Sorry that I missed the blog last night. It was a late night and we were just flat out tired after yesterday's journey.
Even though we were tired, it was an amazing day in Monclova Mexico.
We rolled into town around 10 a.m. and headed straight to our hotel. We dropped off all of our stuff and had to head out pretty quickly. We made it to the baseball field by 11:15 and 60 kids were waiting on us for our baseball clinic. I am so proud of our Ambassadors. Most of our guys couldn't speak a lick of Spanish but it was amazing to see how well they communicated to these kids in Mexico. It is really fun watching the Lord use these Ambassadors not only to help these kids become better baseball players, but more importantly, seeing the Lord use their abilities to challenge people to turn their heart to Jesus. It is so amazing to see this take place right before our eyes.
After the clinic, we got some lunch and had to rush back to the hotel to get changed for our game. We were a few minutes late to the ballpark but since there is a thing called Mexican time, it was really OK. You know what they say, "When in Mexico, do what the Mexicans do". It goes something like that. Anyway, when we arrived at the field, we started warming up quickly because the other team was ready to go.
It is truly remarkable to see the impression that the Ambassadors had on Mexico last year. Coming back to this area has revealed the impact on the community. Last year, we came to Mexico and won every game. The papers in the state of Coahuila wrote several articles about how the Ambassadors destroyed the local baseball players in Saltillo. Well, they have been waiting for us to come back for the re-match. Yesterday morning, the paper fueled the fire because the lead story on the local sports page read, Ambassadors destroyed Piedras Negras. In Monclova, baseball is really big and they wanted to knock us off our baseball pedestal. After watching our opponents warm up, it was obvious that this was going to be the toughest international opponent in Ambassador history. We could tell from the beginning that we were in for a dogfight.
Since our game was broadcast on the radio, we had to make sure all the technical issues were covered. After that was all set up, we began with introductions. I had the opportunity to introduce all of the Ambassadors. Many of the kids from the clinic were lined up across the field and as each Ambassador was introduced, they ran out, gave each kid a fist bump and lined up down the 3rd base line. The team from Monclova did the same. The announcer introduced all the special guests in attendance which included several city officials, represenatives from several professional teams in Monclova and Saltillo, and the baseball leaders from around the city. After these formalities, the game was on and it was a battle.
We started out strong and took an early lead. Aaron Cornell and Chris Hinkley got us going with some early hits but these guys could play. Coach and Mexico player Chase Roten was on the mound and he pitched a great game. We made a few errors that cost us some early runs but we managed to keep the lead early on in the game. For the most part, we did not play our best baseball but our guys still fought really hard. Chase went 7 innings and pitched his heart out the entire way. When he started cramping up, the tallest kicker and punter in the State of Oklahoma, Cole Way, came in for relief. Cole did a great job wrapping up the game for us but we lost 6-4.
After the game, we gathered with our opponents on the field and had the opportunity to share the gospel on their sound system with the team and everyone else in the stands. Many people came to know Christ. Even though we lost a tough battle on the baseball field, we were able to see the Lord win an incredible victory.
After the share time, the baseball leaders for Monclova invited us to dinner. This was an absolutely incredible experience. A few miles away was their home baseball field. We are playing our games on a very nice turf field in the city of Monclova. These baseball leaders took us to another field that was not as nice to eat. They grilled out and we had some amazing Carne Asada grilled right next to the dugout. After we ate and played an in-prompt-to soccer game where Caleb St. Laurent scored the winning goal, we shared the gospel with all of these guys, gave them a dozen baseballs for their teams and handed out Bibles to every person. It was incredible.
Honestly, there is no way to measure the spiritual impact that is taking place. I believe that when we get to heaven, we will be able to see all the ways the Lord moved through our gifts on and off the baseball field. God has so faithfully answered our prayers for this trip and for this we are so grateful. Last night we were talking about our experience so far and incredibly we have seen over 300 people pray to receive Christ, we have seen people in both Piedras Negras and Monclova begin to connect with our host churches and we have been able to begin some relationships with many who do not know Christ.
Thankfully, the Lord has gone before us. He is also leading us the entire way. Keep praying for the Ambassadors as we serve the Lord here in Mexico.
Also, stay connected to the blog. Today has also been amazing. So many things have happened today and I just can't wait to share the stories. However, right now, we have a very very tough baseball game.
So as they say in Mexico, Hasta Luego! Regrasamos.
Posted on
Mon, August 16, 2010
by Chris Wall