Love for Leather co-founder and president Lance Jarriel (second from right) with some baseball players in the Dominican Republic. (Photo courtesy of Lance Jarriel)
Each baseball glove has a story to tell. Its unique webbing and contours, the color, the size, the wear and tear, every feature adding to the plot. And now, through the sports ministry Love for Leather, baseball gloves in the Dominican Republic are telling the greatest story ever: the story of Jesus Christ — a Man who laid down His life for His friends.
Founded by Lance Jarriel — along with Matt Stanley and Thomas Walker — in 2024 after Jarriel attended a missions trip to the Dominican Republic, Love for Leather has a mission to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His love through the game of baseball. The nonprofit gifts boxes to young baseball players in the DR containing bilingual leather Bibles and brand-new distinctive baseball gloves, as well as hats, sunglasses, bracelets and next-step guides for new believers.
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This past May, Love for Leather was able to gift 50 of these boxes on its Day of Giving during a trip to Villa Altagracia in the Dominican Republic. After the players opened their gifts, the Love for Leather team was able to take pictures with them, talk to them about Jesus Christ, and then play a friendly baseball game together.
“We got the chance to speak our purpose and passion into the lives of these aspiring baseball players and share the Good News of the Gospel with them,” Jarriel recently told Sports Spectrum. “We passed out all of the boxes, and at the same time each player opened the box, we had people from our group surrounding them with love and encouragement and excitement over what they were getting.”
The Love for Leather team recognizes that a baseball player and his glove have a bond like no other. It’s what sets him apart, is his companion through the successes and failures, becomes an extension of himself on the diamond. As such, Love for Leather has partnered with Llerandi Gloves in Houston to supply brand-new gloves, with no two being the same. That each glove differs from the rest is very intentional.
“God makes each one of us unique with a different story to tell, all pointing back to His glory,” Jarriel said. “Each glove mimics that purpose, and even has a unique Bible verse on the thumb stitched into the glove. We sat down and designed every one of these gloves, prayed over these gloves and the verses that are going on them. Each verse provides encouragement, purpose and love.”
The Bible verses — such as Luke 10:27 and Isaiah 40:31 — are intended to be conversation-starters about who Jesus is, as well as constant reminders to the players that they are not alone — they are loved more than they could ever imagine by the God of the universe.
“There is nothing like knowing who Jesus is and the love He has for us,” said Jarriel, who’s won Georgia state championships as a baseball coach. “At the end of the day, being a state championship coach does not get me into Heaven. Believing in Jesus and living a life that glorifies Him is what we are called to do. I want every person we ever come in contact with to feel and know the love of Jesus.”
One powerful way Jarriel saw the love of God on display was through the response of one young man in Villa Altagracia after receiving his box. He approached Jarriel with the box in his hands and tears in his eyes. Jarriel pulled out the glove, but the young man shook his head and reached for the Bible. It was the first Bible his family had ever owned. He had been praying for years that his family would one day have access to written scripture.
“This young man genuinely became emotional because he got God’s Word,” Jarriel said. “That is something [Americans] take for granted so many times, and something as simple as a Bible meant the world to this young man.”
Jarriel and the rest of the Love for Leather team are dreaming big about what God can do through the ministry. They hope that what started with 50 boxes in the Dominican Republic will one day, by the power of the Holy Spirit, extend to the ends of the earth.
“We are willing to go anywhere the Lord leads us and opens doors for Love for Leather,” Jarriel said. “There is such a need for His Word all over this world. Baseball is a very popular sport in many different countries, and if we can get gloves and Bibles in every one of these countries, then I am ready for it. I will never limit what God can do or where He can take us. We just want to be His vessel to share His love and His Word, wherever that may be.”
But Jarriel and his small team know they can’t do it alone. If God desires to grow Love for Leather into an international movement — as they’ve been praying — others will need to come alongside them. The first way to do that, Jarriel said, is simply by praying. Love for Leather is also open to connections and resources, as well as tax-deductible monetary donations that can be made on the nonprofit’s website.
“I am just a man who loves the game of baseball but loves Jesus a whole lot more,” Jarriel said, “and I want other people to experience that love that I feel for my Savior.”
With Love for Leather, he’s providing a way for Dominican baseball players to experience it through the feel of leather gloves on their hands and God’s Word in their hearts.
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