"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Eight years ago today we came face to face with tragedy. On June 3, 2002, a tire broke off a truck, crossed the median on I-44 in the middle of Oklahoma City, and killed Justin Sullivan the day after our newspaper named him Baseball player of the year for the State of Oklahoma.
As we walked through this very difficult day, God spoke to us through Romans 8:28. To be honest, I could not understand how anything good could come from this but the Lord kept His promise to us, showed up in our lives, and is still working things together for good.
The 2010 Ambassador season has started and the Ambassadors are off and running. This morning, both of our teams are in Branson Missouri. At 8:30 this morning, we will be conducting our first baseball clinic of the season and this evening will be playing in our first tournament of the season in Springfield Missouri.
On this anniversary of Justin's death, a group of little league baseball players will hear the message of Christ on a baseball field, two teams will hear the gospel after our games tonight and the legacy of a young man who walked with God continues to point people to an authentic relationship with Christ.
Not only is the legacy continuing in Branson Missouri today, I wanted to share with you an article that was written by reporter Ryan Young from the The Beaumont Enterprise in Beaumont Texas. Yesterday, he wrote the following article about one of our Ambassadors named Ty Parker and I wanted to pass it on to our Ambassador Family.
A bout with mononucleosis last season made Jasper baseball player Ty Parker weaker, but a summer concentrating on baseball and God is what has made him a stronger player.
Parker was a junior when he contracted mono and the illness was so devastating that he lost 25 pounds and had trouble lasting through a seven-inning game.
When the season ended, Parker went to Oklahoma to play in a Christian-based baseball team where, during the day, the players talked about God and at night, they played baseball.
The experience allowed Parker to get stronger in many ways. His area-high 10 home runs has helped lead Jasper (32-4) to its second regional final round appearance in four seasons. He now looks to use the same strength to give Jasper its second state title in as many years.
"There were games where I'd hit a ball and I felt like it was going far," Parker said. "But it'd barely get over the shortstop's head. It was frustrating."
Parker woke up one morning last year and felt weak. His stomach felt like he had been repeatedly stabbed and he couldn't sleep because the pain was so intense. Parker visited two doctors before he was diagnosed with mono.
"The doctor said it was the worse case she'd ever seen," Parker said. "It was scary because there were some days where it hurt so much, I thought I was dying."
Parker's teammate, Parker Phillips, said that the team was worried about him because they hadn't heard much about his status.
Phillips said that when Parker returned with about a month left in the season, his weight loss had been noticeable.
"We had to look at some pictures at first," Phillips said. "But once we saw the pictures, you could tell that he got small."
Parker helped Jasper reach the third round of the playoffs last year before it was eliminated by Carthage. When the season ended, Parker and Buna first baseman Josh Clark were invited to play in the summer team in Oklahoma.
The team was composed of players from Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.
Parker said that when he wasn't playing baseball, he was telling children at the games about Justin Sullivan.
"He was a high school baseball player that was the Baseball Player of the Year," Parker said. "The next day, he died (in a car accident). Talking and learning about him showed me and really all of us that you can be on top of the world one day and possibly be dead the next. It makes you realize how important but short life is."
The experience was enough for Parker to basically live in the weight room during the fall, where he gained about 30 pounds of muscle, making up for what he lost.
His work paid off as he was part of a Jasper lineup that hit an area-high 31 home runs en route to winning a District 18-3A title.
Jasper baseball coach Shawn Mixon said there are a lot of intangibles Parker has, but his work ethic is easily his strongest.
"He's always going 100 miles per hour here at practice or in a game," he said. "Ty works hard. I wouldn't trade him for any other catcher."
The good season, along with the praise from his coach, has helped Parker get a scholarship with Texarkana College.
It has also helped Jasper reach the regional final round where it plays Orangefield (29-4) starting Thursday at Lamar University's Vincent-Beck Stadium.
Jasper and Orangefield have been two teams that have generated a lot of buzz because of their strong seasons and their catchers.
Jasper, of course has Parker while Orangefield has Texas signee Jacob Felts.
"I know a lot of people have talked about them this season," Parker said. "But we're not so bad ourselves."
Today, on the anniversary of this tragedy, I am inspired by Justin's legacy because his life continues to point people to Jesus. It is amazing to me that eight years after Justin went to heaven, God is still communicating His message of salvation through an eighteen year old kid who beleived God's word and lived it out in his daily life.
God will use our Ambassadors today to share the gospel as they share Justin's story in Missouri. God has touched Ty Parker and is blessing his influence on and off the baseball field in the state of Texas.
Thank you Lord for continuing the legacy. Thank you for allowing us to rub shoulders with Justin Sullivan and for enabling him to live a life worth following.
Posted on
Thu, June 3, 2010
by Chris Wall