(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.
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!
