Report from Milwaukee

Got to Milwaukee safely yesterday and had a good day today. Met with two local mission groups and coordinated their credentials and logistics of picking up the food tomorrow. One group (www.stbensmilwaukee.org) picked up the left over food today. I had a great prayer time with both groups that the food would be used to feed the hungry and gloify Christ.

I also met with a motorcoach driver who is going through some tough marital issues. Pray for him as he struggles with being away from home during this difficult time.

I will be leaving directly from the race tomorrow evening and driving home. Pray for a safe race, Spirit led Chapel services, and safe travels. I am also singing tomorrow at the 2 Chapel services!!

Thank you for your support and prayers!!

Pray for Robert.......

During my month with Vision Racing, I met a guy named Robert. He is a young guy that gave his life to the Lord at an early age, but then fell away. He approached me one day after we were done running for the day and he asked me if I was a "preacher"....... I replied that I was a kind of a preacher... He confided in me how difficult it is to try to do the "right things" in this environment and that he wants to start going back to church. We sat on the pit wall for the next 20 minutes and talked about his struggles and his faith walk. I explained to him that being a Christian is not about "following the rules", it is about having faith in Jesus Christ. I told him once you have that faith, you will want to do the right things..... We also talked about the that he should be working as if he is working for the Lord and not man.... We also discussed how Jesus, as in the story of the prodigal son, is waiting for him on that front porch. That He will run towards him with open, accepting arms when he comes back to Christ.

I told Robert that earlier that very morning, in my devotion time, I was working on praying more expectantly. I prayed that God would send someone, today, that needed to hear from Him. I told Robert, God sent you...

I prayed with him on that pit wall, in pouring rain, under an umbrella..... He thanked me over and over...... I told him that is the way God works..... He went to Chapel service with me on race day. Please pray that Robert will continue to work on his relationship with Christ and that he will be protected in that environment.

Pray expectantly.......

Indy 500 Pit Stop

I am the air jack guy on the right!!!!

Hamilton Finishes 14th in the 500!

Davey Hamilton finished 14th still on the lead lap after a long hard race..... he fought an understear (push) condition all day long. We made air pressure changes and front wing changes to get him a better handling car. We found out after the race that we had a broken front wing adjuster that was causing the problem and not enabling us to make the changes.

Davey is a great guy and it was wonderful to have Kingdom Racing as a sponsor on the car (www.kingdomracing.net). Please pray for Davey, Kingdom Racing, and the guys on Vision racing!

Going "over the wall" for #22 - Davey Hamilton in the Indy 500

Found out yesterday that I will be going over the wall on Hamilton's car. Due to a recent change in personnel, they lost an airjack guy. So after a little shuffling of team members, the crew chief came up to me yesterday and said "your it"! So, during the race, I will be doing the air jack on the #22 car and adjusting the air pressure in the tires.

Thanks for all your support and prayers!

Sang at Indy Chapel Services!!

We had two great services last Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Very well attended and great message on the series of beatitudes. Bob's message was on meekness and I sang Lord, Reign on Me and East to West by Casting Crowns. God speaks in so many ways and touches people on different levels. He did so again this past Sunday. He is an amazing God!

Hamilton Qualifies 18th!

After a gearbox issue in the first practice session on Saturday, Davey qualified 18th for the Indy 500! We ran a 223.6 in the morning practice session, but did not have time to set the car up after the gearbox change prior to qualification. He did average a 222.017. I have a few pics below from the past couple weeks at the track! Thanks for your prayerful support!

Ministry as a Crew Member

It has been a very interesting week working at Vision Racing. I have had a number of guys come up to me and ask me if "I was the guy from the ministry". That has opened up many conversations about relationships, church attendance, an explanation of what the IRL Ministry does, and encouragement to have a relationship with Christ. It is imperative to "earn their trust" as you work along side. I also hope that my work ethic reflects the servant leadership of Christ.

I had a great conversation with one team member about struggles with forgiveness as it relates to past relationships. We discussed God's forgiveness for us and our sins and how it is difficult at times, in our humanness, to forgive others. I also had another conversation with another team member about how he "would like to go to church". He also seemed to have other questions and I let him know I was available for those conversations when he is ready. I will encourage him to go to a Chapel service with me this month!

Continue to pray for God to work through me in this team member capacity!

Chapel Services at Indy

We had two great services today at Indy. Vision racing had a day off so I was able to help Bob with the Chapel services. The current sermon series is on the Beattitudes. Pray for a good series and that people would be touched by God!

Food at the Kansas City Rescue Mission

The numbers are in! The Kansas City Rescue Mission collected 3450 pounds of food for the homeless from the Kanasas race! Praise God for His provisions and faithfulness!

Thanks again to Paul Masao and his staff for all their hard work!

Doin' tires for #22 Vision Racing entry w/ Davey Hamilton at the Indy 500

This year, in addition to my ministry responsibilities, I will be working for Vision Racing http://www.visionracing.com/ . They are running a third car for Indy that will be driven by Davey Hamilton. I will be responsible for the pit equipment and all the tires and pressures. This will be my 10th Indy 500 as a crew member!

Pray that I will be an effective minister of the Gospel as I work along side these guys. We are also trying to get a Bible study started at Vision's shop. I would lead that if it come to fruition. Pray that relationships that are established will help that effort and instill trust in the crew members.

Great Day in Kansas!

We had 2 great Chapel services today. Very well attended for the time slots we had. Jessica from Stoney Point Christian Church did a wonderful job on the special music! Thanks again to Jessica and her family!

Kansas City Resuce Mission picked up the excess food today in a U-haul box truck! We donated 30 pounds of soap and will keep you updated on the final food weight count.

Had great oppotunites to pray with team members and drivers today prior to both the Indy Lights and Indy Car races. We offered to all and many participated. Pray for those who are still opposed. Had a great conversation with an engineer today that I had talked to int he past. He wanted to know what happened when I gave my heart to the Lord. We talked briefly about head knowledge verses heart knowledge and what it means to live for God. Since this was directly prior to the race, I invited him to sit down with me sometime to talk through that. He accepted, but said I would not convince him. I told that my job was to present the truth, not to change his mind. I told him that was up to God! His name is Len. Please pray that God would soften his heart........

Long Day at the Track

I left my hotel this morning about 7:30 AM and returned around 10:00 PM!

One incident... Mario Moraes hit the wall and was unhurt. Father Phil and I met him at the infield care center where he was released. I took him and his team owner back to their gargage area on the IRL Minstry golf cart.

Had an opportunity to meet the singer for our Chapel service tomorrow; Jessica and her mother Diana. They are from Stoney Point Christian Church in Kansas City. I got them their credentials and showed them around the track. We had some great Christian conversations and swapped stories of just how amazing our God is! She will be singing for our Chapel services tomorrow at 8 and 10.

Met with Indy Lights drivers Mark Olsen and Jake Slotten today. Had a chance to get to know them a little better and pray with them together before they started their morning practice sessions. Neat time in the Lord.....

Talked with many of the Indy Car crew members waiting in the qualifying line. Good connection with many of those guys.

Pray for good Chapel services and safe races tomorrow! Thanks again for your support!!!!!!

At Kansas!!!!!!!

Made it to Kansas safely today! Met with Paul Masao from the Kansas City Rescue Mission today. They will receiving the food donations from this weekend's race! I prayed with him today that God would bless their mission and their efforts this weekend.

Chaplain Bob and I had a great time of prayer today. We prayed for the weekend and various items concerning the ministry. You can help by praying for the following items: connections and relations, that we would represent Christ well, future financial IRL Minstry provisions, chapel services on Sunday and a safe weekend for all involved.

More updates tomorrow night!!!!! Thanks for your prayers and support!!!!!!

9200 lbs!!!!!!

That is how much food was donated to the local St. Petersburg food kitchen and shelter at this past weekend's race! Thanks to Chef Bill for picking up all the food. Also thanks to all the IRL hospitality organizations that donated their left over food! We also collected approximately 50 pounds of soap and shampoo from the IRL community! This was also donated to the local shelter. This is a great way to show God's love and provisions. Pray that this food will be used effectively to promote the Gospel of Christ while feeding the less fortunate!

God was Present!

God presence was evident today! Started with Jeremy from a local Christian church. He sang a couple songs for the Chapel service today. Marvelous job. Had an Indy Lights race and an IRL race today. Bob and I prayed with the teams on the grid. Some individuals refused. All teams participated at some level! Praise God for that! God gave us safe races and provided lots of opportunities to talk with crew members and drivers. We collected over 50 pounds of soap and shampoo. This was all given to the local homeless shelter along with all of the leftover food from the team and corporate hospitality locations. Pray I will make it home safe tomorrow! God Bless you all!!

Qualifying day....

We had a slim turnout at the Indy Lights Chapel, so we ended having a prayer service instead. We prayed for the day, drivers, teams, crew, etc. It was very appropriate for the busy day. God sometimes leads us to do things that are different from our "worldly" plans. Today was one of those days! Hunter did the invocation for the Indy Lights race today and Bob and I prayed with the teams on the grid before the race.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

Update from the track.....

Had a good day today. Began the day with prayer. Then went right into logistics, credentials, etc. Met Chef Bill from the local shelter. He is picking up the food this weekend. He admitted to me his faith in God is lacking. We talked about how God works and what it means to have faith. I prayed with him be fore he left the track. Pray for Bill that the Holy Spirit will show him the Way!

One Indy Lights Chapel tomorrow at 1:00 with their first race of the weekend tomorrow at 4:45. Watch for more updates tomorrow!

Made It to St. Pete!

Made it to the St. Pete track today. Spent most of the day running around working thru credential issues, scheduling the Indy Lights Chapel service time and location. Hanging chapel flyers at the Indy Lights transporters. Talked with a few of the crew guys along the way. Some of the same ones I prayed with last weekend.

Continue to pray for protection, wisdom, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all things. The Indy Lights chapel is at 1:00 on Saturday and the Indy Car Chapel is at 8:00 on Sunday.

Thanks for your support and may God continue to bless you!

Wendy in Seat 16E

On my flight from Miami to Atlanta, a girl named Wendy sat next to me in the plane. We hadn’t spoken for most of the flight when she asked me what I was doing in Miami. I told her about the IRL Ministry. She said she believed in a “higher power”. Then she quipped by saying “I suppose you are going to tell me I need to go to church”. We then proceeded to talk about people’s perception of what Christianity was and I told her that going to church wouldn’t get her to heaven, but she needed to have a relationship with Christ. We talked about how to do that and what that meant. We talked about living in a fallen world and that we are all sinners that need a Savior in Jesus. I told here how He came to this earth to fill the gap between a sinful world and a Holy God. As our time was running short, she told me about a book she was reading about figuring out what we are doing in this world. I suggested a couple others and also gave her a plan of salvation outline with scripture references. She told me she would look those up. She looked at me and said “it wasn’t an accident that she was sitting here”. I said these encounters are not accidents but they are orchestrated by God himself. She told me again, “You don’t understand, I switched my seat right before the flight so I could sit closer to my boyfriend, but he is way in the back”. She said, “I was supposed to talk to you today”. She thanked me and we went our separate ways. Pray for Wendy. That she finds Christ and that she figures out why she is here……. God is amazing……