February 14th

Wow…sometimes my head just spins with all that is on my to-do list. I’m overwhelmed, yet at the same time when I pause for a minute to take it all in, I smile. How I never could have imagined I would where I am in my life right now and my walk with the Lord. Never doubt it when people say, ‘God works in mysterious ways.’ It is so very true.

On Friday morning, we had the privilege of attending Gilmore Elementary school in League City for their baseball enrichment class, ‘For the Love of the Game.’ Here are a couple pictures above. I was able to run thru some baseball drills with them and have a lot of engaging conversation with 5th grade boys! What an awesome group of kids! This class meets once a month, and I can’t wait for the next one! I truly felt “in my element” as I was working with the boys. Stacy commented afterwards that I had a ‘glow’ the whole time I was there. Last month, our AIM founder Fred Billings and his youngest son Beau spoke to the class. In addition to learning about baseball, this group also wants to give back to the community. They have set up an AIM collection box for baseball equipment and they’re getting the whole school involved in collecting equipment for our trip in June.

I’d like to share a quick story to show you how our wonderful God works to bring people together. Enrichment classes are fairly new at Gilmore Elementary. Last year, a teacher at the school, Ms. Troutt, noticed that most of the classes were tailored to girls…scrapbooking, sewing, cooking, etc. So she decided to have an enrichment class tailored to boys…and chose baseball. When the group first met, Ms. Troutt explained the group would meet to discuss baseball and learn more about baseball…but she also wanted their group to find a way to give back to others and the community. She asked the kids if they had any ideas on how they could do that. One child raised his hand, ”We could give our old baseball equipment to kids that don’t have any.” The group, and Ms. Troutt, loved that idea. But how would they connect with these kids that don’t have any? A volunteer mom said, ‘I think I might have something for you.’ She flipped thru a bunch of misc. information in one of her folders and pulled out an AIM flyer. She doesn’t remember how she came to be in possession of that flyer, or why it had stayed in her misc. folder of information…but it was there. Last spring, AIM distributed flyers explaining our mission and need for equipment to give to these Dominican children that don’t have any.
Ms. Troutt called Fred Billings (his information was on the flyer). He and Beau came and spoke to the class and we got the approval for a collection box. Ms. Troutt also told Fred that she doesn’t have any real technical knowledge of baseball, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to teach these boys baseball. Did he know of anyone thru FCA that might be able to come to the school once a month and help out? Well…that prompted Fred to call me. If you remember, I was recently approved as an FCA Huddle Leader. I just hadn’t had the time to make the phone calls and try to set up meetings. This school is located in League City…about 20 minutes from my house – a perfect fit.

Go back and connect all those dots…that’s God working. There is a reason for everything…He has a plan. And while we go thru our daily lives…He’s ahead of us paving the way for things that we can’t even begin to imagine yet. Keep your faith!

Also, please pray for Ben Vigil and myself as we will soon be traveling to the Dominican to see what still needs to be done before the mission trips, and to hold a couple clinics for the Dominican coaches.

God Bless!

Carlos