Telford Trip (06-13-10)

We had another great trip on Sunday. It was definitely hot, but the Lord blessed us with some clouds in the sky and a breeze all day. This was only the second time that our Sports Reach team has ever been to the Telford unit. When we went last year, there were only about 20 inmates that were "cleared" to even be able to participate and this year there were at least twice as many inmates participating. When we made our first trip last year, most of their guys had little or no softball experience and they had no equipment at all. So through the staff, we were able to leave the inmates gloves, bats, and bat bags with the hope that this would be the start of a softball/recreation league. Upon arrival Sunday, we were very encouraged to find out that the guys had been playing softball and just had their first softball tournament. Not only that, but the 1st and 2nd place teams, and even a handpicked All-Star team, would be the teams that we were to play. All of the Sports Reach guys that had been a part of these two Telford trips really felt a part of something really neat that had been started by our visit last year and we look forward to coming back to see what the Lord is doing just through playing softball.

Here is a brief testimony from Brandon on our SR team about the trip...

What a great trip yesterday to the Telford Unit. We had some great fellowship with the men at this prison unit. It is amazing to see what the Lord is doing inside the prison system. It is truly a blessing to be able to serve the Lord in this way. These men in the prison system are encouraged by us coming. We want ...to show them the Love of Christ and let them know they aren't forgotten. What a powerful ministry. It is awesome to hear the testimony of some of our guys as well. God has helped this ministry grow and I can't say enough wonderful things about it. Can't wait for the next trip! --On a side note-- We did play softball yesterday too...Needless to say the combined score all day was 90-2 Sports Reach. At least they are getting better!

June Trip

June 13 is the next Sports Reach trip to the Telford unit in New Boston. This is over 2 hours away so we will be leaving early Sunday morning and returning Sunday evening around 7-8pm.

Last year was our first time to visit this unit and it was great. They have not allowed many outside groups to come in, so this is a perfect place for ministry.

Also, next Thursday, June 10 we will be meeting at 6:30pm in the back room of Spring Creek Barbeque for our prayer/planning meeting. Hope to see you there.

Please pray about your involvement with this trip and let Josh know by tomorrow (Friday) if you can attend.

Powledge Trip 05-23-10

We had another great trip Sunday, at the Powledge Unit. We had a great time just being around the inmates. We were able to get in 4 games against their various teams(which we won all 4 of them), and even had a game where two of their teams played each other. During that particular game, some of our guys played soccer with the inmates, some visited, and some refereed their softball game. It was pretty neat to watch our guys interact with the inmates on so many different levels. Chad, David, Joshua, Will, Terry, and Josh did a great job in giving testimonies, presenting The Gospel, praying for the guys, and just encouraging them. We even had 3 new guys go with us for the first time(Brady, Rodney, and Lloyd). Overall, it was a very successful trip, and once again, God provided, blessed, and answered so many prayers on this trip.

Upcoming Powledge Trip Info

The trip to the Powledge unit this weekend is set. If you are not going to make it, please let Josh know ASAP.

We will be meeting at Josh's office at 7:00am Sunday morning. The address is 3608 West Way, Tyler, TX 75703. We will be leaving at 7:15am so please be on time.

Make sure to bring your drivers license. If you don’t have a jersey, hat or shorts, then Josh will bring them Sunday morning for you. Also, make sure that you wear PANTS over your shorts. They have asked us to wear pants into the unit. Once we are through the unit and onto the field, we can shed them and play in shorts.

Meeting this Thursday Night

We will have a prayer/planning meeting this Thursday night, May 20th from 6-8pm in the back room at Double Dave’s Pizza. We will go over the details for the trip and pray together.

Update From the Last Trip

Hey everybody,

A quick update on our trip this weekend to the Michael Trustee Camp. On the softball side we played 3 games against the inmate teams and were undefeated! We also played an exhibition game where we played ½ our team and ½ inmate team together. That was a lot of fun and gave us an opportunity to play alongside the prisoners. Overall it was a very successful trip for softball. We also had 3 first-timers and they played great. We hope to have Chris, Mark and Justin as regulars.

On the ministry side, David Hanley gave a great testimony about seeing God as a loving God instead of a harsh, disconnected God. It was really moving. We went through the Bad News/Good News tract and close to 10 guys raised their hands to make a decision! God is truly harvesting his fields and we are getting to participate. Jeff Coke gave a great message and testimony about having assurance of your salvation in the afternoon. It was really encouraging to believers who have doubts.

Our next trip is Sunday, May 23 to the Powledge Unit.

Once again, check us out on Facebook(just search for our page under East Texas Sports Reach).

We are now on Facebook

Check us out on Facebook. We now have an East Texas Sports Reach Facebook page that you can become a fan of. On the page, you will find updates, testimonials, pictures, etc... Come join us.