Spring 2024 Blog 3

 

April/May Blog 2024 Keeping Up Is Always Hard To Do! I have been asking our board members to put together their testimony on how they became involved with HiS Print and their lives leading up to coming into the family. This blog will have Brandon “Turtle” Hoybach sharing his story with you. So, sit back and enjoy and after that I will fill you in on all that is going on and how hard it is to keep up with it all. That’s not any new news probably for your own life, so you know the feeling quite well.   Brandon’s testimony: I first stepped foot in Croatia in 2001 on a mission trip. My wife and I fell in love with the people and the country, and while on the mission trip, we heard from the Lord that we were to be part of a church planting team the following year. So, in the fall of 2002, my wife and I quit our jobs, packed up clothes and some belongings, sold most of the rest of what we owned, and moved to Split, Croatia. We had planned on being there for a couple of years but ended up staying almost seven. When moving back to Texas, I met David Moss through a series of mutual friends. It was an instant connection!! Over lunch, he described the ministry he had been doing in northern Croatia, and I told him all about what the Lord had done through us in the southern part of Croatia. In the summer of 2012, I accompanied David to Croatia to be a part of the HiS Print mission outreach team. I got to see and experience all the people, places, events, and amazing things God had been doing in northern Croatia firsthand. I have always loved sports and love to use it as a tool to preach the Gospel. After seeing what David was doing through sports ministry in the form of baseball camps, I pitched the idea to him about doing American Football camps as well. Before returning to the States to live in 2009, I had helped start a flag football team. We began with just a few guys, and over time, we were able to add more and more, eventually turning it into a tackle football team. I knew the guys I mentored would love to have equipment, coaches, and players from the States come and teach them the game of American Football. We had our first football camps in June and July of 2012. These camps, which increase player's skills and allow us to share our testimony and the Gospel, have been a significant part of our ministry ever since. As the Director of Football Operations, when not in Croatia, I help David gather sports equipment, particularly a LOT of football equipment from junior high, high school, and colleges around the Houston area and beyond. We ship the equipment worldwide, and we hope to eventually conduct camps in each of those cities and countries, sharing the Gospel all along the way. The impact of these camps has been tremendous and life changing. He Did It!

left:  Traveling around the city collecting equipment.  right: Sharing his testimony in Croatia to football coaches.

Brandon, “Turtle”, has been with us every step of the way since and it has been a huge blessing to walk side by side with him overseas as well as here collecting and packing equipment or serving out at HiS Place in Alvin.

Remarkable Man's Retreat On April 6th we were blessed to host The Remarkable Men’s Retreat out at HiS Place. Over 30 men came out to HiS Place to spend time praying with one another, walking around the property and spending some quality time with the Lord, sharing time with the animals and having a few challenging talks centered around what it means to be remarkable and what things to we allow to get in the way of God’s plan for us to be remarkable and for Him to use us in remarkable ways. Pernell Hill and Jason Hall led the event and I was asked to speak to the men about leading a life that is remarkable with God leading and us surrendering and submitting to Him so He can use us in His way and purpose.

left: Opportunity to share from His word.       right: We had both young and older at the event!

The time spent praying for one another was remarkable in itself and having no agenda or time frame to adhere to we were able to allow God moments to bring us together and pray over others as well.

Praying over a young man who was about to get married.

Brett Posey, a member of the HiS Print family and operator out at HiS Place, was given a time to share what HiS Place is all about and what animals we have there to pet, feed or lead around. It was an amazing time for men to see God’s creation right at their finger tips.

left: Brett sharing about His Place right:  One of the participants enjoying some time with Flash

We finished up the morning with lunch and then a time to spend with the Lord in pausing before the Lord and allowing Him to pour into the hearts of the men as they were quiet before him, choosing a place on the property of their choosing. It was a remarkable time of being still before the Lord and knowing that He is God.

Wonderful meal to fill us physically that goes along with the spiritual blessings.

left: Quiet time on Prayer Hill right: Being still before the Lord while observing cattle

Local MiLO:  Lost Lagoon Luxury RV Park Our ministry had a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness at Lost Lagoon on Mother’s Day weekend. We treated this just like we do an overseas MiLO (Mi Mission Learning Opportunity) with the team spending the night at the main house at the retreat. We had prayer time and devotions together and fellowship with one another after serving Friday night and all day Saturday. It was such a blessing to bring the ministry family back together and invite many new people who had not been involved in the past. We were able to share and raise awareness to those who were camping in the park and came to enjoy our petting zoo, carnival games and participate in our Chicken Drop Bingo. We also were blessed with almost $2,000 in donations toward the ministry. Can’t put a value on the opportunity we had during that weekend to raise the awareness to people from all across Texas. The owners have been such a blessing to me and my bride as they have allowed me to come and do a Poolside Service on Sunday’s the past two summers. Stephen and Kenna have become like family and their willingness to allow us to come and share deeply touched the entire HiS Print family. Sit back and enjoy the pictures and the fun you can imagine we had.

Having fun walking around the RV Resort talking with folks.

top left: the younger chicks took over when the old ones gave out! The petting zoo was a huge hit and many enjoyed His Herd!

Fun for all:  from kicking field goals, to carnival games, to a Chicken Drop BINGO game!  Not sure it can get any better than that!

What a blessing it was to spend time together in fellowship, serving and devotions. The opportunity to pause before the Lord before, during and after serving Him by loving people where they were!

It’s been a crazy two months of serving locally and now we prepare to head overseas for our Global MiLO to Croatia. The team will be leaving the last week of June and some will be there until the end of July with many things going on and opportunities to love people. I will share more on that in the next couple of weeks, in the meantime, please keep us in your prayers; praying for general finances for the ministry, which includes overseas missions, shipping equipment and general upkeep and maintenance of HiS Place and feeding of the animals, as well as our continued prayers for finances to build God’s Garage, which will allow us to house, inventory, pack, stack and ship around the world to meet the demands of the requests that we continue to receive. We want to be good stewards of what God continues to collect and share with those in need. Thanks again for your continued support and without it we would not be able to do the things we are doing. Blessings and remember Jesus loves you and so do I! HE DID IT! David