Johnstein!

Two years ago we were just wrapping up a project training the "first generation" of Kosovar baseball coaches. The 20 that were there that week represented 3 cities. They represented a small group of interested athletes learning a sport that had no representation in their country; no baseball federation, no baseball clubs, no recognition. That was two years ago. Since that week in January, a number of these young people have become active in working to establish baseball as a new national sport in Kosovo. And while the challenges seem endless...the successes are propeling us forward. Now, these coaches represent a new generation of athletes who want to build something new in their country. They are a generation of leaders who have stepped up to start baseball clubs in 6 cities. They are a generation of visionaries working together to establish the newest Baseball federation in the world. Two years ago I wrote on a facebook update that I was "challenged by the reality of w

Whew...it's been an interesting couple months. As I shared in the last update, God has already fulfilled a major part of the initial vision for using Baseball for His glory in Kosovo. Beyond even our lofty (at least in my mind) expectations. As I was processing all this upon my return, I found myself in an interesting place. I was amazed by the way God fulfilled this part of the vision. Six independent clubs now exist in Kosovo! A National Federation! WOW! God is doing some amazing things beyond my imagination. I was hopeful and joyful, and yet, I found myself slipping in to despair, and then depression. I was energized...and yet couldn't motivate myself to work. I had vision...but wouldn't see what God was doing. (In fact, I started writing a blog to process this all...and am shocked by my shortsightedness. I never posted it, but I would be "happy" to share it with you privately if you want...shoot me an email ) I wanted to embrace the challenges...bu

The time in between blog posts has been an absolute whirlwind. Two months ago, we saw the need to make an "emergency" trip to California for a period of counseling and medical care. During this time, we gained a bit of perspective on what ministry should look like for us...and how to prioritize our relationship with God, with each other, and then with our calling. As a result, we have made the decision to move away from Kosovo. There are a couple of factors that have gone in to this decision; including Rebecca and Kailyn's health issues, educational challenges. Ultimately we realized that we needed to be back in the states in order to focus on some things. Through our time of counseling, and conversations with our pastors and support we gained a bit of perspective on how we see our ministry, what God was calling us to do, and how we were taking care of ourselves and our family. We realized that our response to the call to Kosovo needed to be revisited. We have seen

As you are probably aware, the Lord is doing a mighty work in our ministry in Kosovo. Doors are opening, opportunities are being created, and a vision for impacting thousands of people is becoming clearer and clearer. Good things are happening in ministry...and yet, we are struggling mightily in our family and marriage. Life in Kosovo is HARD. Over the months we have avoided sharing many of the challenges because the "good" was far outweighing the "bad". And really, who wants to hear about our struggles. People on our mailing list are dealing with severe illness, death in their families, and family crises that are far more challenging than ours... But really, we have been remiss in not sharing these things with you. We know that you all are genuinely committed to sharing in our troubles as much as you are in rejoicing in our celebrations. Long story short, our time in Kosovo has exposed many things in our relational life that we have never properly dealt with. A

Update Many of you support us financially. Some of your support us in prayer, some of you have visited us on the field (or are planning to soon!) and some of you follow and regularly read our updates. We are thankful for how you all have been a part of our call to missions; first to Austria and now to Kosovo. We moved to Kosovo in June of this year and by the Grace of God have been able to accomplish more than we imagined. Global Baseball is now a registered NGO in Kosovo. We have met with the mayor of our town, a number of pastors throughout the country, and have developed relationships with young people interested in making a difference in this country. We have been part of a sports initiative aimed at integration and conflict resolution amongst members of 4 different ethnic communities and have been working with two dozen committed young coaches to help them improve their baseball skills. In the coming year we will begin a school based instructional program while also estab

Some of what I write below is from my thoughts during my devotional reading...some of it is from coming to grips with things I see on social media and conversations I've had in regards to the current world issues of how "we" should respond to the refugee crisis in light of terrorists threats. It's a bit long... Matthew 25:31-46 English Standard Version (ESV) 31  “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him,  then he will sit on his glorious throne.   32  Before him  will be gathered  all the nations, and  he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates  the sheep from the goats.   33  And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.   34  Then  the King will say to  those on his right, ‘Come, you  who are blessed by my Father,  inherit  the kingdom  prepared for you from the foundation of the world.   35  For  I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you  gave me drink,  I was a stranger and y