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| Red's perfect game Sept. 16th 1988 |
You know I have never been a sports fan. I did enjoy playing when I
was younger. As kids we played all the normal ones in the yards, fields, and parking
lots. I played baseball 1 year and I
played football 1 year on normal teams.
In both we played the seasons undefeated. I have never played on a team that
lost. Clearly not because of anything I did, although in football I was pretty
good at tackling the quarterback. Not much effort in learning game plays is necessary
for the defensive end. Keep the ball from leaving the quarterbacks hands is all
you really needed to know.
Although I enjoyed playing sports I have never enjoyed watching them. I have never gotten all
excited about who is playing, what they are doing, where they are from, their
stats, etc. I can't tell you the names of but just a few teams of any sport.
The and ones I do know I have heard a lot about. The Reds, Browns, Bengals all
of these you pretty much heard about all the time growing up in Ohio. Despite
my lack of enthusiasm I have been to some historic events, at least as far as
baseball goes. The first baseball game I
saw was at the old Cincinnati stadium before they tore it down and built the
new one. Dad took our whole family to our first baseball game when I was 12 years old. We had 6 tickets
so I assume someone else was meant to join us but they didn't make it. It was a
miserable, rainy, and dreary day. The game was delayed for a few hours and we
just sat there uncomfortably waiting with our umbrellas waiting to see if they
would play or not. Finally the rain cleared up but not before many of the
people had already left. I did perk up when they started to pull back the large
tarp that had been covering the field. I would have liked to gown down there and
helped them, it looked like a lot of fun.
The game
seemed pretty boring to me. The Red's had a few runs but for the most part not
much happened. Every time the other team was at bat they would either miss the
ball all together or it would be a foul ball. No one got on base, no one did
much of anything. It went on this way the whole game. I was board with watching
the game but did like to see how excited everyone began to get as the game was
getting close to the end. They were so excited and I just could not figure out
what the big deal was it had all been pretty boring to me so far. One of the
fans close to me said, " If Mr. Tom
Browning strikes out this next batter he will have pitched a perfect
game." Sure enough he struck out
that last player and all of the fans who were left, after the 3 hours of rain,
did their best to scream and shout for all those who had missed it.
We kept our
ticket stubs and the one that went unused and as it would happen Tom Browning
was signing autographs at a mall several months later and mom took us to get
those tickets signed. He signed them all and was happy to see some folks who
had been there for his big game.
The second year Heather and I moved
here to Puerto Rico we were just starting our first church and I was teaching
conversational English. One night after
my classes I went to the school office to do some paper work and say good bye. As
I was getting ready to leave the man I worked for back then, Dr. Jack (though he was not all that fond
of being called that) introduced me to the father of a brother and sister who
were in my class. The man was from New York and was in PR for the summer. Him
and Jack were good friends. As we were talking I noticed he had a really large
ring on his finger and in conversation I asked about it. He smiled and said he
had more than one and had gotten them playing baseball. He explained that players from the major leagues
would come to PR in the summer and play baseball. Each of the teams playing
here was made up of players from each of the teams back in the states and he
was the coach of one of those teams. He invited us to the game that was coming
in San Juan as his guests.
On the day of the game Dr. Jack insisted
that we ride on a bus that was going to take us to the game and back, so that
is how we went. That bus ride was quite the cultural experience for me to say
the least. On the bus ride up to the game everyone was excited about the trip
and the music was loud by my standards. I was grateful that it was not the
modern music popular on the island. That stuff is unbearable. This was a softer
older style music that older people of Puerto Rico enjoy and play and dance too
often. You can often see them dancing on
the boardwalk at night in Ponce to this style of music on any given weekend
night.
When we got to the game the coach had
front row seats set up for us and after getting our ballpark cokes and hotdogs
we went down and waited for the game to start. Again this time I was enjoying
the atmosphere but not really all that interested in the game. I did enjoy
listening to Dr. Jack talk about his memories of baseball growing up. I could
tell that it meant a lot to him and this was a special moment he was really enjoying.
Through the course of the game he told me who all the players were and from
what major league teams they played on during the regular season.
After the game the coach brought us
down into the dugout and introduced us to all the players. I enjoyed meeting them all and shaking their
hands. We were given some autographs. I later sent mine to my brother who is a baseball fan and Dr. Jack has his autographed ball
tucked away some place special to be sure.
As the night came to a close it was
time to climb back on to the bus and go home. I must say the ride home was
louder than the ride up. The music was not any louder but with all my new
traveling companions inebriated from being at the game and celebrating that the
team they had traveled to see won they must have felt compelled to sing along
with the music, and sing they did! I can
only assume that they felt that the louder they sang out the better they felt
they sounded, though I am convince that was the case. We finally made it back to the baseball stadium
in Ponce where our trip had first begun and Dr. Jack drove me the rest of the
way home that night.
No doubt my two big baseball events
would have been far greater enjoyed by a true baseball fan. I would imagine a
person who could tell you about all the players and all the teams would have
gotten far more from these experiences than I did. I am grateful to have been a
part of both of them as I was with people I love and care for but I can't help
but think they would have been more appreciated by friends of mine more into
sports than me. I am pretty sure my friend Jim would have been thrilled to be
at both events and would have known far more about what was going on than I did.
As a missionary apart from our work
here in Puerto Rico and in Africa we also travel back to the states every few
years to share what the Lord is doing. The things that the Lord has done these
past 9 years have thrilled my heart. I have seen Him change so many lives, and
done so many incredible things and taken
us to meat so many amazing people. I can't imagine a life not committed to
serving Him. Through the ups and downs. The home runs and the strikeouts I see His hand at work and I am
thrilled to be where I am today and doing what I do as I have been taking in
all that the Lord has been doing.
Despite our enthusiasm for what the
Lord is doing as we travel and speak at churches, youth groups, and even a
couple college groups it seems to get more difficult each time we go, especially
when visiting the youth groups and colleges. The last time was the most
difficult so far. All those glazed over looks and questions asked to distract
that have nothing to do with what was just shared. I grieve to see so many
becoming cold and indifferent to the work of God.
Earlier I asked you if you are a
sports fan, now let me ask you, "Are you a God fan?" Do you get excited about all that God is
doing? Do you know the word of God like you know that stats of your favorite
team? Are you committed even if it calls for you to sit out in the rain? Will you stay faithful or will you leave and
miss out on a once and a life time experience?
I have seen God change countless people as
they have given their lives to him. I saw God bring love and forgiveness in my
own heart towards my father where there was much anger and spite before. I saw
Him give a brand new tongue to a lady
named Hazel and heard her use it for the first time as she sang the song "Jesus Loves Me" with me in
a hospital in KY, I held my baby girl Hannah for the first time after 5 years
of praying for her and God telling us that she would be coming, what she would
look like, how it would happen, and what He wanted her name to be 3 years
before she was born. I have met a women that was on her death bed in Uganda dying of
aids who God saved when she called out to him and then gave her a brand new
life, healing her of aids and restoring her health. I have seen so many, many
things it would take me months to write them all down. God has done so much for
me and my family there is no way I could tell it all. I have made the journeys,
I have stayed through the rain, and I have seen the miracles and my life will
never be the same.
What about
you?
When the rain comes, when the time
comes will you stick it out, will you be God 's biggest fan?
I know I am and I hope that when those times
come you will be too.
God Bless,
David Ingram
New Day
Christian Ministry
Isa.
43:18-21
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