TEAMWORK SCORES A HOME RUN FOR ARKANSAS MISSIONARIES

From church to college to mission field, the Cases reap the benefits of cooperative giving

Old bats, worn gloves, and weathered baseballs are proof that God can use the cooperation of His people to further His Kingdom.

Cliff and Cinthy Case currently serve as missionaries in Chile through the International Mission Board.

Prior to moving there in 2007, the Cases focused on reaching Rocha, Uruguay, with the Gospel. Missions was a mindset God had uniquely placed on their hearts long before moving to South America in 1992.

“Every summer, we would go on a missions trip,” Cliff said, recalling how active Baring Cross Baptist Church in Sherwood, Arkansas, was as he was growing up.

It was there that he heard of the cooperative work missionaries were doing around the world thanks to the generosity of both Arkansas and Southern Baptists. What he did not know at the time was his future wife was one of those missionaries on the field. Cinthy’s parents served in Argentina, Panama, and Paraguay, and she attended Ouachita Baptist University with a heart for missions because of what she had seen the Lord do.

“Missionary life is all I knew. It was normal to me,” Cinthy said.

After meeting at Ouachita, where their education was in part supported by the giving of Baptists through the Cooperative Program, the two married and decided to pursue the Lord via missions.

They attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary together before ministering in Wyoming and ultimately being called internationally.

In Uruguay, the Cases did what most missionaries do—focus on enhancing the Gospel through church planting, discipleship, and evangelism, but it was through untraditional means that they saw the Lord’s hand miraculously transform lives.

“Baseball was the key in opening up doors to share the Gospel and plant several new works,” Cliff said.

Once, while the Cases were stateside, two new cable companies settled in Rocha, televising American baseball

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 games and popularizing the city with the ballpark sport. When they returned, God used their knowledge of the sport to change lives.

“Since they had one American family in town, they decided to come and ask me about it,” Cliff said.

From there, Cliff and Cinthy forged a plan to teach locals the fundamentals of baseball and the Gospel. But first, they needed supplies. While they had access to plenty of Bibles, baseball equipment was not available in Rocha. So they leaned on their support group of Baptist churches in Arkansas and around the United States to mail them used gear.

“They cooperated to send baseball gloves and bats and balls,” Cliff said.

Though it wasn’t the way Baptists generally cooperate, the old bats, worn gloves, and weathered baseballs were proof that the support system of a missionary is vital.

With the help of some of their church members and eventually missions trip volunteers, the Cases began weekly baseball workshops. Soon, a tournament began. At each plate along the way, Cliff taught the players about Jesus. They memorized Scripture, learned how to pray, and heard about the sacrifice Christ made before the final hit.

At the end of that season, five athletes accepted Jesus as Lord after attending an associational youth rally with the Cases. The game was not over, though. Word had spread around Uruguay, and these new believers began helping the Cases spread the Gospel in the same way. They taught the sport in physical education classes and met with students after school to drink tea and tell them about Jesus.

“We started a Bible study in the school with an atheist principal giving us the key. So, you’ve got to know it’s all God at that point. This just doesn’t happen out of the blue,” Cliff said.

God was on the move, and He wanted every person in the game to slide into home plate before it was too late.

“It’s not just...one moment,” Cliff said.

In his 30 years on the field, Cliff has learned that while every conversation about God may not be a home run, it isn’t a strike out either. Every prayer prayed and every Scripture shared is a hit in the right direction. One base at a time, God is softening hearts and throwing a curveball the enemy’s way.

The Cases know it’s a team effort. Because of the support received from Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program, the Cases are still in South America carrying out the Great Commission.

“Southern Baptists have been so faithful in making sure that the missionaries on the field are taken care of and have the funds to buy necessary materials and Bibles for doing the work assigned to them,” Cinthy said..