After seeing Codey off to the DR on two past trips I am here and finally get to experience the country and the people that have captured his heart.  He has always had a love of baseball but to be able to combine that love with spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, well it does a mom’s heart good to see her boy be in his element.  I didn’t have any expectations in coming and didn’t know what my role would be except to be in a support position.  I don’t mind that as I get to see things that maybe those with jobs while here wouldn’t get to to.  What I’ve noticed over the last two days is that children, no matter where they are or how old, just want to be loved on and cared about.  Many may wonder what coming over and playing a baseball game can do but it simply shows that someone, even if they are from somewhere else, someone somewhere cares about them, loves them enough to come over and share the ONE true love of Jesus and will continue to pray for them even after we have returned to our home.  My heart is full being here with my son and his friends and teammates but at the same time it is empty knowing that we can’t do more right now.  When you finish reading this please pray for these children and this country…that they would come to know Jesus as their Savior and be able to experience the fullness and love that that brings.  Please pray for our continued time here that we can continue to be hands and feet and shine bright!

- Denise Winston

    Its the second day here in the DR and i am having a great time!  today we played two games and fed the players sandwiches, after playing the games we sat them down and spoke to them about God. Today I shared my testimony about how i asked Christ to be my lord and savor, I also spoke on how we need to surround ourselves with great friends.  This experience has already been life changing and I cant wait to see what the next five days holds.  I promised my brother i would say happy birthday on the blog, so happy birthday breh.  I already miss my friends and family a ton but i cant wait to tell them all the great stories and events that have been happening.  Tonight we are going to the Dominican Rep. professional team  which I am pumped about! I am praying and thinking about my loved ones and cant wait to see y’all. Remember to turn up and I will be back soon. Love you guys.

- Luke Ludwig

Hey guys! It’s Saturday, the third day I’ve been here, and the second most of the other guys have been down here in the Dominican Republic! It’s my second time coming on this trip, I absolutely loved the first time and so far this has been no exception! Today we went and played against a team we’ve played the last 3 times we’ve been down here. Just from last time to this time the whole atmosphere has changed. It’s incredible to see a place completely changed and impacted for the better by SCORE. Juli, the founder, coach, and manager of the field/club we played against today said two things I would like to share. The first, “we have no aid whatsoever from the outside, no sponsors or government funding. Everything you see that we have has been our own doing, or through SCORE.” The second thing that really affected me was when Juli talked to Mr. Keith about our history saying, “You belong to us, you belong to this team, and you belong to our family,” seeing the sincerity in his eyes and feeling especially connected to this statement due to this being our second year really made that a special moment for me. Please keep us in your prayers constantly for the next week, we need it! Thanks guys, much love.

- Joel Ward

It is the second day here in the DR! We were so excited about the opportunity to come down as missionaries being newlyweds.  We both have prayed about serving and doing God’s work together since day one. It has been a great two days so far and we have been blessed by all the kids.  These are the times where we love serving God and seeing his work be done through the game of baseball. Our biggest blessing so far this trip has been playing with the younger kids that are beginning to see God’s work being done. Making memories as a new married couple will always be precious, but the most precious thing is making new friends and other couples who direct and give advise about a Godly marriage. We hope and pray that the younger kids that came on this trip has felt like they have made an impact on the lives of the kids that they played baseball against the past two days. As my wife and I head back home tomorrow, we pray that God works in these kids lives and put them on the right path.  We also pray that the HSWA players take in every devotion they have this week and seek God to better their lives in whatever area needed. We love everyone here that we know and have become new friends with. Always remember, a road to a friend’s house is never long and those who wait upon the Lord will always renew their strength. Love you guys!
- Matt and KaliAnn Lisk