2013: Here we go... again!

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:37-38

Jesus sometimes surprises us with where we will be with Him. After spending the past 2 plus years with YWAM based out of Kona, I have made a permanent transition to Southern California. After being here a few months with a majority of my time at college campuses, it is easy to see that the harvest is truly plentiful. It is such a joy to join with Jesus and His church in Southern California as we seek to see the lost come to know Jesus and be an encouragement to ministries in the area. 

After spending much of my time with leaders at these campuses, I am so encouraged by the desire of so many to gather the lost to hear the Gospel. There is a growing unity across campuses to support each other in stepping out in boldness to hold events at each campus.

Striketour is one of the methods to reach the lost and revive the saved at campuses. It is a student led tour this Spring that will hold gatherings at over 10 campuses currently. As we have seen God save and revive at USC and UCLA already, we hope to see campuses impacted by the worship of Jesus, the proclamation of the Gospel and Christians stepping out in boldness to love their fellow students. Check out Striketour.org for a list of the schools and dates of each event. 

Another hope is that there will be a surge of students committing to full time missions that will impact America and the nations of the Earth. Agreeing with the prayer of Jesus in Matthew 9, that there would be a sending of workers into the harvest. That there would be a commitment to seeing the unreached people groups of the Earth reached as well as the people that are in our lives right now.

I am so thankful to be a part of what Jesus is doing here and across the nations. There is such joy and expectation in my heart when I think about how God is reaching campuses and this city already, that I eagerly anticipate working hard with what He is doing this year. Let's join the prayer of Jesus that He would send out workers into His harvest field!

Tentative Schedule:

Wilder Tour- January

Striketour- February to May (check out striketour.org)

Summer- Discipleship in LA and training in other parts of the USA and the nations.

Fall- continued work in Southern California on campuses, the streets and the church. 

2012 Jesus highlights pt.1

My first thought about 2012 is simple. This was the best year with Jesus. As I look forward to 2013 with eager expectation, I wanted to share some of my favorite 2012 testimonies with everyone before jumping into the vision I believe Jesus is releasing for 2013.

January-February- I spent the month in Kansas City seeking the Lord with some close friends and some time at home with family and friends. From there...

March- I was launched into the country of Nepal for two weeks! Jesus saved, healed and was made known in Katmandu and villages in the mountains. The ministry team I worked with showed the Jesus film, served practically and shared with many the love of Jesus in villages. I believe I have made friends in the country I will do work with in the future and am so thankful for how Jesus is using them in Nepal!

April-May- from Nepal to Kona. These months in Kona were marked by an opportunity to preach in the Leadership Track on preaching, stepping out in singing in the prayer room, and an engagement ending. In the midst of difficulty, Jesus launched me out of Kona quickly...I am so glad He did!

June- Jesus launched me to Orlando first. Why? It was the first two-week Circuit Rider school that I would be joining for the rest of the summer. I remember sharing with a young man named Sergio from Brazil who gave his life to Jesus. It was a definite highlight as we saw over 200 come to know Jesus during our time in Orlando... After Orlando, the second CR (Circuit Rider) was in Los Angeles. Again, Jesus revealed His saving power as many more came to know him on streets and at beaches. Following LA...

July- The whirlwind summer continued with no break as I flew to London for the 3rd CR school. As the only international school, we did not know what to expect, but again God saved, healed and set free so many on the streets! I was becoming even more convinced that the power of the Gospel and the love of Jesus is effective everywhere. Another surprise and bonus in London was the opportunity to speak to the whole school twice. This was the beginning of God awakening the desire to preach to a greater level.  After a heavenly two weeks in England, God sent us to Denver for the fourth CR school of the summer. A highlight was Jesus revealing His healing power as a blind man in his forties was given sight! God heals today! At this pint in the summer, I realized that there is nothing I would rather do than serve Jesus and be a part of His kingdom advancing!

August- The final CR school of the year was in Kansas City. Though the 8 weeks before were busy, intense and long hours, all of us were eagerly expecting God to do even more than He had already done in the other cities. The International House of Prayer (IHOP) partnered with us for the two weeks in Kansas City. There were over 300 students in this CR in Kansas City. A highlight at this one was getting to share with three young men I met in a mall. We had been evangelizing for a few hours and were about to head to dinner, but I felt the Holy Spirit lead me to share with three guys walking the other way. After saying hello and meeting them, myself and 3 friends shared the Gospel for about 15 minutes. We continued talking with them and sharing the truth and love of God. After about 45 minutes, all three wanted to enter into relationship with Jesus. We also had 3 new friends to join us for dinner. We shared the story of the prodigal son and how heaven rejoices at one sinner who repents and comes home to Jesus. It was a joyous night that highlighted the whole summer.

In ten weeks, there were over 1200 trained and 900 saved and hundreds healed in the 5 CR schools.

Though I felt like 10 more schools would be the best way to finish the year, Jesus had other plans and surprises. First, it was finalized that I would not be going back to Kona but would be moving to Huntington Beach to live with a 11 other Circuit Riders in California. The vision is to reach southern California with the Gospel. More specifically, to see college campuses reached, stadiums filled with lost people encountering Jesus and tents set up on fields for God to do what He wants to do.

2012 Jesus highlights pt. 2

September- the friends I moved in with had already done so much work on the campuses that I learned a lot quickly on what God was up to at each place.

Our first big event was at USC called Launchfest. It was a four day music festival of Christian music and worship highlighted by preaching the Gospel on a Friday night to hundreds of students. Over a hundred students responded to the invitation to follow Jesus that night. I was personally inspired to dream of what God could do at campuses all across the nation.

October- The following day, I was on a plane to New Zealand with my friend Samuel Rodriguez. We were going for two weeks of teaching and running a Circuit Rider School in New Zealand. It was a gathering of 100 students from 2 DTS schools and house of prayer interns. Getting to teach for 3 hours a day with a friend for two weeks was a new stretch, but there was grace to preach every day! As we taught on practically preaching the Gospel, being free of unbelief, living in radical faith and love, there was clearly something powerful God was doing in the students. In two weeks, over 120 people were saved on the streets of Tauranga, new Zealand! At the first testimony night in the first week, I remember a young girl sharing how God had changed her perspective on evangelism. She used to be afraid and not look forward to preaching the Gospel, but she had led her first person to Jesus that day!

After New Zealand, we traveled to Montana for a week of teaching. Again, 55 students hungry for Jesus were empowered to live in freedom and joy as we learned to preach the Gospel.

November- Early in November, I traveled to Kansas City to teach for three days. Again the students were empowered to preach the Gospel, but I also got to speak on the Holy Spirit the last day. It was amazing to see the students encounter the Presence of God and realize that the Holy Spirit was living on the inside.

We had our second big event on college campuses at UCLA at the end of November called The Dropoff. Over 400 packed  out a ballroom where the good news was preached. It was another

December- December included a special trip back to Kona. Our house was brought out to do a training week for 50+ staff in a coming DTS. In the midst of seeing these staff prepared to lead students, small groups and powerful outreaches,  I also got to see all of my friends from the DTS (Awaken) I had staffed for the past two years. There were so many testimonies of God's salvation, healing power and discipleship in the nations. The year ended with time with family.

Overall, when I look at year filled with revelation of the love of Jesus, His salvation, His healing and His work in the nations, I am more convinced than ever of the goodness of God. Jesus will never stop loving us, seeking the lost, healing us and teaching us. There is so much expectation when thinking about what God will do in 2013. Even more exciting than all He will do in 2013, is that every day we get to know the man who conquered death in real friendship. Jesus is the joy of it all!