## It Started With One Book

Several years ago, I began reading a daily devotional called *Jesus Calling* by Sarah Young.

I had no idea at the time where God would take it.

The devotional had such a profound impact on my own relationship with Jesus Christ that I felt spiritually inspired to begin sharing it with others. I started small. I simply bought copies with my own money and gave them to people I believed needed encouragement.

Some were people I knew well. Others I barely knew at all.

It didn't matter.

I believed God could use this little book to change someone's life.

Whenever possible, I wrote a personal note inside the cover. I wanted the person receiving it to know that someone cared about them, was praying for them, and believed God had a purpose for their life.

That's how this ministry started.

## Then God Made the Vision Much Bigger

For more than 20 years, my life's work has revolved around young athletes and their families.

Through that journey, God has given me an even bigger vision.

Today, *Jesus Calling* has become a foundational part of the ministry of **Ambassadors Sports**.

Our mission goes far beyond helping young people become better athletes. We want to help develop young men and women physically, mentally, socially, educationally—and most importantly, **spiritually**.

And one of the simplest and most powerful ways we have found to do that is to put something directly into their hands that can point them toward Jesus every single day.

**A book they can take home.**

**A book they can open tomorrow morning.**

**A book that can sit beside their bed for the next year.**

**A book that can remind them, day after day, that they are never alone.**

That's why our goal is simple:

### We want to give a FREE copy of *Jesus Calling* to every athlete we engage with through Ambassadors Sports.

Not sell it to them.

**Give it to them.**

## More Than 500 Books—and We're Just Getting Started

What began with a handful of books purchased out of my own pocket has now grown to **more than 500 copies of *Jesus Calling* given away.**

Five hundred books.

Five hundred opportunities for someone to encounter Jesus.

Five hundred young athletes, parents, coaches, friends and others who now have something in their hands that can encourage them through fear, disappointment, loneliness, pressure, uncertainty and some of life's most difficult moments.

I am incredibly grateful for those 500.

But compared with the vision God has placed on my heart, **500 is only the beginning.**

I don't want to give away hundreds of these books.

**I want us to give away thousands.**

And eventually, God willing, **tens of thousands.**

## Why Young Athletes?

Youth sports has an enormous influence on our children.

Young athletes spend countless hours training, practicing, traveling and competing. They hear constantly about performance, rankings, scholarships, statistics, winning and losing.

But there is something infinitely more important than any of those things:

**Who are they becoming?**

And even more importantly:

**Do they know Jesus Christ?**

Our young people are growing up in a world filled with anxiety, pressure, comparison, confusion and uncertainty.

They need hope.

They need peace.

They need forgiveness.

They need purpose.

They need to know that their identity is not determined by a batting average, a recruiting ranking, a scholarship offer, a championship—or the opinions of other people.

**Their true identity is found in Jesus Christ.**

That is the message at the heart of Ambassadors Sports.

Baseball and sports may give us the opportunity to reach these young people.

**Jesus is the reason we want to reach them.**

## Why *Jesus Calling*?

*Jesus Calling* helped transform my own daily walk with Christ.

The devotional encourages readers to begin each day focused on Jesus and God's Word. Each daily reading is accompanied by Scripture, creating an opportunity to stop, reflect, pray and remember that Christ is present in every part of our lives.

For me, it became something I looked forward to every morning.

It strengthened my relationship with Jesus.

And after experiencing that personally, I couldn't help but think:

**What if we could introduce thousands of young athletes to that same daily habit?**

Imagine a 13-year-old baseball player opening his devotional before school.

Imagine a high school athlete reading it before a difficult game.

Imagine a young person struggling with anxiety, disappointment or loneliness opening the book on exactly the day he or she desperately needs encouragement.

And imagine that devotional eventually leading that young person into a deeper relationship with Jesus and God's Word.

We may never know the full impact of giving someone that book.

But God does.

## That's Why I'm Asking for Your Help

Until now, much of this ministry has been funded personally and through the generosity of people who believe in what we're doing.

But the vision has become much bigger than what I can fund myself.

Every new Ambassadors Sports event means more athletes.

More athletes mean more books.

And more books mean more opportunities to introduce young people and their families to Jesus Christ.

**That's where you come in.**

Your donation helps us purchase *Jesus Calling* devotionals and put them directly into the hands of young athletes and others we encounter through this ministry.

Whether you help provide one book, ten books, fifty books or hundreds, **you become part of this mission.**

100% of the money donated to this ministry will be used toward purchasing devotionals and the costs necessary to get those books into people's hands.

## Help Us Reach the Next 500—and the Thousands After Them

The first books were given away one person at a time.

Then 30 became 100.

100 became 500.

And now we are asking God:

**How many lives could we reach next?**

1,000?

5,000?

10,000?

We don't know.

But we are willing to find out.

My prayer is that someday thousands of young athletes will have received their own copy of *Jesus Calling* because people like you believed enough in this mission to help us put it into their hands.

If you feel led to support this ministry financially, we would be incredibly grateful.

If you're unable to give, please pray for us.

Pray for the athletes who will receive these books.

Pray that the right words reach the right young person on exactly the right day.

And most importantly, pray that through something as simple as giving away a devotional, young people will come to know the love, hope, peace and salvation found in Jesus Christ.

Sports may open the door.

**Our mission is to use that opportunity to point young people toward Jesus.**

Thank you for believing in this mission.

God Bless,

**Coach Mark**

Founder, Ambassadors Sports