March 2022 - Looking for the One

If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? (Matthew 18:12)

“We had just left our last baseball camp giving glory to God, reflecting on how 81 boys had given their lives to Christ over this past week. We were about to pull back onto the main road when Dan yelled, ‘Stop, stop the car!’ He jumped out of the car and approached a young man sitting outside of a small store. Dan spoke the Spanish he knew and asked the boy if he wanted to give his life to Christ. He said yes! We gave a Gospel of John and the team covered him in prayer. We got his contact information to follow up with him—he was our 81 plus the 1.” Oreece Carty, February 2022 trip participant to the Dominican Republic

Below are scenes from the baseball camps

A backstop view of baseball camp in the DR.png

Coach Dan shares his baseball know-how with campers in the DR.png

Jorge hands out Gospels of John at a baseball camp in the DR.png

Jorge with the trip team at a baseball camp.png

Reece makes friends with the cheerleaders at camp.

An ordinary week in February became an extraordinary one when the first ever outreach team to the Dominican Republic (DR) landed in the island nation. Hosted by Coach Jorge Bautista and his wife, Nicole, and led by Dan Narvaez, Domestic Ministry Director for Sports Outreach Institute, the five-member team was a “hit” wherever they went. God used Dan, Katie, Oreece, Hannah, and Kenneth in ways they had only dreamed of. Baseball Camps coached by Dan and Jorge, led to handing out the Gospel of John, sharing testimonies of faith, and giving participants the opportunity to commit their lives to Christ. The DR is known for baseball, with several hundred prospects becoming professional players each year. Tens of thousands of young people are motivated to pursue this dream, but the reality is that very few will ever achieve it. Therefore, in the city of Santo Domingo, SOI is bringing the hope of life in Jesus Christ, a life eternal that far transcends the earthly life of baseball.

Sports Outreach trips may look different on the outside, but the goal is always the same, to share the true hope that is only found in Jesus. May God use these pictures to inspire you to pray, give, or go— extraordinary answers, abundance, and adventures await!