WOW!!! Our last day at kids camp was incredible! Let me give you some details – warning: this could be a longer blog than usual.
The day started off with Sasha’s motor oil coffee – outstanding as usual! Then at 9:30 a.m., the fun began. Our first group of campers came through – the 10 and 11 year old boys. After “the Baseball Prayer,” we decided to play a game – more or less playing a real game. We had the two best players pick teams (12 total boys played), the coaches helped in the field, and we gave each team 10 minutes to score as many runs as possible – we were able to play 3 innings like this, with the time we had. It was so much fun – the boys really got competitive – talking smack, helping to coach their own players, encouraging each other to hit the ball, telling the players in the field the appropriate play to make, etc.! It was amazing to me that what we had shown them over just a few days stuck. It was extremely rewarding to watch these guys, who had an extremely limited knowledge of baseball (if any at all), really playing the game I have loved and played my whole life (in fact, I cannot remember ever not knowing how to play baseball). At the end of our time, they didn’t want to stop playing – that felt reeeeeeeaaaaalllllly good!
The rest of the morning, the Abilene baseball “geniuses” worked with the younger boys and girls and the 13 and 14 year olds. While these groups did not have the liveliness of the older boys, our time together was fun and extremely worthwhile.
After lunch, the coaches got to hit the baseball – with a little batting practice. It has probably been 8 years or more since I have hit a baseball – I had to come all the way to Israel to get my swing back! It feels awesome to crush a fastball! I am sore today, but man was it fun to hit!
By the time all the adults had hit, it was almost time for free time – where the kids got to choose what they wanted to do. We had 16 kids come back to play baseball. So, we cranked up another game! Once again, Paul Lovelace would be proud – 7 hours of baseball (only breaking to eat and drink some water)!
Totally exhausted from the day, we went to dinner and then to our evening service. Honestly, I thought I would be falling asleep, but Randy Turner spoke (with an interpreter who translated into Hebrew) with a passion to these 70 young people. At the end of his brief message, he had all of the leaders (Abilenians and Israelis) stand up around the room, and he told the kids that if Jesus had been speaking to them and if they were asking, seeking, and knocking, then they should go talk to one of the leaders that they felt comfortable with – allowing us, as leaders, to pray for them. As soon as Randy’s words were interpreted, all 12 of the older boys got up and went directly to our baseball leader (Thomas McAdams). I joined him, and we prayed for these young men. It was extremely moving – several of the boys had tears rolling down their face. I cannot remember being so touched by an experience like this. As I told Thomas, it is hard to believe that anyone can say that youth sports do not impact the lives of young men. I am certain that several of these young men somehow and in some way saw Christ in us – and for me, that’s what it is all about!
But for me, it did not stop there. After leaving Thomas, one of the boys – Natanel (we would say Nathaniel in the U.S.) – came up to me and gave me a big hug (he was the one boy that I really felt a bond with at camp – he was competitive on the field and quite off the field. He had a fire about him that I loved. I tried to give him encouragement all week, and we just clicked). With tears in his eyes (and in mine) and in his broken English, he said thank you and asked if I would pray for him. Once again, I was blown away. As I prayed over him, I couldn’t help but thank God for allowing me to have this opportunity. It was extremely moving and even more powerful!
Then, I saw several young men, and one in particular, come up to Drew; I saw several young ladies come up to Amanda (who led dance classes); I saw several young ladies come up to Shannon (who had been all over camp); and I saw several kids come up to Melinda (kids camp is Melinda’s world!). It was sooooo rewarding to see that my family was doing something special, something worthwhile, something eternal. It was a very, very proud moment for me as a father!
As the service ended and as we said our goodbyes, I continued to watch the young men we had had the privilege to teach baseball. They had been touched by the Holy Spirit, and we were part of it, and the best part – we were blessed in the process. What an incredible experience!!! Thank you God for allowing me to see what I saw, and thank you Thomas for leading our baseball crew “in a way that glorified Him”.