 bulldozer. You need patience… and earplugs! Maybe you are the editor for the newsletter and the one guy who has a consistent column is three weeks overdue for his 500-word article. Let’s hope that guy has some patience!

Cattle – This item actually has us really nervous. We are an athletic ministry that refills our hungry missionary athletes on mostly cheeseburgers. If we can’t find cattle, we won’t have cheese or burgers! However, the most unnerving cattle shortage issue of all is having to explain to Butch Smith that we might not have ice cream on Crusades!

Honey Mustard Pringles – This isn’t ministry related, but I can’t find them on the shelves here. If you find some, please mail them to the Mind of Gibby office located at 2200 W Nebraska Ave, Peoria, IL 61604.

Rest on Crusades – I just came off an intense trip to Indiana. We were a little short on ballplayers so all of us who went got to play… a lot! By the end of the trip, we were all a little banged up and could have all used a little more rest. Thankfully, there isn’t anything to do in Indiana in the evenings, so we did manage to get some sleep!

A Few Good Men – Some of us, including me, are starting down the slippery slope we like to call “being over the hill.” We could use some fresh new legs to join the ministry to help us out on the long prison visits. Just in case you were wondering, we could use some mid-twenties athletes, in a size Mike Trout or Joel Embiid.

I’m not sure what the rest of 2022 will hold but if you happen to see any of these things while you are out and about, let us know!