It is hard to believe a year of outreaches has come full circle. It was August of last year that we launched the first outreach at Del Mar. And with over 5,000 attending and over 1,000 accepting Christ through the festivals here we are and ready to kick-off the 2nd Annual outreach with the RTCA Southern California Council.

Del Mar is one of the most beautiful racetracks you could ever visit in the world! In its setting near the coast and nestled in a valley near San Diego is gorgeous and matched with its Mediterranean style buildings, floral gardens and palm trees it is like a master painting!

We had come to serve alongside the Southern Cal RTCA Council to honor the racetrack workers that work so hard behind the scenes to make the entire racing possible.

Tuesday, August 26 was a hot but beautiful summer day. The Festival was set up in the infield complex, which offers awesome views of the grandstand and surrounding hills.

These festivals would not be possible without an army of volunteers and the call to action was answered by the Council President Rev. Ron Fraker and two of his men from church who came down to help cook. Chaplain Aurio who brought down his wife, Lupe and her friend and who helped oversee the purchase of the food and supervise the serving line that was staffed with many volunteers, many of who came from the race track. From the RTCA home office came Robyn Harris, Cesia Salguero, Rev. Ed Donnally, Dr. Torres and his wife Mary Ann and of course the Senior Chaplain Pete Crisswell!

Our White Horse Evangelism Team included interpreter Chaplain Theodore Carreras and his son Danny, Pat Day, Kevin Thornton and Jonathan Corte who provided the sound and his great Christian bi-lingual band- “Caleb Campos”

And we also had Chaplain Jose Corte and his wife Chaplain Argelia helping as well.

Hundreds began to arrive and the area was packing in as Dr. Torres gave the opening prayer and people began to enjoy a “Carne Asada” lunch and music from the band.

As the crowd reached upwards of 600 people we moved into the phase of music and testimony first by Danny Carreras, a Los Angeles Policeman that works in the anti-terrorist unit. He does an incredible job with his testimony and his salsa style Christian music gets the crowd into a wonderful mood of energy. I love when he does a Christian song that includes a dance in which victory is claimed over the devil by “stomping on him”.

This set the stage for the introduction of our own RTCA musical evangelist as Kevin Thornton came back on stage. (He had sung earlier in the day in a bi-lingual Christian song that he had learned in 5 minutes with the band!)  He again presented his testimony that included encouragement for new believers and sang two inspired songs in English and Spanish.

As  I came up on stage to present Pat Day, we asked the crowd to be silent and for believers to begin to pray that at least one soul would be led to the Lord, that at least one person would win the “Race of Life- by accepting Christ” over  the next few minutes.

Those prayers were answered about 25 minutes later after the great team of Pat Day and Chaplain Theodore gave the inspired word of God and the message the Holy Spirit presented to hundreds of people.

As Pat Day gave the prayer of Salvation, he asked those that rose their hands to come down to the altar area in front of the stage. And in that bright, southern Californian Sun, over 40 met the Son that day by responding. The band played as Dr. Torres called for more people to respond as he prayed over the crowd that was growing at the altar.

31 people gathered with us at a terrace area to sign a commitment to the Lord and to sign up for the ALPHA discipleship program that will follow at the tracks at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park.

We continued the program with the giving out of prizes and as I went over to help launch the games at the grass track course I received a call from Eva, the daughter of Homer Tricules. Rev Homer was one of the founding giants of the RTCA ministry and had been suffering from many aliments over the last few years.

As I would later report in an email, she shared that her father had just slipped over to be with Christ. She reported that he said he saw Jesus and his sister standing at the foot of his bed in a calm and excited voice and then he was gone.

How unbelievable that as this giant of a servant was passing over to be with the Lord over 40 people were coming to the Lord at one of the racetracks that Homer and many pioneers of the RTCA had help establish!

We praise the Lord for Brother Homer and all those that served with the RTCA over 35 years for their faithfulness-, which is being fulfilled with a great harvest in the horse world.

We praise the Lord for the new believers and those graduating  as disciples from the ALPHA courses.

Continue to pray for the RTCA, continue to pray for all those coming to the Lord and continue to pray for those that will be coming to the Lord.

Blessings to you all!

By- Edward Smith

Director of Evangelism and Missions