But I would love to use this post, just to catch up with the summer trips I have taken.
Virgina/Tennessee:
In June, my family and I were blessed with the opportunity to go to the "South" and enjoy some family time while celebrating my Papa and Grandma's 50th Anniversary of their marriage. God really worked on my heart the week that we were there. It was just so refreshing to see churches there, passionate about the gospel of Jesus. I loved seeing the Tuttle family (my relatives), doing so much for Christ. We rarely ever have the time to connect because they move all around the world for the gospel.
I particularly needed the time I had with my cousin Jace. It was very encouraging to see his willingness to help me with my church plant in Arizona. He offered so much of his time to help the Gathering, and it was so apparent to see it was because he is so hooked on the love of Jesus and pursuing Him.
Georgia Team:
Once I left the south, the south came and visited us with a mission team from Georgia. My previous post explains in further detail about their visit, but please keep them in prayer as they present and live the gospel in Lavonia Georgia.
San Francisco:
God richly blessed Heart Cry Church's youth by financially providing our way to San Fran to spread the precious gospel. Powerplant was the name of the organization that held the mission trip/camp experience. The staffers their were amazing, and it deeply encouraged me to see fellow young people serve the gospel with their entire life!
The best part of the trip, was the mission aspect! We helped a new church plant called, Ministerio Hispana, in Richmond, CA. For those who don't know where that is, its very close to San Fran but also known as the "gangster area". We were in the hispanic region, with many of them only speaking spanish. But the language barrier did not stop us a bit.
We helped the church by doing a VBS event for the children of the area. I taught the 5th and 6th graders, and they were such a blessing. We had 10 kids consistently for my grades, and they heard about Jesus every single day! 2 of them surrendered to Jesus, through the preaching of the gospel to them. The others claimed that they were followers, but realized they need to sacrifice more to God. They probably impacted my life, more than I impacted theirs. It was amazing to see their happy spirits, knowing someone cared for them. All they need is hope, and thats all any community needs. And that hope is found in Jesus Christ!
Please pray for Richmond, CA. They are a desperately wicked community that has fallen into the fascination of gangs and violence. Pray for certain teenagers at the church, who recently gave their life to Christ and trying to get out of their gang without getting shot!
Through these trips God has humbled me, broadened my horizons, and assured me that there are disciples of God's word out there. They just need to be reminded, and trained to spread this gospel to others in their community. I love that God hears every language, I love that God can bless me through a homeless man just as much as a youth pastor can. It doesn't matter what walk of life, you can still gain wisdom, knowledge, and encouragement from them.
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