Tiger Athletic Missions Experience Blog
Day 3 Blog
Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Dr. J. Blair Blackburn
ETBU President
Tuesday marked day three of the ETBU Tiger Baseball Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic as a part of the Tiger Athletic Mission Experience (TAME).  The Tigers began their morning with a beach and bay workout, which follows the Dominican baseball training methodology. 
 
Arno Morrobel, a local coach trainer, who serves as a baseball talent selector and representative for Latin American players, led our players the conditioning workout. The players were challenged with the hour-long workout with exercises in the sand and in the water. 
 
After workout and breakfast, the group toured the downtown colonial area of Santo Domingo. The players enjoyed learning the history of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Americas and the settling of Espanola (present day Dominican Republic and Haiti of the Greater Antilles).
 
They also visited the Fort de Ozama in the Ozama River (meaning deep river), built in 1505 by Diego Columbus, son of Christopher Columbus.   Fort de Ozama is the oldest formal military construction of European origin in the Americas. The team also spent time in the downtown Spanish cathedral, where many Dominican religious and military leaders are entombed.
 
The Tigers had lunch and then headed to the nearby ballpark in Boca Chica to play Los Caneros (which means the Sugar Caners Cutters).  Los Caneros is a team in the Dominican league and is comprised of one former Major League Baseball player, a number of minor league players, and other MLB prospects.  The Tigers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but Los Caneros moved ahead of the Tigers 5-3 and in the top of the sixth inning, former San Diego Padre Yordany Ramirez, hit a three-run homerun to secure the 8-3 win.
 
After the game, Blaine Parker, pitcher from Longview, Texas, shared his testimony with Los Caneros team.  Blaine prayed with the teams and then the players fellowshipped together.  Yordany Ramirez spent time with our Tigers, sharing about his baseball experiences and giving advice about skill development and preparation for the sport. 
 
Following dinner, the team walked to Iglesias Fe' Apostolica, a local church in a nearby neighborhood, where one of our Dominican baseball hosts attends.   We sang worship songs and hymns in Spanish and English.  Tiger infielder Jesse Burns from Center, Texas, delivered a sermon from Romans 1:15-17 on not being ashamed of sharing the Gospel. Jesse challenged the church with three characteristics of faith and how God uses those who do not have the most ability, but those who are most willing.  After church the players interacted with the congregation, especially the children.
 
"Today started off with a workout and it was great to see how Dominican baseball players train to further their skill and their extreme dedication. The workout consisted of running and jumping on the beach and even swimming," freshman pitcher James Veloff from Downey, California said. 
 
"After the game, Blaine Parker spoke to both teams and shared a short testimony and our appreciation for allowing us to play against them.  We even had a member of their team share with us about his journey in baseball and how we should play the game the right way. After dinner, we attended a local church where Jesse gave a great sermon from Romans 1:15-17. It was a great experience to witness how the Dominican culture worships the Lord," he added.
 
Tomorrow, Wednesday, the team will take an island excursion tour.  Please continue praying the Lord will give our players boldness to share as they interact with the Dominican people.
 
As an extension of Jesus' call to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, TAME provides student athletes at East Texas Baptist the opportunity to use their athletic talents to share the love and grace of Christ with people in other cultures and in other parts of the world.