This article appears in the Fall 2021 edition of the FCA Donor Publication. The FCA publication is a gift from our FCA staff to all donors giving $50 or more annually. For more information about giving, visit here.

1. The country is still working to rebound from the pandemic’s effects—including the local FCA ministry. FCA Dominican Republic (DR) Director Miguel Terrero is praying for more ministry partners who recognize that God is at work in the DR and want to provide support so he can retain his staff and continue ministry.

2. Realistically, for every 1,600 kids who play baseball, only one or two will get signed professionally. Many former players end up coaching and the cycle of high-pressure performance continues. FCA focuses its efforts to influence coaches and teach them a new way of life. “Our job is to help coaches understand that each kid is a person with a soul,” Terrero said. Staff and volunteers lead Huddles and devotionals to help coaches find identity and hope, not in baseball, but in Jesus Christ.

3. Coaches are self-employed in the DR, and they make an income by signing up kids to play under them. When the pandemic hit, lockdowns halted most coaches’ source of income, and there was no government aid for them. But the crisis provided an open door for FCA to share the Gospel more deeply.

4. FCA delivered care packages with food and household necessities to coaches. Terrero said coaches felt like Jesus had visited their homes, and these care packages provided a way to show how much FCA cared about them.

5. FCA DR plans to continue reaching those with great influence. “Everywhere you go in the DR, it’s all about baseball,” Terrero said. “Baseball is a business; it’s a way out. Kids in the DR dream of signing professional contracts so they can have better lives and help their families. We will keep pursuing coaches because whether they go up or if they start to sink, they’ll realize FCA is still here."