On a Mission ....

Mark 16:15 - He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."

I think that I am headed into the mission field... I am pretty excited about this particular mission opportunity. It is in the Dominican Republic, and it will involve baseball of all things. I will be teaching kids about Jesus as well as about the game of baseball. I really feel the Lords hand at work in all this. Ive been praying for guidance about this trip, and its really neat how it came about (when you start praying, crazy things can happen!). A family friend has been urging me to get involved in this trip for a little over a year now. I mean c'mon its all about God and Baseball - 2 passions that I have, so its a no brainer.... right??

Well, after praying about it, I had pretty much resolved to not going again this year, when I got an email saying that the trip had a couple of people drop out at the last minute, and the had some spots open up that were paid for. They wanted me and Melanie to go basically with a fraction of the financial responsibility... Like I said its funny what happens when God gets involved. I had been praying for guidance in this very matter, and bang... free air travel, lodging, and meals fall into my lap. Man it sure feels like someone wants me in the Dominican Republic in a couple of weeks. Melanie has really been wanting to stay home and spend some quality time with the girls, so she encouraged me to take advantage of this opportunity, so I am going to give it a go, although I wish she would come too.




Here is the scoop... in the D.R. baseball is it! There are many kids who love the game, but not alot of instruction or equipment to go around. The area is pretty poor, so this mission organization AIM (Athletic International Missions) has put together a team to take thousands of dollars of used baseball equipment, as well as many volunteers to help coach baseball and teach kids about Jesus in the DR. Last year they had hundreds of kids participate, and this year they are estimating the number in the thousands! Wow, what a great opportunity to teach kids about Christ and Baseball!

The next big step for me is getting a passport quick. Ill be going downtown today to get the ball rolling. Be praying for me, that I dont get stuck in red tape! Here is a link for some more info on the trip.

http://www.aimissions.net/

Prayers and Parties...

I just wasted to post today to solicit prayers for Melanie's dad who is in the hospital in San Antonio. He has a couple of blood vessels in his colon that are giving him trouble again, so pray for his health and strength for him and his loved ones around him. Also for wisdom for the Doctors working to diagnose and treat this problem.
Last weekend we had the mother of all parties for our girls, and here are some pics...

Here is the big present that the girls got for their birthdays from grandparents and us. The kids had a blast playing on it. The only casualty of the afternoon was Avery. She bumped into another kid and knocked her two front teeth loose. She cried for about 30 seconds until she realized that the party must go on ... and in fact it was going on, without her, so she had better get partying!

More sugar.... (like they needed it!)

Big Inflatable Water Slide ... Hundreds of Dollars

Two cupcake cakes... 40 dollars

Party favors, Pinatas, Decorations... 100 dollars

The look on Dads face when all the kids wanted to cram into a five dollar baby pool instead...

priceless!

Hey this party thing is pretty exciting!

Tara Beth diggin the water!

The party was a hit, and man am I glad that we only do this once a year... It was fun getting to see the kids run around acting crazy, hopped up on sugar... they slept good that night... and so did Mel and I! :)

So Long 2010 Eagles...

After I have had a couple days to reflect on the season past, I want to talk about some of the things that I will remember the most about this extraordinary group of young men...

1. I will miss getting to see JB roam center field making diving catches and showing off his cannon of an arm. This kid was a flat out stud in centerfield, and because of his humble personality you would never know it.


2. I will miss seeing Jake Wise launch home runs over the left field wall (and then hearing the opposing coach go nuts about why his pitcher threw him a pitch to hit). Those moments caused me to chuckle as a coach.

3. I will miss my conversations with Jake Waldrep about life in general, and trying to keep Mcc calm in the dugout at times, as well as him playing referee for two ex pitchers trying to figure out how to get high school hitters out. I always enjoyed coming to the field and having "Wally" ask how my day was going and how my family was doing. Over a long and grueling season little things like these really picked me up when I needed it. Thanks Wally!

4. I will miss seeing Hunter Lemke compete on the mound with one of the nastiest breaking pitches in the Houston Area. This is a special kid who has been around the program for a long time and bleeds green and gold!

5. I will miss Strick taking the team through "Day by Day..." before games and thinking how intimidating it would be for another team taking the field after hearing that. I will also miss the toughness that Garrett brought to this group.

6. I will miss the way this group seemed unfazed by what was going on around them when game time rolled around. In between the lines when the umpire said "play ball" our guys were always ready to play. It didnt matter who they were playing, who was pitching, or where the game was being played. This was amazing to see as a coach.

...these were just a few of the memories that came to mind immediately. I'm sure many more will hit me as the season being over sinks in. Friday was a really emotional day for us all. I have been truly blessed to have such a great group of kids to work with, and I have no doubt that they will succeed in life much like they did this season.

If there is one message that I would like to leave with these seniors leaving soon it would come from a verse that I have continuously leaned on all year in tough times. I have shared it a couple of times throughout the year.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

I always carried this verse with me in the back of my game hat, so if you ever saw me at the field during a game staring intently at the inside of my hat, this is what I was looking at.

Emotions...

I feel like I have been on emotional roller coaster the past few days. High high's and Low Low's, and a little bit of confusion thrown in the mix. I really want to reflect on this season, but more so the relationships that I have developed with the kids on this team.
We lost our first round series this weekend, and our season is over. I will come back and reflect a little more later, once I settle down and process whats happened. It still has not sunk in, so I'll keep it short for now. I am so proud of our guys, but still in disbelief that our season is over (but thats the way it goes). Here is a pic of our seniors with the coaches....



I'm back, and here are a couple of things I want to talk about while they are fresh in my mind...

First, I guess it is playoff mentality (whatever that means... i guess win at all costs), but I was very disappointed to see an opposing coach trash one of his pitchers arms by throwing him extensively back to back days. This made me feel good about our approach in taking the opposite stance and seeking to keep our kids future first and foremost in our philosophy as coaches.

Second, I feel that we got away from what we do, and what we have been successful at as the season winded down. Things like...
- hitting the ball on the ground with short compact swings
- throwing strikes, working ahead in the count
- pitching and defense setting the tone
- not depending on the long ball, but being scrappy and taking advantage of what we're given (see game 1 of playoff series)
- not striking out and putting the ball in play at all costs
- paying attention to detail in our take 3's after games / practices

this was our approach at the beginning of the year, and this is why we were successful.
Not taking anything away from what we have done, which was unbelievable, and that which I have never experienced as a coach, but as a coach I feel like we could have done better in our overall approach as the season winded down. Again, I am as proud of these guys as any I have ever coached, and these guys have taught me as much as I have taught them.

Busy Busy Busy...

I guess its that time of the year, but it feels like Life never stops. Baseball, School, Home Projects, Birthdays, etc... I guess it all runs in cycles, and dont get me wrong, these are all blessings, and I wouldnt trade them for anything, I just sometimes wish there were a couple extra hours in the day to get it all done and then rest a little.

We leave today on a charter bus to Leander High School to play our first playoff game, the kids are relaxed, and the coaches are scrambling to make sure all the arrangements are made for a smooth trip. You have no idea what has to happen to bus 25 kids and 4 coaches three hours up 290. I cant wait till that bus rolls, and all we have to worry about is playing. We have amazing teachers and parents helping us out, but the people that really make all this possible is our families... especially my wife! She has spent countless hours with the kids, and running the house during my busy time. I really have no idea what it must be like, but Melanie, I love you so much and appreciate the sacrifices that you make so that I can do what I do.

Playoff Bound....

This year has been an amazing season, and it is great to see hard work and dedication pay off with a district championship and #1 seed in the playoffs. Our first round opponent is Leander High School (the #4 seed from the Roundrock Area). Our kids are really excited about being in this position. GO EAGLES! Attached is our Playoff shirt Design...

On the homefront Avery and Tatum got to open their big birthday present a little early, which was a little tikes waterslide (which wasnt so little). They had a blast which left me wondering why they didnt have things like this when I was young??? I had the fun task of uprooting and hacking up some shrubs in the front yard, and creating some flower garden space. We actually do have a front door, and now it is visible. Wooohoo!

Also Happy Birthday Brent (May 1st) -my middle bro - and congrats on purchasing a new home that looks great. Little bro Brandon has a good job and is learning to be an electrician- great to see him start to figure out what he wants in life- an answered prayer! I'm really proud of them both! God has really blessed the Kratky family thus far this year, no doubt about it!