The truth is that it is very difficult to put into words all the things God is doing right now. We just walked out of a share time tonight where God moved in an unmistakable way. This is a special group of young men and each one of us are growing so much both on and off the baseball field.
The truth is that this is so much fun. I can't believe that I am sitting in Mexico with this group of guys. I wish you could see us right now. I am sitting at a table in the middle of three coaches pouring into the lives of three great baseball players who are wrestling with God's voice in their life and of one wild Ambassador group playing Mafia. I am trying to sit here and take in this moment. I have the unique privilege of seeing the beginning stages of genuine fruit from a summer of true discipleship.
This team is really special and it is so hard to believe that this summer is coming to an end. It is even harder to believe that on May 29th, we walked into a cook out at the Express Ranch and very few of these guys knew each other. Now we find ourselves about to go home and each one of us have built friendships that will last a lifetime. I am so grateful to the Lord for this journey.
Today was a great day.
We started the day with our clinic on the "in prompt to" baseball field made of rocks. We had a great group of kids and a great clinic especially with a group of older kids who had come to our game the day before. As always, the "Brinkoline" or "Humoungous Moon Walk" that we threw in the trailer before we left OKC was a big hit with the kids, especially the younger ones. It was a great clinic and a great experience for each of our guys. As we were leaving the pastor thanked all of us, invited everyone to the game and said we were going to beat this University team 21-0. We all laughed and loaded up. We are so grateful that God opened the door for us to have this clinic on this rock field.
After the clinic, we scored "Big Time" with a local taco dive here in Saltillo. The grub was a big hit with the guys. This was a pretty small place and so when we pulled up with our bus load, it definitely made an impact. However, more amazing than the food was the fact that after lunch, we shared our story with the entire restaurant staff and every waiter, cook and bus boy came to listen. After we shared, several prayed to receive Christ. It was really really amazing to share Christ with every staff member at that taco place. As we were coming back to the hotel, one of our coaches and I were talking about what it would be like if we walked into a Hideaway Pizza or a Wendy's in the U.S. and asked if we could share our story with them after we ate. We wondered if it would be received. On the other hand, here in Mexico, we were blessed to have their ear and walk through the doors God has opened. It is truly amazing.
After lunch, we came back to the Hotel and had a little downtime before we went to our game. We were excited about playing this University team because we had heard that they could play some baseball. As we showed up at the game and started warming up we were approached by a man who coaches an elite team from this area who is undefeated. He had heard that we were in town and wanted to play us. It was easy for us to adjust our plan so we have set up a game with this team for today at 4:00 p.m. It will be held at one of the best baseball fields in Saltillo. It is exciting that the word about the Ambassadors is starting to spread.
Even though we were excited about the new game, we had some business to take care of on the field. We were playing against a group of guys who really were better than the team the day before. This team actually had their own equipment so Ty did not have to share his catcher's gear.
The game started OK. We were the visiting team and the first inning we got 1 hit but no runs. However in the second inning, the salsa kicked in both on our bats and Aaron Cornell's arm because we ended up winning this game 21-0. We just could not believe at the end of the game that the pastor actually called the score at the clinic. That was a special treat from the Lord.
As you can probably tell, I started this blog last night but needed to finish it this morning because I was having difficulty holding my eyes open.
Today we have a full day set up. We are going to conduct our last clinic at Parque de Brisas and then travel to play the game against the un-defeated team. It is going to be a great great day of baseball ministry.
For all of you parents of Ambassadors who are following this blog, you should be very proud of your boys. Each one of these guys are representing not only your family very well, but they are also representing the Lord really well. Last night, it was awesome to hear testimonies from Gatlin York, Ryan McIntosh and Sydni Sullivan. One of our boys came up to me last night with tears in his eyes and told me that he believes the Lord has called him to ministry.
I am so thankful that the Lord is speaking so clearly through His Spirit. Following Christ is truly an adventure and living by faith is a calling every believer must embrace. I understand that all of the parents at home have also taken a step of faith by allowing your boys to become Ambassadors.
Today, I want to encourage you that God is raising up your boys to follow Him. He is the one who made them great baseball players and He is the one who is moving in their lives. He is the one who has provided for us every moment in Mexico and He is the one who is Lord of all.
Because of all that God has done, we are compelled to live for Him and give Him everything we have. I know that I have said this before but I need to say it again. C. S. Lewis was right on when he told us that "If Jesus really is who He said He is, Christianity cannot be mildly important."
The truth is that all of us are called to go serve the Lord. For those of you reading this blog, it may not be your calling to serve Him on the baseball field but God is always faithful to open doors of ministry for each of us. Our job is simply to walk through them. That is what we are going to do today. We are going to walk through the door that God has opened.
So what about you? What door of ministry will He open for you today? Be looking for it because you definitely don't want to miss the opportunity of walking with Jesus. That is one ride that worth taking.
Pray for us today and thanks for following our journey.
Posted on
Thursday, July 30, 2009
by Chris Wall