GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Cornerstone University baseball team had the opportunity to spend 10 days in early January to go down to Guatemala for a mission's trip and serve multiple communities in the Central American country. On the trip the team of 26 guys had the opportunity to prep an Opal House overlooking Lake Atitlan, spend time with survivors of the Fuego Volcano eruption, share their faith and worship with the Guatemalan community and members of the Missiona Church CNX, and run baseball clinics for a total of 80 Guatemalan kids. 

Head coach Chuck Lowitzki talked about their time saying the team got to experience a multitude of different things which included both devastation and hope. When addressing the baseball clinics rounding out the trip Lowitzki stated, "we had unique experiences to talk about Jesus in a baseball setting while navigating the language barrier with the help of some wonderful translators.  At the end of the clinics our players signed autographs for the kids. It was a surreal experience here in Guatemala." 

For most of the Golden Eagle athletes, this was the first opportunity to serve on a mission's trip with their team. Junior Kyle DeSchryver stated, "Going to Guatemala was an experience I will never forget. I was able to see how Christ is working in people who had little to nothing. The love for Christ is alive in Guatemala." 

Senior Dustin DeBeau reflected on how a trip like this applies to them as they return to Grand Rapids and begin prep for the 2019 season stating, "I think this trip helped re-establish who we are as a program and as a team. Not many college baseball teams get an opportunity to do this, so it was definitely a blessing for all of us to experience that. The trip gave us a new-found appreciation for everything we have been graced with at Cornerstone University and it reminded us that we are more than just baseball players."

Brett Shure honed in on a common theme that the team came back with from this experience stating, "We saw both devastation and beauty, both suffering and success, and so many other variations of highs and lows. Most importantly, however, we saw the overwhelming love of Christ through ALL of it." Shure added that he along with his teammates are incredibly thankful for such a humbling reminder that everything we do matters because we do it to glorify Christ. 



As the team nears the beginning of the 2019 baseball season, a trip to Guatemala was a great reminder of both who Cornerstone baseball plays for and why they play. 
Cornerstone is expected to begin the 2019 season next week against Taylor if the weather cooperates.  

Sports Information Contact: Jesse Campbell
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