Posted: July 21, 2009

Homestead graduate and UW-Stevens Point catcher Jordan Rennicke is used to being in the heart of the action.

He was a two-time All-Suburban selection at the position while at Homestead and was also a linebacker on the 2006 state championship squad, so he's never been shy about making up-close and personal contact with people.

And he's also used to wearing his heart on his sleeve, being a leader for Homestead's Fellowship of Christian Athletes before his graduation in 2007.

"The membership varied between four and 25 kids while I was in school," he said. "I was always dragging friends into it. Word of mouth and my mom's (Judy) cookies never hurt."

Faith called him to do more

But recently Rennicke turned all that activity and intensity into something deeper and more committed, as he made a 17-day trip to Nicaragua, where he played baseball and spread the word of God as a member of an Athletes in Action touring baseball team.

"It started last year," he said. "I asked my (Stevens Point) coach about places to play summer ball and he told me about the AIA. They have teams in Alaska, Ohio and New York. I actually had a chance to make this trip last year but I was a little too late, but this year I e-mailed them early and threw in an application."

A lifelong Christian and the son of Homestead legend Randy Rennicke, Jordan had to go through a spiritual evaluation but was easily accepted by AIA.

The biology/Spanish/pre-med major left with his 20-man squad (including three coaches) barely two weeks after school ended in mid-May. The team was national in nature (the closest teammate in terms of geography came from Chicago). They were able to stay in a Campus Crusade for Christ dormitory in the small town of Diriamba and visited several large cities, including the capital, Managua.

By day, they would play baseball on a level ranging from the country's Premiere League, which Rennicke likened to a good American minor league, to sandlot teams on the level of the Land O' Lakes.

"The two Premiere League parks we played in were really nice," Rennicke said, "but a lot of them were pretty bad compared to U.S. standards. No backstop or fencing. In one of our last games, our coach ordered no sliding because there was glass and rocks all over the field."

People faced with poverty

And that sad fact played into the primary reason for the trip, giving one version of hope to a people who on the surface appeared to have no hope. Nicaragua is a largely Catholic country that is grindingly poor.

The poverty rate is second-worst in the Western hemisphere only to Haiti, as 79.9 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day.

"It was pure desperation what we witnessed at times," Rennicke said. "You asked why are we (in America) so blessed? It gave you a new sense of gratitude for all that we have."

After the games, the team would hold open ministry sessions and give out brochures. Rennicke said that acceptance of the team's mission was much easier because of the country's strong commitment to Christianity.

"And people whose lives you'd think were just terrible were content and happy," Rennicke said. "The love they demonstrated for one another was something I was happy to take back with me."

The brochures explained the team's mission, but Rennicke said his "functional but not fluent" Spanish was a big help in making contact with people.

"Based off the responses we got from the pamphlets, I think we had about 60 people accept Christ into their lives for the first time," he said. "We at least planted a seed."

He said if he had a chance at making another trip, he would jump at it.

"It was amazing to see God's work in another country," he said. "You come to realize you're under the same moon, the same stars, and that you're all worshipping the same God."