One of the keys to beating an Ohio team is to have Michael Jordan heat a dagger of jump shot over Craig Ehlo with three seconds left.
Another key to beating an Ohio team is to just let the Alabama Crimson Tide play them!
Of course, my favorite key to beating an Ohio team is to have Ben Zobrist hit a clutch double down the left line in the greatest baseball game ever played!
However the key to beating an Ohio prison softball team is…unknown to me!
We ventured out Saturday morning for our last day of the trip. On the field this trip had not gone the way we planned and that is always a tough pill to swallow. We are there for the ministry but we do want to do the best we can on the field and earn the respect of our opponents. However, this was a great mix of guys from across each part of the ministry in terms of geography. It was a fun mix and I really enjoyed hearing our guys boldly proclaim the Gospel on and off the field all week.
We took the field against another good Ohio prison team. Once again we hit pretty good but not good enough to keep up with Allen-Oakwood as they hit several home runs. We ended up losing both of the games. In between games, David “Cogs” Cogliano shared his testimony and Wes Brown shared the Gospel. During that time, I was able to go around the compound area and hand out literature.
After the second game we were able to eat lunch with the inmates in the chow hall. I sat down with a guy that had played in the game. I’m not completely sure where he stands with the Lord but we talked about the Gospel. He talked about how hard it was to be religious in prison and how much pressure there is to not appear weak. I have heard that several times before over the years. Pray that the Gospel reveals a need to have Jesus as Savior and Lord but also pray that guys see Jesus as more beautiful than pride.
I talked to another guy who claimed to have a pretty wild life as a drug runner in the 70’s. I have a feeling that he might have been totally honest with me but I let him tell me his story which included lots of drugs, international travel, and rock and roll. We talked about the consequence of sin and we talked about what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He thought that what we did was a good thing but really didn’t have any interest in the Gospel. Please keep this guy in prayer and that God breaks his heart and draws him closer to Himself.
We played our third and final game of the trip and we took another tough defeat. After the game, Craig Finger shared his testimony and Jon Isbell shared the Gospel. Overall on the day, we handed out 318 Gospels and saw 9 men make professions of faith.
After the games we made it back to our hotel and enjoyed some pizza and wings in the breakfast area of the hotel. We wrapped up our 1 Peter devotions time and got to hang out one last time as a team.
Once again, thank you to everyone who supported us on this trip. Overall on this trip, we handed out 740 Gospels and had 41 men make professions in Christ.
I am looking forward to what the Lord does in 2023!
