Those who know me are aware that sports has played a large role in my life. God has allowed me to find joy in the competition while at the same time allowing me to glorify Him. A part of me saw athletics, football in particular, as a mission field that God had placed me in. It is one of the things that I also miss the most now that my playing days are over. So when the opportunity was brought to me to participate in a mission trip with Champion Forest Baptist Church that used baseball as a tool to reach people for God It took very little time in prayer for me to know that I needed to go. The trip took me to Minden Germany, but honestly I would have done this mission trip even if it had been in the very town that I live. God allowed me to be a part of something so much larger than myself and I will forever be blessed by the youth I was able to coach and minister to. I was also blessed to be taken in by Kuhme family as if I was one of their own instead of a complete stranger.
Our travel began as fourteen of us flew out of IAH. From there we had a layover in Detroit before finally landing in Frankfurt, Germany. It was there that we met some of the members of the church we would be working with. This included Pastor Olaf and Stefan who was in charge of putting the camp together. After some breakfast we walked to the train station and made our way to Wittenberg where Martin Luther lived, studied, taught, and preached. It is also where he posted hi 95 points to the door of local church stating what he felt needed to be changed within the church (primarily salvation by faith alone). We had the opportunity to spend the night and explore the city by guided tour. It was amazing to see the history that poured from every building we passed and street that we walked down. When the tour was completed we all gathered on a bus that would take us to Minden where we would meet our host families and begin the work that God had called us to do. The Kuhme family met my roommate Travis and I at the bus when we arrived. After loading our luggage in their car we were treated to a walk through downtown Minden, a visit to their church, and the first of many ice cream stops.
After settling into our home away from home we slept great and woke up to an amazing breakfast: eggs, bacon, bread, sliced meets, sweet cinnamon bread, and fresh brewed coffee. This would become our daily routine. After breakfast we made our way to the location of the camp where the church was holding their Sunday service that day in connection with the kickoff to the baseball camp. Despite the service being primarily in German, you could still feel the Holy Spirit working. After the service the 14 of us quickly changed and made our way outdoors to the baseball fields to begin the process of ranking the players in different categories such as base running, throwing, and catching. That evening the camp directors would use the rankings to create the teams that we would be coaching and leading in Bible study.
The team that I had the opportunity to lead was the Marlins. While most of them did speak some English, the team was allotted two translators, Yuri and Jessica, for which I was very grateful. Each day consisted of getting up early to arrive at the camp by 7:30 to review the day and hear a message from God by one of the coaches. From there the translators and I would gather the team equipment bag and head outside to meet the team for a Bible study. After talking about the “signs” God has given to us we would head into the practice portion of our day. Most of the players on the team had minimal baseball experience, but did have some of the basic concepts needed. At first it was tough getting the players comfortable on the field, but over the next several days they really came into their own on the field and began not only playing but competing with each other and the other teams. While the team did not finish in the camp standings as high as they would have liked there effort was not missed and it was evident they enjoyed playing the game.
The Kuhme family was a true blessing. Not being with my own family was not easy, but they made me feel welcomed in their home and everyday sought to make our time with them memorable. For the wonderful meals, hikes up the mountain behind their home, visits to the Kaiser Monument, a visit to a nearby castle, and the seemingly never ending sweets I will be forever grateful. Most of all though I was blessed by Manfred, Gudrun, Kyra, Ronja, Jolina, Hannah, and Joel with the care and love that they shared with me as I was a visitor in their home.
Outside of coaching the players and spending time with the Kuhme family another highlight of the week was playing in the annual baseball game against the local semipro team, The Minden Millers (many of whom helped assist during the camp). My roommate Travis pitched most of the game as we won by shut out. It was a blast to get to play and compete myself once again. I played first base and got on each time I got up to bat, scoring once.
Regardless of what we were doing on the field or what skill we were focusing on, the parallels of God’s greatness and baseball became so intertwined it was impossible to miss. For example, in baseball a good hitter only hits the ball 3 out of 10 tries. However, we serve a God that is there for us every time we need Him. Also, we recognized that even when an error is made on the field there will come another opportunity to help the team. This is just like even though we are sinners God forgives us and allows us to have new opportunities to serve Him.
