They looked good, they were pumped to be on a baseball field and they were ready to learn. It was such a blast watching the Ambassadors communicate with these kids in spite of the obvious language barrier. We spent 3 hours shuffling these groups from station to station and then followed up the clinic by sharing our story. 

Again it amazes me how God continues to use His word and Justin's life to lead people to Jesus. This entire journey is such a unique experience for our baseball players. Though there are so many similarities with the Dominicans like a love for competition and a passion for baseball, there are also many surprises. 

One thing I forgot to mention about the baseball complex were the goats. Every day when we pulled up to the baseball field, there were about 8 or 9 goats grazing. We discovered in the Dominican that Goat Power is a fairly effective way to keep the field in good shape. Not only do you get the chance to trim the grass, you also have many opportunities to keep the field fertilized. The only draw back is you have to watch your step every once and a while. 

After the clinic, we grabbed some lunch and headed to the museum. Ramon really wanted us to understand the story of his country. Outside of Wacey getting arrested for having gum, it was a wonderful experience. 

After bailing Wacey out of the slammer, we headed to the baseball field for our second game. On Monday, we lost a game that we should have won. Tuesday we were facing a team that was supposed to beat us and it sure looked that way after the first inning because we gave up 7 runs out of the shoot. Thankfully, we calmed down and settled into the game. 

At the beginning of the 4th inning, Coach Savedra headed into the locker room to check on Jake Disney. As soon as he left the dugout, all the momentum shifted. Adrian and Jake had to be careful going back into the locker room because of Coach V's teachable moment yesterday. Even though we told everyone not to put toilet paper in the toilet, Coach V thought that only applied to the players. Unfortunately V got to experience a toilet overflow that somewhat resembled an "Old Faithful" eruption. FYI, in the DR, used toilet paper goes into the trash can because it stops up their toilets. If you know Coach V, could you help me remind him of this fact. 

In spite of the fact that the locker room was V-ified, Adrian and Jake had to enter the locker room to take a look at his sore arm. About 15 minutes later, Adrian emerged from helping Jake and the entire team made him go back to Coach V's throne room due to the fact that his brave entrance into the explosion of terror helped us start that rally. To make a long story just a little bit longer, the rally continued. Since we ended up scoring 11 runs in that inning, Adrian had to stay in the bathroom for 45 minutes. I just love the superstitions in baseball. 

Needless to say, we gained the lead in the 4th inning and kept adding to our total. We won our first game in Estadio Cibao against a really good team. Winning sure is a lot more fun than the alternative. 

After the game, we headed to get some pasta at a local Dominican dive and it was really good. We were really excited because Lee Tunnell joined us in the Domincan and will get to spend a couple of days with the team. He had to come into the country to visit his pitchers that have been signed by the Milwaukee Brewers. It is such a blessing to have him join us. 

As we were sitting at dinner, we heard a live band kick up a few doors down and several of the guys went to check it out. Come to find out, the band was coming from a church who had just started a worship service. As you would suspect, it took our guys less than 10 minutes to commandeer the worship service because the stage quickly became flooded with Ambassadors sharing the gospel with the entire congregation. At the beginning of the year, we prayed that the Lord would help our guys learn to be bold with the message of Christ. God has most definitely answered that prayer. 

After dinner, the entire team walked from the Pasta place to get some ice cream. We split up between two places so that we could more speedily satisfy that sweet tooth craving. It was a lot of fun just being together in the Dominican walking the streets of this beautiful city.  We are all truly making memories that will last a lifetime. 

For many of you back home reading this blog, can I offer you a simple challenge. I want to challenge you to take a step of faith and choose to go on a mission trip. If you are one who has a relationship with Christ. If you are one who knows what it is like to be forgiven by God. You need to have the experience of traveling outside of the United States sharing Christ with other people. If you chose to take this step of faith in your life, several things would happen. 

1. God would provide for it. 

2. The kingdom of God would be increased because of it. 

3. Your life would be blessed by it. 

4. You will be better equipped to communicate the gospel back home through it. 

If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, you need Him more than you need the next breath you take. If you know Jesus as your Savior, don't forget His call on our lives is to live by faith and not by sight. Too many believers get this turned around and live by sight and not by faith. 

Are you living by faith? You really don't have to miss this adventure. 

After ice cream, we went back to the hotel and got to spend our share time with a challenge from Lee. What a great ending to an amazing day. 

Early this morning, we got up, had breakfast and headed to our Wednesday baseball clinic. There is a local country club that is conducting various sports clinics throughout the week. One of those is baseball and they allowed us to lead their baseball group the entire day. 

After the clinic, we headed to Ramon's grandmother's house where they prepared an amazing lunch for us. I am so proud of Ramon and so very thankful for his family. They have been incredible hosts for us this week in Santiago. Our time at Ramon's grandmothers was one of the most significant moments of the entire trip. We had the opportunity to sit with them and share our entire story and share the gospel with Ramon's entire family. Grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and probably a few distant relatives also. It was a tearful and very significant time for all of us. 

I know that I have said this before but I am so proud of Ramon. This entire trip has been organized and led by a 20 year old young man who caught this vision by playing for the Ambassadors. Like Coach Savedra always say's, "This entire ministry is so much more than baseball." 

God is enabling us to build leaders who are growing a love for the Lord and a passion for the souls of men. 

I thank the Lord that He continues to bless and lead us. 

Just like Ephesians 3:20-21 tells us, "to Him who is able to immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine. According to His power that is within us. To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations. Forever and ever, Amen.  I am thankful for the Lord accomplishing this great work in and through us. 

We began the day with a baseball practice with an amazing baseball team called 1430.  Several years ago, Lee Tunnell played with a Dominican named Dennio Gonzalez.  Lee actually taught him English as they played together in the Major Leagues.  Now, Dennio runs a team here in the D.R. and helps guys play in the U.S. and gain exposure to the Major League Draft.  We began the day with a workout with some incredible baseball players.  From the very beginning of our ministry, Dennio has known about the Ambassadors and it is a tremendous blessing to connect with he and his organization this week.  

This workout on a Dominican field was a priceless experience for our players.  I was so proud of each of them because they just jumped in with both feet.  Even though our guys struggled to speak the language, it was amazing to watch them communicate through this gift of baseball.  As they warmed up, stretched and played catch, it was like these guys all grew up together.  Here are a couple of highlights that come to mind:  

1.  Brandon Cuddy was pumped to play catch with a guy who is considering at 750K contract with the N.Y. Yankees.  

2.  Our coaches jumped in with Dennio and his coaches throwing BP, hitting fungo, and helping with drills.  

3.  It was a blast watching my son who is 12 and his two Owasso friends Cooper and Cobey who are 10 and 11 have the experience of taking a round of BP with these older guys.  Even though they were a little nervous, they were motivated to become better baseball players.

4.  Having the experience of sharing the gospel with each of these amazing athletes and seeing many of them pray to receive Christ after this workout.  

At the end of our work out, our guys gathered at the pitchers mound and we shared Christ with this team.  It was amazing to witness God use His word and Justin's life to point these top athletes to Jesus.  When it came time to present the gospel, the team kept crouching in closer and closer so they would not miss a word.  We basically had a church service right after a workout on a baseball field in the D.R.  It is just crazy that God has opened this door for us.  

After that amazing experience, we loaded up and went to lunch at the mall.  It was fun.

As soon as lunch was over, we jumped in the bus and ran over to another baseball field (by the way, there are baseball fields everywhere in this place).  As we pulled up to the field, there were 40 plus kids waiting for us at this particular Sandlot.  

Because we were short on time, the Ambassadors divided up and for an hour, we played a huge Sandlot baseball game.  It was a blast.  All of these kids were smiling ear to ear and it was just fun.  At the end of the game, we gathered the kids together and shared the gospel with them.  By that time, we had 60 plus who had seen us and joined in the game.  

After that amazing journey, we jumped back in the bus and headed straight for the baseball field.  I hope that you have been able to look at Facebook.  Wacey Henderson took a picture of our field that is absolutely amazing.  I don't know that I can fully explain what a blessing it is that we get to play on this field.  This is just a very unique open door for us and it does not happen with other teams that come to the D.R.  All of this is just another example of God's hand on this journey for the Ambassadors.  Every year on this field, they play the Carribean World Series.  Now, that is the place the Ambassadors play.  It is amazing.  

When we pulled up, our opponents had already arrived and we began to get ready to play a baseball game.  For the sake of time, I will allow you to look at game changer for the details of the game.  We are about to leave and there is so much more I want to say.  

Needless to say, in spite of the nerves of playing the first game in the D.R., we battled hard against this team.  The competition in the D.R. is by far the toughest competition we have faced on an international stage.  We ended up losing the game 4-3 and both teams played extremely hard for 9 solid innings.  

At the end of the game, we gathered with the team on the field and shared the gospel with them.  Each team played so hard that the respect for each other could not only be seen on their faces, it could be felt on the field.  As we shared the gospel, Coach V asked if they have never asked Christ to come into their lives, pray with him.  At that time, 3/4th's of the team prayed with him on the baseball field.  Yesterday, we watched many people come to Jesus on a baseball field.  All we did to have that experience was speak up about what God has done in our lives.  We should all do this a lot more in other areas of our lives.  

After we shared and I had the opportunity to challenge these guys to find a church and pray that God helps them connect with a group of believers in the community, the head coach came up to me and began to tell me about his organization.  He runs a baseball organization with over 200 kids.  He said to me, "You have an open door to every one of my players" and he invited us to come and share our story about God with his kids.  He then said that this baseball game was the best game he had every played.  In the 15 years that he has led his organization, they have never had the opportunity to play on that field until yesterday.  When he played on it, he heard about God.  It was the best game he had every played.  I teared up talking to him because it just blew me a way to have this significant "God moment" in my life.  I wish you all could have been here.

After the game, we went to Ramon's grandmothers house and they fed us an amazing meal of Dominican Hot Dogs.  Ramon's family is a precious group of people and they have adopted all of the Ambassadors into their family.  The work they are doing for us is just amazing.  I will fill you in on all of it as the week progresses.  It was a perfect ending to the day, so we thought.  

As we get back to the hotel, some of our guys started staggering to the room to get ready for our share time.  As the second half of the team rolled off the bus, we noticed a big light down the street with a bunch of camera's.  One of the guys who was dancing noticed the team and said, "Grengo's, would you be willing to be in our video?"  Well, of course we couldn't turn down that opportunity so 15 of the guys rolled down the street.  Before we knew it, the entire team was in the street being filmed in the background of a rap video.  Now most of us can check that one off the bucket list.  

As we talked to these guys, we discovered that this is not just a random group of rappers, this was a group of legitimate Christian recording artists who just happened to be recording their video outside of our hotel.  I have already checked out their ministry and these people are shaping the culture in the Dominican for the kingdom of God. Later this week, these guys are going to come to our game and have offered to perform.  I hope we can work this out.  

I wish I could talk more but I just have to go.  Keep praying for us.  This day has some amazing things in store and I just can't wait to see what the Lord does in and through us.

Well, the rest is history and just as God promised, the waters parted, the way was provided and God's people continued to impact the World for His glory.

In a very small way, yesterday was a similar experience for the Ambassadors.  

This is a milestone year for the Ambassadors, as this summer marks the 10th anniversary of Justin’s death and the fifth season for the Ambassadors. In addition, it also marks the biggest step of faith we have taken so far in our ministry. Over the past 10 years, we have watched God do things that have been un-mistakenly accomplished by His divine hand.

Literally, tens of thousands of people have heard the Gospel both on and off the baseball field through the Ambassadors. Over 100 athletes have played on our team and have experienced a life-changing summer of discipleship, ministry and baseball. Thousands of people have come to Christ as a result of God speaking to hearts through this ministry. A real window of influence has opened up to us in the baseball community across the country.

Because God has moved so significantly in and through this ministry, it is time to take it to the next level. In order to do that, we are going to need your help. We would like to respectfully request your prayers, your financial support and your partnership by being one of 300 people who will make a tax deductible donation of $300 which will help us reach our goal of $90,000 for this year’s Ambassador baseball season.

This gift will help send the Ambassadors across the country and to the Dominican Republic. It will also help us hire our first full-time director to continue this ministry all year long. The board of directors for A Life Worth Following believes that God is leading Coach Adrian Savedra to begin working in this ministry full-time. If you become one of 300, you will help position the Ambassadors to take the next step in raising up leaders who are equipped to share their faith in Christ.

We believe that God’s hand is on this ministry and your financial gift is a worthwhile investment.The Lord has faithfully opened a door for the Gospel to be shared through His word, Justin’s life and the Ambassadors. This journey has been a step of faith for all of us, and we have been amazed at how the Lord has provided in the past. 

However, we still need your help.

Thank you for helping us to share the Gospel through your gifts on and off the baseball field. Also, thank you for helping us spread the word about how the Lord is moving in our ministry. If you would like additional information or to make an online donation, go to www.alifeworthfollowing.org or send a check to:

Justin Sullivan, ALWF at P. O. Box 720782, OKC, OK 73172-0782. 

Justin Sullivan, ALWF is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, and all donations are tax deductible.

Thank you for blessing us. We would appreciate your prayers as we move forward.

I will never forget standing in front of a packed house at Council Road Baptist Church at Justin's funeral.  I remember many faces as I had the opportunity to communicate the gospel while we celebrated Justin's life.  Though none of us in the room could fully understand the purposes of God that day, we all continued to trust and rely on Him to help us through the pain in our hearts.  

At his funeral service, I clearly remember God leading me to make a promise to the Lord and to his family that for the rest of my life, I will tell Justin's story and point people to Jesus.  

In those moments at the funeral, I did not realize that God would lead me to write a book called "A Life Worth Following" and He would lead us to start a baseball team called the Ambassadors.  This summer, June 3, 2012 will not only be the 10th anniversary of Justin Sullivan's death but it will also be the beginning of the 5th season for the Ambassadors.

Though I will never be able to understand all the complexities of life and death, one thing that I do understand is that God is strong, God is faithful and His purposes are good.  

Today, I was reading in the book of Acts and God spoke to my heart in chapter 13 through a captivating and inspiring verse.  

“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed."  Acts 13:36

Today, I am inspired by David.  Even though he made many mistakes in his life, the scripture says that David served God's purpose in his own generation and then he died.  I am also inspired by a kid named Justin that grew up in my student ministry at Council Road who did the same thing.  David as a shepherd, soldier and King of Israel served God's purposes in his generation and then died.  Justin as a son, student, and the first Ambassador baseball player, also served God's purposes in his generation and then he died.   

I am not trying to be morbid or scare anyone but there is a reality for everyone reading this blog today.  There is going to be a day when each one of us will also walk through that door of death.  Though it will come in different ways and at different times, we would all be wise to evaluate the way we are living today.  Right now, are you serving God's purpose in your generation?  In this moment, do you find yourself following God's plan for your life and living for something greater than yourself?  Do you have a genuine faith in God that impacts the way you live? Are you serving His purposes during your generation?  

As of right now, we are only a few months before the start of this season and God continues to bless us.  We are close to having a full roster. (Though we can always use more pitching.)  We have a full schedule. We have amazing coaches.  We have a yellow bus.  We have a tremendous plan for ministry.  And, most importantly, we have a clear plan to communicate the gospel to everyone we meet.

What we need now is your help in connecting with some of God's people who can partner with us to complete the funding for the summer.  

We are asking the Lord to send us 300 Ambassadors who would give $300.  Will you be one of these 300?  

If you choose to join us, your investment will be used to change the lives of 24 players and 4 coaches, sending them across the United States and to the Dominican Republic to share the gospel with thousands of people through the game of baseball.  

I have no doubt that it was the Spirit of God leading us to form this baseball team.  Since we started, God has blessed the work of our hands and opened a door to the baseball community that is truly supernatural.  It has definitely been an adventure that has proven to be bigger than any of us could have ever imagined.  

Please join us by spreading the word about our ministry and by being one of 300 people partnering involved in sharing the gospel on and off the baseball field.  

You can make a tax-deductible donation on-line at www.alifeworthfollowing.org or you can send a check to P.O. Box 720782 OKC, OK 73172.

Thank you and God Bless.

Chris Wall

As time has flown by, God has answered so many prayers and moved in so many amazing ways.  From the beginning, we asked the Lord to honor His word and Justin's life through this game of baseball.  Even though the vision was to create a baseball team that would compete at the highest level, we prayed that it would be a lot more than baseball.  

Last week, I got an email from Chase Payton, a life-long Ambassador and God allowed me to see some fruit of this amazing ministry that proves how this journey is so much more than baseball.   

Chase writes:   

It's been a long time but I thought the Ambassador team that changed my life would like to know where I am at this point in my life.  After playing with the Ambassadors, I played a full year of college baseball this past season at Wayland Baptist University.  In the Summer of 2011, I moved back home to start an internship with a company named Concho Resources, who as as of this year became #14 on Fortune.com's list of the Fastest Growing Companies in America.  I also this past summer became engaged to my girlfriend of 2 years and we will be getting married March 10th.  In the same summer God blessed me and my Fiancé, 2 weeks before we were engaged, with full time jobs.  My job was offered by the same company that my internship was with and they also offered to work around my school schedule. Currently it is the year 2012, I am on path to finish college in 3 years, graduating spring 2013, I am engaged, I am employed by one of the fastest growing oil & gas companies, and looking forward at a life that I would not have dreamed of the spring before I started Ambassadors. 

Once again God has shown that he can do whatever he wants with you and more than we could hope or imagine; if we put our faith in him he will. When I thought I was headed down the wrong path and baseball was the only way out, it truly was, but God took my trust in a game and turned it around to trust him with my entire life and turned my life around to show me real life with him and also what he can do when he gets a hold of you. This is a true testament to God's grace and power. You may wonder sometimes what the Lord is doing, but at a time when you least expect it he is working and living inside of you. I never imagined that two years ago when I first watched the ambassadors video on youtube in the spring of 2008, God would use baseball to shape the rest of my life.  I never expected it and am grateful for what I have, what I have been allowed to do and where God has me today!
Love you guys and I am thankful to be an Ambassador!

Feel free to share this with some of your ambassador teams in person and forward it to Adrian and Chase and Davey and Momma P and to any of the Sullivan family.
Thank you all. May God keep blessing this ministry.
Isaiah 41:10

Chase Payton

I am so proud of all of our Ambassadors.  God is allowing us to be a part of the spiritual development of tomorrows Christian leaders in business, medicine, ministry, coaching and baseball.  Even though each of our players will take different life paths, one thing is for sure, they will always remain Ambassadors that represent Christ as they utilize their gifts and abilities to impact the Kingdom of God.

Way to go Chase Payton, I am so thankful you are continuing to be an Ambassador for Christ.  

If you would like to help us this year continue to raise up Ambassadors, we are praying for 300 people who will donate $300.  This gift will enable us to continue this journey both on and off the baseball field.  It is our prayer that all the funding will be in hand by May 1st.  Please prayerfully consider helping us continue this journey.

You can donate on-line at www.alifeworthfollowing.org or you can send a check to 

Justin Sullivan ALWF  P.O. Box 720782 OKC, OK 73172

All donations are tax-deductible.    

The second week we hosted the 4th annual Justin Sullivan Tournament where we had another strong showing. We won our pool, but got beat in the semi finals. From there we traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska for the Brett Brothers Woodbat Tournament during the College World Series. We won the tournament and we were able to share the gospel with teams from Texas, Kansas, and Missouri.

Then we headed to Topeka and took second in the Great Plains Shootout, a 36 team wood bat tournament. We were able to share Christ with teams from all over Kansas and Missouri. We were also able to do a clinic in Manhattan, Kansas in which about 50 kids were able to learn baseball and hear the gospel.

Next, we went to Nacogdoches, Texas where we lost a close game in the finals to take second place in the Stephen F. Austin showcase.

Our last Trip was perhaps the most memorable. Our summer ended with a trip to Nicaragua, where we went unbeaten on the baseball diamond. We were able to give free baseball clinics to the children of Leon, Nicaragua and share the gospel at every baseball game to thousand’s of people. We also visited a community that lives feet from the city dump and we were able to provide meals for the children of the community. We also aided a local church by providing food, and activities for the children of the neighborhood. Once again God has blessed us beyond measure.

Right now, we are in the middle of preparing for the summer of 2012.  Our roster is shaping up and our ministry opportunities are coming together.  I hope that you will consider helping us How you can help next summer

We began yesterday morning fairly early.  Though all of us would have loved to sleep in a little longer, no one regretted sacrificing a little sleep.   

Pastor Panteleon sounded the horn on the bus and the kids started coming from everywhere.  As we clamored out like the Volkswagon bug at the circus, we were greeted by the most precious little boy who was all smiles even though he was barefoot and very dirty.  He had his bowl in hand and was fired up to see these big ol boys.  In Nicaragua, when the horn sounded, these kids knew the food had arrived. 

It is very difficult to describe scene.  We wanted to take pictures but something inside all of us compelled us to keep our camera´s in the bag.  There are some photos that are to significant, thought provoking and impactful and it´s best to keep them in your heart.  Yesterday morning, we discovered why Nicaragua is truly a third world country. 

Since God´s plan is to use the church to change the world, we were excited to meet the man who was called to pastor this little church in the Chinendega City Dump.  In 1998, Hurricane Mitch hit Nicaragua with devestating force.  Many people were displaced and the government sent a large community of survivors outside the dump in the small town of Chinendega.  The plan was to temporarily relocate people to this area but due to a variety of issues, were unable to help any further.  Therefore, a community developed. 

These are people who are very poor.  As the ladies in this ministry began preparing the food for the kids, Oscar walked around with us sharing the history of the area.  We all were deeply impacted as we walked through this neighborhood.  The houses are pieced together with scraps found in the city dump.  It was very difficult to embrace the fact that people are raising their families in these little Shanty homes with dirt floors.  As we weaved our way through the tall tropical vegitation, we began to notice a strange burning smell.  We all gingerly crossed a very dirty creek and made our way up a hill to reveal the source of the pungant odor piercing the atmosphere.  

At the top of the hill, we walked into the City Dump of Chinendega.  We walked over broken glass and through worn out trails surrounded by burning embers and discarded bottles, clothes, wrappers and debris.  As we came into a clearing where we could gather together, we saw a trash truck rolling in about 250 yards from our location.  As soon as the truck came to a halt, people of all ages, jumped up on the truck to see if there were any valuable resources that could be used in their lives.  Oscar told us that these people are very poor and one of the ways they try to provide for their families was to go through the discarded trash.  It was a very important but difficult experience in all of our lives.  It was a level of world poverty that none of us had ever experienced before.  The entire group was speechless as we stood and prayed for these people and then made our way back to the church to play with these children and feed them a meal. 

As we retraced our steps, we stopped at the house of a young mother named Sylvia.  She was a beatiful lady who lived in a little one room shack with her two children.  She was pregnant with her third and had recently given her life to Christ.  She welcomed us into her home and greeted us all with open arms.  Since one of our Coaches had slipped crossing the creek, (He was OK, just got a little wet), Sylvia went into action and took his shoes, socks, her disinfectant soap and began to wash his feet.  It was very humbling and very significant that this lady was so willing and eager to serve us like this. 

She allowed us to tour her home and though this may sound very strange it is very true.  She had the cleanest dirt floors that I had ever seen in my life.  It is hard to put this entire experience into words.  To be honest, I need some more time to process this experience.  If you have the time to sit down with an Ambassador in the next few weeks or so, please ask them to talk through this part of their journey.  Sylvia was another beautiful flower we found at the dump in Chinendega.

We made one more stop before making it back to the church with the pastor.  This amazing man wanted us to go to the house of one of his first converts in Chinendega.  They have a vision to help these people build real homes our of brick.  The cost of a home is $4500.  We were all so moved at this conversation, we gathered together as a team and prayed for the Lord to provide a home for this family by Christmas time.  The need here is so great.  The Bible say´s ¨to whom much is given, much is required¨.  God has given us much.  God requires much from us.  We are all beginning to understand more clearly our responsibilty in the world.  To be an Ambassadors is much more than baseball.  It is a life long calling and it is my prayer that these young men embrace the call to be an Ambassador for Christ for the remainder of their lives.  Please join with us in praying for this provision.  God is calling us to be a part of this. 

After praying for this provision, we had an absolute blast playing for three hours with these kids.  250 children showed up and we fed every one of them, played soccer, football, face painting and tag.  While we were playing, all of forgot that we were right outside of the dump in Chinendega.  Everyone of at this event were laughing, running, sweating, playing and having the time of our lives.  These little kids were more beautiful flowers growing up in the midst of the dump in Chinendega. 

Last night, Chase Kuwitsky commented on this experience.  He said it was surreal.  It was like he was immediately transported into one of those infomercials.  The difference here was that it was real. 

Yesterday was a challenging morning.  It was an impactful morning.  It was a life changing morning.  It was a morning that we discovered that flowers really can grow in a dump.  It also showed us all that we should not ignore our responsibilities in the world.  We have a job to do. 

Justin Sullivan wrote that there will come a day when we will all see God face to face.  This is when we will understand things fully.  When God asks me to believe something that is beyond belief, I decide if I will trust my five senses or have enough sense to believe in Him. 

Coach V and I were walking together.  He said to me, Where is God in this place?  I believe that God´s hand is here in powerful ways.  God´s hand sent us here with young men who are the future leaders of our country.  Not just future leaders, but future spiritual leaders who are being called to make great contributions for the Kingdom of God. 

This entire experience is more than baseball and for that I am truly grateful to the Lord. 

There is more to yesterday but right now I need to go.  Hopefully later today, I will be able to write about our game last night, Luke Sandoval and Coach Savedra sharing with over 1000 people very very effectively and a few laughs we have had a long the way.

I love hanging with these guys.  I also love being an Ambassador. 

Also, everyone is feeling better. (for the most part)

Yesterday afternoon, we came back to Oscar´¨s house and got a little rest.  It really was great to have an hour of down time because the day had been a long one. 

By 4:30p.m. we headed back to one of the schools we had visited.  It¨s really hard to describe the experience we had but I will give it a shot.  The school is about a 10 minute walk from the baseball field and we were met by our opponents for the evening along with a band, drum line, a great crowd lining the streets, and three other things that you just had to see.  I am sure they have a name but I can only describe them as 3 very large women costumes approximately 15 feet tall.  These large ladies led the procession with the band and danced the entire time.  You just have to see the video when we get home. 

 After the parade march through town, we arrived at the field and the crowds started pouring in.  Thanks to Council Road Baptist Church, we were able to hire a sound system and a Christian Band in Nicaragua to come out and play for the games we are playing.  This is an instrumental tool for us because it allows us to clearly communicate to the crowds that come. 

Remember in yesterday´s blog when I mentioned that we prayer walked on the baseball field.  The guys walked all over the field for 20 minutes asking the Lord to bless our time that evening.  We asked that people would be able to hear His message and that God would use us. 

Well, an amazing thing happened right before our eyes and it was directly from God.  There is no doubt about this.  We had blue skies all day long.  The temp is about 90 and it is pretty humid because it is the rainy season in Nicaragua.  All of a sudden, very dark clouds formed all around us.  Coach V was mad at me because I had commented 30 minutes earlier, ¨I am really glad it hasn´t rained today.¨´  Right after I said that, here comes the clouds, lightning and the big time rain.  The temperature dropped about 15 degrees in a matter of minutes so we loaded up our stuff in the bus and prepared for the deluge.  To make matters worse, all of the lights at the field suddenly went out.  We were done and it was all my fault for commenting on the clear skies.  (Why are Baseball people so superstitious about stuff?  Have you noticed that?)

After we had finally accepted the reality of the rain due to the fact that the sprinkles had begun, for some strange reason, the clouds and lightning seemed to just move all around us but not over us.  Within 30 minutes, the lights began to flicker again and come back on, the music started playing, the people started coming back and the umpire said, ¨Juega¨ which is translated ¨Play Ball¨.  It was truly awesome. Our opponents were the championship High School team from Leon.  They played hard and played well.  God chose to supernaturally answer our prayers. 

As the game commensed, people were coming out of the woodwork.  I wish all of you could experience a baseball game in Nicaragua.  It is unlike anything you have ever experienced before. 

(Momma P, Wacey just said hi.  He said that he was fine even though his mouth still hurts from the minuture pepper eating contest that we had this morning.  Kyle Vail won first, Sydni Sullivan came in second and Ramon got third.)

Back to the baseball game.  It truly is an experience like none other. The field, the atmosphere, the band that never stops playing, the backstop that is more holes than fence, the people that gather dangerously close to the action on the field, the dogs that ran on the field in the middle of the game, outfielders making catches while running through the crowd watching the game, the cart vendors walking around, the experience is just absolutely amazing.  You gotta come and experience this some time.  I don´t want to make you all feel bad at home but it´s an experience you don´t want to miss in your life. especially if you are a baseball person.  

In the middle of the 6th inning, we gathered all of the crowd together by the stage and asked if we could share with them.  We brought some extra baseballs and some old Ambassador shirts for give aways and the crowd gathered quickly and closely to take advantage of the Ambassador gear.  It got a little interesting when Oscar decided to give a way a new bat and chunked it into the crowd.  We probably shouldn´t do that again because the 14 people who all grabbed that bat simultaneously really wanted it.  I actually videoed the entire ordeal and it was a little crazy.  

After the bat had finally been secured and all the gifts had been given, Coach V got up to share the gospel.  It was a powerful thing to listen to Coach V share our story and the message of Christ to all those people gathered on that baseball field.  For four years now, I have watched the Lord create supernatural moments on baseball fields both in the United States and abroad.  I am convinced that in our post-Christian society, we are experiencing a modern day revival as we take the gospel to the world rather than sitting in our churches waiting for the world to come to us.  

We have to stop waiting.  We have to start going both at home and across the globe.  Shouldn´t we all be speaking up about Christ?  I pray that you begin today right where you are.  

God moved last night and it was an awesome sight to see and event to experience.  After we shared our faith, we finished the game.  We had to stop in the 8th inning because we were out of our 2 dozen baseballs allotted for this game.  Since the score was 17-2 in favor of the Ambassadors, we went ahead and called the game.  

Did I mention that we brought magic baseballs with us to Nicaragua.  It´s amazing because everytime there is a foul ball, a home run or a ball that gets off the field, it miraculously disappears.  We have the opportunity to play with these magic baseballs every game and we just love it.  

I was very grateful last night because, before the game was over, Juliann and Sydni Sullivan, Brian Holt, Ryan Lenaburg and Codey McElroy all showed up.  I am glad they got to see some of the baseball game.  It was fun to see their surprise, awe and excitement about the experience.  

We came back to Oscar´s last night and had an amazing time together processing the day.  I wish all of you could hear the many amazing things God is teaching these boys.  The Lord is truly allowing us to shape leaders in this ministry.  Our prayers and dreams are being answered becasue each and every one of these guys are starting to see the value of their influence, a vision for the world and the true and amazing power of the God of All Creation.  I just love it.

We got to be around mid-night or later and tried to get some needed rest.  

I know this is long but since I have a few more minutes, I need to go ahead and catch you up on this day so far.  

After breakfast, we took some time to go to the hospital in Nicaragua to pray for kids in the children´s unit.  This was a moving experience.  We don´t have pictures because there are some things in life that are meant only for your heart.  We passed out candy and simply prayed for children.  It was moving, it was significant, it was difficult, it was powerful.  I am so thankful the Lord gave us that opportunity.

After the hospital, we went to one of the neighborhoods where this ministry feeds children.  We went door to door connecting with people passing out flyers for our clinics and baseball games.  We divided with our translators into 6 or 7 groups and walked around this little neighborhood. 

It was moving to see our guys love people who were proud of their homes even though their floors were dirt.  These people have pride in their lives in spite of the economic status.  They smile, they love their children and they are content in their lives.  All of this helps us understand that stuff really doesn´t bring happiness.  We all ought to stop seeking after things that don´t matter. 

I was particulary proud of Jared Sterling and Coach Nation.  We were in a group going door to door and we had the opportunity to lead one guy to faith in Christ.  God really used Jared and Larry as they shared their journey with Jesus.  God can and use anyone who is able and willing to be used.  There really is nothing like jumping out of your comfort zone and allowing the God of all creation to use your life as His instrument.  Once you start doing that you gotta keep it up.  You should start that today and not let any more time go by missing out on that experience. 

As we gathered back to the area where the hundres of kids were going to come together to eat today, Coach Savedra pulled out his clump of little peppers.  It was then that the pepper eating contest commensed.  It was one of the more comical moments of the trip.  As these guys came together to challenge each other´s manhood on their pepper tolerance, every Ambassador mouth was soon on fire.  I have already told you who one the contest but it was a great event to witness.  I only ate 2.  Since I already have a beautiful wife, I have nothing else to prove in my life.  That is my conviction and I wasn´t about to put more than 2 of those little fireballs in my mouth. 

The rest of the day will be a blast.  In about 30 minutes, we are off to our first baseball clinic and it is going to be packed out.  It will be the biggest clinic of the summer by far.  After the clinic we are going to church tonight Nicaraguan Style.  It´s gonna be a blast and I can´t wait.  We have three more baseball games, one more clinic and a lot more experiences that are not on the agenda. 

We are pumped and having a great experience.  Thanks for praying and thanks for being patient with all my typing errors.  I don´t have my lovely wife with me to correct all my grammatical mistakes so please for give my errors.

Have a great day today and keep lifting us up to the Lord.

Chris Wall

.

 Yesterday the 26 Ambassadors loaded up on a plane and headed for Leon Nicaragua.  The fact that the Lord provided all the funds for us to go was truly a miracle from the Lord.  For it we are truly thankful because it has been our prayer from the beginning to have the opportunity to expose these future leaders to a world wide vision that impacts God´s Kingdom.

All the flights yesterday went pretty smoothly and no one actually threw up, passed out or flipped out on the plane.  I gotta tell you that it is really funny watching the look on some of faces of these studly athletes as they walk on a plane for the first time.  Some of these boys were flat out scared but I promised not to mention Wacey Henderson´s name so I want to keep my word.  I have to tell you that it is really amazing to see the impact these guys have when they walk on a plane.  For some reason, people know we are baseball team and they ask us what we are doing.  Many of our guys, including our bat boy, were faithful to share our story with people on the plane.  As is our custom, when we share our story, we hand out bracelets and it is quite a sight seeing people walk off the tarmack proudly wearing their Ambassador bracelets.  It just goes to show that people really are interested in the gospel story.  We all need to learn from our Ambassadors here and speak up more often about our faith in Christ. 

Yesterday, we did have one little delay in Miami.  The plane sat on the runway for two hours and then had to go back to the gate.  It was a little invonvienient but it sure beat sitting on the yellow bus.  (I don´t want to sound ungrateful, the yellow bus is really awesome}.  It was pretty funny when Carson woke up, saw we were at the gate and really believed we had already arrived in Nicaragua.  

Even though we were 3 hours late, we finally made it to Managua.  After a fairly quick trip through customs, we made it to our vehicles and started the journey to Leon.  It took us about two hours to get to this wonderful city.  This week in Leon, we have some wonderful hosts.  Oscar and his crew welcomed us with open arms.  It was a lot of fun last night busting out all of the Ambassador gear and giving it to our friends here in Nicaragua.  After some instructions about the next day, we got situated and we all crashed for our early morning on the town.  

Sleep was fast and but restful.  Breakfast was at 6:30am and by 6:50 everyone had donned their Ambassador gear and we were off to the press conference and meeting with the Mayor of Leon.  This meeting had to take place early because this week in Leon is a festival marking the city´s history.  The mayor walked through many details about the city and greeted us with open arms.  We then had the opportunity to present him an original Justin Sullivan Ambassador jersey and share our story with him.  It was a great opportunity to share the gospel with the point leader of this great city and I am still so amazed how the Lord continues to open doors for us.  

After our time with the mayor, we went to a local high school.  We divided up our six translators and spread out all over the campus.  The leaders of the school allowed us to go class to class sharing our story and sharing the gospel room by room.  I wish you could have seen our Ambassadors step up to the plate here.  They all boldly and passionately shared their story of faith with several hundred teenagers in Leon.  It was really cool. 

After going to the high school, we went by the field to pray for our minstry tonight.  So far we have four games set up over the next several days with more teams asking us to play.  We will play as much as possible.  Baseball is actually the national sport for Nicaragua and has a very large following in this country.  Our guys strolled into this High School and you would have thought the New York Yankees (wearing gold of course) just showed up.  It is truly amazing to see the impact a group of athletes can have for the kingdom of God.   

After going to the high school, we went to our baseball field to pray for our night tonight.  All the guys broke up into their positions and spent 20 minutes prayer walking through their area on the field.  I wish you could see this field.  It´s just not like anything you have seen in the United States.  Greg Disney marked off the baselines and 1st base was 90´¨ and third base is 93¨.  This pitcher´s mound is a little off and the back stop has a huge gaping hole in the fence.  Actually, there really is more hole than fence in the back stop.  Not to worry though because tonight, at 6:00 p.m. when we face our first opponent there will be a wall of people to stop any balls that get a way.  :0.  We have hired a band and a sound system for the week and in the 7th inning stretch, we will stop play and share the gospel with all who come.  It is just going to be an amazing night. 

Well it´s time to get a little lunch Nicaraguan style and then we are off to another high school this afternoon to share our story.  This has already been an amazing experience for each one of our coaches and players.  We are taking a lot of video and pics to try to capture the significance of this experience. 

We ask that you continue to pray for the Ambassadors as we serve the Lord through our gifts on and off the baseball field.  Here are a few ways  you can pray for us.

Pray for divine appointments for us. 

Pray the Lord opens the hearts of people we meet. 

Pray the Lord moves in the hearts and lives of our players. 

Pray that people come to know Christ through our work today.

Have a great week back home.  We appreciate all of your support which has allowed us to serve the Lord here. 

Chris Wall

I remember it like it was yesterday...

The crackling of leaves under our footsteps while trekking through the green luscious woods of deep Tennessee. The feel of summer's humidity and sweat against my skin after white-water rafting, rock climbing and hiking the day straight into evening.

{My sweet friend, Sarah, and I had flown across country during the in operable space found between high school and college to join some family friends for outdoor adventure}.

Almost back to our campground, we started up a steep, outdoor staircase. Shouting was heard from up top, some men looking for the dad of the family we were with. My heart stopped. My mind raced...

We're in the middle of no where. What could they possibly want and how did they find us? This can't be good.

My pulse shifted from non-existant to rapid. Sarah and I continued to climb, bringing up the tail, quietly questioning if something could have happened to their grandmother, who had been sick.

The men turned out to be firemen, who had apparently been searching for us all afternoon. They were solemn and discrete as they spoke with John under the shade of a large tree. I could hear throbbing in my ears as I prepared myself to comfort our friends. But as John turned around, his eyes searched for mine. His face was pale, filled with pain and sadness. At that moment, I knew. Someone was gone, and by the look in his eye, it was someone I loved deeply.

"It's Justin," his voice trailed off.

A hopeless feeling like I've never known rushed through me. I remember sobbing myself into the woods and crashing to the ground. I remember us all, even the firemen, face down on the dirt in desperate prayer. I remember making a phone call, only to find no words. I remember our friends driving all day and night to get me home. I remember Sarah's firm grip on my hand.

My cousin, who was so much more than just a cousin. My best friend. A brother. Exactly two months apart, we truly had a unique closeness from the beginning. Same town, same church, same school. Unconditional love, friendship and laughter. Late night contemplations and conversations about anything and everything. Valedictorian. Unmatched honors as an athlete. Named 'Oklahoma Player of the Year' one day before his death. Passionate follower of Christ.

Gone in the blink of an eye.

"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:14

As horrible as that event was, it's inevitably going to happen to us all. I'm pretty sure the statistics can speak for themselves... 100% of all people die. Our family was broken. As much as we still ache for him now, we know Justin had a relationship with our almighty God and we can look forward to seeing him again!

What about YOU?

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

It's a free gift, but we have to ACCEPT it.

Today my memory is flooded. Today I honor Justin Sullivan, an incredible man of God. Today I remember June 3, 2002 and how this world is not our home.

"God has a plan for my life and will work in the most mysterious of ways,"Justin journaled four months before his death.

Today is a day that will not be forgotten.

We are so excited about what God is doing and it is just amazing to experience God's answer to the prayers we have prayed.  

Now it is time to get to work.  It is time to get focused and it is time to make sure our mission and our vision is in focus. 

The mission of A Life Worth Following and The Oklahoma City Ambassadors is to impact the lives of people through our gifts on and off the baseball field.

Our vision is to develop elite baseball teams that compete at the highest level while playing baseball tournaments around the country.  In addition, we are giving back through our nationally recognized baseball clinics and mission experiences that share Christ’s message around the world.

Off the baseball field, we want to help athletes develop a vision for the many ways the Lord wants to use their abilities to impact God’s kingdom. We believe this will not only help them while they are baseball players but will help them throughout their entire life.

On the baseball field, our athletes are gaining exposure to college coaches and scouts enabling them to move to the next level in their baseball career.

Our philosophy is very simple: We are intentionally developing great leaders and great athletes who are discovering how to live for a greater purpose. This purpose is to love God with their heart, mind, soul and strength and love their neighbor as themselves. 

Thank you so much for supporting the Ambassadors this season and we hope you not only follow our story but that you faithfully lift us to the Lord as we head out on this amazing summer long mission experience.  

We are excited to report because it truly is amazing to see these young players and coaches growing a sincere passion for the souls of men while experiencing a deepening love for God as we travel and serve.

Get some rest tonight because it is Time to Report.

"There will come a day when we will all see God face to face.  This is when we will understand things fully.  When God asks me to believe something that is beyond belief, I decide if I will trust my five senses or have enough sense to believe in Him."

Over the years, I have not only thought about this quote from Justin's journal but also thought about how this experience with the Ambassadors has impacted my life.  Most importantly, God has used the entire Ambassador journey to produce a greater sense of urgency with the gospel of Christ.

Here is a fact that must not be ignored by none reading this:  Life is short.  

Whether you live eighteen years like Justin or eighty five years like my grandfather.  Life goes fast and ultimately every person will one day stand before the Lord.

The scripture is clear on this:

"For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."  2 Corinthians 5:10

"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.  Another book was opened, which is the book of life.  The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books."  Revelation 20:12

As Ambassadors, it is our calling to communicate the gospel very clearly.  The gospel is the news about the one and only God, who is holy, made us in His image to know Him.  Tragically, we all sinned and that severed our relationship with Him.  However, in His great love, God became man in Jesus, lived a perfect life and died on the cross.  This act fulfilled the law of God because Jesus took the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust Him.  Then, He rose from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ' sacrifice.  He now calls all people to repent of sins and trust Christ alone for our forgiveness.  The moment we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life.  An eternal life.  

That is the good news we are called to faithfully share with everyone who crosses our path this summer.  

I am so very thankful that God saved us and has moved in our lives in such significant ways.  Truly God has guided us to begin this baseball ministry and this fact is evident by the fruit we see in the lives of our baseball players.  

Right now, four of our Ambassadors are not only playing baseball for Southern Nazarene University, they are also taking a stand for the Lord on and off the baseball field.  Williams, Cole, Tunnell and McIntosh are leading weekly bible studies with their teammates in the locker room while they juggle their studies and a grueling baseball schedule.  I am proud that these guys have been faithful to carry the Ambassador legacy to their college baseball team.  

In addition to this, Cole and Caden Cleveland are also continuing the Ambassador legacy at Morehead State University.  Because of their stand for the Lord this year, they were called upon to help lead out in a university wide prayer service as their community walked through a tragedy this year.  http://337hearts.shutterfly.com

Today, I am thankful that God continues to move in and through our Ambassadors even as they grow up and move on through their lives.  This is fruit of ministry that lasts and we are so very thankful.

I would like to ask you to continue to pray.  As you know, we are in the middle of our fundraising campaign for this year's Ambassadors.  As of today, we are $32,000 away from being completely funded.  For those of you who have responded to being 1 of 200 people giving $200.  We thank you very much and wholeheartedly believe God is going to use your gift to produce great fruit for His kingdom.

Sincerely,

Chris Wall

Dear Ambassador Family,

We would like to respectfully request your prayers and your financial support for the 2011 Ambassador Season. We pray that you will prayerfully consider being one of 200 people who will make a tax deductible donation of $200 which will help us reach our goal of $50,000 for our 4th Ambassador baseball season.

It is hard to believe that this summer will mark our fourth year investing in life-long Ambassadors. God continues to bring new families just like yours who love the Lord and love the game of baseball. For this, we continue to be grateful to His leadership.

So far, we have sold over 5,000 books and have sent them all across the country. It is amazing to witness the Lord’s work as he continues to open the doors for us. Inspired by Justin’s life, the book and writings continue to resource The Oklahoma City Ambassadors.

Amazingly, we continue to connect with elite baseball families and players from all over the country. All of our athletes have been taught how to share their faith in Christ and have faithfully communicated God’s hope on and off the baseball field through Justin’s story. Thousands of people have been impacted all across the United States, Nicaragua and Mexico. We continue to see tremendous life-change while competing in tournaments across the southwest, conducting free baseball clinics.

It is thrilling to see young men learn how to communicate the Gospel to teammates, opponents and fans. As you know, we are continuing to conclude each season with international mission trips to Nicaragua and Mexico.

We really need your help to accomplish this goal.

Here are some of the incredible results we have experienced in the last three years:

• Annually over 10,000 people hear the Gospel on baseball fields.
• Every summer, over 1,000 kids attend free Ambassador baseball clinics.
• Since the beginning, we have seen hundreds of people give their lives to Christ!
• In addition, the Ambassadors helped 68 members of our team have earned college baseball scholarships across the country.
• Three Ambassador players have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams.
• More importantly, 73 young men are now life-long Ambassadors and are equipped to articulate their faith in a clear and compelling way.

We believe that God’s hand is on this ministry. He has faithfully opened a door for the Gospel to be shared through His word and Justin’s life. This journey has been a step of faith for all of us, and we have been amazed at how the Lord has provided.

Thank you for helping us to share the Gospel through your gifts on and off the baseball field. Also, thank you for helping us spread the word about how the Lord is moving in our ministry. If you would like additional information or to make an online donation, go to www.alifeworthfollowing.org or send a check to Justin Sullivan, ALWF at P. O. Box 720782, OKC, OK 73172-0782. Remember, Justin Sullivan, ALWF is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, and all donations are tax deductible.

Thank you for blessing us. We would appreciate your prayers as we move forward.

David, Juliann, Chris, Jim, Vince
ALWF Board Members

We ask that you continue to lift us up in prayer as we recruit our athletes and raise the funds for the 2011 season.  So far this month, we have raised $6000 towards our goal of $50,000 which will complete the funding for the 2011 season.  If the Lord would move your heart to help us raise up these athletes as gospel focused missional leaders, we invite you to donate to our ministry.  Every little bit helps us fulfill the calling God has placed on our lives.  

We have finally set the schedule for the summer and wanted to communicate this with you.

June 2-5 - Little Rock

June 9-12 - Justin Sullivan Memorial - OKC

June 16-19 - Tulsa

June 21-24 - Omaha

June 26 - July 4 - Off week

July 7-10 - Kansas State

July 14-17 - Stephen F. Austin - Nacogdoches Texas

July 21-24 - University of Oklahoma

July 25-30 - Nicaragua

We ask that you pray for Divine appointments both on and off the baseball field this summer.  We can't wait to hit the road.

To all those who have supported the Ambassadors, "Thank You" for investing in our lives. 

As you know, and have also read in the book, A Life Worth Following, God has truly moved in and through us.  In 2007, when this book arrived, we had no idea that it would serve as the catalyst to the OKC Ambassadors.  If you were in the state of Oklahoma in 2002, you remember that June day, Justin, a graduated senior at Yukon High School, was named baseball player of the year for the state of Oklahoma. The very next day, he was killed when the back wheels of a semi-tractor trailer broke, crossed the median and struck his car. Even though Justin’s life was cut short, his legacy continues.

So far, we have distributed over 5500 books and sent them all across the country.  The Ambassadors Baseball team has amazingly connected with elite baseball players all over the country. So far we have recruited some of the best baseball players in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. These elite high school players have been taught how to communicate their faith in Christ and have faithfully communicated God’s hope on and off the baseball field through Justin’s story to thousands of people all across the United States, Nicaragua and Mexico. The Ambassadors made a tremendous impact competing in tournaments across the southwest, conducting free baseball clinics, communicating the Gospel to teams and fans, and concluding each season with international mission trips to Nicaragua and Mexico. Here are some of the incredible results we experienced in the last three years:

At least 10,000 people heard the Gospel on baseball fields each year. Around 1000 kids have attended free Ambassador baseball clinics every year.  We have seen hundreds of people give their lives to Christ each year and have helped 68 members of our team earn college baseball scholarships across the country.  3 Ambassadors have been drafted by Major League Baseball but more importantly, 73 young men are now life-long Ambassadors and are equipped to articulate their faith in a clear and compelling way.

Many of you reading this blog, gave to support this ministry.  Your gift is helping to effectively spread the gospel and I want to thank you.  I am amazed how God is continuing to use Justin’s life and our current Ambassadors to impact people across that country. We believe that God’s hand is on this ministry. He has faithfully opened a door for the gospel through His word, Justin’s life and our Ambassadors.  This journey has been a step of faith for all of us and we have been amazed at how the Lord has provided.

I simply want to say "Thank you" for enabling us to share the gospel through our gifts on and off the baseball field. We could not have done it without you prayers and your financial support along the way. 

Sincerely,

Chris Wall

If you read the previous blog, I had a little typo. 

The Ambassadors actually finished the summer of 2010 with a record of 44 wins and 20 losses.  I accidentally left out one of the 4's. 

I just wanted to clarify the stats.  You know how we "baseball people" are about our stats :)

It is hard to believe that Summer 2010 is already over.  The Ambassador season is in the books and all of us are gearing up for the Fall.  Many are preparing for their High School Season or are beginning to get settled on their college campus. 

The Lord gave us such an incredible summer.  Not only did the team finish up with a record of 4 wins and 20 losses, but more importantly, we shared the gospel with thousands of people both in the United States and in Mexico.  

For years, I have gone on Mission Trips.  On those trips, we have seen the Lord do some really neat things in the lives of people.  However, since the birth of the Ambassadors, I have never seen such impact in a community.

I am amazed at how God is used our abilities on the baseball field to build an audience that willingly listened to the gospel.  It has been honestly, one of the most effective evangelistic tools I have ever seen in my life. 

Today, I wanted to share a link on youtube with you because it will give you a quick glance of our trip to Mexico.  We are currently working on a highlight of the entire summer.  I will post the link when it is complete. 

The video can be found at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOY_1MTcbH0 or you can search 2010 OKC Ambassadors.

In addition to watching the video, I would like to ask that you take a minute to pray for God's provision for next summer.  I wholeheartedly believe that God's hand is on this ministry.  The Kingdom impact is evident.  Now I pray for God's provision for next summer.  Please join me in this prayer for the Ambassadors. 

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.

We arrived in Saltillo Mexico by 10:15 in the morning and headed straight to our hotel. We only had time to drop off our stuff because our clinic was supposed to start by 11:00.

Even though it was raining, we did not drive all this way to let that stop us. When we arrived at the baseball field, there were only 10 kids waiting on us. The field was pretty wet but the dirt in Mexico is so hard that it held up well, and it was not pouring, only moderately raining. The clinic was set up at a little league field right outside the Saltillo Seraperos professional stadium. It was really nice and is the field where the city’s little league plays their big games. In every town we have visited, the people who run the youth baseball leagues in their particular city have helped us. God has been so faithful to give us favor with these community leaders. These are the baseball people in each city and though many do not know Christ, they willingly listen to our message because of our common love for baseball.

Due to the rain, Coach V decided not to do an official clinic but split the guys up and play a game with the kids. .
As we began dividing up, the Mexican crowd kept growing little by little. Before we knew it, there were 50 kids on the field plus all of the Ambassadors and the baseball game was on. Ambassadors were divided in half, Mexican kids were divided in half and it was 1 ½ hours of sandlot baseball in the rain on our last day in Mexico.
After the game, we gathered in the stands, shared the gospel and prayed with many more people who came to Christ. I got to thinking the other day, people giving their lives to Christ is something we see on a regular basis. We must never forget that there is real power in the gospel of Christ. Sometimes we all get in the middle of our normal lives that we forget this incredible reality. I hope and pray that seeing people come to Christ is just as normal as having lunch. It is a regular occurrence. I want to challenge us all to make this our prayer?

After the Mexican Sandlot baseball game, we blew some “pesos” in the Saraperos pro shop. The Seraperos are in the playoffs for the Professional Baseball League of Mexico. There were lots of cool stuff available and they were happy to sell it to us. As we were going through the pro-shop and touring the facility, the manager of the park asked us if we would come back next year and play on their field. He remembered when we played there last year and really wanted us to come back. Just another amazing blessing!

After lunch, we got ready and headed to Ardiaga Mexico. That is a suburb right outside of Saltillo nestled in between a beautiful mountain range. The government of Mexico just built a new stadium in this area and we had been invited to play the top team in the Liga Saltillo.

We arrived early to warm up and the field was in a beautiful location. Though the grass was pretty, the field was pretty rocky and rough. But, hey, this is Mexico right? It was going to be a great day of baseball.

All the coaches met at home plate and we all commented on how the head coach was a pretty stout fellow. We decided to make sure he was our friend. After we agreed on the specific rules of the game, we were playing baseball.

Aaron Cornell started off with a bunt down the line, which hit him on his way to 1st he was called out. Adrian did his best to argue the call but because the coach for the other team was one big muscle, he did not complain too much.

After AC, our bats came alive and this game was 9-0 before we knew it, Even though we were just killing this team, they never gave up and fought really hard the entire time. Probably because their coach could pinch their head off with one hand if he got mad.

Anyway, we respected the way they played hard and came back with 6 runs.

In the end, we won the game 16-6 and had a great time sharing Justin’s Story with them after the game. One more time, several people came to know Christ right in front of our eyes.

Coach V felt led to give the coach his jersey and we presented it to him during our share time. After that, the man we now know as Spartico, revealed the incredible news that he was a Luchador (Professional Wrestler in Mexico) and he had a match right after the game. He invited us to the match and that was an invitation we just could not refuse.

We left the game and drove directly to the Luchador match. Of course, if you had the privilege of seeing the Academy Award Winning movie called “Nacho Libre”, you understand how big Professional wrestling is in Mexico. It is different in the United States. Jack Black actually does an excellent job depicting what a Luchador match is like in Mexico.

All of the Ambassadors, in full uniforms showed up at the match and I am not going to lie, it was a blast. We were all cheering, booing and laughing our heads off. I am not going to try to explain it, just check out all the pictures that are blowing up facebook tonight. It was a blast and an incredible way to spend our last night in Mexico.

After getting our picture made with Spartico and seeing him bring home the Championship in the ring, we were off to some incredible food at Las Brazas. Boy howdy, that was some good food.

After dinner, we were back at the hotel and all of us were ready for some sleep. My son Eric was so wiped out, he actually fell asleep with his head on the table at Las Brazas.

This morning, all of us were surprised when Spartico himself showed up at our hotel with Wrestling T-shirts for everyone.  He autographed most of them and we gave him an autographed baseball by every Ambassador.  Spartico is not just a Luchedor but he is the owner of an Electric Company that services Saltillo.  He has a very large house outside of Saltillo and invited the entire team to stay with him next time we come.  At his house, he can sleep up to 20 in beds. His invitation was an incredible honor for us. 

After he invited us to stay at his house, I could not help but think about the significance of his request.  All through history, as missionaries go into a community, they pray for the Lord to allow them to build relationships with the people of influence.  If a missionary can earn the trust of the leaders, they will be able to gain an audience with all of the people. 

For years, I have traveled to other countries on mission trips.  We have done great work and it has been a blessing both to the people we have taken with us and the people we have served.  However, never in my life have I seen such impact with people of influence.  For some reason, God has put His hand on our abilities with baseball and is opening doors to communicate the gospel. 

I praise Him for that. 

We were up and out the door by 9:30. Got some money changed for our trip to the Market so all those back home will have something to sell in your next garage sale.

We made a small dent in the market, got some more tacos and made the 7 hour journey to Eagle Pass Texas.

Tonight, is our share time and wrap up of the season. There will be testimonies from everyone, lots of tears followed by late night Spaids and Mafia.

What a great trip to Mexico. I wish the entire team could have come but I know for the 15 guys who made this trip, it changed their lives and will be a week they will never forget.

I praise the Lord for the Ambassadors and am thankful to be a part of this incredible group of young men.

I can’t wait to see how the Lord leads them in their lives.

This is long and there might be some grammatical mistakes so please be gracious. We are in Saltillo and off to our clinic.

The Headline in Wednesday’s paper read: Monclova…Mostro poder de acero! Your basic translation of that headline is Monclova showed the power of iron! Of course, that was in reference to Monclova’s victory over the Ambassadors on Tuesday afternoon. Coach V made the decision to wait to tell our guys about the article until right before Wednesday’s game in our pre-game talk.

Because of this decision, we chose only to show the guys the newspaper articles about our clinics.

I wish each of you back home could see that in addition to broadcasting Monclova’s victory over the Ambassadors, the reporters in this city did a wonderful job describing how the Ambassadors came to Monclova to help their kids become better baseball players. The photos in the paper and the interviews of our players and coaches depicted a beautiful scene of two cultures coming together by a common love for baseball. Even though they mentioned that we came to Mexico because we love baseball they also described how we love God even more than baseball. The reporters stated that the Ambassadors are not just playing baseball but more importantly we are telling and showing others about the love of God. Thank the Lord that all have heard our message. I praise the Lord even more that some have not just heard our message but understood our message. The Bible is clear. Many people hear, but they do not understand. I hurt for the people that don’t understand the gospel. If you are reading this blog and you are a follower of Christ, I pray that hurt for the lost so badly that it leads you to action. Jesus has touched our lives and because of His forgiveness, we must not remain stationary. How are you putting your faith into action?

I know that there are a lot of news reports back home about violence in Mexico. The truth is that there are terrible things that happen in Mexico but it is truly no different than other places around the world. This week in Mexico, we have been experiencing people just like us. They love their country. They love their family. They love their home. And, they love baseball.

Even in the United States, there are places and people where violence, corruption and drug use are destroying lives. Everywhere in the world, the root cause of this problem is sin. You do realize that 2 Corinthians 5:20 say’s:
“We are therefore, Christ’s Ambassadors. It is as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin, to be sin for us. So that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.”

Since God has commissioned us to be the vessels that He uses to communicate freedom from sin, we have to go all over the world. The gospel is the only good news that can deliver mankind from the grip of sin. We have to go deliver this message and it is amazing to see how God can use our abilities with baseball as a platform to communicate the love of Christ. Baseball draws a crowd and it is phenomenal how people will stop and listen to us after we play this game. This kind of thing just “winds my watch”.
OK, sorry for all of the preaching. It just comes out sometimes and I just can’t help it.

As I stated yesterday, after last year’s sweep in Mexico, the locals have been planning and recruiting for our return. It has been their goal to beat us and they accomplished that on Tuesday with a 6-4 victory in a hard fought baseball game. The team we battled on Tuesday was by far the best competition we have faced on an international stage. However, Wednesday’s game was supposed to be much more difficult. We were playing the Diablos (Devils). We were going to have the honor and opportunity to face the best baseball players in the state of Coahuila on Wednesday afternoon.

However, before our game, we still had a baseball clinic to conduct. We loaded up the bus and headed to the field for the clinic. The guys were pretty tired but God just seems to give us the energy we need every day.

When we pulled up at the clinic, we were just blown away at the 130 kids and their parents who were already on the field waiting for us to arrive. Our baseball clinic was 2 ½ hours of Rapido Spanglish Mayhem. It was a blast.
So many cool things happened at the clinic. One really cool element that I need to mention was a guy named Angel Batista. Angel was a Mexican League All Star from the Dominican Republic. He played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the Big Leagues and was in his late 20’s. He played for the Diablos and had read in the paper about our baseball clinics. He showed up to see what we were doing. All he knew about us was that we were doing clinics for kids and he was playing us that afternoon. He was so impacted by our message and our team, he jumped in and helped us translate at the clinic. Angel is a Christian. He said, “I have never seen anything like this before. Using baseball as a platform to talk about Jesus is the most incredible thing he had ever seen.” In his past, baseball and faith in Christ have always been two separate things. From now on, things will be different for him.
After the clinic we got some quick lunch at small taco place. Then we were off to Monclova’s Major League field and store. They opened the store for us and we got a tour of their field and work out facility. It was really cool.
After an hour rest at the hotel, we were off to the game.

After our warm up, Coach V called everyone out to Center field. It was almost game time and we all knew we were about to face Angel Batista and his crew of Mexican All-Stars on the Diablos. I wish I could really communicate what a big deal this was in Monclova Mexico. Five of the guys on this team are local superstars. This was a big time experience.
Coach V, told everyone to take a knee at center field. After everyone got settled, the pre-game speech commenced. In my humble opinion, Coach V’s pregame pep talk is hands down, the best I have ever heard. In summary, his challenge was to play this game hard. Hustle at all times and leave everything on the field. He reminded the guys of the spiritual impact that was taking place right before their eyes. He also reminded them that each one of them could flat out play this game. The bottom line is that he fired up the Ambassadors and challenged them to go win a ball game.

After Coach V’s speech, Aaron Cornell took the middle of the circle and rallied the Ambassadors. From that point on, the team was focused and the fight was on.

Aaron Cornell lead off with a hit up the middle followed by Chris Hinkley’s bunt down the line. Before we could blink, the Ambassadors were up 3-0 in the top half of the 1st inning and we captured all the momentum.
AC, then took the mound and we had the opportunity to see if these guys could hit the baseball. Well, the answer to the question is, Yes they can. One of the Mexican All-Stars, Sergio Villarreal hit a 3 run bomb that was just smoked over the left field fence. However, Aaron kept giving them fits with his pitching. Brian Holt behind the plate, the Hinckley’s in the middle and Kolby Baxter at third also contributed to some solid defense.

In addition to some solid defense, we continued to swing the bat really well. We were up 6-3 going into the 5th inning. Because these guys could swing so well, we really needed a few more runs. We had two outs with runners on the corners and Cisco was coming to the plate. The pitcher we were facing was really tough. He had a slider that looked like it was coming straight at you then would come in hard for a strike. Cisco got a head in the count, then he smoked Cesar Hernandez’s fastball over the right field fence for a 3 run home run. This put us up 9-3 and that is how the game ended. It was amazing.

The Ambassadors came to Mexico and earned the respect of people both on and off the field. After the game, we shared the gospel with the Diablos and all those in the stands and it was incredible to see many come to faith in Christ.

One of the leaders of the church in Monclova told us, “I have never seen this kind of impact for Christ in our city.” She was so grateful that we came to tell people about Jesus.

After sharing the gospel, the Diablos started taking off their jerseys and trading jersey’s with the Ambassadors. In Spanish, Diablos means Devils. Well, we came to Mexico this week and literally kicked the Devil’s rear. After that, we took their shirts and God turned them into Ambassadors. It was so cool to see all those Diablos wearing Ambassador jerseys. I wish all of you could have been there.

After trading jersey’s, the head coach for the head coach for the Diablos began rattling off a bunch of Spanish to Coach V. David grabbed Cristobal Lopez, the Hispanic pastor at Council Road, to find out what he was saying.

The Coach told Coach V, “It was an honor to play a team who played the game with such incredible discipline. In Mexico, we don’t have competition like the Ambassadors. Thank you so much for coming.”

God is really good.

We woke up early this morning and now we are in Saltillo. We are looking forward to another day of impactful ministry both on and off the baseball field. We have a clinic at 11:00 a.m. and then we will play a game later this afternoon. Before we left Monclova we stopped to buy papers. They had more articles about our clinics yesterday and did another great job of talking about the Lord.

However, because of our victory yesterday the headline about the game was a lot different.

It read: “Embajadores le pego a Diablos!” and Le Pego we did.

Around 3:00 p.m. we headed out to our first game in Mexico.  We filled up our water jug because it is HOT south of the border.  When we pulled up at the field it was vintage Mexico.  It was a cinderblock ball park that could seat around 1000 people.  It is actually the home field of the really good baseball league in Piedras Negras.  Both teams started warming up as a lot of our clinic kids started rolling into the stadium.   

The team we played today was made up of select players from Piedras Negras.  The youngest was 15 and the oldest may have been in his 30's.  Since some of our opponents had some maturity to them, I hit a round of infield to our coaches just to see if Coach V and Adrian wanted to give it a go.  After seeing the rust on those two guys and Adrian almost breaking a hip, we decided it would be best to have them just coach.   I think after a little "Icy Hot", Adrian will be OK. 

Before we knew it, the pre-game rituals were complete, the umpires were in place and we heard the familiar term, "JUGAMOS" from the guys in blue.  Our first 9 inning game in Mexico was finally underway.   

Aaron Cornell got things started with a lead off triple and both Hinkley brothers followed up with two solid hits.  We ended the top half of the 1st inning with a 2-0 lead and our International winning streak seemed to be off to the right start.  We started the game with Brian Holt on the mound and our defense looked really solid. 

Coach Nation took the reigns at First Base and Davey guided the ship from the Third Base coaching box.  However, the real story line for our first game goes to Brian Holt because he was a bulldog.  He threw 107 pitches and went all nine innings.  All the Mexican's were a little disappointed that Holt went the entire game because they all wanted to see our 6'9 Cole Way stand on the mound and throw the baseball.  However, it was Holt's game and he wanted to finish it out and finish is exactly what he did.  We won our first international game of 2010 by the score of 6-1.  It was a great day of baseball and a great outing for all of our guys, especially Brian.

After the game, we shared the gospel with all those who came to the game and many prayed to receive Christ.  Including many of the kids who played on the team from Baja California. Honestly, I have been a little overwhelmed at the fact that God has opened up a door to share the gospel with the Little League kids in Mexico.  Think about the legacy potential in that supernaturally opened door.  God is allowing us to influence the future of baseball in Mexico by allowing us to tell it's future baseball stars about Jesus.  We are not just sharing with kids from Piedras Negras but are sharing with the best baseball teams from all over this country.  That is really amazing to me. 

As we were clearing the dugout, a man named Ricardo, who works for one of the local radio stations came up to ask some questions about the Ambassadors. He was late to the game so he missed the 6-1 victory but we were able to share with him who we are and why we came to Mexico. 

He had heard that we were in town and came to see what we were about.  He interviewed Cristobal and I asking us questions about baseball.  Our conversation very quickly turned  to Ricardo's spiritual condition when he asked a key question, "You mean to tell me that you play baseball and you also talk to others about God?"  This lead to the gospel and Ricardo prayed to received Christ.  It was an incredible moment.  After he accepted Christ, Coach V was able to give him one of the Bibles his church in Blanchard graciously donated to us for us to give out to to others in need, a brand new bracelet and a media guide.

It is so amazingly cool to see people come to know Christ.   

Ricardo responded to the gospel when we asked if we could share with him.  I wonder how many people back home would respond to the gospel if we asked?  Maybe we should do more asking?

After Ricardo got saved, we came back to the hotel to shower and then we went to eat the most amazing Carne Asada cooked by Ariel, the head of all the Little League players in Mexico and our umpires.  This Carne Asada was legit and it was likely the very best food I have put in my mouth.  

After we stuffed our faces, Coach V and I got into a little contest to see who could eat the hottest pepper.  Though there was some debate on this, I am pretty sure that I won but Coach V may have a different perspective.  All I will choose to say for now is this:  Stay away from the little green peppers.  They are hot and get a lot hotter after about 4 minutes of eating them.  Before we knew it, all the guys were joining into the pepper eating contest.  It was so much fun watching each other suffer after throwing down ice cubes after those big bites of jalepeno peppers.  This is such a guy thing but it was so much fun.  All of us are a little worried how those peppers are going to be on the back end of tonights experience if you know what I mean?  But I guess we will reap what we sow.   

After the amazing dinner we are back at the hotel and I am dozing as I write so I really should be off to bed. 

Thank you Lord for an amazing experience in Mexico.  Thank you for allowing us to follow Your road.

Today was an absolute amazing experience.  We headed out around 8:30 this morning and caught a couple of games at the Mexican version of the Little League World Series.  Chiuahuaha was playing Saltillo and these kids were hitting bombs.  From the very beginning we were all hooked into the experience. 

I wish I could express what the atmosphere was like.  It was one of those experiences that you just had to see to really understand.  We got off the bus and the crowd was electric.  All of the families of the players were effectively utilizing their homemade percussion devices and they were not missing a beat.  We divided the Ambassadors in half and some cheered for Chihuahua and the others cheered for Saltillo.  It was so much fun. 

After the game, we went out on the field and got to share with all of the teams who were playing.  It was so amazing to watch the gospel being presented by our guys through translators and seeing these little kids and their families listening to every word.  Brian Holt told me at lunch today that had to have been what the Disciples felt like when Christ spoke to people.  He told me that outside of being at Falls Creek, he had never experienced so many people listening to the gospel.  That was an amazing statement from Brian today.

After we shared with the kids and their families, somehow we started an in-prompt-to baseball clinic with one team from Monclova and one team from Saltillo.  It was challenging to communicate because of the language barrier but It was amazing. The clinic was a blast and had everything from pitching, hitting, fielding and even a couple of dog piles.  I am sure you will be able to catch some pictures on facebook. 

After the clinic, we were pretty hungry.  Pastor Jesus, (Isn't that a great name for a pastor?) invited us to his church where several ladies cooked some of the best Mexican grub that I have ever put in my mouth.  After lunch, we were back to the hotel for an hour nap.  I gotta tell you, that was a good nap.

I am going to go ahead and stop here because I am ready for some dinner.  I will finish telling you about day 2 after some Carne Asada and tortillas. 

Man, I love Mexico.

I know parents back home are anxious so keep your eyes peeled to the blog before your bedtime or get up early to catch the rest of Day 2.  The rest of the story is pretty cool.

After the clinics

We are about to head out for Day 2. 

 Today, in Piedras Negras, we are going to the Mexican version of the Little League World Series.  Teams from all over the country are in Piedras and we are going to spend some time with the youngest division.  We will be watching a few of their games this morning and then we will get to share our story and most importantly, His Story with these kids.

It is a lot of fun because several of the teams are staying at our hotel. 

After we hang with the Little League kiddos, we are off to some lunch and then at 5:00p.m. we have our first game in Piedras.  According to the Director of Baseball for Mexico, we are picked to win today's game but in Monclova, we are the underdog. 

I love it. 

So far, Ambassadors have an international record of 10-1. 

Today is going to be an awesome day for both playing baseball and sharing the gospel.  Please Pray the Lord leads us today, allows us to listen to His Spirit and enables us to be sensitive to the Divine appointments that are right in front of us.

Serving the Lord is such an incredible ride.  Everyone should really experience His adventure in life.