January 2016

What a first month to the year! It seemed liked every day was used to do something to prepare for the start of the league. We won’t bore you with all the work done before hand, but we will dive right into the excitement that took place on the days between January 20^th and January 30^th.  Stan Dobner and an awesome team from the Charlotte area arrived on the evening of January 20^th. That night we passed out the uniforms to the coaches. They were overwhelmed with excitement as they had no idea what the uniforms would look like nor did they know what the name of their team would be. The uniforms did not disappoint and the coaches were all thrilled with what team they received. The following two days were spent in making preparations for the kickoff event on Friday night and opening day on Saturday. For the kickoff event we invited all of the teams plus their family members to come. The event was a spectacle to say the least. For the past year everything as far as the “league” is concerned has been done on a small scale. We only saw two or three teams play on one Saturday. We were only dealing with the communities individually. So to see a building full of people that were in some shape of form part of the ministry was breathtaking. In our first year we have 144 kids and about 30 coaches/team volunteers participating in the league.  That is unbelievable and incredible to think about the potential and scope that this ministry can have here. Next year alone we could easily see the number of teams double, but we do not want to get ahead of ourselves. But, it cannot be understated how amazing it was to see so all those people gathered together. It helped bring clarity to know that all the work that had be done the past year was not done in vain. But back to the actually what happened at the kickoff event, which in of itself was pretty amazing. Stan was able to share his dreams, goals, and purpose for the ministry; we introduced all the teams; the Gospel was shared; and kids made decisions to accept Jesus. We are excited to keep pouring into the lives of the kids who came forward on a weekly basis through devotions and showing God’s love towards them. It was truly a special evening!

Darren Adams sharing the Gospel!

All the kids who came forward!

 

The following day was opening day. It was a day that seemed like an unattainable dream for the longest time, but it finally arrived and it was a great day of fellowship, joy and baseball. We had six games take place with two of them being instant classics. We also got in a second weekend of games before January came to a close. There was only one game on the second weekend that brought any excitement. So to get you all caught up on all the game action we have summarized each weekend of games and highlighted the three games (one in each division) that kept us on the edge of our seats.

7-9 Age Group

Through two weekends of games we are left with 2 undefeated teams and 2 winless teams in the youngest division. The Indians of Candelaria dominated the Pirates of Nuevo Amanacer and the Padres of Quitanca in their first two games. The Pirates after falling to the Indians in the first week followed it up by losing to the Tigers of Santa Matilde the second week. Though most of these games have been more entertaining for the cuteness factor rather than actual game play, there was one game that featured such an unbelievable comeback that it would of made one believe that there is a chance pigs could fly. That game was on opening day with the Padres of Quitanca and the Tigers of Santa Matilde squaring off. The Padres were the visiting team and opened up the top of the first with a whopping 17 runs. It looked like the game was going to be over before it started. Although the Tigers dug themselves into a deep hole, they were not fazed as they rebounded with 10 runs of their own in the bottom half of the first. And the comeback was on. After the second inning the Tigers had made it a 5 run game with the score being 23-19. Thanks to some great defense and some more runs in the third inning, the Tigers went into the fourth winning 26-25! The Padres bounced back with great defense of their own and the two teams went to the fifth and final inning tied 27-27. The Padres led off the fifth inning with four runs and looked certain to seal the victory in the bottom half. The Tigers were down to their last out and still trailed by two runs but the bases were loaded. Little Eliseo stepped up to bat in the biggest moment of his life and delivered in a big way by hitting a walk off 3 run triple to win the game for the Tigers! It was a great, entertaining way to start off the league. So as it stands at the moment the Indians and Tigers are 2-0 while the Padres and the Pirates are 0-2. By the end of this Saturday there will be only one undefeated and one team remaining winless as these teams will face each other. Stay tuned to find out what happens on Saturday!

The Pirates of Nuevo Amanacer

Most of the Indians of Candelaria

The Padres of Quitanca

The Tigers of Santa Matilde

 

9-11 Age Group

           
After two weekends in this age group we have a top dog, two teams looking to try to dethrone the top dog and a team that needs to spend more time on the practice field. The Cardinals of Santa Matilde have had a rough two games as they have been handled pretty well by the Rangers of Nuevo Amanacer and the Athletics of Quitanca. The Rangers a week after beating the Cardinals lost in a competitive game to the Braves of Candelaria. That leads us to undoubtedly the best game of the first couple of weekends that featured the Braves of Candelaria and the Athletics of Quitanca. The Braves were eager to show what they had against a well coached, veteran Athletics team. The game started off by the Braves putting a big 0 on the scoreboard in the top of the first and controversially starting their number two pitcher in the bottom half of the inning in hopes of saving their stud for the last four innings. The strategy did not play out well. Though the pitcher, Ricardo, pitched decent the defense behind him played poorly. The Athletics came out hitting and the Braves had two crucial errors in the first inning. A passed ball in the outfield and a dropped ball by the catcher on a play at the plate allowed the Athletics to pull out to a 5-0 lead. The Braves again could not muster up anything in the second and the coach had no option but to bring on the stud from center field to try and keep the game manageable. The Athletics did not skip much of a beat as they started off the bottom portion of the second inning with two more runs. The Braves were startled, but gained some hope as the big hoss on the mound, Alexander, struck out three in a row. The adrenaline gained from the three straight strikeouts woke up the Braves and they were able to put two on with one out as Alexander stepped up to the plate. Not wanting to miss a chance to help himself out, Alexander crushed a bomb to right center field and ran around the bases for a three run homerun. The Candelaria fans were going crazy and one could feel the momentum shifting. In the bottom half of the third the A’s went three up and three down as Alexander struck out two more. The Braves kept the bat party going in the fourth as they were able to bring home four more runs to tie the game, thanks in big part to a two run double hit by none other than Alexander. The game was tied 7-7 heading into the bottom half of the fourth. Despite their early success, the Athletics were not able to touch Alexander until a crucial outfield error turned a single into a homerun and the A’s regained their lead at 8-7. The score stayed the same until the sixth and final inning. The Braves were feeling hopeful with the top of their lineup coming to the plate. The inning started by a walk and was followed up by a strikeout. And with a man on first and already having 5 RBI’s to his name, Alexander stepped up to the plate for the Braves. Unfortunately, Alexander ran out of magic and struck out. The following batter struck out as well to end the game as the Braves started off the season with a loss and the A’s with a big win.

The Cardinals of Santa Matilde

The Rangers of Nuevo Amanacer

The Athletics of Quitanca

 

 

The Braves of Candelaria

12-13 Age Group

            Over the first two weeks, this age group has shaped up very similar to the 10-11 age group. It started off with the Red Sox of Quitanca putting it on the Giants from Nuevo Amanacer. The Giants were able to bounce back in week 2 against the Yankees of Santa Matilde while the Yankees had tough two tough weeks as they also loss to the Reds of Candelaria in the first week and have two early losses. Again the best game was between the teams of Quitanca and Candelaria. The Reds of Candelaria have been feeling pretty confident over the past month and they were eager to take on the Red Sox of Quitanca to prove that they were indeed the best team in the league. The Reds did come out strong with a three up three down in the top half of the first and were able to score one run in the bottom half to take a 1-0 lead. The Red Sox quickly rebounded and were able to put through 2 in the top half of the second to take a one run lead. The Reds couldn’t get anything going in second and the game was 2-1 heading into the third. Sensing opportunity, the Red Sox came out swinging and scored 5 runs to take a 6 run lead. With their backs up against the wall, the Reds were able to find 4 runs of their own to shrink the lead to only 2. The Red Sox were quiet in the top of the fourth and the Reds came up to bat with a chance to cut into more of the lead. Thanks to a home run hit by the one they call “Pitbull”, the Reds tied the game up with three innings remaining in the game. The crowd was alive and beginning to believe that the Reds were going to be able to do what they said all week they would do, win. The Red Sox being calm and collective squashed all of their beliefs with five runs in the fifth. The Reds would not be able to score anymore in the final three innings as the Red Sox added five more and ended up winning 17-7. 

The Reds of Candelaria

The Yankees of Santa Matilde

The Giants of Nuevo Amanacer

The Red Sox of Quitanca

            As you can tell we have had a jam packed first two weeks for the league. We are excited to be able to have games every Saturday and the kids are having a blast. But, we are even more thrilled with what God is doing, already has done, and will do to continue to use the game of baseball to reach the people here in Chichigalpa. We ask that you continue to pray for wisdom, soft hearts, and more opportunities to reach the men here. Thank you and may God bless!

The Coaches!

Goals for 2016

It is amazing to see how far we have come from the start of 2015. God has been faithful through hard times and we are excited to see what this New Year has in store for this ministry. As we move forward with 2016 we have set “goals” for the ministry and would like to share them with you all so that you can partner with us in prayer.

1. Add one family/kid from each team to a church – We will have 12 teams with 12 kids on each team. That is 144 kids that will be participating in our league. It would be far to estimate that at least half of the kids are not involved in a church and probably 75% of the families of the kids are not involved in a church. Our goal for next year would be to have one family or a player from each team become newly involved in a church. 
2. Find solid chaplains for each team – This goal would have a direct effect on the first goal. The chaplains would not only be sharing devotions and ministering to the kids weekly but Jeff would like to get out into the communities with the chaplains and spend time with the families of the players. The key to adding families to the church is to develop relationships with them by spending time with them and loving on them. 
3. Have weekly community outreaches – We would like to have one time a week where our fields our open to the men of the community both young and old. It would essentially be a time where they would have a couple of hours to play scrimmages amongst themselves, but in order to play they would have to come before hand for a devotion. Getting to the hearts of the men in the community is crucial to see changes. We believe that this will be an effective avenue to reach the men.
4. Find a “full-time” Nicaraguan – The ministry really needs a Nicaraguan man who shares the vision and goals of the ministry to come work along side Jeff. Firstly, a local is going to make a bigger impact than any foreigner can make. Secondly, a Nicaraguan, due to his understanding of the culture, will provide better advice on how things can work more effectively. Thirdly, when Jeff is in the States things can still operate and the ministry can have someone who is in charge to keep things going.
5. Run a “successful” league – What constitutes running a successful league? For us we want Saturdays to be the highlights of the kid’s week. We want this to be the day they look forward to as they count the days until they can put on their jersey and go out and play. It is also a day that we want to see the community come together and to enjoy watching their kids, grandkids, nephews, neighbors, and friends play. That would constitute a successful league, having a day that is anticipated by the kids and the community.
6. Form a league committee – With each game day featuring six games we are going to need help and participation from the community. We hope to find a group of people who want to volunteer  and be committed to help with the on goings of the league on a week-to-week basis. 
7. Have sponsors for each team – We have configured that with only $1,000 one could adequately sponsor a team. This would include uniforms for the year for a given team, snacks after the games, and transportation to and from games. We are planning on having two different seasons during the year. The first lasting from the end of January to the beginning of May and the second going from the beginning of July to the end of September. The $1,000 would cover the team expenses for the year. With that each sponsor will receive updates about their team and be able to connect with them on a more intimate level. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of a team please refer to the “How To Get Involved” tab.

Those are our 7 main goals for 2016. We believe in the power of prayer and know how effective it can be. We ask you to partner with us and keep these goals in your prayers. We thank you in advance for your support because none of this would be possible without it! Thanks and God bless!

October and November 2015 Update

            The month of October was the last month for scrimmage/preseason games and November featured a special game. All the teams played their final games for the year and we had some great ones. The kids and the communities are excited and anxiously anticipating the upcoming league in January when each team will be playing on a weekly basis. However, if the league started today we would have a pretty good idea on which teams are the best, due to the results from the preseason games. In the oldest division of 12-13 year olds Candelaria dominated by going undefeated with a 6-0 record. Nuevo Amanacer was a close second with plenty of talented players. They went 3-3 in the scrimmage games, and although they never beat the Candelarian team, there is reason for optimism because due to so many players the Candelarian team will be split into two different teams when the league rolls around. Santa Matilde brought up the rear, but with athletic kids who just lack practice the hope is that this team will be much improved than their preseason 1-5 record. The MVP of this division for the preseason would have to be Luiz Manuel Santana from Candelaria. His name around these parts is Luisito, which would translate to little Luiz, but his game is anything but little. With a 12-6 curveball that would make a grown man’s knees buckle and the ability to play shortstop at a high level makes him a highly versatile player and an easy choice for the MVP of the preseason.

Luiz about to throw his devastating curveball!

            There is a similar story in the 10-11 year old division as far as team rankings, but there is a twist. Candelaria ended the preseason with an unblemished 6-0 record. Yet, the twist is that the team from Nuevo Amanacer only played in the last weekend of games. Nuevo Amanacer gave Candelaria all they wanted and more in what was the best game of the preseason but, Candelaria escaped with a dramatic 2-1 victory. Nuevo Amanacer were 1-1 in the only weekend they played but they surely will make plenty of noise in the league. Santa Matilde struggled and were not able to find a win going 0-6. Without some improvement it might be tough for Santa Matilde to win games come January. Also, this division will get a surprise once the league starts as a team from a neighboring community who won the city league of Chichigalpa this past year will join this division. We are excited to be able to make this contact with this community because the coach is well respected and knows a lot about baseball. But most importantly, it offers us a chance to reach and minister to a neighboring community that New Song does not yet have a presence. The community is called Quitanca and is in close proximity to Nuevo Amanacer, which has a dynamic pastor and is building a new church building. We are excited with the possibilities and potential this relationship presents. Going back to the teams that participated in the scrimmages, instead of an MVP I want to give out a most improved to a young boy and girl. Jose and Mariana have been practicing since March. They both can get attitudes and are difficult/frustrating to coach at points. Yet, they have been faithful since the beginning and although those attitudes can pop up every now and then, they are much more respectful and receptive to coaching. Jose always had the ability and was quite a good player from the beginning. The biggest hurdle was to get him to use two hands when catching the baseball. You would of thought it was like asking him to put his hands into a fire. He would not do it and subsequently he dropped a lot of balls. He finally began to realize that when he did use two hands the ball never came out of his glove. During the classic game between Nuevo Amanacer, he was playing first base and made some Sportscenter worthy catches all while using two hands. On the other hand, little Mariana has been a project. She came in with no ability and has improved in all phases of the game. Although she would bat well during practices, she would not swing at all during the games because she was afraid of the ball. Finally, in the last game against Santa Matilde she got the bat off her shoulders and swung. She ended up getting a couple of hits and more than anything proved to herself that she can indeed hit the ball during the games just as good as she can in practice.

Jose and Mariana back in March forming their friendship!

           As for the youngest division of 7-9 year olds the pattern continues. Candelaria was the top team, having only one loss at 5-1. Once again Nuevo Amanacer, which might be the most improved out of any team, was the second best team. Having bounced back from early losses, they finished with a 2-4 record. Santa Matilde started off winning their first two games but nose dived from there and lost their last 4 games. Like the eldest division, Candelaria will have two different teams in this division come January, which will make things more interesting. For this division I would like to highlight what one could call the “Coach of the Preseason”. That is the coach of the Candelarian team, Rosita Vega. This young girl works six mornings a week from 6-9, has high school classes from 12-5 and still manages to give three practices a week. She has such a passion to teach the young ones about Jesus and the game of baseball. The youngest group is by far the hardest group to coach and to control, but Rosita does an exceptional job. Her team plays really well and it is awesome to see how she interacts with the kids and parents.

Rosita with her stud muffins!

            Like I said at the beginning, November featured a special game. The pastors, church leaders, and the coaches got together to play a softball double header. For the past year I have heard different pastors tell me of their glory days and how they still could go out there and play at a high level. Well they got their chance and while one can tell that father time has crept up on them, some can still play well. It was a great time of fellowship and a way to bless these men who work hard and give their lives to their communities. It was also great to see the potential of how we can utilize the fields that we have not only for league purposes but ways to bless and minister to the communities with games such as these. It was a great two months with plenty of joy and laughter. We are blessed to see things start to shape up and we are excited to see what God has in store. Please keep this ministry in your prayers and God bless!

Bismarck is the pastor of Nuevo Amanacer and from his accounts was a shoulder injury away from pitching in the majors...

Somebody needs to tell Bismark that he ain't getting to the majors like that!

The man, the myth, the legend...Encarnacion is one of our great guards at New Song so you know that he ain't stealing!

Rosita showing the old men up!

Support for 2016

We have been extremely blessed this year with how much money has been given to kick start this ministry. With what we have received, we have been able to build what is becoming the best set of fields in the area. We have two fields that are little league sized with the capability of using one field for older age groups, two sets of dugouts and backstops, beautiful green grass, a professional irrigation system to get us through the driest of times, and have been able to provide consistent work and income during a very difficult time of the year for three families. 

Yet, nothing can surpass the joy and excitement that has been provided to the kids and families within these communities Even though to date each team has only played a couple of exhibition games, you would think they were involved in the MLB playoffs. Kids are constantly asking when the next games are, and they are always recounting what happened in the previous games. Right now, they have to wait three weeks between each game. So we cannot wait to see how awesome things will be once January rolls around, and the season gets started. Like it was previously stated, this year and everything that has happened would not have been possible without your help. Because we desire to run a yearly league, there is a need for yearly financial help. Below is our 2016 Budget for the ministry.

2016 New Song Sports Ministry Annual Budget
Teams		$12,000
Field Maintenance		$4,000
Transportation		$3,000
Capital Budget		$5,000
Missionary/Local Staff Support		$15,000
		$39,000

TEAMS

In 2016, we will have 12 teams participating in the actual league. We determined that each team could be adequately sponsored with only $1,000. With this money we plan to provide each player and coach with a jersey, a glove for each kid, snacks after each game, trophies, team photos, and umpires for the games. Routine updates will be given for each team so that team sponsors can become connected with their team and its players.

FIELD MAINTENANCE

There has been a lot of work and money put into constructing our fields. To honor those that have given their time and money, we will continue to strive to have the best fields in Chichigalpa. Field maintenance would include providing for workers, grass products (fertilizer, weed killer, etc.), power for running the irrigation system and any miscellaneous expenses that come with upkeep of two fields.

TRANSPORTATION

Due to the broad scope of New Song Mission there are three communities that are not within walking/bicycle distance from the fields. Due to this, transportation needs to be provided for the teams and families.

CAPITAL BUDGET

The capital budget is for further field construction, such as two picnic areas, bathrooms, and seating. It also includes savings for future land and vehicle purchases.

MISSIONARY/LOCAL STAFF

Finally, the sports ministry currently has one full time American missionary and a part time Nicaraguan. The hope for 2016 is to find and train a full time Nicaraguan who can serve as a leader for the ministry, as well as continuing to financially support those that are currently involved.

As many of you know, this year has not turned out like any of us had expected. We have faced many unexpected obstacles along the way, but such things come with the territory of working in a third world country.  Even still, we believe that we made the most out of the year and our resources to lay down a solid foundation for the ministry. Now that the hard, nitty-gritty work is done we can focus on the real reason we are here and that is Jesus.  We ask that you prayerfully consider in partnering with us to bring the Gospel, hope and joy to the beautiful people of Nicaragua. For more information on giving please refer to the “How to Get Involved” section of our blog.

September 2015 Update

Another month has gone by and even though the rain has picked up a bit, we haven’t had any problems getting in a lot of baseball. During the first Saturday of the month the eldest group again had the opportunity to showcase their skills. The teams of Nuevo Amanacer and Santa Matilde had a double header at the New Song Field. In the first game Santa Matilde did not have much of a chance because the pitcher for Nuevo Amanacer brought the magic. He pitched a no hitter while also tallying 10 strikeouts. It was an unbelievable performance as Nuevo Amanacer took the first game 7-0. Santa Matilde looked to have bounced back in the second game being only down one run after the 3^rd, but that is when it started to unravel as the errors and walks began to tally. Nuevo Amanacer captured the second game to win 12-5. As for the other two other teams, Candelaria and Fe y Esperanza, they squared off in the community of Fe y Esperanza. Candelaria took the first game handedly and unfortunately a second game was not played due to an incident that happened after the first game. The communities that we are working in are very poor communities where education levels are not very high. With that we tend to see traits of petty theft, lack of respect and in general bad attitudes amongst the kids and sometimes the parents we are working with. After the game there was a dispute of a missing glove, which then escalated into a big scene. It was decided to not play the second game and to have everybody just go home. Fe y Esperanza (faith and hope) is the newest church plant for New Song Mission. In that there is not quite yet a foundation of Christian men or women who are available to help as coaches, chaplains, etc. Due to these reasons among others, it was decided by the Pastor of that community to suspend his teams from playing in the league in January giving him time to raise up people who will be able to provide the leadership and guidance needed. It was very disappointing because the Pastor has been a big proponent for the sports ministry up until this point and sees the huge potential that it has to impact his community. This lack of Christian leadership especially among men has been one of the biggest obstacles we have had to overcome, but in that it is also one of our biggest goals and focuses to impact the hearts of adult men and women through sports. We ask that you keep this in your prayers and that God will give us wisdom and guidance and that hearts will be softened amongst the people.

As for the second weekend there were only two teams that participated in the 9-10 age group and that was Candelaria and Santa Matilde. In the first game, Candelaria jumped on the opposition early thanks to patience at the plate and preferring to be walked instead of chasing bad pitches. Candelaria led 3-0 after the first. Santa Matilde could not get anything going in the second either as they were not able to find a way to score, but Candelaria again found themselves making noise on offense. The floodgates began to open up when Candelaria had the bases loaded with only one out and their clean up hitter, a 10 year old girl, up to bat. Little Yelly did not back down from the situation and hit a bases clearing double. From that moment Candelaria did not look back and ended up winning 13-0 after the game was called after the third. The second game of the double header began like the first game ended, with Candelaria lighting up the scoreboard. Candelaria posted a ridiculous 9 runs in the top of the first inning, but Santa Matilde answered in the bottom half of the first. Having already had their ace pitch two innings in the first game the coach of Candelaria decided to give the ball to another pitcher to see how well he could manage. He did not manage well as the pitcher surrendered 5 runs. The score stayed 9-5 as the teams went to the bottom half of the second. The coach let his pitcher start the second hoping to see an improvement. Unfortunately, Santa Matilde continued their hitting and knocked in 2 more runs. The coach decided to call on his ace to get his team out of the jam. The Candelarian stud stood tall and got his team out of the second inning without giving up anymore runs as the teams stood deadlocked at 9-7 heading into the third. The teams battled back and forth until the sixth and final inning. The score was 11-9 and it was anybody’s game. Candelarian came up to bat for their final turn and they made the most out of it. They were able to bring in 4 runs to push their lead to 15-9. Candelaria marched their closer out to the mound in the bottom of the sixth and he struck out two out of the four batters he faced to give Candelaria the win and the sweep for the day.

What an action shot!

Girl Power!

                                                                                  

The final weekend of the month included the little ones from the three communities of Candelaria, Santa Matilde, and Nuevo Amanacer. The first game was between Candelaria and Nuevo Amanacer. This particular Candelarian team has been one of the best coached teams so far and it shows. They do not make many errors, which is HUGE for little ones that are in this age group. They also can smash the ball of the tee. Up next was Nuevo Amanacer and Santa Matilde. The last time these two teams met, Santa Matilde took over a close game and dominated the last two innings so Nuevo Amanacer was looking for a win. One could tell that Nuevo Amanacer has improved over the past month as they did get the win that they were looking for. It was a close game throughout but the improvements in the players on Nuevo Amancer were good enough to propel them to victory. For the third and final game Santa Matilde was to take on Candelaria. The best game amongst all the teams in the previous month of August was the meeting between these two. Candelaria made an amazing comeback in the top half of the last inning only to see Santa Matilde win on a walk-off single in the bottom half. With memories of their gut wrenching loss still on their minds, Candelaria played some inspired tee ball. They were sharp fundamentally in the field and as always they brought their big boy bats. Candelaria easily took care of Santa Matilde as they finished undefeated for the weekend. After going undefeated in the first weekend they played, the youngsters of Santa Matilde headed back home winless knowing that they would have to improve in practice. 

This is why here team bats so well! Rosita does a great job with the little ones!

Nothing like cold water on a hot day!

As you can tell it was once again an eventful and fun month here in Nicaragua. The kids excitement level is at its highest now that we have completed two months of games. We are also having more adults and youth starting to become more interested in helping as assistant coaches and chaplains. Although we still lack quality chaplains for each team, we are making progress in this area as well and that is a huge blessing! We are also grateful and excited that our fields are really starting to come together. We hope to share extensive before and after photos of the fields soon. As always thank you all again for your support financially and in prayer without this all these things would not be able to happen. As stated previously please pray for wisdom and guidance as we continue to work and figure out what is the best way to be affective with this ministry. And as always pray that hearts will be softened and that God’s will will be done. Thanks and God bless!

Milton getting ready to crush it!

Being put in their positions!

What it's all about!