Mel is an artist. If she isn’t playing music she’s listening to it. If she’s not painting something, she’s letting someone put a picture in her skin.
She is a dreamer, a soul seeker.
She hopes big and when things fall thru just as disappointed.
She is usually quiet – but the best Mel is laughing and doing something silly.
Mel is a fighter. She wants more than life is willing to yeild.
She is an intercessor.
If you spend the time you will get to know this amazing woman of God.
Mel loves people and loves to care for them through words and food and art and quality time.
She is almost down for anything.
She will act like she doesn’t care, but that is impossible.
Mel cares about everything.
The other night Mel shared with us something the Lord was showing her.
Starting at Joshua 3:15 –
“Now the Jordan was at flood stage -… Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, … while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
…
Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua.
…
the Lord said to Joshua, “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
So Joshua called together the twelve men … and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, …In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
We are currently half way done with our pioneer WorldRace route around America.
Our feet have crossed a lot of ground – and now we are in the middle. We are moving, carrying God’s presence with us, and affecting the spiritual atmospheres of the places we go. Hoping that God is parting waters, and that our steps are making a path for others to walk through.
This is significant! And we spent a good portion of our time the last few days acknowledging and thanking the Lord for all He’s done.
I wanted to share with you a short summary of the places we have been and what we have done there that Mel’s written!
It’s long, but gives you an idea of how this year has been 🙂
Enjoy! …(at your own leisure)
World Race America Ministry Summary
(The following was written by another teammate Melissa Jordan:)
I wanted to make a list of where all I have been in the last 5 months and a short summary of what we did there. Here is a quick look into what all I’ve been up to since leaving in January.
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.
Charolette, 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 Karyn. We spent time hanging out with Karyn, helping at a local school, helping rebuild a fence, and sharing testimonies. We also had an alumni meetup and I was able to meet up with my coaches from my original race. We saw God move in our relationship with Karyn 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. (Thanks Jennifer!)
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 Alex’s family. We spoke at church, hung out with her family, and fished! (You guys know how much I love to fish!) We saw God move through the obedience of Alex and her 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. (my teammate from my international race) 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.
Amarillo, Texas– We stayed with my parents! 11 people squeezed into our home and it was awesome. 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, house keeping, 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. I also got to spend some time with Becks, my teammate from the race. She came out and camped with us for a few nights and I got to spend a majority of my time with her. 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.
<<After this point the 12 of us multiplied into two teams of 6 and went different directions for a month!
The following account is of the team that I was NOT on. So I have added my experiences below this in Orange!>>
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. This first night we stayed with Ryan. He graciously let us stay in his hotel room with him while we figured out what to do next. We saw God move through Ryans generosity and leadership.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Utah– We camped here. We decided to take a day to Sabbath and spend time with the Lord. We also had some fun together. We went sand sledding, found some caves to explore, and went into town to call our mothers. (It was mother’s day…) We saw God in the beauty of the place he took us to.
Cedar City, Utah– We stayed with Meg, a world race alumni and my teammate’ Lauren’s friend. Earlier that day we went to Zion National Park and explored. We met a woman who had done missions in New Guinea for years but had recently moved back to the states. We were able to talk with and relate with them about the struggles of transitioning back after living overseas for a while. We saw God in the beauty of the park. Its hard to look at these beautiful locations and not see God’s hand at work.
Laughlin, Nevada– We camped here. It was just a pit stop on the way back to Phoenix.
Phoenix, Arizona– We stayed with Fio. Fio’s daughter, Hannah ,was away doing World Race Gap Year. (a program similar to the international trip I did, but it is for people 18-21 years old and is 9 months long) We met back up with my teammate Beck’s, went to bible study, helped at a church, met up with alumni, helped at a local food pantry, and got to spend time with Fio and her family. We saw God move in the obedience of Fio and her husband as they found a way to start using their family business as a ministry tool.
Westminster, California– We stayed with Loren and Tim. We did evangelism, had a worship night on the beach, got together with the community we lived in, and met up with alumni. We saw God move in the lives of our hosts and their desire to learn more about walking in the spirit.
Carlsbad, California– We stayed with Jeff and Melanie. I took time to sit with the Lord and recenter while we were here. We also did a worship night, sandwich ministry on the beach, met with alumni, and met up with our other teammates that we had split from at the Grand Canyon. I saw the Lord move in my heart and start to open my eyes to changes I needed to make in my walk.
San Diego, California– We stayed with Joanna. We had never met Joanna until we showed up at her house at 9:30 at night. She opened up her front yard in the middle of downtown San Diego for us to put up our tents for the night. Get this, the next day was her birthday! So this woman we had never met let us stay in her yard on her birthday. She didn’t come back before we had to leave the next day so we got her a cupcake for her birthday as a small thank you. We saw the love of the Lord in her willingness to open up her home to strangers on her birthday!
Oceanside, California– We stayed in a hotel. Our teammate Corbyn was preparing to go home and we decided to take some time as just us before she left. We spent time together as a team and just hung out.
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.
Riverside, California– I stayed with Francis. I took a day while we were in Indio to meet up with my teammate from my international race, Ashley. We just spent the day talking and hanging out and catching up on all that has happened since we had last seen each other in the Philippines in August of last year. I saw God through Ashley and the way she lives out her faith. She is an incredible human. If you don’t have an Ashley in your life, GET YOU AN ASHLEY!!!
Los Angeles, California– We stayed with Elaine. We went to some houses of prayer, went to local churches, did evangelism, hung out with our host, and I gave away prophetic art to people throughout the city. We saw God in Elaine. She is an absolutely incredible person that we had the honor to get to spend time with. I will be writing a whole separate blog about her so stay tuned for that!
Sequoia National Forrest, California– We are headed North for a team debrief so we decided to see the Lord’s creation along the way. We also went to Kings Canyon too. We saw the Lord in the beauty of creation.
Yosemite National Park, California– This is where I am at currently. I am sitting here writing this blog and wanting to update you all with what this trip has actually looked like. In case you were wondering, I see the Lord all around me. In creation. In the people. In the memories flooding my mind from writing this blog. We will be leaving in a couple hours for Roseville California where we will meet up with the rest of our team and debrief what our trip has looked like so far. So this list will continue to grow.
…
I first want to apologize for not keeping you guys more informed with what it is that I am doing out here. I know I can do a better job of allowing you guys to see the revival that is happening in our nation by writing and posting more often.
So I plan on taking some time in the next couple days to write numerous blogs so that I can further update you guys on all the things that have happened. Things like skid row ministry, and meeting people like Fio and Elaine.
Secondly, I want you guys to know that I am still fundraising for this trip. I am over halfway to my total which is incredible and I am so thankful for all your support this far. However, as a team, we are struggling with fundraising.
So I am asking for you guys to pray about financially supporting me. Any amount helps! If you are interested, I am also selling shirts as a fundraiser and for those of you who wanted to buy paintings, I am working on them as we travel and have finished one so far and am finishing up the second currently.
If you have any questions for me please let me know! I cannot thank you guys enough for following my journey and caring to support me. It means more than I can say!
AFTER OUR TEAM LEFT THE Grand Canyon:
Sedona Coconino Pine Flats, Arizona – We are headed south, preparing to sleep in a Walmart parking lot as we figured out what the Lord wanted us to do. We ended up passing through a ravine and saw a campsite! We pulled in and the cost was below our budget and we felt the Lord saying “stay” so we gladly did! We spent time praying and getting to know each other as a team, reaching out to the other campers and getting to know the camp hosts over dinner and games. We experienced growth and connection as a team and got to see God use us in our norms.
Las Vegas, Nevada– We prayed about going to Utah, but God took us to Vegas. We didn’t know where we were going to sleep, but we got in the van and started driving and when we stopped to see HooverDam we got a call from YWAM LasVegas who invited us to come stay – in budget! We spent time with Ally our YWAM host – ministering on the main and old strip to the girls working the street. We also got to meet Henry who is active military volunteering at the YWAM base; a fiery man of God who actively pursues discipling others. A random stop at a DutchBros confirmed God’s divine hand on our movements. The owner there had a twin brother that was a WorldRace alumni – and he spent time talking and encouraging us!
Chula Vista, California– The Lord had been placing our teammate Dossons old college roommate on his heart. So we followed that prompting and headed west. His roommates family totally opened their home up to us – and spent time taking us around SanDiego. Most of the team had never been past Texas – so it was a treat. The family had experienced a lot of loss the past year – including the loss of a son and brother. We spent a lot of the time having deep conversations and bringing laughter back into the home.
Encinitas, California– While there, the Mom’s sister randomly came over to meet this “Amazing Race team”. She brought homemade bread and lasagna and energetically started greeting us and asking questions – which turned into prayer and her prophesying over all of us. It was our last night with the family in Chula Vista and we had met in the park earlier in the day to discuss our next. Everything she prayed over us was in correlation to what we had discussed in the park earlier! She called us later that night. “God said your next is my house. Here’s my address and gate code. See you tomorrow!” Encinitas was a time of redefined family. We spent the time with Aunt Mary and Uncle John – attending their small group and Hebrew class and going out to the beach to do ATL ministry to people there. We had made snack packets with listening prayer attached that we took out and gave to people – also offering prayer. We saw God touch and encounter people in new ways. It was really kewl.
Vista, California– While there, two of my teammates (Jess & Hannah) went to church while the rest of us watched a sermon live via broadcast. When they returned they announced they’d received a card on their windshield from some WorldRace alumni! Again we were about to leave our current hosts for our next. We had been planning to tent near the beach to continue our beach atl ministry. They had been on the way to one church and half way there turned around and went to another church. We ended up staying with the Alumni in their RV. It was a deep time of connection and mutual encouragement. We attended a Women’s HolySpirit study and got to meet, worship with, and fellowship with the ladies there in a powerful way. The Lord confirmed answers to prayers from that night the very next day! We also got to fellowship with other believers in the RV park!
Indio, California– At this point our team all got together and we got to meet and visit with Jess’s family! This sweet time of hearing their stories and eating together culminated in a time of worship on their front lawn. Our team of 12 also had time to encourage each other and hear what God had been up to.
Ridgecrest, California– We got to spend time in three households and three ministries. Immediately upon our arrival we were welcomed in and introduced to the community the alumni there had. We spent time interceding for the city which struggled with strongholds of frustration, anger, suicide, and disunity (to name a few). We were able to share some of our own stories and encourage stir up the believers at a venue called The Lighthouse (much like the IHOP prayer house) which is a place to unify the believers in a place where denomination and congregation means walls. The believers there immediately reached out to support us both with food, housing, money, and pools! (It’s said that southern hospitality is food, and west coast hospitality is pools!) We also partnered with an anti-trafficking ministry doing prayer walks and making relationships with women in the massage parlors. We helped prepare for and put on an FCA event to rally the children and the families together through sports. It was a time of deep fellowship and a lot of hard spiritual warfare.
Roseville, California– Currently we are near Sacramento, where we just finished our 2nd team debrief as 12. Next week we have 3 new people joining us and will be reforming teams and team roles.
Bend, Oregon– Please pray for us that our next month would be a time of deep team fellowship, growth, and testimony! Bend is our next, – and I will be sharing more as it happens!
Thanks for being part of this journey!
