August Update
Greetings, friends, from Mexicali, Mexico, on this first weekend of August 2026!
Many of you have seen our reels, videos, photos, and testimonies from the Joey Potter Missions Sports Camp at Browning High School on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. JPM was blessed to join the school’s football and sports camps for the week, with the full support of the coaches and school leadership. We also invited the Fellowship of Christian Athletes of Montana to partner with JPM at Browning High School.
Coach Brian Donley, a JPM board member, led the camp through his football experience and the relationships he began building with the students in March. Coach Donley also brought a close friend to serve with us: two-time Super Bowl champion Dannell Ellerbe, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles.
Dannell was deeply impacted by the circumstances, love, and strength of the children and coaches. He was one of the first to express his desire to return and partner with the sports camp again.
Chesney Schultz and Dante Santulli were our two college athletes who led throughout the morning and afternoon camps. They were also blessed to have our Blackfeet friends teach them about cattle ranching and horseback riding in the beautiful mountains of Montana.
More than 100 Bibles were given to Blackfeet campers, coaches, and teachers. Throughout the day, we shared devotionals centered on two simple but essential teachings of Jesus:
Love God.
Love one another.
After Montana, Cathy and I returned to Tennessee to check on and spend time with Pat, Tommy, John Thomas, and Jason Oaks.
While Cathy and I were in East Tennessee, an opportunity became available to deliver a donated van to Mexico. JPM gladly accepted the opportunity. We drove 18 hours on the first day and 17 hours on the second day to arrive in Mexicali.
The van will be delivered in Tecate to a family in need. JPM is thankful for every vehicle that is donated, allowing us to bless families who would otherwise never be able to afford reliable transportation.
During our journey across the country, JPM also had the opportunity to visit our friends on the Navajo Reservation in Thoreau, New Mexico. The children told us that JPM had not visited in nearly three years.
Families in this region continue to suffer from contaminated groundwater and the lasting effects of uranium exposure. Please pray for the Navajo families in the Thoreau and Smith Lake region. It is a heartbreaking situation that still appears to have no resolution. Please join JPM in praying for our Navajo friends and for lasting help to reach this community.
JPM will finish this journey by checking on our Mexican families and visiting our two partner restaurants, El Sazón in Mexicali and Tecate. We will deliver the van, purchase groceries for families, and then return next week to Atlanta before driving home to Florida.
Your prayers for JPM’s projects and travels are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for continuing to stand with us.
DRILL — RESCUE — FEED
Honduras
Our children in Honduras are beginning school again and preparing for a wonderful fall and winter school year. Our rescued children remain safe, and JPM thanks God for His protection over every child.
JPM will return after Thanksgiving to encourage, teach, serve, and spend time with our children. Please pray as we continue helping each child grow into the fullness of Jesus in heart, mind, and soul.
Montana — Blackfeet Nation Reservation
JPM is continuing to pursue the establishment of a safe home for rescued children on the Blackfeet Reservation. This is a challenging process as we work to honor the culture of the reservation while also navigating the requirements of tribal and United States lands.
JPM plans to bring a group of men to Montana in October to explore the establishment of a JPM Safe House. We are also praying about building a barn on the Blackfeet Reservation in 2027.
Please pray with JPM as we pursue these two important opportunities to serve and strengthen families in this community.
Kenya — Simba Hills and Ray of Hope
JPM will soon return for several weeks to our projects in Simba Hills, Kenya, with Ray of Hope.
We are praying for the funding needed to purchase and complete 100 beds as the Ray of Hope dormitories are finished. Our prayer is to welcome 100 rescued children in September 2026, with a completed bed and a committed sponsor waiting for each child.
JPM will spend much of September serving these children and helping ensure that the beds, bedding, and sponsorships are fully established.
Please pray with us, and let us know if you, your family, company, or church would like to sponsor a child through JPM. Thank you for your prayers and continued support.
Please contact JPM with any questions, ideas, resources, or opportunities to partner with us.
Finally, one of our JPM partners, Niko Rice, has written a book titled The Next Step. One of the chapters includes a story about Joey Potter, but that is all we will share for now!
You can purchase the book on Amazon. Niko is an amazing young man whom God has blessed with powerful insight into taking the next step and accomplishing the tasks placed before us throughout life’s journey.
Be sure to check out The Next Step.
Many blessings and many prayers,
Joey & Cathy
Joey Potter Missions
DRILL — RESCUE — FEED
