Saints Illinois Softball Team Wraps Up the Season Tomorrow! Saints Visit Robinson CC

Here we are at the end of our Saints Prison Ministry Illinois softball season. It has been quite the journey to get here but it has been so cool to see how God has worked this year. I appreciate all of the prayer support this season!

Tomorrow we are visiting Robinson CC in Robinson, IL. This will be our last IL visit of the year and the first visit to Robinson since 2019.

It is looking as though it will be a bit rainy so please pray that we can still get in and play either on the field or in the gym.

During our ministry time tomorrow morning, James Mast will be sharing his testimony and Kris Mettelmann will be sharing the Gospel. In the afternoon, Ray Koonce will be sharing his testimony and Josh Frederick will be sharing the Gospel.

After our visit on Saturday, I will be heading to Arizona on Wednesday for our Fall Crusade.  

Thank you again for supporting our team this season!

Early Mornings, Halftime Speeches, and Lots and Lots of Miles.. 9/14 Centralia CC and Vandalia CC Update

No one is too busy to tell you how busy they are, and that most certainly includes me as well!  It has been an interesting season of life.  Our Saints season is winding down, I was recently installed as an elder in my church, and I am leading our church’s youth group Sunday School class.  It is also marching band season and we are enjoying traveling to see our youngest son and the Marching Limestone Rockets compete across Central Illinois!  While things are crazy busy, it has been fun and a privilege to serve in these very different yet fulfilling ministries.  

We just recently started a study of 1 Peter in our youth group Sunday School class.  One of my favorite things about the way 1 Peter starts out is that it is almost like a halftime speech.  The Christians in the letter are going through persecution but Peter reminds them to keep going and to keep being faithful.  

This was a good thing to remember going into our visit on Saturday.  While we weren’t being persecuted by Romans, things didn’t quite go according to plan.  We were short a couple of guys, we essentially skipped breakfast and lunch, and we were on a time crunch all day trying to go between facilities and beat the clock for shift change at the end of the day. 

God was faithful and provided for our team all day.  We had safe travel, were allowed into both facilities, and were allowed to share the Gospel.  I also appreciated our team's faithfulness to the ministry. They gutted through a tough day of travel and having to roll with the punches with a couple of guys missing.  

This past Saturday we met at 4:15 am so that we could load up the van and pray before making the three hour drive south to Centralia.  In order to save some time, we decided to skip our morning breakfast stop and enjoy a breakfast of donuts, bananas, and beef jerky.  We arrived on time at the prison.  After some initial confusion, the staff at the front gate verified that we were supposed to be there and got us in contact with our guide for the day.  

We played two games against two different teams.   Being short on players, we had to sign up a few guys from the prison to play with us on our team.  We won the first game in pretty convincing fashion.  

In between games, Hunter Stewart shared his testimony.  Hunter is the youngest guy on our team and I appreciate his heart for the ministry.  After Hunter shared his testimony, Josh Frederick shared the Gospel.  Josh shared about how Jesus healed the paralytic lowered through the roof. Josh brought up that the paralytic’s biggest problem wasn't the fact that he was paralyzed, it was that he was a sinner in need of a Savior.  

After our ministry time, we sprung back into our second game.  We won the second game but maybe not quite as easily as the first.  

We circled up after the game quickly because we were on the clock to get to our next prison.  We have out an award book to the MVP of the inmate team and some award books to the umpires.  

Overall during our time at Centralia CC, we handed out 28 Gospels of John and saw 7 men make a profession of faith.  

After we got out of Centralia, we loaded up and started driving to Vandalia CC.  We skipped our traditional meal stop for lunch to make up some travel time.  We arrived at Vandalia on time and got checked in.  The chaplain met us at the front gate and led us to the field.  We borrowed some players again to help fill out our team and we got out to a good lead in game 1 but had trouble putting the game away.  We lost a shortened 4 inning game in game 1.  

In between games, Brent Gerber shared his testimony.  Brent has been on our team since we started in 2012 and has been an important part of our team throughout the years.  

After Brent shared his testimony, Robert Cook shared the Gospel.  I missed part of Rob’s presentation because I was talking to an inmate by our bench but I appreciate Rob’s enthusiasm for sharing the Gospel and talking with the guys in the yard.  

We played the second game and couldn’t quite score enough runs as we lost another short 4 inning game.  It stinks to lose but it was fun watching the prison celebrate a win.  

Overall on the day at Vandalia CC , we handed out 85 Gospels of John and saw 13 men make a profession of faith.   

By the time we got out of Vandalia, we were all pretty beat up and we hadn’t really had a true meal all day.  We started our drive home with our courses set on one of our favorite team restaurants, D’arcy’s Pint.  D’arcy’s is famous for their horseshoe sandwiches.  They were actually featured on the show “Man vs. Food” before.  It was nice to share a meal as a team before finishing our drive home.

We are a little over a week away from our final Illinois visit of the season. I appreciate the encouragement and prayer support our team has received all season. 

Fall Ball!- Saints Visit Centralia CC and Vandalia CC Tomorrow!

Editor’s Note - My son Joe is currently at 50% of his support goal for the Arizona trip. If you would like to contribute either financially or if you would like to pray for the trip, please click here.


Dear Friends and Family,

School is back in full swing. In our house that means marching band competitions and Friday night football games. The NFL has started up again and for us that means Chicago Bears football and lots and lots of low expectations! The summer is almost over and that means our 2024 Saints Prison Ministry season is winding down quickly.

We are down to our final two Saints Saturdays on our Illinois schedule. Tomorrow we hit the road again for Centralia CC and Vandalia CC. This will be our 6th time visiting each facility.

Hunter Stewart will be sharing his testimony and Josh Frederick will be sharing the Gospel during our morning time at Centralia. Brent Gerber will be sharing his testimony and Robert Cook will be sharing the Gospel during the afternoon session at Vandalia.

Please pray that we are bold with sharing the Gospel in both of the prisons we go to. Please pray that God works in the hearts of the men that we see and that they see a need to repent and follow the Lord!


My son, Joe Gibson, is going on his first Saints trip next month! Here is a link to my blog on how you can support him and pray for him.

PRAISES

• We are down to our last two visits of our season. We have made visits to Southwestern IL CC, PIttsfield WC, Jacksonville CC, Taylorville CC, and FCI Pekin, Danville CC, and IL River CC. So far this year we have handed out 772 Gospels and had 113 men make a profession of faith.
• Our Colorado Crusade went really well.  We handed out 888 Gospels and had 53 men make professions of faith!
• So far no dates have been missed due to staffing issues.
• My Achilles tendon recovery is complete and I am back on the field with no restrictions! I’m a little sore after some games but I’m really close to being back to full strength.
• I leave for Arizona on 10/1 for a five day trip to visit several prisons across the state.
• My son, Joe, is joining me on this trip. I’m really excited to get to play softball and minister with him!
• I was recently voted in as an elder at my church. My church family has been very supportive and I’m looking forward to serving them in this role!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for the men who made decisions to follow the Lord so far this year.
• Pray for the men who already know the Lord in prison and that He would send people to encourage these men.
• Pray for the hearts of the inmates we will see this summer. Pray that God draws their hearts to Himself.
• Pray for the Arizona trip. Pray for the men we will see and that the administration of each prison allows us to still visit.
• Please continue to pray that we are still able to get into each facility despite staffing issues at the prisons.
• Pray for the hearts of our own missionary athletes and that we are bold in our prayer lives and bold sharing the Gospel this summer.

 

Arizona Bound in October!- Joe Gibson Support Letter

I have had several special moments while serving with the Saints Prison Ministry but nothing tops getting to take my oldest son Ryne into prison. It was a blessing to see him step out of his comfort zone and share the Gospel with men who were locked up.

In a few weeks, I have the opportunity to take my middle son, Joe to Arizona for a Saints Prison Ministry Crusade. I am so excited to get to do this and I’m looking forward to the trip.

Here is Joe’s support letter for the trip. Please pray for us as we prepare to go and minister!

If you have any questions about how you can help support him, let me know.

Dear friends and family,

I am going on my first trip with the Saints Prison Ministry (www.saintsprisonministry.org) in October! The Saints use sports to share the Gospel with incarcerated men across the country. My dad has been volunteering with the Saints since 2011 and this will be my first time volunteering with him.

Our team of missionary athletes will be traveling to Arizona from October 1st-6th. We will be playing slow pitch softball and sharing the Gospel in a few prisons across the state.

As a Saints missionary athlete, I am asking for your support in two areas.  

1. I need to establish a team of people who will pray for me, the Saints team, and the inmates to whom we will be ministering. This is the most important area that I need help in and it is a huge encouragement to me and the rest of the teams when you pray for us!

2. I personally need to raise $1,200 of support for travel expenses, literature, inmate study materials, and softball equipment for my trip.

I would ask you to prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible donation to help support my trip.

There are two different ways you can donate:

1. Write a check made out to the Saints Prison Ministry and mail it to Saints Prison Ministry, PO Box 681, Moorestown, NJ 08057.

2. Make a donation online:


● Head to saintsprisonministry.org/donate and click on “Donate Now”

● Under Donation Categories check “Crusade Support”

● Click on the fund drop down menu and select “Arizona 2024”

● Click on the sub-fund drop down menu and select “Gibson, Joe”

● Fill in information and click Submit

Thanks again for your support, and Go Saints Go!!


In Christ,

Joseph Gibson

Runs, Hits, and Errors...8/24 Follow up to IL River CC

During my last post I made a significant math/geography error.  I mentioned that I had traveled over 5,000 miles between our trip to Danville CC to Colorado.  

That wasn't correct.  

That wasn't even close.  

After double-checking my math, after pressing send on the last email, it turns out that was only around 2,500 round trip miles.  Somehow my brain doubled the number.  You can blame my mistake on the brain fog from the busy part of the season or you can blame it on the Limestone Community High School education...

Nevertheless and with all of that being said, on 8/24 we made our 2nd shortest trip of the year to Illinois River CC in Canton, IL!

We met up at the Bartonville Hardee's for breakfast and prayer.  We then made the 35 minute drive to IL River Correctional.  

We made it through security and made our way out to the prison yard softball field.  We saw about 50 guys in the prison yard and they made up the three teams that we would see play.  We played the first team and the game started out as a fairly competitive game but we eventually pulled away and won big.  

We then had our ministry time.  Rookie AJ Salmon shared his testimony of how he came to know the Lord and Kyle Krall shared the Gospel from John chapter 3. 

After our ministry time, we started the 2nd game and got out to a big lead before breaking for lunch.  Anytime we go to IL River, they bring lunch out to the prison yard and we have an opportunity to eat with the men in the yard.  We enjoyed some cheeseburgers out in the yard.  AJ and I sat with some guys at a picnic table during lunch.  One of the things that one of them talked about was being seen as a bad person by their family and that they thought they were a good person.  I knew what they meant by this but this is actually a message that I heard a couple of times from a few different men that day.  We had an opportunity to tell them that there isn't anyone who is good and that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  The result of our sin is being at odds with a perfect and holy God and that we all deserved His wrath.  However, He sent His Son to take that wrath and that by putting our faith in Him, we can be saved.  We had some good conversations about that over our lunch.  

After our lunch was over, we finished the second game and won very easily.  We broke again for our ministry time.  Kris Mettelmann shared his testimony and I shared the Gospel from John 11 and 12.  

We played one more game. It was a little closer, but we pulled out a victory.  

After the last game was over, we huddled up with the men one more time and encouraged them to get things right with the Lord.  We prayed with the guys and made our way back out of the prison.  

We huddled up in the parking lot after we got out and talked about some of the conversations we had during the day.  It is always cool to hear how God worked throughout the prison yard during the day.  

We left the prison and made a quick stop at the local Casey's for some Gatorades, water, and snacks.  

Overall on the day we handed out 57 Gospels and saw 10 men make professions of faith.  

We are down to our last two visits of the IL season.  Our next visit is Saturday, September 14th as we go to Centralia CC and Vandalia CC.  Our last visit of the season will be to Robinson CC on September 28th.  

I will be traveling to Arizona the first weekend of October as well as my son Joe for the Saints fall Crusade.  

Please pray for these last few visits of 2024.  It's been a long year, but I appreciate all of the prayer support and the encouragement along the way. 

The Start of a Good Crusade!- Colorado Crusade Day 1 Update

Ministering inside a women’s prison was not what I signed up for when I started with the ministry 13 years ago.  When the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility showed up on our Crusade itinerary, I was very surprised.  To cut to the chase, the day was very different and much more weird than anything we have done before and my comfort level was most certainly tested. 

This women’s facility wanted to be added to our schedule.  Our director told them that our men's softball teams really only minister and play softball against men’s prisons.  The prison responded with, “The message that you’re sharing is still valuable to the women, right?”  Our director saw this as an opportunity to share the Gospel with this prison and added them to our schedule knowing that this would be a unique experience.  

All of us probably know a young lady who ruined her life, relationships, and motherhood because of trouble with drugs, alcohol, and jail/prison.  I can think of a few young women in my life who have done that and I wish these women would have had an opportunity to hear the Gospel and be reminded that they are loved by an infinite God.  While this visit was outside of my comfort zone, I thought of some of the women in my life who could have used a message of hope in their lives and I was glad that we shared the Gospel with these women.  

This trip was my 23rd Saints Prison Ministry Crusade.  This was also my first Crusade since getting injured last fall.  I was excited to wake up and get to the airport.  We flew out of Peoria and after a very quick connection in Chicago, we made our way to Denver, Colorado.  

In addition to our two Illinois guys, our team had guys flying in from Wisconsin, New Jersey, Georgia, and West Virginia.  We met at the airport and had a quick meal and the local In and Out Burger nearby the prison.  We arrived at the prison and made it through security.  We then walked through the prison compound to the softball field where we met the men and women that we would be playing that day.  The team was made up of several women who were residents at the prison and a few men who were residents of another local prison.  

The field was made up entirely of gravel but that didn’t stop several of the residents from sliding into bases and crashing around the field.  We played two games were more fun than competitive.

In between the games, Jon Isbell from the Illinois team shared his testimony of how he came to know the Lord. Jim Jefferson from the New Jersey team shared the Gospel. JJ was also our coach and team coordinator for the week and He preached a very clear Gospel message. JJ was one of my first teammates when I made my first trip in 2011. He has been an incredible friend and mentor during my time with the ministry.

Overall on the day, we handed out 60 Gospels and had 7 people make a profession of faith.  

After our game, we made a gas station stop to get some Gatorade and snacks before hitting the road for a long drive through the mountains to Rifle, Colorado.  The drive was long but it was incredible driving through the mountains and seeing the beauty of creation.  Once we made it to our hotel in Rifle, we got cleaned up and had some dinner at a local BBQ place.  

While we were at the restaurant and while we were waiting on our food, we gathered for our team devotions.  JJ did the team devotions out of Luke during the week.  The first devotion was from Luke 19:1-10.  This passage is about Zacchaeus showing interest in Jesus and how Jesus made the relationship personal and intentionally spent time with Zacchaeus.  JJ challenged us on how we should be intentional and personal with those in our lives when it comes to sharing the Gospel.  

After dinner, we got to get some rest from a very fun and unique first day of the trip!  

Split Squad Games and Crazy Chickens- Colorado Crusade Day 2 Update

One of the benefits of having 16 guys on a trip is having flexibility for outside-of-the-box opportunities. One of these opportunities was dividing and conquering!  For the second day of the trip we had opportunities to visit two different prisons so we split up into two different teams for the day. We took 8 guys to Rifle CC and the other 8 guys went to Delta CC. I was on the Rifle team.

The drive to the facility was incredible with all of the mountains surrounding the prison. We checked into the facility and waited for word to head to the prison softball field.  While we were being processed in, we found out that they had three inches of rain at the prison overnight. The prison maintenance team had attempted to prepare the field by having a Caterpillar backhoe level out the mud on the field. Unfortunately, the tractor got stuck, and, by the time they got it out, it left some huge muddy ruts in the infield. They made a few more attempts at getting the field cleaned up, but the field was deemed unplayable.  

The residents at the prison used some spray paint and made a diamond in the outfield. We played a very competitive game and won. In between games Warren Miller from the New Jersey team shared his testimony of how he came to know the Lord. Warren shared how the Lord worked in his marriage and how He helped him process his first wife's death and how the Lord has worked in his marriage to his current wife. Warren was one of my first teammates when I first participated in the ministry in 2011. He is a former minor league infielder from the Yankees and Red Sox systems. He is 83 years old, still loves the game and plays really well. I love picking his brain about baseball history and the fundamentals of the game. After Warren shared his testimony, Bruce Buri from Wisconsin shared the Gospel with the men. Bruce has been part of the Saints for several years but he also coaches the Brother Bob’s Outreach team in Wisconsin. Brother Bob’s runs a very similar ministry to what we do with the Saints.  Bruce is a really good friend despite being a huge Green Bay Packers fan!

After our sharing time was over, we started a second game but that game was cut short so we could break for lunch.

We were able to eat with the men during lunch. They served hot dogs and fries. I ate lunch with one of the residents who was a chaplain assistant. He talked about some of the programs that he was involved in. I wasn't entirely sure where he stood with the Lord but he was a confessing believer and he was excited about the different chapel programs in the church.

After our meal, we completed the game we started before we broke for lunch. After the game was over, Tom McKelvey from New Jersey shared his testimony of how he came to know the Lord. Tom’s story is a powerful one and it resonated with the men in the yard. After Tom spoke, I shared the Gospel from John 11 and John 12.

We played one more game and won again. Overall on the day at Rifle, we handed out 54 Gospels and had 8 men make a profession of faith.

Meanwhile, while we were at Rifle CC, our other team was at Delta CC. They played three games, handed out 88 Gospels and had 11 men make professions of faith in the Lord.

Our team left Rifle and traveled to our hotel in Salida. That was a 3 hour and 20 minute drive. The Delta team had a 4 hour and 39 minute drive. Both of these drives were grueling but it was still good to enjoy the time with teammates and see the beautiful mountain ranges in western Colorado. Along the way, our team stopped at a place in Minturn, Colorado called the Crazy Chicken. We enjoyed some chicken wings and some fun team conversations around the table!

Both teams arrived back at the hotel very beat up from a long day of softball and driving. We had gotten messages back from both prisons letting us know how grateful they were that we visited and how hard it is for them to get outside groups to come that far. I'm glad the Lord provided safety for travel and an opportunity to share the Gospel!

No One is Good Enough-Colorado Crusade Day 3 Update

One of the unofficial mantras of the ministry is "Whatever it takes."  Often times whatever it takes looks like driving all the way to Rifle CC and Delta CC or going to a women's prison.  I have been on trips where we have played six games in a day and have had to be in uniform and ready to go before 4 am.  

Fortunately, the third day of our visit gave us a slight degree of rest from the extremes.  We didn't have to leave the hotel until 7:30 am so we had time to get sleep and eat a good breakfast before another full day.  We had a much shorter drive to the prison so we were well rested with only minor bumps and bruises from the two previous days of softball!  

We visited Buena Vista CF.  They had a minimum and a medium unit.  We visited the minimum unit first.  We played two very non-competitive games but we had a good time with the guys we saw.  In between games, David Cogliano shared his testimony with the crowd.  Cogs is one my best friends in the ministry.  We have been on several trips together over the years and it has been a blessing to have been his teammate for so long!  

After Cogs shared the Gospel, Jimmy Cochran shared the Gospel.  Jimmy is the full-time director of team operations with the ministry.  We have been on several Crusades together over the years and it is always fun to serve with him.  

After the sharing time, I talked to a couple of guys in the bleachers.  One thing I have run into a lot lately is people who say they are ok with God because they are good enough.  I got to share the message that no one is good enough to make things right for the sin that we have in our lives and it took God sending His Son to die on a cross for us to satisfy God's justice for our sins.  Please pray for the guys that we see and that God makes that clear to these men.  Please pray that God sends other teams and churches to preach this message to these guys in prison.  

After our second game, we got to go inside to a chapel/activities room and wait for lunch.  We had about an hour wait so we had plenty of time to talk, stretch, and rest.  We then came back out to the yard and we were served some burgers and hot dogs that they had grilled for us and the men who participated in the games.  Sometimes prison food can be sketchy to put it mildly but we enjoyed some good prison food on this trip.  

Overall on the day on the minimum side we handed out 103 Gospels and saw 7 men make professions of faith.  

After lunch, we loaded back in the van and headed to the medium unit.  We played on a very large softball field.  The bases were close to 90 feet apart like an actual baseball field.  The team had been practicing all day getting ready for us so they were a confident team and games were more competitive.  

We started out playing a very competitive back and forth game but we eventually pulled away and won.  

In between games, Tom Carberry shared his testimony.  Tom and I have known each other since 2012.  We both started in the ministry about the same time and have enjoyed several special moments serving together.  After Tom shared his testimony, Jim Jefferson shared the Gospel.  

During the Gospel sharing time, I talked with a guy named Larry who was a Vietnam veteran.  Larry shared that he didn't have anywhere to live once he got out of prison and that he had a strained relationship with his family.  David Cogliano, who is also a veteran, and I prayed with Larry and shared the Gospel with him.  Guys having nowhere to go is a common problem so please pray for Larry and his situation as he will be getting out soon.  

Overall on the day on the medium side, we handed out 104 Gospels and had 7 men indicate that they had made a profession of faith.  

After we left the facility, we went back to the hotel.  Once we got cleaned up, we had our devotion time.  During our devotion time we went through Luke 10:25-37.  This is the story of the good Samaritan.  We talked about how we are willing to share the Gospel with guys in prison but it is harder in our neighborhoods and places of employment.  We challenged each other to be bold and share the Gospel with others in our lives, even when it is hard.  

After our devotion time, we went to a local pizza place for dinner and had some ice cream afterwards.  Our team meals are special and it is fun to sit with teammates and talk about how God is working in each others lives.  We then got some ice cream before heading back to our hotel for the evening.  

Historical Prisons and Puntable Laptop Computers- 2024 Colorado Crusade Day 4 Update

I had the update written for day 4 but somehow, someway, my blog software deleted it while I was trying to copy and paste.  I have to admit that I was ready to fix the computer with a hammer before realizing that this is totally a first world problem...

As I get ready to write this a second time, I really want to paint the picture of just how cool and historic one of the prisons was that we got to see on this trip.  

The first prison we went to on the fourth day of our trip was Territorial CF in Canon City, Colorado.  

The prison was built in 1871 and called Territorial CF because it was built when Colorado was still a territory instead of a state.  

The prison was built into a mountain and there is limestone rock surrounding it. The softball field had rock walls and was surrounded by the mountain. The buildings were very old but well maintained and filled with history.  This is definitely one of the most interesting and historical prisons I have ever been to! 

We left our hotel at 6:30 am and made our way to Territorial CF.  We arrived on time and went through the security process.  We made the long walk to the field.  Like I mentioned earlier, the field was incredible.  

For our first game, we played a really good team who was ready for us.  We scored over 30 runs but they managed to score over 40.  

In between games, Kirk Smith shared the Gospel and his son Cole Smith shared his testimony.  I have known Kirk for several years and he has always been an incredible teammate who interacts well with the men that we see in the prison yards.  His son, Cole did a great job all week.  It is always fun to see the younger guys do well when they go on these trips, and Cole played hard and ministered with intention all week long.  

During the ministry time, I was handing out literature and talking to guys on the prison walking track.  We had several good conversations with guys out there.  

We played our second game and pulled out a victory before we left!  

Overall during our time at Territorial CF, we handed out 111 Gospels of John and had 3 men indicate that they made a profession of faith.  

After we left Territorial, we ran to the local gas station for a quick "meal".  Usually when we do this, we are strapped for time.  The next prison we were going to was 15 minutes away.  My lunch consisted of an Arizona tea and a Nutrageous candy bar!

Our next prison was in a big complex that has six different prisons. Our prison was Fremont CF.  We made it through security and made our way out to the field.  There were 350 guys in the yard when we got there and that was the biggest crowd that we saw on our trip.  

The team that we were playing looked very similar to the Territorial team that we just faced.  The game was competitive at the beginning, but we eventually pulled away and won easily.  

In between games, Tom McKelvey shared his testimony and Andy Solomon shared the Gospel.  Andy and I have been on several Crusades together.  He and I started in the ministry about the same time and he does a great job with sharing the Gospel clearly with men in the yard.  

While they were sharing behind the microphone, I had an opportunity to hand out literature around the yard.  I am a Chicago Bears fan and I got in a fun conversation with some Broncos fans about the misfortunes of having Jay Cutler as a quarterback!  We also had some good conversations with guys in the weight room and in the basketball courts.  

After the ministry time, we played our last game of the trip and won.  We circled up with the men one last time to pray with them and encourage them to get things right with the Lord.  

Overall on the day at Fremont CF, we handed out 368 Gospels and had 10 men indicate that they put their faith in the Lord.  

After a quick snack/Gatorade stop, we made our way to Colorado Springs for the evening.  We got cleaned up and went out for our last team meal.  One of the program directors for the Colorado Department of Corrections joined us for dinner.  Our team meals are special because we spend time teasing each other but we also encourage each other to love our families and the Lord more.  

After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel and had our last team devotion of the trip.  JJ once again took us through Luke as we parked in Luke 5.  

We got to bed at a reasonable time because the next day was an early travel day.  

Our travel day was uneventful, which was good!  We made it back to Peoria on time and without any issues.

Overall on our trip we handed out 888 Gospels and had 53 people make a profession of faith!

I am looking forward to our final two Illinois visits and our Crusade in October.  I am really looking forward to the October trip because my son, Joe will be going on it with me!

Thank you again to everyone who has supported the ministry so faithfully over the years.  I am so blessed to get to continue to do this!