A couple weeks ago my wife and our two-year-old son went with some good friends of ours and their two-year-old daughter on a mission to find those who did not believe they were worth being found, and to share the radical life changing truth of who Jesus is, and who He says they are. Our journey over the next five days stretched us far more than we could have imagined, and we saw the power of the love of Jesus tear down spiritual walls hardened by decades of pain and loneliness.
We went on a journey YWAM Redding calls a Faith Outreach.
Faith Outreaches are a week-long mission to solely focus on spreading the gospel of Jesus, see people healed and set free and minister to people from all walks of life – all the while trusting God for housing, food, and transportation. Some say we are crazy, we think that living by faith in this way is God’s original design for His provision and guidance to work and for Holy Spirit to move.
Our adventure started with a word from the Lord to begin in San Francisco, we felt Him specifically say to start in Golden Gate Park and at Fishermen’s Wharf. Early Monday morning, we loaded up our families and hit the road. Upon arriving in San Francisco we made our way to Golden Gate Park, where we had the opportunity to worship, pray and minister to several individuals and families who were there. Our friends got to share their testimony and pray for healing from drug addiction for one man they met, and saw a significant change in him as they prayed!
Our obedience to God is always matched by signs and wonders, and His provision.
From there we split into two groups, one group going to Fisherman’s Wharf, and one driving across the Golden Gate Bridge into a town just North of San Francisco. The group at Fisherman’s Wharf got to share the Gospel with several individuals, and delivered some powerful prophetic words from the Lord. One girl they spoke with was in tears as they explained the love of Jesus, and affirmed her worthiness and the purpose and plan Jesus had for her life. My group felt lead to a gas station and McDonalds, where we got to share the Gospel and pray for healing with two men and then share a meal with a family at McDonalds. Both men we met had been in the church at one point in their lives, but had slowly fallen away from Christ. Each of them were incredibly encouraged and we are continuing to pray that they press back into the arms of their Heavenly Father.
The next day as a group we felt that our mission was complete in the San Francisco area; we had found the lost sheep, and we were ready to move on. We traveled to a small rural community a couple hours North of San Francisco. The area was well known within the new age community, and was home to many cults, Hindu and Buddhist temples, and individuals seeking a revelation of life’s purpose and meaning.
We spent the next four days sharing the meaning and purpose of life, we shared the pure goodness Jesus offers, and the simplicity of the Gospel message.
We shared in coffee shops, parking lots, parks, various businesses, really anywhere we found someone willing to listen. One of my favorite parts was seeing our kids consistently opened doors for ministry opportunity. Jesus used them to soften the hearts of everyone they encountered. Their child-like spirits and innocence disarmed individuals who otherwise would not have had ears to hear the Gospel!
My biggest revelation from the week was the power the name of Jesus carries. When we spoke His name with love and an intimate understanding of the authority we carry as Christ’s ambassadors, nothing was impossible. The Gospel is really much more simple than I sometimes make it.
While there is wisdom in planning and strategy, these things must never replace our reliance on the Holy Spirit to fill us, and give us His wisdom that surpasses human understanding. Sometimes it is the small things that make the biggest impacts. As we shared with one young barista we met, “Jesus loves you. He wants you to know that you are beautiful, seen, and heard.”
This blog was written by our past School of Supernatural Frontier Missions student, John Powell. If you are interested in doing your own Faith Outreach and/or would like to know more about what the school entails, we would love to get a hold of you.