Written by: Stephan Archer
Giving back to the community has become chic for many who are in the public eye and have the resources to do so, but for St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, it isn’t about what’s fashionable or what looks good. It’s about being faithful to a God, Who has given him much, and helping the children he loves in his native Dominican Republic.
As Albert steps off one of Major League Baseball’s many well-manicured baseball diamonds, he often finds himself stepping onto the dusty streets of the Dominican Republic. But he’s not coming to play baseball, nor is he coming to instill in the children who live the way he once lived a love of the game he is now famous for.
His mission is to provide to those who are less fortunate something we in the United States take for granted – rectangular mattresses to sleep on.
For many of the world’s poor in places such as the Dominican Republic, a mattress isn’t a necessity: It’s a luxury. For Albert, this is a tangible and lasting way to use baseball as a ministry in his homeland. Through his partnership with Compassion, he is able to provide to those less fortunate something that will last for months and years to come.
But it’s not just mattresses that Albert is providing to the people of the Dominican Republic. To find out what else he’s doing, read his story in the summer issue of Compassion Magazine.
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June 9th, 2009 at 6:10 am
I’d say ol’ Albert has hit another homer…
June 9th, 2009 at 7:06 am
We LOVE Albert Pujols! We’re huge STL Cardinals fans, but even bigger fans of Albert and the way he uses what God has given him to help others. I didn’t know that he had partnered with Compassion for this amazing project.
June 9th, 2009 at 8:38 am
It’s hard to imagine that mattresses are considered a luxury for many people…
June 9th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Were it not for Compassion, I wouldn’t know who Albert and Deidre Pujols are. I don’t follow baseball very closely, but am glad to know who this man and his wife are. What a wonderful example they are!
June 9th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
I just became a Cardinal’s fan too!
June 9th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Me, too! Thanks so much for this story!
June 10th, 2009 at 6:38 am
Thank you so much for this wonderful article on Albert Pujols. The Lord has blessed our 12 year old son with a love for baseball and for the last three years he has worn the number 5 on his travel team in honor of Albert Pujols and his commitment to the Lord. We were so excited to read yet another example of Mr. Pujols’s generosity and service to the Lord and His people.
June 10th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
My second year of sponsorship, I noticed almost all my families bought a bed and mattress with their family gift (the first year they all bought food). Since then, one of the blessings I specifically list and give thanks for, every morning when I wake up and every night, is my bed.