While rules about travel and embassies in the two countries are being reinvented, the average Cuban does not benefit from these changes like the governments do. More and more Cubans are taking to sea in an attempt to beat the clock. If the two nations establish diplomatic relations, it will mean that policies allowing Cuban refugees to seek residency on United States shores will be eliminated, forcing authorities to turn them away.

(Photo Courtesy Christian Aid Mission)

If the situation of the average citizen is not improving, the persecution facing local Christians is actually getting worse. Although the number of incidents where the Cuban government has violated religious freedom remains unchanged, it seems each incident is worse than the last. Local religious leaders are reporting harassment and threats from authorities, as well as fines, vandalism, and confiscation of property. For the first time in almost five years, a church leader has been imprisoned, and any students involved in unapproved religious groups are being expelled from their schools.

However, all is not lost in the Cuban mission field. One ministry leader supported by Christian Aid Mission reported that he has helped plant a church in the mountains near the site of the beginning of Castro’s revolution. In the course of one year, 1,256 people came to Christ at this church alone, and it’s happening all over the country.

The program was started by a seminary school on the island, where the students are schooled in Scriptural knowledge and church-planting. Right now 270 graduates are working to plant churches all through the mountains, and last year 26 succeeded in establishing long-lasting churches and building a relationship with the new congregations.

Christian Aid Mission is doing its best to aid the ministry in its work. About three quarters of the new congregations don’t have working electricity in their homes, so Christian Aid helped local missionaries buy lanterns for those homes. They also helped two missionaries buy mules, allowing them to farm coffee and cocoa beans as well as travel what would normally be a 3-hour uphill hike through the mountains.

(Photo Courtesy Christian Aid Mission)

Food is also an issue that persists throughout Cuba, and the ministry worked to distribute over 1000 plates of food throughout the congregations. For most of the hungry children, these donations were the only thing they ate. Many were so fascinated by the love shown by the missionaries that they continue to come to the weekly church services, searching for the source of this compassion.

Another great ministry opportunity comes in the form of sports. Baseball is not only one of the most popular sports in the nation, it’s also closely intertwined with Cuban patriotism as a sport with a long national history. Ministry leaders at the churches teach children and adults alike how to play the sport, working with them daily to teach them about baseball and the love of Christ. The ministry is so effective that last year alone over a thousand people came to Christ.

Christian Aid Mission is also helping local mission workers through soccer, providing enough balls for the churches to field about thirty teams. Each soccer session ends with a worship meeting, and the families involved often start coming to church. One church that started the program gained 40 new kids in their Sunday school class over a period of less than ten months.

As the U.S. tries to reconnect with Cuba, local missionaries are taking another step. They’re building more than just wary relationships with the surrounding villages. They’re changing lives for now and forever.

Cornerstone baseball coach Dave Mitroff says they partnered with an organization called Global Baseball and Cuban House Church Pastor Edwardo to go into Cuba.

Cornerstone University baseball players share Christ in Cuba.

The 44 team members and support staff were there for two reasons. They were there to play baseball and to share the Gospel. “In some cases, some players had never really done that before. They openly wept and said that this was changing their lives because for the first time, they had an opportunity to see just what the Holy Spirit could do through them.”

CU Athletic Director Dave Grube was also on the trip. He says the players had a great impact. “We literally saw people come to Christ that were coming to these exhibition games to watch. And, they were bystanders. We had conversations, and the next thing you know, they had tears running down their faces and they’re asking Christ into their heart.”

Cornerstone University Baseball Coach Dave Mitroff shares the Gospel with Havana resident.

CU’s baseball team ended up being 4-3, but that wasn’t the important stat. According to Mitroff, “We had over 500 commitments to Christ during the week.” Mitroff says the Holy Spirit worked through them. “One of the higher ranking communist officials–and we’ll leave it at that–came to Christ while we were there. He said it about as clearly as you can say it: ‘I believe in Christ, and I know that He is real. I’ve seen all the other religions, and I believe Jesus is the only way.'”

While the baseball team is back in the United States, CU will continue its link to Cuba. Mitroff says, “For the first time, we have approved a collegiate summer team that can go there and play–not this year, but next summer. So, there is an opportunity to take the Gospel across the entire country of Cuba with a religious visa.”

In the meantime, Mitroff is recruiting quality Christian young men who are passionate about baseball and Jesus. “We want to be about more than mere baseball here at Cornerstone; that’s why we call it Beyond Baseball,” he says. “We’re going to honor Christ, and we’re going to do our very best to build you into a strong Christian man.”
Contact Mitroff at (616) 977-5471 to arrange a campus visit and an interview with the coach.

Never in his lifetime did Cornerstone University’s Head Baseball Coach Dave Mitroff expect to bring the gospel to a foreign country through baseball. Now, however, he is preparing to lead a team to Cuba this December 12th through the 20th. He wants to reach even more people, but he can’t do it without your help.

Cornerstone Baseball will take Christ and baseball to Cuba in December.

Cornerstone University’s baseball team will make up the core of the team. The baseball program of this small university, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was brought back to life just last year. Already, the team’s ambitions are reaching new heights.

They have partnered with Global Baseball, a non-profit organization that seeks to build relationships on a global scale and share Jesus with lost people. The athletics of Cornerstone emphasizes spiritual excellence. In light of this, they push for athletic excellence as well. That is why the baseball team has the ability to be a unique and effective mission team.

When visiting Cuba last June, Mitroff was shocked at how open the communist country was to the gospel. “There’s a revival going on there. The Cuban government has actually accepted us, welcomed us in. We have religious visas to go in there. We have seen a tremendous openness of the people and also the government to bring baseball in and then with a religious visa to be open to give the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

While there, the team will provide clinics for children in the morning, games in the afternoon, and house church gatherings in the evening. Mitroff says, “When we go there in December, we’ll be playing six to eight games in some of the largest venues in all of Havana.”

After the game, Cornerstone will be inviting their opponents to the house churches to hear about God. Each game has the potential of reaching thousands of people with the gospel. Those who are not participating in the game for the night will be out doing home visitations.

“In Cuba, baseball is considered god,” Dave Mitroff says. The hope is that baseball, something most of Cuba is clearly enthusiastic about, will provide a gateway to share the truth about God.

Along with Cornerstone’s team, there will be ex-major league baseball players including the vice president of Global baseball, Brian Doyle, and Lee Guetterman, both former New York Yankee players. In all, there will be 56 members to the mission team.
Each athlete is checking an extra suitcase on the plane. The second suitcase will contain medicine, vitamins, and other supplies that will go to minister to the house churches and brothers and sisters in Cuba. This causes the price to increase significantly for the athletes, who have been raising money through friends and family. Though they have also had outside alignment for the trip, there is a significant way to go.

This unique opportunity has the ability to reach many unsaved people as well as minister to fellow Christians.

You can help make a positive impact in Cuba. If you feel led to help send this team to Cuba, contact Dave Mitroff at (616) 977-5471. Please be in prayer for these athletes and their time in Cuba this December. Pray that God would provide the remaining funds to allow them to go. Pray for the safety of the team. Pray that the Holy Spirit would move them to boldness and that they would have a positive impact on Cuba.

If you’d like to give safely and securely on-line click here and make sure you write “Cuba Baseball Trip” in the “additional comments” section of the donate page.

Never in his lifetime did Cornerstone University Head Baseball Coach Dave Mitroff expect to bring the gospel to a foreign country through baseball. Now, however, he is preparing to lead a team to Cuba December 12-20, 2013. He wants to reach even more people, and you can help.

Cornerstone University's baseball team will make up the core of the team. The baseball program of this small university, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was brought back to life just last year. Already, the team's ambitions are reaching new heights.

They have partnered with Global Baseball, a non-profit organization that seeks to build relationships on a global scale and share Jesus with lost people. The athletics of Cornerstone emphasize spiritual excellence. In light of this, they push for athletic excellence as well. That is why the baseball team has the ability to be a unique and effective mission team.

When visiting Cuba last June, Mitroff was shocked at how open the communist country was to the gospel. "There's a revival going on there. The Cuban government has actually accepted us, welcomed us in. We have religious visas to go in there. We have seen a tremendous openness of the people and also the government to bring baseball in, and then with a religious visa to be open to give the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

While there, the team will provide clinics for children in the morning, games in the afternoon, and house church gatherings in the evening. Mitroff says, "When we go there in December, we'll be playing six to eight games in some of the largest venues in all of Havana."

After the game, Cornerstone will be inviting their opponents to the house churches to hear about God. Each game has the potential of reaching thousands of people with the gospel. Those who are not participating in the game for the night will be out doing home visitations.

"In Cuba, baseball is considered god," Dave Mitroff says. The hope is that baseball–something most of Cuba is clearly enthusiastic about–will provide a gateway to share the truth about God.

Along with the Cornerstone team, there will be ex-major league baseball players including the vice president of Global baseball, Brian Doyle, and Lee Guetterman, both former New York Yankee players. In all, there will be 56 members to the mission team.

Each athlete will be checking an extra suitcase on the plane. The second suitcase will contain medicine, vitamins, and other supplies that will go to minister to the house churches and brothers and sisters in Cuba. This causes the price to increase significantly for the athletes, who have been raising money through friends and family. Though they also have had outside assistance for the trip, there is a significant way to go.

This unique opportunity has the ability to reach many unsaved people as well as minister to fellow Christians.

You can help make a positive impact in Cuba. If you feel led to help send this team to Cuba, contact Dave Mitroff at (616) 977-5471.

Please be in prayer for these athletes and their time in Cuba this December. Pray that God would provide the remaining funds to allow them to go. Pray for the safety of the team. Pray that the Holy Spirit would move them to boldness and that they would have a positive impact on Cuba.

If you'd like to give safely and securely online, click here and make sure you write "Cuba Baseball Trip" in the "additional comments" section of the donate page.
 

This weekend Cornerstone University is reintroducing baseball to their athletic program.

I know what you're thinking: MNN isn't about baseball. That's true, but it is about people sharing Christ, and that's our focus.

Head coach of CU's baseball program is David Mitrof. He says when God blessed CU with a donor who wanted to bring baseball back to CU, "The very first thing we discussed was: it would need to be something more than just baseball. The concept of something beyond baseball really came to life."

"When Dr. Stowell and the trustees asked me to accept the position as head baseball coach, one of the core values we talked about was using baseball to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ worldwide," says Mitroff.

He's excited about this weekend. "The stadium is actually six-weeks ahead of schedule for construction–it's finished right now. We have 42 baseball players arriving this Saturday for a retreat before the season really starts."

Another exciting layer is that Mitroff has connected with an organization called Global Baseball. President, of Global Baseball, Jeff Siegel, says: "Through the great game of baseball, we connect young people and families to the local church all over the world."

Siegel has a heart for the nation of Cuba. "Coach Mitroff came with me to Cuba and actually saw that the nation of Cuba is absolutely ripe for the harvest. Baseball is the king in Cuba, so through the king we get to share the King of kings and Lord of lords with the people of Cuba."

In 2001, Global Baseball was only able to align themselves with four house churches. Now, there are over 62 house churches. And through some special government meetings, Seigel says, "The Cuban government has given us permission to plant churches anywhere in the island, and they've asked us to help with more humanitarian aid. So now, Coach Mitroff in Cuba is a known entity."

Mitroff was asked to bring his program to Cuba to play and to have the players share their faith. Mitroff says, "We're going to do a retreat about a half-hour from campus here. One of the core values we're going to talk about is taking baseball around the world, and the very first place we're going to go is Cuba."

But that's not all. Cornerstone University would like to host an event that will encourage other Christian baseball coaches and players to do the same. The plan is to "bring them to Cornerstone and have a Global Leadership Summit for baseball where we not only bring in and evaluate players, but introduce them to the concept of 'beyond baseball' and take the Gospel worldwide."

And there's more! Because of Seigel's Jewish roots and ties to Israel, Global Baseball is beginning a partnership with that nation as well. "Brian Doyle and I have been asked by the Israel Association of Baseball and Softball to begin a national baseball and softball academy in Israel."

Global Baseball needs to raise $80,000 to make this happen. If that happens, that would open the door for Christians. "We are going to train every coach in the nation and train all of their children from 8-years-old through the national teams." In addition, "We have been given permission to share the Gospel message with people 18 and above."

Cornerstone is asking that you pray for the new baseball team that they would be excited about this call to take the Gospel to the world through baseball. Pray also for funding so the team can travel to Cuba next year. And finally, pray for funding for Global Baseball so they can begin this incredible opportunity in Israel.

To support Cornerstone University Baseball, click here. To help Global Baseball, click here.

Global Baseball is a ministry that's dedicated to using baseball as a way to spread the Gospel and plant churches around the world. Cuba is one country in which Global Baseball is having an eternal impact.

President of Global Baseball Jeff Siegel says baseball is growing in popularity around the world. "Actually, in some countries it's like the king in their country. For example, in Cuba, baseball is the king."

Siegel thinks he knows why. "The people don't really have much hope outside of the Gospel message. And one of the things that gives them a little enjoyment is sports. For whatever reason, baseball is just something that really brings people together and brings a little happiness to them."

Global Baseball is designed to do a couple of things, says Siegel. "One of the things we really focus on is being able to do free baseball schools or clinics for children in countries where they would never get this kind of instruction."

While baseball is the tool, Siegel says, "We do it through the local churches so we make sure that when people get saved, there's going to be follow-up."

Global Baseball brings more than sports. "We bring humanitarian aid, and we bring baseball equipment that we leave in the churches so we can begin baseball programs and tie that to the church."

Global Baseball has been going into Cuba for several years. Siegal says, "A famous national team player named Raul Valdez got saved. Now we were going from 4 house churches to 8, 8 to 16, and 16 to 20, and he introduced me to the second-youngest son of Fidel Castro."

This son eventually came to Christ, which opened doors to meet people across the Cuban government. As relationships have blossomed, Siegel says, "We earned the government's respect in Cuba where I can bring in Christian colleges, Christian baseball teams, Christian singing groups, and humanitarian aid. They give me religious visas now in Cuba."

The only thing Global Baseball needs now is a partner who can provide aid silently. Siegel says he already has permission from the Cuban leadership. They told him, "When you're ready, give me the trail numbers of the planes, and we'll make sure they get in and go where they need to go."

This program has been hugely successful, not just in terms of baseball but in terms of lives changed. "Castro's son came to the Lord. Chinese Cubans are getting saved. People right around Castro's inner circle are getting saved."

Siegel is praying that God will encourage more baseball teams to go to Cuba for outreach. Cornerstone University is planning to send their baseball team to Cuba in the next couple of years. Siegel is praying that God will allow him eventually to share Christ with Fidel Castro himself.

If you'd like more information about Global Baseball, click here.

Lending his voice to this year's event is Texas Rangers all-star Josh Hamilton, the 2010 American League Championship Series MVP who credits his comeback from drug addiction and suspension from the game to his faith and church.

"God's Word tells us to spur one another on toward love and good deeds, and not give up meeting together," Hamilton said. "We are to walk through life with other believers. My family and I have found that church is a wonderful way to do this, so I encourage you to join thousands of Americans as they go back to church on National Back To Church Sunday."

National Back To Church Sunday has become the single largest community outreach in the nation with 10,000 churches expected to participate in 2011. This event reignites the power of personal invitation to empower church members to bring the community back to church. This year's event will be held the second Sunday after Labor Day to accommodate more churches.

Since the initiative began in 2009, National Back To Church Sunday has seen increased success with church members inviting more than 1.4 million family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers to special services last year. Some 3,800 churches participated in 2010, reporting an average 26% increase in weekly attendance.

National Back To Church Sunday was launched in response to a 2008 study by LifeWay Research and the North American Mission Board. Out of 15,000 American adults surveyed, 67% say a personal invitation from a family member would be effective in getting them to visit a church. 63% say an invitation from a friend or neighbor would likely get them to respond.

"We found that the effectiveness of the invitation was often tied to its form: the more personal, the more effective," said Philip Nation, ministry development director of LifeWay Research.

"We were encouraged by the response and feedback from churches that participated in National Back to Church Sunday last year," said Eric Abel, vice president of marketing for Outreach, Inc. "Creating ways to empower church members to reach out to their friends and neighbors is exciting. And we are looking forward to this event continuing to gain momentum."

An interactive Facebook page is available at http://www.facebook.com/backtochurch, and a list of participating churches is available at http://www.backtochurch.com/roster. When churches register their participation, their names and locations are added to the roster, allowing unchurched people to easily find a church to attend on that special Sunday.

Outreach, Inc. (http://www.outreach.com) is the largest provider of outreach products and services in North America, including "Outreach" magazine, a leading publication for church leaders worldwide. The company was launched in 1996 with the mission of empowering Christian churches to reach their communities for Jesus Christ. Outreach, Inc. endeavors to create a network of churches and ministries working together to invite and connect every person in America to a Bible-believing church, and ultimately, into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Kathy Redmond just returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic to hand out baseball equipment to 148 boys who are part of the Compassion International sponsorship program. The equipment was donated by Dominican-born Major League Baseball player Albert Pujols.

"[When the kids saw the equipment], they couldn't contain themselves. I mean, they smiled from ear to ear," says Redmond. "These are kids who have never had anything new. They've never had anything that fits them. And here they're being outfitted with Nike cleats, sliding shorts, an entire uniform, batting gloves–everything that they could have ever wanted to play baseball."

Of course, the beginning of a Little League in this region has to do with more than just baseball. "This is our way of doing an intervention where we're going to make them the role models, where we're going to make sure that a leader comes out of this group," says Redmond. "I am sure that with these uniforms and all that these kids are getting, they're going to stay in the program."

Integrating baseball into the program should significantly decrease the number of young boys who drop out of it. Redmond says many boys drop out at the ages of 13 to 15 because they simply have no positive figures exemplifying a godly lifestyle.

Here's where the second tier of the trip came in. Redmond met with parents (mostly mothers showed up) and explained to them that despite all of Compassion's efforts, these kids will model their behavior after what they see at home. Without the parents' help, the program can only do so much.

This program seems to have already helped, though. Dads who typically may have been in the bar drinking were all outside to watch their sons play baseball with their new equipment. Boys also have role models in their coaches now, who will double as spiritual mentors.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for these kids to interact with other kids, to learn sportsmanship, to learn character, integrity, leadership, and all of that," says Redmond. "This is truly what I believe sports was always meant to be: not what we see today, but this pure form of relationship and community."

Pray that these boys would stay in the Compassion program as a result of this exciting initiative. Pray that all 148 boys would come to know the Lord personally and would even bring their fathers to the Lord. Pray they would grow up to be men after God's own heart.

Compassion sponsors many children throughout the Dominican Republic. If you are interested in sponsoring a child there, click here and enter "Dominican Republic" in the "country" slot.

Approximately 150 children from Batey Aleman received new baseball equipment, courtesy of Nike and Rawlings, for their first-ever organized Little League in an impoverished remote child development center. The program will teach baseball, life skills, and character development to Compassion International-assisted children.

This Batey has lost its hope. The sugar cane industry no longer exists, says Kathy Redmond with Compassion International. Drug dealers frequent Aleman. She says there's simply nothing for the kids to do.

While Little League baseball exists in areas outside the Batey, Redmond says, "We're bringing that same program out into the Batey, which is a more rural area, using this to keep our Compassion kids in the program where we can teach them spirituality and responsibility."

Redmond says for Pujols, it's more than that. "He uses baseball as a platform. But really what he's interested in is spreading the Word of God, being a good Christian man, and leading people to the Lord."

Redmond, writing from the D.R. says, "Sunday was Father’s Day in the Dominican Republic. It’s no coincidence that the day we handed out uniforms to these young men and boys is a day that represents the absence of a father for many of them.

"When we arrived at the batey, we assembled all of the parents for a meeting. The assembly was mostly mothers, and the lack of fathers present at the meeting was very noticeable.

"At the meeting, we explained the importance of the baseball league and how critical it is that the parents and children take care of the equipment and uniforms about to be handed out. We told them that this league isn’t about finding the next Major League Baseball player–although in this area, that is not necessarily a long shot. This is more than a chance at the big leagues: it’s a chance to have their boys know what it means to be real men — to understand and develop responsibility, leadership, and character.

"Those things are not only what we will teach them but what they learn to emulate in the home. If the home is not in order, what we teach them may not do any good. They represent God first, their families, Pujols, Compassion, and their own good name.

"Once we concluded, the parents turned in signed sheets of paper promising their support, which means, among other things that they will not sell the uniforms and equipment. Otherwise, the boys won’t play.

"The line of boys ready to receive uniforms in front of the batey was incredible! These kids have never had anything new and really never had anything that fit. These uniforms were complete with Nike undershirts, sliding shorts, batting gloves, belts, socks, pants, jersey, hats, cups – every piece of equipment they could possibly want. For boys who play with sticks and use milk cartons for gloves, this was quite a shock.

"One young man, about 15, leaped in the middle of the field once he received his shoes. He was overjoyed! And that’s the other thing – the field.

"When I was here a few months ago, this field was disheveled. Animals roamed it, grass and weeds grew throughout, and it was difficult to think that it could be cleaned up enough to play on it.

"When we arrived, the field was fenced-in with foot length to the homerun fence – almost professionally! But then we noticed the grass was still long — too long to field an infield hit. We remarked how badly they needed a riding lawnmower for the area and were told they only had a push mower–and it was broken.

"As we handed out the uniforms and photographed the children walking through the village with their new uniforms, we were told that the field had just been mowed and chalked! This community pulled together to make this field the best they possibly could.

"We knew they had it in them. They just needed the motivation and opportunity. It was amazing to see them rise to the occasion and let the kids know how valued they are, especially on Father’s Day.

"When the kids assembled on the field and began playing, the greatest thing to watch was not just the purity of the ballgame at hand and the incredible talent of these young boys, but the fact that many men lined the field to watch — most of them, fathers. These men would normally be in the bar in the center of the batey.

"Today (Monday), they were supporting the boys. They were proud. It makes the verse 'and a little child will lead them” even more powerful than it has ever been to me personally. I felt it there.

"In fact, I thought, 'If you build it, He will come,' and the 'he' was not Pujols or any mortal being. The 'He' was God. There was no mistaking it. Yes, indeed: if you build it, He will come.

Redmond says Pujols will personally attend the launch of his home-country little league in the fall.

Pray that God will use this outreach to bring many kids to Himself, which will give them a hope and a future.

Batey Aleman is a community of Haitian migrant workers who harvest sugar cane in the Dominican Republic. It's a hopeless place. But now, with the help of St. Louis Cardinal's baseball player Albert Pujols, children have hope. Kathy Redmond with Compassion International says, "He actually sponsors our entire child survival program there in that Batey."

Redmond just returned from the Dominican Republic where she was able to see the work firsthand. She says many of the Haitians have lived in the Batey for generations. But, she says there's a problem. "They can't get government help in the Dominican Republic because they don't have birth certificates. Well, their kids aren't born in hospitals, therefore they don't have birth certificates. So, it's a continued cycle."

However, it's worse in Alamon. Redmond says, "The sugar cane industry is defunct. People are living in a dust bowl, where drug dealers come by. You can see men playing dominos in the streets because there's nothing for them to do."

There is also nothing for the children to do.

While Little League baseball exists in areas outside the Batey, Redmond says, "We're bringing that same program out into the Batey, which is a more rural area, using this to keep our Compassion kids in the program where we can teach them spirituality and responsibility."

Redmond says for Pujols, it's more than that. "He uses baseball as a platform. But, really what he's interested in is spreading the Word of God and being a good Christian man and leading people to the Lord."

Compassion International's Child Survival Program targets expectant mothers and children up to age 4. Compassion is doing all they can to help them with microfinance to help start small businesses so they can be self sufficient. Since all of the work is done through the local church, those in the program hear the Gospel, and many come to faith in Christ.

You can help Compassion's Child Survival Program in the DR or around the world by clicking here.