Last week was filled with several blessing and praises as we traveled through Southern Illinois going to three different prisons in four days.
I got several "atta boys" for taking care of getting equipment to the Crusade, making sure rental cars were picked up and dropped back off, and even a few high fives on some timely hitting during the games.
Those things always feel good but there are also times that we just mess up.
We were on our way to the prison on our last day of the trip. I was in a rental car with the fancy key fobs that newer cars have. I kept it in the middle console while I was driving.
We had a tight window to get breakfast before we arrived at the prison so we got our food to go. I ate my sausage biscuit and threw the McDonald’s wrapper in the middle console as we made good time down the road.
We stopped at a gas station about 30 minutes away from the prison. I shut the car off, grabbed my McDonald’s wrappers and threw them out in the trash before going into the gas station to use the bathroom.
When I came back out, I could not find the keys. I double traced my steps and was panicking now because of the tight schedule we were on. I felt the pressure from my teammates as I tried to find the keys. I kept on retracing my steps but after a couple of minutes, my roommate, Ernie Bergvall, reminded me that I threw some trash out before going in.
I sprinted over to the trashcan and began going through the gas station trash.
Sure enough, I found the keys in the trash.
I managed to accidentally throw out the keys to the rental car. I ran back inside to wash my hands but from that point on, I wasn’t the guy who took care of the equipment, or the guy who started the Illinois team, or the guy who was known for being a good teammate…I was the idiot who threw out the keys to the rental car!
My teammates gave me some good natured teasing about this but just like every Saints trip I have ever been on, I fell short of having a perfect Saints trip.
I look back on that and laugh now but it is another reminder that no matter how hard I try, I am going to come up short in softball, electrical work, parenting, and apparently keeping track of keys. I long for the time when I will get to be with the Lord forever in a perfect reality where I can worship Him in a reality that isn’t affected by my sin and my flaws.
We got the opportunity to share the good news of the Gospel and how men can spend their eternity with Him this past week and we get that same opportunity again this weekend!
This weekend we are going to Southwestern IL CC in East St. Louis. This will be our third trip there as a team.
We are planning on having two speaking times and will hopefully see around 80 guys.
During our morning session, we will play two games and share the Gospel in between. Joe Gibson will share his testimony and I will share the Gospel. During the afternoon session, we will play another two games. James Mast will share his testimony, and Brent Gerber will share the Gospel.
It is going to be an early morning and a hot afternoon of softball so please pray for us as we navigate the day on and off the field!
Thank you to everyone who has been praying this year. It has been a blessing to continue to share the Gospel in Prison with the Saints Prison Ministry!
PRAISES
- During our last outing at Hill CC, we handed out 76 Gospels and saw 14 men make professions of faith during our time there.
- The Southern IL Crusade went well! We visited three prisons, handed out approximately 330 Gospels of John, and had 42 men indicate that they made a profession of faith. (The update posts from that trip will come out soon!)
- Things are coming together for our upcoming trips to Southern IL, New Hampshire, and Angola, LA.
- Praise the Lord that the cancellations this year have been minimal!
PRAYER REQUESTS
- Pray that God continues to keep the doors open the rest of the year for us to minister
- Pray for all of the other teams going out this coming week.
- Pray for the hearts of the inmates we will see this summer. Pray that God draws their hearts to Himself.
- Pray that God provides more missionary athletes across the country for all of the opportunities to go in and share the Gospel!
- Pray for the hearts of our own missionary athletes and pray that we are bold in our prayer lives and bold sharing the Gospel this summer.
- Pray for the upcoming New Hampshire and Angola, Louisiana trips coming up over the next couple of months.
- My son, and Saints teammate, Joe, is having jaw surgery next month. Please pray for the surgery and his recovery.
