ABOUT US
The Way Baseball Can Transform the World.
Jake Smith first visited Nicaragua in 2008, when First Baptist Church in Paragould, Arkansas sent a mission team to spread God's Word across the country. During the summer of 2014, when Jake was playing in the Texas Collegiate League, he connected with a Nicaraguan school principal, Gioconda Ordonez. She dreamed about starting a school baseball program at her school in Condega, Nicaragua, a city in northern Nicaragua. Her wish was the program would serve as an outlet for young men in the area—to remove them from the streets and present an opportunity to hear the gospel. 1and1 Ministries began shortly after and within four years we have grown to three locations, each in a different country and across multiple charitable sectors.
WHY "1AND1"
In baseball, 1and1 is the most decisive count. With the next pitch, the at-bat will either be in the pitcher or hitter's favor. In other words, the 1and1 count determines which way the at-bat will go. 1and1 Ministries hopes to be there for young people when they come to face the most decisive moments of their lives—when they can choose to conform to the ways of this world or let Christ be sovereign over their lives. And after careful thought and prayer, 1and1 Ministries was established with the motto, “Developing Disciples Through Athletics.”
Our Timeline
July 2015
1and1 Ministries officially begins operations in Condega, Nicaragua
August 2016
Medical operations begin in Estelí, Nicaragua
May 2018
Partnership started in Jonesboro, AR to revitalize Northside Park
January 2019
200 bat bags sent to Colombia for student athletes
January 2020
Equipment donated to establish league in Achuapa, Nicaragua
October 2020
Construction begins on dugout at Condega school
August 2015
Condega baseball field leveled to playable surface
April 2017
Nolan visits the USA for the first time and sees American baseball fa
October 2018
Barranquilla, Colombia partnership begins
May 2019
Second Nicaraguan expansion begins in Achuapa, Nicaragua
April 2020
200 cloth masks donated to Estelí pro baseball team and Condega school
June 2021
Nicaraguan handmade baseballs in Rivas, Nicaragua donated to Achuapa
January 2016
Nolan Cruz joins Nicaraguan team as baseball academy director
June 2017
Batting Cage built and first full Academy baseball team season
December 2018
1st baseball tournament hosted by 1and1 in Condega
June 2019
Donation of Stryker surgical equipment to Estelí hospital
May 2020
Hand sanitizer from Flor de Caña given to Nicaraguan Olympic Commitee
January 2022
Third Nicaraguan location established in Limay, Nicaragua
June 2016
Backstop finished, marking the only youth baseball field in Condega
December 2017
60 pairs of scrubs donated to local Estelí regional hospital
December 2018
Full-size sand volleyball court built in Condega
November 2019
2nd Condega baseball tournament hosted
June 2020
Cloth masks donated to expansion partner in Cali, Colombia