Day 5 - Crusade

Preparing to leave for crusade.  Prayer is the foundation of the harvest we will see today in Matagalpa!

The team getting ready to head out to the crusade and baseball clinic on Sunday morning.  We are about to walk out into the pouring rain, but our Spirit's are high believe God is going to do something extraordinary today!

This doesn't look like much of a picture, but it tells a lot about our last day in Matagalpa.  After beautiful sunny days (with a couple of brief moments of rain) during the baseball clinics, on the day of the crusade and championship tournament it pours.  Leaving the hotel to set up, we thought it would rain for 30 minutes or so and stop in plenty of time before the crusade was to begin, but that was not to be.

As we decided to push back our start time, one couldn't help but recall the recent message Pastor Farrell shared on how sometimes God allows storms to come into our lives.  We prayed God would REIGN not RAIN.

After promoting the Crusade with 5000 flyers, radio and television promotion, our expectation to fill the stadium was high.  At moments, it seemed the harder we prayed, the harder it rained, yet in our hearts, we still believed for a great harvest.

When Amaury Telemaco took to the pitcher's mound to preach, it stopped raining and when it stopped raining, the television station began to film... his entire sermon.  The stadium was not filled, but the whole city of Matagalpa is going to hear the powerful message Amaury preached on TV tonight.

As soon as the invitation to follow Christ was finished and people were prayed for, the skies opened again.  Drizzle continued off and on for the whole of the exciting championship game.  All 8 teams received new equipment, certificates of completion and ribbons and when the first place trophy was awarded, a wall of rain descended.  

What we envisioned for the crusade didn't take place.  The rain kept people away, but God knew the television station was going to cover and more people heard a clear and powerful message on how much God loves them than the stadium could have seated.  Isaiah stated it best, "His ways are not our ways."

Day 4 Recap

Our baseball evangelist, Amuary Telemaco, joined the team on Saturday.  The players were captivated as he shared his story, and the biblical account of the two thieves on the cross.  Amaury also served in one of the rotation stations giving pitching tips and answering the boys questions.  We celebrate that through the 3 days 52 young men gave their lives to Christ.

The missionary coach did an amazing job pouring the Word of God into the lives of 166 (plus a few drop-ins).

In 1953 a young mother in Matagalpa gave birth to boy.  After 2 months, she decided that she didn't want the baby, so she wrapped him in a sheet and took him to the mountains in San Ramon.  She set the sheet on fire.  A farmer, looking for his cow came by the smoldering fire, unwrapped the sheet to find the baby.  The farmer and his wife raised the baby who was severely burned on his arms.  God had given this baby a unique  talent and he became a professional baseball player in Nicaragua who traveled to many countries.  His life marked by many of the worldly and unhealthy choices of the wealthy and famous.  He says, "Then one day I let Jesus fill my heart with his love and I decided to follow Him."  Recently a man was mocking Manny Gonzales, the retired player in striped jacket in the photo.  The man said, "You follow Christ, but you have not prospered, you have no money."  To which Manny replied, "But I am prosperous, I am the happiest man in the world."  Manny now coaches youth in baseball, was the builder of the church we sponsored in Matagalpa and is active in prison ministry...while being the happiest man in the world.

Day 3 Recap

Meet Jerald who captured our hearts.  He showed up the first day of the baseball clinic and just began helping Kim at the craft station.  He was an artisan making  the survival bracelets and today after helping show others how to make "faith bracelets" he accepted Christ himself.

Could anyone have a more beautiful view during a baseball clinic?

This Pastor is a coach of one of the teams attending the clinic.  Each of the young men on the team has grown up at the dump of Matagalpa.  The pastor has been slowly creating a modest safe house for the boys and trying to build a small covered shelter attached to his church for their families.  He has helped over 90 families escape life in the dump.  Using baseball to share Christ is one of the ways he is bringing hope and healing into these young men's lives.  Unfortunately, they lost in the second round of the clinic tournament, but in our hearts we are cheering for them!

Day 2 Recap

After celebrating and thanking the Lord for 29 salvations today at the conclusion of a powerful testimony from a former professional Nicaraguan baseball player, the team  shared various scriptures that reflected what we saw and experienced with the Nicaraguan youth at the first full baseball clinic day. 

One shared that 1 Corinthians 13 was at work .. the North Americans were patient with the Nicaraguans, the players were patient with each other, and the power of God's love spanned our communication challenges.  Others reflected on how Jesus didn't come to be served but to serve and that the team demonstrated servant-hood to the players today.  Another shared how Jesus left His position to come serve the least of these and that people on the team have separated themselves from their jobs, families and positions at home to just be Ambassadors for Christ with every player and coach attending the clinic.  This first full day, was definitely a day of The Word being put into action.

Coaches and a few of our 166 players

The Mayor of San Ramon thanking us for "bringing the gift of the baseball clinic" to San Ramon. The local television stations have covered the clinics and are announcing the Crusade.

Day 2 Morning

As we gathered last night to give The Lord thanks for the first day and prepare our hearts for the first full baseball clinic day, one of the Nicaraguan interpreters (Moses in green sweatshirt) had an inspiring insight.  When asked "how did you see God at work today?" he said, "while you were training the Nicaraguan coaches in "around the horn" you put a US coach behind each of them.  When they didn't catch the ball or made a mistake, the US coach backed them up and helped them.  I realized that is just like us and Christ.  He has our back and when we don't catch the ball, he just helps us to succeed."    That's catching "God at work."

Day 1 Recap

Wednesday was spent training the Nicaragua coaches in all the logistics for the clinic.  Several commented that the plan was better than anything they expected.

After a morning of training the US coaches and Nicaragua coaches enjoyed lunch together at the home of the owner of our hotel.  Everyone was blessed by this beautiful farm called "The Promise Land" and the fellowship knit our hearts together.  Tomorrow we start to "Play Ball."