The last 6 months have flown by which means I am behind on updates from this crazy adventure around the United States stirring up the American church. So with that being said I have decided to start the….
Great Is Your Faithfulness Series: This will be a series of blogs about all that God has done in each city we have visited in the last 6 months.
Lamentations 3:23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
This is a current overview of the 6 out of 11 months. I will be elaborating in future blogs about each city and what God was/is doing there.
Asheville, North Carolina– We stayed in a homeless shelter. We shared testimonies, shared the gospel, and loved others. We saw God move in powerful ways in the lives of those around us.
Black Mountain, North Carolina– We stayed with a missional community and partnered with a local church called United. We were hosted by Andrew. We helped them move buildings, stacked wood, helped them fundraise for a mission trip to Columbia, and got to be together as a team for the first time. We saw God move in the way the community lived so devoted to Jesus.
Charlotte, North Carolina– We stayed with Corbyn’s family. We just stayed for one night, but we were able to do some worship with her family, which was awesome. We also did an alumni reach out while we were there. We saw God move in the lives of the gap year alumni we met up with while we were there.
Aiken, South Carolina– We stayed with Zach and Hannah. We met with local missionary families, spoke at a church, and spent time with our hosts. We saw God move in the lives of our hosts, as they began to pursue a new path the Lord was calling them into.
Columbus, Georgia– We stayed with Sara. We helped paint a church, helped sort clothes for a clothing bank, and helped lead a worship night. We also had an alumni meetup in Atlanta and I was able to meet up with a squamate from my last trip. We saw the Lord move during the worship night when military men started asking hard questions about faith while serving our country.
Jacksonville, Florida– We stayed with Karen. We spent time hanging out with Karen, helping at a local school, helping rebuild a fence, and sharing testimonies. We also had an alumni meetup and we also spent time with the Haverkos family, we saw God move in our relationship with Karen and our time spent in community with her.
Orlando, Florida– We stayed with Ruth. We volunteered with a conference, attended the Send, had an alumni reach out event, and connected with local alumni. We saw the Lord move in the crazy amount of believers at the Send. It was absolutely incredible to hear over 60,000 people singing the name of Jesus.
Panama City, Florida– We stayed at Laguna Beach Christian Retreat. We partnered with Samaritan’s Purse and helped with disaster relief efforts from the recent hurricane. We pulled down sheet rock, swept up insulation, sprayed for mold, and got to love on the homeowners. We saw the Lord move in the lives of the homeowners who not only got help with their homes but also felt seen and loved.
Childersburg, Alabama– We stayed with Dosson’s family. We spoke at his church, got to spend time with his family, handed out bags of donated things to the homeless community, met up with other alumni, and spoke at high old school. We saw the Lord move in the lives of Dosson’s family.
Pensacola, Florida– We stayed at a local church. We had our first team debrief and got to meet our coaches for this team. We had team discussions and gave insight as to what the trip had looked like up until that point. We gave feedback and were able to hash out kinks in the system. We also held a carwash to help fundraise as a team. We ended up bringing in close to $800. We saw the Lord move through the financial provision for our team in an unexpected way.
Houston, Texas– We stayed with Joe and his team. We spent our days learning about their discipleship training and the evenings were spent going out into the community and living out that training. We saw the Lord move in the community they live in. It was evident the impact they had on their community through their dedication to making disciples.
Katy, Texas– We stayed with Amber M’s family. We got to hang out and spend time with each other and her parents, and we got to pray over her uncle before he went to surgery. We saw God in the generosity of her parents and the love of their family.
Lake Charles, Louisiana– We stayed with Henry and Loretta. We were hosted by Amber. We spent our days helping Church of the King get ready for an event, helped with a food pantry, and spoke to the youth. We lended a helping hand wherever it was needed. We saw the Lord move in the lives of our hosts. They loved us so well and I consider them family now!
Lake Travis, Texas– We stayed with Delk. We only stayed for the night but we got to do some worship in the park while we were there. We saw God move through the provision of having a place to stay that night.
Austin, Texas– We stayed with Carmen. We did ATL during our time in Austin. For me that looked like spending time with my sister, interceding, meeting up with other families doing mission work in the area, and alumni reach out. We saw God move through our time spent with alumni and their families.
Bonham, Texas– We stayed at a local church and our host was Catia. We got stuck in the mud in pecan gap and met Ed. We helped with a local food pantry, spoke at churches and youth groups, hung out with our amazing neighbor Rex, and did some manual labor too. We saw God move through Ed in Pecan Gap. That small town will always have a piece of my heart and the people we got to meet there are incredible. If you ever get lost, make sure to do it in Pecan Gap!
Nocona, Texas– We stayed with my family. We spoke at Montague County Cowboy Church, hung out with my family, and fished! (You guys know how much I love to fish!) We saw God move through the obedience of the team and their humility.
Pawnee, Oklahoma– We stayed with Ashlee. We helped with grounds keeping on the camp they run, helped with worship for Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and got to help out with whatever they needed. We saw God move through the dedication of these guys and their heart for the Native American community.
Wichita, Kansas– We stayed with Mary Beth (Melissa’s squad mate) We did alumni reach out while we were there. Through spending time together, the alumni in the area decided to create community they had been looking for. We saw God move in the alumni and the action they were taking to create what they had been looking for but unable to find. Dosson and I visited Kristen (or better known as Kricket) our squad mate. We got to meet her family and see where she grew up!
Amarillo, Texas– We stayed with Melissa’s parents! We spoke to the youth group and multiple small groups. We hiked the lighthouse, spray painted the Cadillacs, and visited the Cake Company. We saw God move while we were at lunch and got to share with a woman about what we were doing. (A huge table with a bunch of random people who don’t look like family is a great ministry tool!)
Glorieta, New Mexico– We stayed with Hannah and Daniel. We helped do dishes for 800 people, housekeeping, volunteered at a Bethel concert, and did yard work. We also did an alumni meetup and a worship night. We saw God move in our team as we began to find unity within our group.
Grand Canyon, Arizona– We camped during our time there. We did evangelism and had a worship night. We saw God move through the people of the Grand Canyon. After sitting and looking at the view, my teammate thought, “It would be better if there weren’t so many people.” She heard God in that moment gently say, “But they are my favorite part.” It changed how we viewed the crazy amount of people we encountered there.
Flagstaff, Arizona– This is where we started our ATL time. From this point on we had no scheduled ministry or even a place to sleep. We would pray and ask the Lord where to go and follow. We were on our way to the Walmart parking lot when we came upon the most beautiful campsite.
Sedona, Arizona– We camped here. The Lord provided a tent and awesome campground owners. We saw the Lord use us to encourage the workers and build intimacy within our own team of 6.
Las Vegas, Nevada– We headed here before we had anywhere to stay. The Lord provided us with the YWAM base there. We did ministry on the strip, specifically loving on the show girls. We saw God move on the strip and at the YWAM base.
Chula Vista, California– We stayed with Josh’s family (Dosson’s college roommate). We got to hang out with family and encourage them. We also got to meet his Aunt Mary who wrecked us and then invited us to stay with her. We got to see God move through Dosson and his relationship with Josh’s family.
Encinitas, California– We stayed with Aunt Mary and Uncle John. We got to be a part of her ministry and meet some of her community. We did beach ministry. We saw God move among our team as Mary stirred up our hearts and, in her life, as well.
Vista, California– We stayed with Bethany and Shawn (alumni). They had saw our van with the World Race logo on the side at church and left a card with their information on it. We stayed with them in their RV and saw God use Bethany in a women’s group. We got to meet her community, pray, and encourage them.
Indio, California– We stayed with Jess’s family. We got to meet up with the whole team and hang out together. We got to hang out with Jess’s family and friends while we were there too. We got to see God move through Jess. Seeing the way she loves her family and friends so well looked so much like Jesus.
Ridgecrest, California– We stayed with Lindsay and Brooke. Brooke is an alumni and we got to come alongside her in FCA, she recently became the area representative. We also got to help Lindsay with her anti human trafficking ministry. We saw God move in Brooke’s family and the city of Ridgecrest through there 24-hour prayer house ‘The Lighthouse’.
Roseville, California– We stayed at an alumni’s house. Teresa our mentor flew in and we had debrief for four days and spent time together as a two teams. God reminded us all of everything he has done in the last 6 months and we got to rejoice in those memories and pray about the future and what He has for us for the second half.
I will be continuing the Great Is Your Faithfulness Series weekly! So please subscribe for updates and more details about the last 6 months!
I am still fundraising, I have $5,537 left to raise!
I am so grateful to everyone that has supported me thus far. If you haven’t had a chance to sow into what we are doing here in America, I am asking you to prayerfully consider clicking donate above. Any amount helps!
Love & surrender,
Alex
Check out this video of testimonies!
