Category Archives: About ILB

Pitching for a Bright Future: Brayan’s Story

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This post originally appeared on the Children of the Nations’ Website here.

Brayan (in white) takes a break with his friends. He spends his mornings practicing baseball and doing a Bible study, then heads to school for the afternoon.

Sixteen-year-old Eric Brayan Cuevas (Brayan to his friends) has always loved baseball. But since he joined the Children of the Nations (COTN) I Love Baseball program he says, “my life has changed because God has become a part of my life.”

The goal of COTN’s I Love Baseball program is to give Dominican youth a place where they can pursue their dream of playing professional baseball while still getting an education, along with living a balanced life socially, building a strong moral character, and growing mentally, physically, and spiritually. Through the I Love Baseball sponsorship program, Brayan practices baseball every morning, and then gets a good solid meal before heading off to spend the afternoon in school. His favorite position to play is pitcher. Since entering the program, Brayan thanks God for all the new skills he has learned, and for the strength he has, “because the cook gives us breakfast and lunch.”  For many I Love Baseball players, these are the only meals they will get all day.

Most parents in the Dominican communities COTN serves struggle to feed their families. “Sometimes there is not enough food for my family,” says Brayan.
Another important element of the I Love Baseball program is education. COTN strives to teach children in this program to value their education, and to work hard in school.  Because very few of them will make it as professional baseball players, these priorities are important. Brayan appreciates this emphasis, especially the extra skills training he receives at the COTN Skills Center. “If I cannot become a professional player, I want to be a computer teacher,” says Brayan.  Brayan’s favorite subject is computer science, and he attends the COTN computer training classes at the Skills Center on Tuesday mornings. “I love to learn new things, and I like how they begin the class with prayer,” he says. When he finishes high school, Brayan would like to go to university. “I know with God, all things are possible,” he says.

For Brayan, the most important difference that I Love Baseball has made in his life is spiritual. Brayan was not a Christian before joining the program, but through strong mentorship, and devotions and teachings before every practice, Brayan began to believe, and to turn his life over to Jesus. His life has never been the same since. As a young teenager, Brayan is grateful for the direction his life has taken—many teenagers in his community drop out of school and join gangs—but he realizes the temptations around him. “I can be pulled in many directions,” he admits. “I pray to keep the Lord as my first priority.”

You can make a difference for children in need like Brayan.  Sponsor a player in our I Love Baseball program today!

by Sandy Anderson, COTN Venture Participant

Reudy Cuevas Matos: A Ballplayer with a Future

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This post originally appeared on the Children of the Nations’ Website here.

Reudy is grateful for a chance to have a professional coach and attend school. He is pictured here with his younger sister, who attends COTN's school in Los Robles.

Reudy Cuevas Matos grew up in the village of Los Robles, Dominican Republic, where a large clearing strewn with garbage served as the only baseball field. He spent his days playing there with his friends, but he says, “We didn’t have a coach, and I didn’t know how to bat or pitch. We just played with friends.”

Even though they had no coach to teach them, many children in Los Robles aspired to become baseball players. With few examples of other careers in their village, and limited access to education, this was often their only hope and dream of a better life.

This has all changed for 20-year-old Reudy since he entered Children of the Nations’ (COTN) I Love Baseball program three years ago. He learned to bat and pitch, but most importantly, he started school and learned the value of education. ”You go to school for your future,” he explains. ”If you go to baseball and you don’t make a team, you don’t have a future.  But with education, you have a future.” Reudy wants to be an engineer when he finishes school.

Players in COTN's I Love Baseball Program get a chance to train with wonderful coaches. They also get to attend school, to ensure that if baseball doesn't work out for them, they still have a future.

Making sure children are in school and encouraging them to have goals outside professional baseball is an important element of the I Love Baseball program. ”It has been a great challenge in our program, because many children want to leave school and just practice baseball,” explains Ruddy Suero, who directs the I Love Baseball program. “We want to change this. For us this is a good goal, because in our culture people think that baseball is the most important activity. But less than 5 percent of our professional baseball players have finished high school.”

Reudy plays outfield, and loves going to practice and being able to learn from a coach for the first time. ”Our coach is a very good person,” he says. ”I’ve never had a coach like that before.” He also enjoys the devotionals they have before every practice. Every time we have practice the coach starts with a devotional,” he explains. ”He talks to us about how to behave, he tells us that we should go to school, and if you’re not a Christian, he helps us to realize how important it is to know God.”

One of the most exciting parts of being a part of COTN for Reudy was getting to meet his sponsors, Perry and Janet Thompson, who traveled to the Dominican Republic in 2009 to visit him. Reudy will never forget the day he got to meet them, and proudly shows a photo album full of pictures they have sent him. “I was very happy to meet them,” he says, “and I hope to see them again soon. I love them so much.”

Sponsorship has had an impact not only on Reudy, but on his whole family as well. All seven of his brothers and sisters go to COTN’s school in Los Robles, and his oldest sister, Yermina, is now in university and also works as a secretary at COTN’s office in Barahona, Dominican Republic.

Reudy has seen a transformation not only in his family, but in his whole community as well. When asked if his community has changed since COTN came, his whole face lights up. ”So much,” he says, shaking his head in amazement. ”Now we have education, we have food, we have clothes.” Looking down at his pair of shoes donated and delivered by the COTN partner Luis Sneaks he adds, “we even have shoes now.  Everything is different.”

You can provide education and quality coaching for a young ballplayer like Reudy.  Sponsor a ballplayer today!

by Cassia Burke, COTN–USA Staff Writer

I Love Baseball Summer 2011 Update!

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Thank you again for your support of the young Dominican men in the I Love Baseball® (ILB) program. We’re excited about the changes we have made in the last few months and the progress we hope to make throughout the year with your continued partnership.

Highlights from the First Half of 2011:
  • Earlier this year, we bid farewell to our former head coach, Jose Carrion, who left to pursue new opportunities. Filling in for Coach Carrion until we find a permanent head coach is assistant coach Maximo Ortiz. Maximo is a former baseball player and track athlete, as well as an inspirational Christian leader. We’re glad to have him on our team.
  • In March, we hired our first ILB program director, Luciano “Ruddy” Suero. Ruddy (pronounced “Rudy”) comes to ILB after ten years with Plan International, a like-minded organization. He is also an accomplished baseball player, and we are excited to see more advancements with him on staff.
Stay up to date on all that is happening with ILB by joining the Facebook fan page.
Your partnership is making a big difference in the lives of the young men in the ILB program. Thanks to your support, each of our sponsored players receives breakfast and lunch each day, a good education, spiritual encouragement, and a chance at a bright future. Read a story about one of our sponsored children, Dilson Alcantara Suero, by clicking here.
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Areas in Greatest Need of Support:
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Sponsorship
For just $32 a month, you can provide one of the young men in our program with hope for a better future. Click here to sponsor a player.
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University Program
One of our players, Salomon Trinidad, has a partial scholarship to the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, but still needs about $250 per month in support. Click here to support Salomon.
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Full-time Head Coach
We are still seeking a full-time head coach. If you are able to partner with us to help provide a $400/month salary for the new head coach, click here.
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Thank you again for all your prayers and support! We would not be able to care for these young men without your partnership.
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Ben Holman
I Love Baseball® USA Coordinator
benholman@ilb.org

A Ballplayer’s Story: Dilson Alcantara Suero of the Dominican Republic

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This post originally appeared on the Children of the Nations’ Website here.

Dilson is getting food, baseball training, and a good education through COTN’s I Love Baseball program.

Dilson Alcantara Suero isn’t the type of kid who gives up on a tough math problem. The 15-year-old, who is enrolled in Children of the Nations’ (COTN) I Love Baseball program in the Dominican Republic, meets that type of challenge head-on. Dilson’s love for math, coupled with his fascination for tall buildings, is a good foundation for a future career in architecture—which he hopes to attain if he doesn’t get signed to the big leagues first. If Major League Baseball does come calling, Dilson wants to play second base for the New York Yankees, just like his favorite player: Dominican-born Robinson Canó.

Dilson—already a talented second baseman himself—joined the I Love Baseball program two years ago. He grew up in the batey of Villa Central with his mother, step-father, step-brother, and step-sister. His biological father passed away before Dilson’s first birthday.

Dilson hopes to play baseball professionally, but still knows he has a good education to fall back on.

Before joining the ILB program, Dilson practiced baseball informally with his friends. He wasn’t part of a team. Now, as a sponsored child in the ILB program, he receives baseball training from experienced coaches who are also strong Christian mentors. He enjoys the meals he gets each day, and says the food is better than what he was used to eating before joining ILB. Dilson is also able to focus on his math classes and other studies that will come in handy in whichever career field he chooses. Most importantly, through daily Bible studies, Dilson’s faith is growing. “The word of God is helping me a lot,” he says.

You can support the I Love Baseball program by clicking here.

by Brian Olson, COTN¬–USA Staff Writer; and Fraser Ratzlaff, COTN–USA Seattle Meal Packaging Coordinator

I Love Baseball Intern Wins Champions of Character Award

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This post originally appeared on the Children of the Nations’ Website here.

Dylan Smith of Concordia University

The Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award is considered one of the most prestigious honors in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). This year Dylan Smith, a student athlete who completed an internship in the Dominican Republic with Children of the Nations’ I Love Baseball program, received the award.

Smith, a student at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon, spent eight weeks in the Dominican Republic last summer holding baseball clinics, teaching children at the Barahona Baseball & Education Academy to pitch. He enjoyed the experience so much that he is leading a team of students, staff, and family members back there on June 5, 2010.

“I got to teach boys the fundamentals of baseball and they taught me to love life,” said Smith of his first visit to the Dominican Republic. “I taught them English and they taught me the meaning of service. Servant leadership is a feeling we receive when we are able to do good on behalf of others. I got to experience this when I saw in their faces they truly understood the concepts I was teaching and wanted nothing more than for the chance to work harder.”

Smith is a talented pitcher for the Concordia Cavaliers

Ben Holman, ILB–USA coordinator and co-founder, says, “We’re really proud of Dylan, and thank him for everything he’s done. All of the guys at the Academy really looked up to Dylan and respected him. Lots of the children still ask about him.”

Smith’s work with Children of the Nations was a huge factor in the committee choosing him for the Champions of Character award. The NAIA is an organization of nearly 300 colleges whose goal is to promote the education and development of well-rounded students and productive citizens through intercollegiate athletics.

For more information, visit I Love Baseball.
To learn more about the NAIA visit www.NAIA.org.

by Melissa Dylan, COTN–USA

A Winning Season for I Love Baseball

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This post was originally posted on the Children of the Nations’ website here.

Children of the Nations’ I Love Baseball™ (ILB) Program is having a huge impact on the lives of young men in the Dominican Republic. Six new players have recently joined the program, bringing the total to twenty-one, and we hope to add nine more in the near future. We’ve also been able to add another coach to share in the workload; his wealth of experience will greatly benefit the kids. His addition makes four Dominican staff members.

Four of our players have given their lives to Christ in the past couple of months, and we rejoice to see the changes that are occurring in their lives! Sharing the gospel is a key part of ILB’s mission, and we are encouraged to see God at work there.

Perhaps the most prominent pillar of the ILB Program, however, is education. ILB participants hit the field to hone their baseball skills in the morning and hit the classroom to hone their academic skills in the afternoon. The results are visible: eighteen-year-old Salomon, our oldest player, began Pre-Med classes last fall. He still dreams of the Major Leagues, but he has a solid backup plan.

The Major Leagues are getting interested, though. A scout from the Toronto Blue Jays recently visited and gave rave reviews to two of our players, Henri and Fileral, who both pitched extremely well that day.

Major League Baseball player Miguel Batista also visited our Barahona facility in December. He spent two days working with the kids, giving advice, holding individual pitching and hitting lessons, and teaching new stretching and conditioning techniques.
“It was awesome!” said COTN–USA ILB Coordinator Ben Holman. “Miguel was great.  He was so helpful, and he spent a ton of time with the kids!”

Another person who has “spent a ton of time with the kids” is Chris Sullivan. Chris worked with us as a communications consultant in Barahona for the last five months—teaching English and helping with sponsorship, internal operations, and coaching. Children of the Nations would like to thank Chris for loving our kids and dedicating so much of his time to helping them succeed.

The future is bright for ILB. This year, players from six high school and college baseball teams—among them, Concordia and the University of Washington—have scheduled Venture trips to the Dominican Republic to work with the ILB Program. We have also begun relationships with Seattle Mariners Spanish Radio and the Ronald McDonald House and are planning multiple events for the year, among them the annual Baseball Challenge event (www.thebaseballchallenge.org) and a celebration for Major League Baseball’s Opening Day.

Please continue praying for the I Love Baseball Program and the young men participating in it. For more information on the Program and how you can get involved, check out www.ilovebaseball.org.

by Trey Schorr, COTN–USA Communications Asst.

Winter 2010-11 Update with Video

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Dear Friends and Supporters of I Love Baseball®,
Thank you again for all of your support for the young men in our I Love Baseball (ILB) program this past year. This year has been a good one for Children of the Nations and I Love Baseball, and we look forward to building on our success into 2011.
Please take a moment to enjoy this brief video on the lives you have touched through support of this program. Your partnership has a real impact on the young men in the ILB program, and we’d like to give you this opportunity to meet the boys who are being transformed through ILB.

Again, thank you for your prayers and support. If you would like to make a year-end gift to I Love Baseball, please contribute via our website or send checks to: Children of the Nations P.O. Box 3970, Silverdale, WA 98370. Donations must be postmarked no later than December 31 or received online by midnight to qualify for a 2010 tax deduction.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about getting involved, visit our website; www.ilovebaseball.org, or contact me at benjamin@ilovebaseball.org, or 206-369-1429.

Thank You!

Ben Holman
I Love Baseball USA Coordinator

Summer 2010

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Arriving in Barahona in June was exciting, as our team of three talented and inspiring consultants were ready to get to work to make I Love Baseball one of the best teams on the island. Chris Sullivan was returning after having spent 5 months in 2009 to help coach. Candice Garza, myself, was returning after doing some reporting in December of ’09 to teach English. Finally, Miles Noland was coming with a fresh pair of eyes to work on strength and conditioning and some coaching, as well.After eight weeks of hard work, a few struggles and a clearer vision of what I Love Baseball is and it’s potential, we all realized that God had specially called each of us to come together to work for the greater good of ILB. We had some great moments with the kids. They learned a lot! From English to more baseball techniques and mechanics, we are confident that God’s purpose for us to spend two months in Barahona was fulfilled.

Here is a video of some of the kids introducing themselves in English!

Although we always wish we could have done more, we are confident that the Lord showed us how we can improve the ILB program. We worked hard to overcome challenges and developed important relationships to help the program continue in a positive direction. We are excited for the future of ILB and see some changes coming. Please keep ILB, the staff and the kids in your prayers. We hope to update the blog more frequently, as there are exciting things happening!

God Bless!

A Few Pesos of Hope

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On the eve of one of our major league tryouts, God sent a storm that brought me and several of our players into a church and out of the rain. There were lots of striking things about that night (I wrote about some of them here), but the thing that stuck with me was one of players putting the little money he had into the offering plate. I have to confess that I have mixed emotions about this player.

I have been sponsoring “Colon” for the past year. He is one of our most talented players, but he is a bit of a rogue and his own poor decisions have prevented him from potentially signing for a lot of money. I want the best for him, but I fear what might happen to him with that kind of money and his questionable decision making. However, that day in the church I saw the good side of Colon. I saw him with his guard down. I saw him when he isn’t trying to be the man and feeling the need to show everyone how cool he is. That little moment in the church gives me hope for him and I pray God shows me how to bring that side out of him more.

Chris Sullivan in the DR: A Big Praise

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I’ve been marinating for the last couple days on something I heard Friday and I just need to go ahead and give God all the glory for it.Julin is one of my favorite players. He is a charismatic kid with big dreams but at 16 years old he is only in the 6th grade. A couple of weeks ago we got a report from Julin’s teacher that he wasn’t going to school. When I talked to Julin, I found he didn’t like going to school because all the younger kids make fun of him and tell him he is too old and no good. He doesn’t like going to school because all the people in his neighborhood tell him he is dumb and should just play baseball. Julin didn’t have anyone speaking life to him. He didn’t have anyone encouraging or telling him he was capable, in fact, everyone was saying the opposite.

When I sat down with Julin I tried to explain to him as best I could why he needed to go to school.

If he doesn’t, he is proving all those people right. I told him all those people in his neighborhood that are criticizing him spend most of their days sitting on their porch doing nothing. They were sitting on that same porch 10 years ago and they’ll be on that same porch in 10 more, but that he has the opportunity for a life better than that. Only he loses if he doesn’t go to school.

He needs to be an example to his younger brothers. He wants to make something of his life and he needs an education to achieve his goals. He needs to be able to provide for a family one day and give them with a better life and more opportunities than he has had. That he couldn’t change the past but can decide what he wants to make of the future.

It has been a couple weeks so I don’t even remember exactly what I said but those are some examples. I don’t know what stuck. Maybe nothing, I was saying all of this in broken Spanish after all. Probably nothing, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t really matter what I said as much as that I was saying it. I think what made the difference was that I cared enough to say something, that I cared enough to encourage him, that I told him he was capable. I think he was desperate to hear that. But as Julin left that day, I didn’t know if he would go back.

On Monday I visited Julin in Los Robles. I chatted him up a bit before asking how school was. He lit up. He told me school was great and that the school is going to let him go to 7th grade in the spring. He thanked me and told me if it wasn’t for me he wouldn’t have gone back. I told him that he deserved all the credit, that I could do all the talking I wanted, but only he could make the decision to go back and that I was proud of him. I took it all with a grain of salt until I talked to Julin’s teacher later that day and got the same report. Wow, God is good.

In the end, God just put me in the right place at the right time and he used me as the tool to touch one of his children and that feels awesome. I feel so honored but yet humbled. I know it wasn’t my wisdom that made a difference but God’s love pouring into this young man. Please keep Julin in your prayers. He is back in school and over one large mountain but has a lot of school and a lot of life to go.