MLB Pitcher Jason Standridge Brings God's Love to Refugees in Uganda through Safe Water

January 20, 2022

Jason Standridge launched his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2001 before playing with the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, and the Kansas City Royals. He then signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2007 and spent most of the following decade in Japan, where he played for both of the country's leagues. Standridge knows that his unique career path and family life are part of God's plan. Christian athletes like Standridge often find a connection between their love of the game and their love for the Lord. He aims to show God's love by how he lives, speaks, and plays ball. https://player.vimeo.com/video/405514927 One way Standridge lives out his faith is through his involvement with Water Mission. In 2019, he joined former MLB players Scott Linebrink and Blaine Boyer and visited the Bidibidi refugee settlement in Uganda with the safe water charity. While in Bidibidi, he was struck by the hardships the refugees had endured.

"Seeing the tangible work going on here and the people who are suffering, I start to ask myself, 'What can I do personally to be able to support what Water Mission is doing here on the ground?' " – Jason Standridge, former MLB pitcher

Of the 2.2 billion people in the world who lack access to safe water, refugees are among those most impacted. Many Bidibidi residents fled civil war in their home countries and walked more than 15 days to reach the camp. Globally, people remain in refugee camps for an average of more than 10 years, and water can be scarce and unsafe. But Water Mission is dedicated to building safe water solutions, equipping local staff members, offering trauma healing, and sharing the Living Water of Jesus Christ with the refugees. In Uganda, Standridge heard firsthand the stories of how safe water transformed refugees' lives. He also saw how meeting people's physical needs provide a way to share God's love and make an eternal impact. "Being able to go around to each tap stand—it is a source of life," he says. "Water Mission has done an unbelievable job of bringing that to [refugees]." Standridge and his wife, Joy, support Water Mission as one way to advance the work of the Kingdom. If you also feel called to serve your global neighbors through safe and Living Water, consider coming alongside us in this mission!

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MLB Pitcher Jason Standridge Brings God's Love to Refugees in Uganda through Safe Water

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