"One Thousand Miles from Nowhere..."- 6/28 Robinson CC Follow Up

To quote the great poet and Grammy winning country music artist, Dwight Yoakam, our team was “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere” on Saturday.....or, at least like it sure felt like it.

The trip was 364 miles round trip and there were lots of two-lane country roads…so many two-lane country roads!

We passed by small town after small town as we traveled.

We weren’t technically lost while driving, but there was winding backroad, after winding backroad. As I was driving, the impending doom of possibly being lost and having to tell the team that neither I nor the Google maps knew how to drive in incredibly rural Eastern Illinois!

Fortunately, after navigating a few gravel roads, countless corn fields, one Dollar General nowhere near civilization, and a one-lane bridge, we made it to the prison and on time!

Most of us started the day around 3:30 AM and made our way to the Morton McDonald’s. Our very sleepy Saints team gathered around and prayed for the day before taking off for Robinson. Praying before our visits is important. It is always encouraging to hear our Missionary Athletes pray for the Lord to work in the hearts of the men we will see and to appeal for mercy and wisdom for our team as we share the Gospel.  

We started the long drive to Robinson. Once again, this was a really, really long drive!

After a couple of quick stops, we made it to the prison on time. We made it through the security and quickly made it across the compound and onto the field.

There were 18 guys out on the prison yard and we got to spend the entire day with them.

We played one game in the morning and pulled out a win. Usually I don’t gush over our softball results too much but we caught one of their fastest guys in a rundown. Usually it should take 1-2 throws to tag a runner out, but this guy was fast! After a few throws, our right center fielder, Hunter Stewart, alertly ran all the way in from the outfield, and was the fielder that took the final throw of the play, successfully tagging the runner out!

In between games, we had our time to share the Gospel. Brent Gerber shared his testimony of how he came to know the Lord. I appreciate Brent’s testimony and his dedication to the team since we started in 2012.

After Brent shared his testimony, Kyle Krall shared the Gospel. Kyle shared a really good message from John 3:16.

After our ministry time, we had a few moments to pray with some of the guys. I prayed with a guy who would be going home soon. This guy made a profession of faith but the Lord is the only one who knows where he is at. Please pray for him as he heads home and hopefully gets plugged into a good church.

I talked to another guy who was also getting out soon. He made a profession of faith as well. Please pray that God gets him into the temporary facility he needs while he gets acclimated to living outside the prison again. Also pray that God gives him a church family to help him grow as well.

After the completion of our ministry time, we headed in for lunch. We ate in the staff dining hall. It was fun sitting together as a team and sharing stories of Saints trips in years gone by. We talked about our first trip to FCI Greenville, we talked about famous people we have met at the airport while traveling to and from Saints Crusades. We talked about the tough competition that we have faced over the years from Kentucky prisons and the joy/dread for some of us to go back in August.

After lunch we walked back out to the prison softball field. The resident softball players were heckling us about not being able to play after eating a meal and they actually got out to an early lead, but we came storming back and won fairly easily!

After the game Jon Isbell shared his testimony. Jon has been on our team for several years and is also a teammate on our Federal Team.

I followed up by sharing the Gospel with the men from John 12. Since it was the same group, I slightly modified it to make it shorter but I was glad they got to hear the Gospel again.

We then played one more game and mixed the teams up for a quick 3 inning one pitch game which was fun and gave us a different angle on the camaraderie.

After that game, we huddled up on the pitcher’s mound and handed out some MVP awards. We had one last moment to remind them about the Gospel and truth that was shared with them. After that, we prayed with them before departing for the long drive home.

After we prayed with the men, I had one younger guy approach me and tell me about the struggle he was having with his faith and the sad upbringing he had coming up in the foster system and the hypocrisy he saw from people who claimed to be Christian. This is always a tough thing to answer. I told him that people are always going to fail him, but the God of the Bible is perfect and wants to have a relationship with him. I told him that this world is tainted by sin, but the Lord is perfect and holy and made a way to save him. Please pray for this young man. I’m not sure I said all of the right things but I encouraged him to dig into His Word and to write the ministry with any other further questions he might have.

Overall on the day we handed out 18 Gospels of John and five men made professions of faith.

We then got back in the van and started our trip back towards Champaign. For some reason the trip home seemed extra long and the roads seemed extra windy, but, eventually, we got back on I-74 and made our way to the Champaign Buffalo Wild Wings for some chicken wings, some good conversations, some good brotherly harassment, and some talk about what could have been with the 2008 Chicago Cubs and what could be with the 2025 Chicago Bears!

Thank you again for taking the time to pray for our team this season. It feels like we just got started but we are heading towards the “All-Star-Break” point of the season on 7/19. After that visit we are down to our final three Illinois prison games of 2025.

Our Federal team heads out again on 7/25.

I mentioned this earlier, but we are heading to Kentucky for a 5 day trip in August! Please pray for the men we will see and please pray for the group that is heading out there.

Thank you again for your support, encouragement, and prayers!

National Logistics Day and a Long Trip to Robinson, IL is this Saturday! Saints Visit Robinson CC on Saturday!

I’m pretty sure some of you were wondering about this, but Saturday is “National Logistics Day”.

Logistics is very important and it is ironic because it landed on a Saints day. I'll be honest with you, these trips just don’t plan themselves!

By all accounts, arriving at the prison by 8:30 am is a reasonable request. But let’s factor in a starting point three hours away. Let’s also factor in the number of breakfast places that are open while we are traveling in the early hours of the morning. Let’s not forget that we need to bring supplies, softball equipment, and literature. One item of note is the lack of gas stations with bathrooms nearby Robinson, IL. Logistics is quite a hurdle when it comes to making a Saints trip.

Transportation will play a role which is also convenient because Saturday is also “National Insurance Day”! That isn’t such a big deal now because we got rid of THAT bus a few years ago…

So, have a Happy National Logistics Day on Saturday! And a Happy National Insurance Day for that matter. With all of the variables that go into a day, there will be opportunities to grow as a team, persevere, practice patience, and have some laughs as a team…which is appropriate because Saturday is also Mel Brooks birthday!

This Saturday, our Saints Prison Ministry Illinois softball team is going to Robinson Correctional Center in Robinson, IL for a day of playing slow pitch softball and sharing the Gospel. This is one of our longer trips of the year.

Brent Gerber will be sharing his testimony during the morning session and Kyle Krall will be sharing the Gospel.

Jon Isbell will be sharing his testimony during the afternoon session and I will be sharing the Gospel.

Pray that God draws the men we see tomorrow to Himself! Please pray that the prison has no staffing issues and we are still allowed to go.

I am really looking forward to writing about how the day goes on Saturday!

PRAISES

• Our season is off to a really good start!
• We have completed two IL visits to IL River and Taylorville
• Our Federal team completed their first visit of the year to Texas
• Our new guys are learning the ministry and have contributed in big ways this year
• We have met our needed financial goal for our Illinois team!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Please pray for the 24 men who have made professions of faith during our IL visits this year
• Please pray for the 60 men who made professions of faith during our Federal Prison trip to Texas earlier this month.
• 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 the inmates we will see this summer. Pray that God draws their hearts to Himself.
• 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.

FCI Texarkana

FCI Texarkana

FCI Texarkana

Rookie Q and A! Joe Gibson's Follow Up on the 6/7 Taylorville CC Visit

One of the cool things about the 2025 season is that I am on two different Saints teams- The Illinois softball team and the new Federal Team.  One of the drawbacks is that there will occasionally be some scheduling conflicts.  The Federal Team was in Texas the same time our Illinois team was at Taylorville CC.  

I made the trip to Texas but, my son Joe Gibson was at Taylorville.  I sat down with Joe to get some of his thoughts about the visit.  Instead of writing a big long article about the visit, we decided to do a Q and A version of how the day went.

Warm Up Questions

Favorite Superhero:  Captain America

Favorite Baseball Player Growing Up:  Anthony Rizzo

Favorite Memories of Playing Baseball Growing Up:  Hitting an inside the park home run on Diamond #1 at the Christian Center.  

Favorite Memory of going to an MLB Game:  Sitting in a luxury suite at Wrigley Field (Jake Arrieta was pitching that day!)

Favorite Pizza:  Pizza Hut-Stuffed Crust- Pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms

Who is Dad's Favorite Son?:  The cat

What are Your Plans this Fall?:  I am attending Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, IA.  I will be going for a one year certificate in Biblical Worldview.  

Favorite Video Game:  Minecraft

Favorite Baseball Video Game:  Mario Baseball

Baseball Player You Want to Meet Someday:  Tim Dillard

First Saints Crusade Questions

Where was Your First Saints Trip?:  FCI Safford in Arizona.  It was hot that day!  I got a hit in my first at bat.  I scored later that inning but I tripped over my shoes while crossing home plate and I slid in awkwardly.  

We Spend an Evening in Tombstone Before that Visit.  What was your Favorite Memory?:  Enjoying the history and atmosphere of the town.  Seeing the reenactment and watching my teammates get involved with the show was hilarious!

What was the Most Impactful Conversation you had on that Trip?:  My dad and I had a few minutes to talk to the prison drummer.  My dad got to play drums with him and had a really good conversation about the Gospel afterwards.   

What was your favorite food on the trip?:  We went to a place called Flaps and Racks.  I got to eat some wings and ribs and talk softball with Rodney Stewart and Warren Miller.  

What was the Funniest Moment on the Trip?:  Jim Jefferson got a local Dairy Queen to sing Happy Birthday to me.  The trip was in October...my birthday is in March... JJ and I also spent time quoting the Matt Foley SNL sketch!

Taylorville Questions

How did the trip to Taylorville Go?:  We had to take separate vehicles because the van wasn't available.  I got to ride with some of the other younger guys and we got to have some really good conversations about life and our churches.  

How did the Softball Games Go?:  We played one game in the morning and lost.  We played and won a game in the afternoon and we were winning our third game before an inmate got injured and they had to call the game.  James Mast hit really well for us.  The Taylorville team had a player named Scooter who was their MVP.  He hit really well but he was also really fast!

Who shared their testimony?:  Ray Koonce and James Mast.  

Who shared the Gospel?:  Kyle Krall and AJ Salmon.  They both preached really good messages from the book of John.  They both shared the Gospel with the men really clearly.  

What did you have for lunch in the prison?:  Breakfast pizza.  It was better than school food but not quite as good as Casey's pizza.  

What was rewarding about the day?:  We got to share the Gospel twice and we handed out over 100 Gospels of John.  At the end of the day we met behind the van to discuss the day and pray.  Some of my teammates talked about some really good conversations they had and how they got to share the Gospel.  This was rewarding for me and I'm really glad I get to be part of this!

I am proud of my son for stepping outside his comfort zone and serving the Lord this summer with our team!

Our next outing is 6/28 as we visit Robinson CC.  Please keep the team in prayer as we share the Gospel and play some summertime softball!

"Does the Fort Worth Waffle House Ever Cross Your Mind?"- 6/8/25- FMC Fort Worth Update

I recently caught a Master’s Seminary Chapel video during my lunch at work this week….Because that is what all of the cool kids do during their lunch breaks…

Anyhow, the speaker was talking to the seminary students about what it looks like to have a joy-filled ministry from John 3:22-30.  The term he used was Gospel humility.  

Here is a link to the sermon:  https://youtu.be/8Lb9YFwMSDs?si=Gpzypotv1_7CAZmP 

The passage he went through was about John the Baptist and his disciples.  John’s disciples were alarmed that more people were going to Jesus than to John.  The speaker brought up several good points on John the Baptist's joy.  John the Baptist’s ministry seemed to be fading but his joy was complete.  The speaker in the video said that Gospel humility was the key to joy in John the Baptist’s ministry and is our key to joy in our ministries.  

The four points that the speaker brought up were:

We pursue Gospel humility by:

• Refusing competitive influences (25-26)
• Recognizing universal provisions (27)
• Remembering our true identity (28)
• Relinquish personal exaltation (29-30)

I won’t walk through the entire message but one of the points that stuck out to me was that a key to Gospel humility was recognizing God’s provisions for us.   

There is nothing about the ministry that I am supplying that hasn’t already been supplied to me by the Lord.  This is something that I need to be reminded about as I go through either leading our IL team or while serving the Lord in other areas of my life.  Sometimes our tendency is to think too highly of ourselves and to think of all of the great things we think we bring to the table.  The reality is we don’t bring any good work to the table that already wasn’t given to us.  

John the Baptist points this out in John 3:27:

John 3:27- John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.

As Christians we need to be humble enough to realize we don’t bring anything to the table.  There are some giftings in all of us that God uses but it is only by His grace that we have those giftings.  We are stewards of what God has given us.  Joy shrivels up and dies when we try to be owners instead of stewards.  I know there are times that I forfeit my joy because I think of myself more than I should or seek to take credit for a good deed that God allowed me to be part of.  

However, I can take joy in knowing that God has gifted our teams with the opportunities that we have, the men and women that we have on the field, and the opportunities we have had this year.  I can take joy in knowing that the Creator of the universe will supply all of that and not me!

Day two of our trip started with a 3:15 AM alarm going off.  I got up, tore down my CPAP machine, got my softball uniform on, and prepared for another early day of prison softball.  

We made our way to the vans and headed to a local Waffle House five minutes away from the prison.  If you are familiar with most Waffle Houses, you can take a guess at how that ended up.  They were understaffed and actually a little busy so they were really slow.  Some of our team got to eat and some of our team didn’t even have an opportunity to order their food before we had to go.  We left the Waffle House in order to get to the prison on time.  We arrived at FMC Fort Worth a little after 5 am and we quickly made it out to the prison yard.  It was fun walking out on the softball field in the dark before the sun could come out.  

Blame it on the early start, the Texas humidity, or Waffle House, but our team came out a little flat and we lost game 1 to a really excited Fort Worth team.  In between the games, Jon Isbell from our Illinois team shared his testimony.  After Jon shared his testimony, Brian Morrison shared the Gospel with the men in the yard.  

During the ministry time, I had an opportunity to talk with one of the prison guitar players about the Gospel and gave him advice for finding a church once he got out.  

I also had an opportunity to briefly talk to a man who is dealing with prostate cancer and has a fear of dying in prison.  Please pray for his salvation.  

After our ministry time, we started a second game and unfortunately we lost that one too.  After the game we were able to circle up with the men we saw and remind them of the Gospel and pray with them one more time.  

After that game was over, we went back inside to the art room and enjoyed some air conditioning time.  The prison administration bought us pizza so we enjoyed a good lunch!

By the time we got back out, we didn’t have a bunch of time so we were only able to play one game.   We played half of a game and then broke for our ministry time.  During the ministry time, Geoff Saturley from New Jersey shared his testimony.  After Geoff shared his testimony, our Executive Director, Frank Zeidler shared the Gospel.  

During the ministry time I had some time to play guitar with several of the guitar players out in the yard.  As you might believe, there are several guitar players running around Texas!  Being able to stop and talk music with some of the prison musicians was a cool way to have an in to share the Gospel with them.  

After the ministry time, we finished our game and we pulled out a victory in our last game of the day!  

After the game, we huddled up with the team on the field and prayed with them one more time before we left.  

Overall on the day we handed out 455 Gospels and saw 30 men make professions of faith.  

We left the prison and headed for a staff training facility on the prison campus where we were able to shower before heading to the airport.  

I wish I could say it was smooth sailing from there but our flight from Dallas to Peoria was cancelled so we had to rebook a flight to Bloomington.  Of course that flight was delayed a couple of times, but we eventually made it back home.  

With our first Federal Team visit in the books, I am looking forward to our next two Illinois visits to Robinson CC and FCI Pekin.  The Federal team will be back on the road in late July.  

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for our teams this summer!  God has provided so much for the ministry and I can't wait to see what comes next!

"200 Miles to Texarkana!" 6/7/25 FCI Texarkana Update

(Written on 6/8/25)

It turns out there are exactly 200 miles between the Dallas airport (DFW) and FCI Texarkana.  At some point when I get home, I am going to write the next George Strait #1 song called "200 Miles to Texarkana".  If that works out, I will be able to buy a new bus for our Illinois softball team and a nice beachfront villa in Florida.  If that doesn't work out, I guess I will have to keep writing this blog!

I am currently sitting at the airport at the conclusion of our two day trip to Texas.  

For this being only a two day trip, we are all pretty beat up.  

I’m not sure how God is going to use the preaching opportunities we had in prison this weekend.  We know that some men made professions but we can’t see their hearts.  We know that His Word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11).   We also don’t know if we are planting or watering (1 Corinthians 3:6).  We do know that it is God’s job to bring the growth (1 Corinthians 3:7) and we also know that it is our job to go and be faithful sharing the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20).  I am thankful that we saw men profess a relationship with Jesus this weekend.  I’m thankful that God made a way to send us to these two prisons to share about Him.  

We all landed on Friday (6/6) in Dallas.  Our flight had been delayed a few times so we landed a little later than the rest of the group.  We met up with half of the team and began the trek to Texarkana.  We got to enjoy an authentic Texas Whataburger on the way!  The drive over was enjoyable and was a good time to fellowship and catch up.  

We got to the hotel and got settled in for the night.  We had a brief time to pray and talk about the plans for the next two days before going to bed. 

We had an impromptu award ceremony for longtime Saint and good friend, Warren Miller.  He was presented with the (name of award) volunteer of the year award.  Warren was on my first ever Saints trip to Ohio in 2011 and has been on a few trips since then.  I’ve written about this before, but Warren was a former minor league second baseman for the New York Yankees.  I have enjoyed talking baseball with him over the years.  

The next morning we met in the lobby around 4 am and headed out to a local IHOP for breakfast.  The local IHOP staff was ready for us and had us in and out to be at FCI Texarkana by 5 am.  

This is an incredibly early time for us to be at a prison but the prison had us arrive early so that we could be there for their yard times.  Their yard times were earlier so that they could beat the heat.  

We made it through security and made it out to the prison softball field.  We played a tougher Texarkana team in game one and suffered a quick loss but the men on the prison team had a really fun time.  

Usually we do a ministry time after the first game but we were waiting on a yard movement and the opportunity to talk to more guys.  

Midway through the second game, Tom Carberry shared his testimony.  Tom is from the North Georgia team and has been a dear friend and teammate for my entire Saints career.  Brian Morrison shared the Gospel with the men in the yard.  Brian coaches the West Virginia team and is an excellent speaker.  

We finished up the second game and came out with a win.  This was usually when we eat lunch but it was only around 9 or 10 am so we went back inside and enjoyed a biscuits and gravy breakfast in the staff cafeteria.  I actually had a little time after breakfast to play some drums and guitar in the recreation music room!

After breakfast, we went back out and played another two games.  The weather actually cooled off a little and it was overcast and windy for our afternoon sessions.  We didn’t play so hot in game 3 and we called our game early to break for our ministry time.  “Buck” Jorgenson from Minnesota shared his testimony.  Buck is originally from Wisconsin and has had several years of prison ministry softball experience with the Brother Bob’s Outreach in Wisconsin.  After Buck’s testimony, Bruce Buri shared the Gospel.  Bruce leads the Brother Bob’s Outreach in Wisconsin and has been a close friend for years.  I appreciate Bruce's friendship and his passion for sharing the Gospel in prison. 

We played our fourth game and once again didn’t play so hot but once again, the prison team had a good time and they told us several times how much they appreciated us coming in to visit.  Before we left, we had an opportunity to circle up with the men and pray with them before we left.  

Overall on the day, we handed out 425 Gospels and saw 30 men indicate that they made a profession of faith.  

After we left the prison, we stopped for some water and Gatorade and made the trek back towards Fort Worth.  The early morning in addition to the long drive across Texas made for a sleepy van ride but it was nice to spend time hanging out with my teammates.  

Once we arrived in Fort Worth, we got cleaned up and went out to eat at a local restaurant nearby Texas Christian University (TCU).  After a long day, it was nice to eat some chicken wings and cheeseburgers as a team!  

Once we got back to the hotel, we set our alarms and got to sleep as quick as we could so we could get up early again the next day!

Graduations, Bible College, Weddings, Texas Federal Prisons, and Taylorville!

I really want to write and let everyone know how busy I have been, but I’m not sure anyone wants to hear that.  What I will say is I have had a stretch of really fun and exciting weekends.  My youngest son graduated from Limestone Community HIgh School last month.  Recently, my middle son Joe was accepted to Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, IA.  

Limestone Graduation

Visiting Faith Baptist Bible College

The most exciting thing from the last few weeks was that my oldest son got married on 5/25! That was such a fun wedding and a proud moment as a dad!

Congratulations Ryne and Rowena!

Of course, nothing I write after that will top that but needless to say, I’m still really excited about this coming weekend!

I mentioned in my last email that we would have a game in Illinois and a Federal game in Texas this weekend.

Here is how everything is going to shake out:

Friday I will be leaving for Dallas, Texas. We will spend the day traveling to the Dallas airport and then traveling to Texarkana where we will get settled in for the evening. The following morning we will be heading to FCI Texarkana so we can be on the field by 6:15 AM.

During the Saturday morning session, Tom Carberry will be sharing his testimony and Brian Morrison will be sharing the Gospel.

During the afternoon session, Buck Jorgenson will be sharing his testimony and Bruce Buri will be sharing the Gospel.

After we leave FCI Texarkana, we will make the drive back toward Fort Worth for the evening.

But, I would be amiss if I left out what is going on Saturday in Illinois!

The Illinois team will be heading to Taylorville CC.  During the morning session, Ray Koonce will be sharing his testimony and Kyle Krall will be sharing the Gospel.

During the afternoon session, James Mast will be sharing his testimony and AJ Salmon will be sharing the Gospel.

Please pray for the Illinois team as they are expecting to see 200 men during the day!

But, let’s not forget about the Federal team in Texas!

Sunday morning we will head to FMC Fort Worth for another day of softball! We will have another day of softball before 7 am.

During the Sunday morning session, Jon Isbell will be sharing his testimony and Jimmy Cochran will be sharing the Gospel.

In the afternoon session, Geoff Saturley will be sharing his testimony and Frank Zeidler will be sharing the Gospel.

This is going to be a busy but fun and important weekend! In addition to the Federal and Illinois teams, there will be other Saints teams traveling as well. Please pray for our teams.