The Ministry

The OM baseball club’s field in Érd, Hungary

Some mission workers are called to a certain country or people group. Some are called to a type of ministry work.

We fell into the latter category, as what primarily drew us to Hungary at first was Patrick’s lifelong love of baseball.

But since then, God clearly revealed roles for us in the work He’s doing in Hungary through OM.

Patrick’s role
When he came across the baseball ministry through OM in Hungary, Patrick realized that being able to combine his love of the sport with serving Christ was a dream come true. The ministry was started in 2002 by mission worker Terry Lingenhoel, who has served in Hungary for more than 25 years and is originally from Ohio. Terry wanted to start a sports ministry that would teach Hungarians about the Gospel and about community.

The mission league has continued to grow to include teams for T-ball-age kids through adults, including a women’s softball team. Baseball is not a native sport to Hungarians, but the level of interest has grown to include secular leagues that have started around the country. And, these secular leagues are even asking for Christian coaches because they’ve seen how dependable, caring, and knowledgeable they are.

Patrick will primarily be coaching and playing for the different teams in the mission league, working with a range of age groups. The mission focus is not only on team devotions and prayer, but on building long-term relationships with the players and their parents. In the off-season, Patrick and Terry will still be able to go into Hungarian schools to teach baseball to P.E. classes and to give a Gospel presentation. Patrick will also be hosting team Bible studies throughout the winter.

Jessica’s role
I enjoy sports, but baseball was never my gifting or love. So when we went on our vision trip to Hungary in the fall of 2015, I wasn’t sure what I’d be doing. But when an OM team member told me about the team’s need for a communications officer, I knew God was calling me to that role. My background is in graphic design, writing and editing, so I was excited about the opportunity to help tell the stories of what God is doing in Hungary. I will be documenting the ministry, helping to communicate with partners and designing any materials the team can use to reach out to Hungarians. I’ll be working with photos, video, social media, newsletter design, and whatever else we can come up with. I’ll also be serving alongside Patrick in a support capacity with the baseball ministry, helping to host Bible studies and getting to know the players and their parents and neighbors. I might also play on the women’s softball team. (We will see how that goes.)

Thanks, as always, for your prayers. They mean so much to us and to this work.