ETBU Baseball began their first full day in the Dominican Republic, with a game against the Dominican Navy team at the DR Naval Academy on Monday morning.  After an outstanding performance by the Tigers pitching staff, ETBU tied the Navy team 1-1 in 10 innings.  After the game, Junior Dylan Sumpter (through a translator)shared the Gospel and the reason ETBU traveled to the Dominican Republic to the opposing players and coaches.
 
In the afternoon the team split into groups and painted five houses in the Gautier Village, one of the poorest villages in Boca Chica.  The players were very popular in the community, especially among the younger children and spent the rest of the afternoon taking pictures and entertaining the local kids. 
 
After dinner, the group met to reflect on the day and share personal reflections. They also discussed strategies for sharing their faith with the other individuals and players they will come into contact with remainder of the week.
 
"As we drove to the field this morning I really did not know what to expect as we headed to our first game. We passed many baseball fields on the way and each and every field we passed had a kid on it playing baseball and you could tell that baseball is more than just a game to them," Junior Kepen Florence said. 
 
"Watching Dylan share with the Navy team made me realize that it's as simple as a game of baseball to bring people closer to Jesus Christ. We had the opportunity to paint houses and I was able to experience how truly blessed I am.  The residents did not have much at all and yet they still had a smile on their face and were very welcoming. As we were headed back to the hotel we saw a group of boys playing baseball in he street and all they had was a bat and a bottle cap and they were having a blast. The whole day I was reminded what it truly looks like to play for the love of the game. The people of the DR do not complain about their circumstances, they just made it work and being here makes me realize how grateful I should be and not to complain. I am truly blessed to be serving here and cannot wait for the rest of the week."

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