2022 was a year full of amazing breakthroughs, signs, wonders, miracles and a seemingly endless amount of God moments. Our core team of around 40 mighty warriors, did nearly 160 outreaches during 2022, and my conservative estimate is that- on average, about 400 people had a gospel seed sown into them every Sunday, about 200 every Saturday and about 75 every Friday. That means that if we include the 1000ish people we sowed into in Ft. Lauderdale, that is 35,200 people! How many teams of evangelists can say that the Lord allowed them to sow the gospel through songs, signs, gifts, tracts, preaching and testimonies, into 35,200 souls in one year? And that’s not even including the extended family satellite teams led by Monte and Jeanine. With all these teams counted, there were many months in 2022 where there were upwards of 28 total outreaches happening across the 941. The favor of God on all of us to do this is incredible! In addition, we saw dozens and dozens of people knowingly receive Jesus, many get baptized, several get physically healed and sooo many people get noticeably touched. We will not know the extent of the fruit until we get to heaven, but I’m sure it’s massive!
Although each location has its own testimonies, with the rest of this summary, I want to focus mostly on what has happened as we have ministered at the drum circle. It blows my mind every time I think about it all.
I’ll start from the beginning…
On November 13th, 2021, I got a call from my friend Keena Cowsert. Keena and I have known each other since 2017 and she is a very strong woman of faith. A few months earlier, Keena shared with me that God had placed on her heart a very strong vision of what she is to do in the next season of her life and that she felt like I should be involved. God told her to raise up intercessors in all 67 counties in Florida to come together in unity and pray and decree the promises of God over our state. Keena felt like I should be involved because earlier in the year God had called me to cut down to working only part time so that I could spend more time evangelizing locally and eventually in cities across the state. (It’s a pretty amazing God story of how He called me to do this, which you can read about if you’re interested- One of the Biggest Announcements I’ve Ever Made..)
The purpose of Keena’s call on November 13th was to alert me to a strong prophetic word that was given to her and a team of apostolic intercessors that have been praying over this region for decades. She said that the word the Lord gave them was “There are demonic portals being opened all over our state by the multitude of drum circles along our beaches. When these portals close, the greater Glory will come upon the land.”
She went on to tell me that up and down the coastlines of Florida, there were groups that were performing demonic rituals that involved drums, drugs, alcohol, witchcraft and immorality, and that they were attracting thousands of people to these “altars” every week. I was well aware of the VERY popular one on Sundays at Siesta Beach, which had been going for over 30 years, but I had no idea that they were happening all over our coastlines.
Here’s a picture of one of the Siesta Beach Drum Circles
The Holy Spirit reminded me as I was meditating on this, that those coastlands have a prophetic destiny. It has been decreed in Isaiah 42:
9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they sprout, I proclaim them to you.
10 Sing to the Lord a new song, Sing His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it; You islands, and those who live on them. 11 Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices… Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory to the Lord And declare His praise in the coastlands. 13 The Lord will go out like a warrior, He will stir His zeal like a man of war. He will shout, indeed, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies.”
This chapter is prophesying about the return of Jesus and it is declaring that praise to Jesus will encompass the coastlands, the islands and every other public place before He returns. What the Lord spoke to me as He brought this to my remembrance was that these drum circles are satan’s attempt to create a counterfeit end times movement and to try and keep the Jesus lovers off the land so they cannot fulfill the Word of God. As I realized this, the zeal that Isaiah prophesied about began to come upon me and I felt like I had to do something.
Up until this point we had been only ministering at Siesta on Saturday’s and Riverwalk on Sunday’s, so to make this shift would be a huge change to our schedule, our flow and our team. I prayed about it for a few weeks, and after receiving confirmations and peace about shifting, we made the change on December 26th, 2021.
The first few weeks were full of pushback. People criticized us and accused us of having ulterior motives, and each one of us that were ministering were exposed to attacks that we hadn’t seen during the previous 3+ years of ministry. At one point, doubts began to creep in as to whether we had made the right decision. Thankfully, the Lord knew I was in that place and two powerful things happened 2 days apart that gave me a renewed courage and zeal to keep pressing on.
The first was a text I got on 1/7 from Tim Konovov, a strong brother in the Lord who has ministered with us a number of times. It said this:
The next was meeting a strong believer named Nathaniel at the beach on 1/9 who was on vacation here with his family. Nathaniel (whose name means “given from God”) grew up in Sarasota and he left years ago to join the military. When we told him why we were out there, he said that he had been praying for something like this for years. He said that he used to come to the beach all the time when he lived in Sarasota and he said that when the drum circle started to meet back in the mid 90’s- the water, the sand and the entire atmosphere became noticeably worse. He said it was the weirdest thing, but that he knew in his spirit that it was because of the drum circle. He prophesied over us that God had sent us out to cleanse and redeem land, and I knew it was of the Lord. Before he left, I asked him to share on the microphone and all I had in my records was this one video clip. I love how he is even holding a drum while he’s speaking!
After these two prophetic words, I had a renewed confidence in the assignment, but I also knew that I needed more prayer support. That week, I reached out to Reuben Beachy, the man who leads the prayer group- “Guardians of the Gate”- that got the original prophecy about the drum circle. I asked if I could attend his Wednesday morning prayer meeting and have the group pray over me. Up to this point I had been resisting going to the meeting because it was at 7am, but I knew that I needed it bad enough to sacrifice a little bit of sleep. When I went, I shared with them my testimony, and what had been happening at the beach. Afterwards, they all circled around me and prayed and prophesied over me for close to 30 minutes. Out of this meeting came a road map to what the Lord was going to do over the next 12 months.
Let me share these prophecies one by one and then I will attempt to weave together the testimonies of their fulfillment as I go.
The first one I want to focus on is from Bill Nease, a local leader whose daughter Amber is one of the key members of our team. I will pull out certain relevant parts:
“Remember when God said to Ananias about Paul “I am showing him how much he must suffer for My names sake.” These are things coming to me Chris. There is going to be persecution and suffering, but you are not to equate that with a lack of calling. No! It’s by praise and worship and submission to God that greater authority will rise. More will be done by persecution than you can understand. People will say this and that, DO NOT FEAR THEM! says the Lord. Pay them no mind. Don’t listen to the voices of those who want to draw back. The Lord takes no pleasure in those who draw back this way.
There will be hard times, but you are not to see them as signs of failure, but of signs that you are on the right track. Magnify Him in the difficulties, just as Paul and Silas did, preparing the way for a greater miracle and greater establishment. Hear this! Opposition will come but God has made you for this hour! You are not just some weak wimp, some piece of grass flopping in the wind. No! He has made you strong in the Lord, and He has given you a passion built out of the knowledge that men are perishing. This will be a rod in your back that will cause you to stand.
You will learn things about yourself in the process. Even your own fears will be exposed. But in all these things God will build in you what He wants. For the Lord has anointed you to do things that many men would faint at”
Let me focus on this specific word for a few minutes. That persecution will increase, fears will be exposed, but that it will be for the greater purposes of God to be manifested.
This prophecy was given on 1/12. Two days later, we had the police called on us at Bayfront Park!
Two days after that, a CRAZY wind came upon the beach, and it severely hindered our ability to minister.
The drum circle people, and all the other beachgoers went to the pavilion, and for the first time we were faced with a decision- go into the pavilion and keep the service going alongside the drum circle, or just pack up and leave. Feeling extra bold, I decided to take us to the pavilion and see what would happen.
This decision definitely came with a lot of pushback, but also with tremendous breakthrough. Not only were we emboldened by this move, but heaven was also moved. Amber shared with us that this was the night that she felt a major shift in the atmosphere and that mighty angels had been dispatched over the beach.
The following week, on 1/21, we had the police called on us at Bayfront Park again! This was now two weeks in a row, which never happens. This was such a confirmation of Bill’s word. Thankfully the cop was nice and let us continue unobstructed. Go Jesus!
Two days later, on 1/23, it was SUPER cold on the beach and the drummers were in the pavilion again. This time, rather than trying to compete with their sound, we decided to set up on the walkway. As soon as he saw us, the head maintenace guy, who had been one of the ones giving us trouble previously, came right up and started chastising us for being on the walkway. “You’re blocking the walkway, that’s not allowed!!” he kept saying. We tried to accommodate him by moving back as much as possible, but it wasn’t good enough for him. You could totally tell that it was personal and that he was using this excuse to try to intimidate us and shut us down. I figured that he had been encouraged to do so by the drummers.
Finally, he went to get a cop, and when the cop saw what we were doing he completely took our side. He told the maintenance man that we were not in violation and that we could stay. HUGE victory!
That day, we even saw people come to Christ who wouldn’t have seen us if we hadn’t been in that exact spot, which was so cool! Here’s a video I got of a woman who stopped by and ended up praying with Maria to receive Jesus!
The following week at Bayfront Park (1/28), for the THIRD week in a row, the police were called! This time, before they were called, a woman who lives on a boat in the marina came to the park and got right in my face. She was rebuking me for being there and she was threatening to call the police. I told her as firmly and as nicely as I could in that tense moment that we weren’t going anywhere and then these two homeless guys, who had come up earlier repenting of their sin and giving us their alcohol to throw out, rose up and defended us hardcore! It was crazy!
Here’s a video of the booze they gave us.
This is when the police left
This is the woman’s reaction to the cop taking our side! LOL!
After these three weeks of intense resistance, God could see that I was in need of another prophetic encouragement, and He brought it through a friend that I hadn’t spoken to since early 2020. Her name is Rose Prophete (what a name right!?), and she is a fiery woman of God. We met her and her husband Stanley on Siesta Key in 2019 and they used to minister with us often. This is the text she sent me on 2/1-
When we spoke on the phone, she told me that she was just finishing a 40 day fast and that the Lord had only told her one thing while she was fasting- “reconnect with Chris and begin to minister with him again.“
During our conversation I told her that we had switched to Sunday at the beach, and I told her why. She was SO excited right away! “Now I know why I was supposed to come back and minister with you Chris!”, she told me. She went on to share more of her testimony, which I had never heard before. She told me that she grew up in Haiti and that her family was very into voodoo. She told me that her uncle was a high priest in the voodoo church and that as a child she was being groomed to be a high priestess. She said that as a child she was subjected to all kinds of demonic rituals and that she was VERY well aware of what the spirits were behind the drum circle. She then told me that one time in Haiti, she and her family were having a demonic ritual that was completely broken up by the Christians in her community. I asked her for more details, and she said that as they kept praising God within close proximity to the ritual, the voodoo couldn’t continue. She said that it totally messed up the flow and they had to stop. She said that as a voodoo practitioner she could see that the Christians had power that was greater than their power.
She then prophesied over me and said “brother, that is what will happen as you and your team keep ministering during the drum circle! It will interrupt the flow of the demonic!”
What a testimony! And how amazing that God set it up the way He did, to reconnect us at the exact right time! I later asked her what day God told her to begin her fast and she said it was on 12/26/21 the EXACT same day that we began ministering at the drum circle! What a confirmation! This testimony also confirmed what God had shown our brother and teammate Paul (a.k.a Pat) about the year 2022-
22 When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.”
2 Chronicles 20:22
Now, it felt like game on! We were hearing God speak and confirm His Word in so many ways and it felt like there was no stopping us!
Throughout the month of February, we had more pushback, but we also had so much breakthrough. Many people were getting saved, and many Divine appointments were happening every single week. The final Sunday of February (2/27) was on another level though. That was the night when God began to show us a glimpse of the greater Glory.
It all started with a VERY drunk man coming over and asking for prayer. He had two voodoo statues in his hands and after we prayed for him, he let go of them and walked away. Here’s a video of those evil looking things.
This was so crazy, especially given Rose’s testimony! We fully believed that this was a sign that walls were coming down and that God was about to move. And that was exactly what happened. So much Glory was poured out that people were getting visibly touched by God all around us. Afterwards, pretty much all of us said that it felt like it was the best service we’d had out there. Here is a video of me sharing the full testimony at the Front the next day-
The following week God threw us into another fire of persecution- we ministered at a Gay Pride event that was happening at Riverwalk on the same day as our outreach. That was crazy! Many people were harassing us and trying to distract us any way they could. God moved in the midst of it though and we got to pray for a number of them. Here is a video I took walking in-
Here’s a video of a few of the girls who were giving us the hardest time. So sad!
Despite all the challenges of dealing with these various attacks over the months, all this pushback had made us all so much more resilient and so much more zealous. This proved to be very helpful, because just over a week later a number of us went to Ft. Lauderdale for a mission trip right to the heart of the lion’s den. After two hours, someone reported our sound system and got the police to shut down our speaker. The cop was so nice though and she encouraged us to find another way to minister. We ended up getting megaphones and we walked up and down the beach, singing, declaring the word and praying for people. It was amazing! Some mocked, but many were touched by God, and some were saved right on the spot.
Here’s a link to those videos- https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/lrsznn2a3hapbxv9lly47/h?dl=0&rlkey=kiigdzogj55c02c9ica15plk7
This is one of my favorites though. The same cop that asked us (because she had to) to get rid of the speaker and get megaphones, told us that we did a great job and that we should come back next year!
Here’s a link to a Facebook video of me sharing a multitude of testimonies from our spring break trip- https://www.facebook.com/chris.vercelli/videos/1120451875384539/?mibextid=v7YzmG
The Sunday after we returned (3/20), something very strange happened to me while we were all praying for the service. I had this eerie feeling that there was a plot rising against us and that there would be an attempt to shut down our sound, just like in Ft. Lauderdale. I got anxious, so I prayed intensely that any attempt to do that would be stopped. I was extra shocked when later that day a cop was called to come out and check out what we were doing. By the grace of God though, he never even spoke to us. He just came out, watched for a while and then left. I got this video of him as he was walking away.
Two days later (3/22) I discovered that what I had sensed was not just from my own imagination. That was the day I got a message from Jeanine with a link to a post that was made by the drummers on their Facebook page about us.
In the post they were talking about how to shut us down and they sounded very angry and vengeful. The accusations and the threats they made were horrendous. They accused us of being there just to cause trouble and that they should do whatever they could to stop us immediately. They even floated ideas such as throwing sand in my face, destroying our gear and filing a petition with the county to ban our sound system! So crazy how the Lord had prepared me for this just days earlier!
As I meditated on all of this, fear began to grip my heart, particularly over the petition. I had all kinds of thoughts about what it would mean to the ministry if they were successful in doing that and I was faced with the possibility that all that we’re doing could be lost simply because I made the shift to Sunday. As Bill Nease prophesied over me “even my own fears would be exposed.”
After ruminating in this for a day or so, I felt the Lord tell me to go on the offensive. To not run and hide, but to out myself as the “leader” and to boldly share the real reason why we’re out there. I posted a lengthy post on their Facebook page, sharing my salvation testimony, the ministry testimony and a biblical explanation of why we must evangelize everyone everywhere. Here is a screen shot of the top of that post.
After this post, demons got stirred up bigtime! I got comment after comment from people who were so angry that what they were saying wasn’t even rational. I answered each and every one of them, and I simply explained in a VERY loving and VERY non-confrontational way why their accusations were wrong. Over the course of several days, I watched as one after another of our accusers simply stopped arguing with me. Many were even having “a-ha” moments that made them understand our perspective. Most didn’t fully agree, but when all was said and done, most of them seemed to feel bad that they were so hateful towards us. I could even see how there was also more of a respect for what we are doing. In fact, the moderator of the entire page even agreed to a truce. Here’s a screen shot of her remarks.
After all this, I knew I needed to change my strategy and really show these people that we are not against them. The following Sunday (3/27) I went into the circle before it started, and I talked to the different drummers that were there. One of them was named Mark, which was the name of the man who made the original post asking people to comment on how to shut us down. He didn’t identify himself as the one who made the post, but he did acknowledge that he knew about it and that he was sorry it all happened. To this day, I’ve never asked him if he was the one who did it, but I’ve also never met another person there named Mark. All in all, the drummers were very nice to me and some even said that they actually liked what we were doing. What a turnaround in only a week!
In fact, this was fulfillment of another prophetic word that I got back in January at the prayer meeting, this one from Pastor Nathan Wicker from Fellowship of Believers. He prophesied that “every word curse spoken, words of deception, words of discouragement- they are like water off a ducks back, flowing right off. Even with all that, blessing will come from your mouths and wreck those who are doing the cursing.”
That night, I told Mark and the other drummers that to be respectful of their sound, we would move down the walkway towards the water, so our speaker was in front of the drums. This was nerve wracking to me at first because of how close we would be to the people on the beach, but it has proven to be a more effective spot than where we were. In fact, that first night, we even watched God draw an entire group of teenagers to us that all ended up praying to receive Jesus!
After this we had SEVEN baptisms! You can watch the Facebook live video of that here- https://www.facebook.com/chris.vercelli/videos/353181456826186/?mibextid=v7YzmG
What a sign that we were on the right track. God truly had a plan!
After all this, I began to see how God had already used this persecution for the greater good, and it felt like we had crossed into a new chapter of this “war”. Interestingly, a few days later (3/29) I saw something online that God used to speak to me. When I saw this, He said- “you’ve completed the first phase, and it was to test your commitment to the battle I’ve called you to.”
The following week Sofiya and I left for our wedding, so for the first time we had to miss a Sunday. I was told everything went smooth while we were gone though so we were grateful. The following week we had no issues either, and the following week was Easter. That night, not only did we have no problems, but we also saw MANY people get drawn into what we were doing. Here’s a video of the people praying with us at the end.
To see this felt like a sign of something new breaking out. When we saw something similar happen the following week, I sensed that those demonic portals were already starting to close and that the Glory was already being poured out. These types of crowds were there throughout much of the night
Although things seemed to be going pretty well with the drummers, it was at this point that the Lord allowed a different type of persecution to arise, persecution from within.
Austin Stusalitus was never formally invited to our outreaches, but he would often show up and try to minister alongside us. I knew him a little bit from church, and I’m never one to turn away a zealous evangelist, but as time went on, I believe a jealous, competitive spirit arose within him and he began to cause division amongst the group. This was part of a message he sent me after the outreach on 4/24, and it only ramped up from there. I won’t give him much airtime in this recap so as not to be harsh, but it got really ugly over the next few months, and it ultimately led to him leaving the group completely.
The following week (5/1) we had another huge breakthrough at the drum circle. One of the founders- Magi, came up to us and told us how much he loves us and appreciates us being there. He also said that he has been defending us against the other drummers and that he loves Jesus. He then started making professions of faith and he even preached the gospel in the drum circle! This is a picture I took of us that night. Gotta love my hair blowing in the wind! LOL!
Here’s the full testimony recorded a few days later, it’s powerful!
Now it REALLY felt like things were breaking through!
The following week, for the first time ever, we had ZERO complaints from people attending the drum circle. We also led a Muslim guy to Jesus, and then we baptized him! We also had two other baptisms, which was amazing! Here is the ex-Muslim guy-
Our good friend and teammate Howie was at the beach that night too. Howie was delivered out of new age many years ago and he has a strong discernment for what is happening in the spirit. He sent me this text later that night.
Over the next few weeks, we saw so much favor. No complaints and lots of fruit, it was amazing.
Then, on 5/22, we saw another huge breakthrough. When we showed up that night, I was informed by one of the drummers that there was serious division within the group. I was told that there had been a legal situation that arose between people in the group and that a restraining order had been filed against one of the drummers. Some didn’t even want to continue meeting together because of it. They didn’t give all the details, but it all sounded sexual in nature, which instantly made me think of another prophetic word that we got in January. This one was from Sandy Lovely, an intercessor with Guardians of the Gate. The word was “I’m hearing from the Lord that there is something evil going on with the leaders of the drum circle that is going to be brought to light. Maybe some drug arrests or possibly some sexual perversion arrests. Tourists don’t know who they are involving themselves with, but an exposure of hidden evil is coming”
This also happened to be the night after we had our team fellowship night at Gustavos house, where we all prayed and prophesied over each other for hours. It felt like the Lord was saying- “As you all are becoming more unified, they are becoming more disunified.”
That night we saw the Glory poured out on the beach again and this time there were 6 baptisms and a physical healing of a middle-aged woman. Here’s a video of me sharing the full testimony from that night. It’s powerful!
The following week there was so much less volume and power from the drum circle. In fact, it was the first time that I ever noticed that the drum volume was lower than the worship volume all along the walkway. I recorded this video commenting on it. This was definitely a sign of something shifting!
That night there was also ramped up security at the drum circle. The police were well aware of the problems and were stationed right outside the circle the entire night. At one point Rene and I went to talk with them, and they were all very nice. One of them was a strong believer and he told us how much he appreciated what we were doing. Super cool! Here’s a pic I got of Rene standing by them.
That night many people were drawn in and several were baptized. The same thing happened the following week on 6/5. Way weaker drumming, many people getting drawn in and a baptism. This time we were even on the same side as them (sort of by mistake) and it still went very smooth!
The following week it was the same thing again, and then on Father’s Day (6/19), we saw one of the biggest breakthroughs of all…. the drum circle didn’t meet! It felt like the biggest victory! In fact, a man who said he has come to the drum circle every week for over 20 years said they NEVER miss a Sunday. When he came and saw that they weren’t there, he came up to me and said (I believe by inspiration of the Holy Spirit)-
“You won! The devil didn’t show up! You won!”
You can see the man (with the towel on) who said that in this video. Notice NO Drumming!
These comments were captured on their Facebook page during that night-
It was amazing to see how the spirits in these guys went from battling us to battling each other! And to see this huge breakthrough on Father’s Day was such a sign!
I love this comment that the page administrator made about the night. LOL!
The following week (6/26), the main leaders didn’t meet again but a few of the other drummers still tried to keep it going. It was way different than usual though, and it felt like the dying efforts of this goliath trying to keep his head from being cut off. It also happened to be our 222nd week ministering at Siesta Beach, which brings up another prophetic word I got in January from Sandy Lovely’s husband Jamie. He said, “every morning God has been waking me up at 2:22 and leading me to Acts 2:22,” which speaks about how Jesus performed signs, wonders and miracles. How cool that these signs happened during our 221st and 222nd service! Amazing!
In between these two services, I texted Rueben Beachy, the leader of the Guardians of the Gate prayer meeting, and I told him that huge breakthroughs were happening and that I needed to come and share. He invited me to do so at the next meeting they were having, which was on 6/22. The way the meeting works is that there is worship and prayer before the main speaker shares. While I was worshipping, Jamie Lovely (the 222 guy) came up to me and said he had a word for me. He said, “You’re entering into a season of full-on battle and God will give you ways to take care of what the enemy is doing.” He went on the prophesy that new armor was coming on me and a new power for warfare.
Although it was a powerful word, in a way, I kind of felt like he was off. To be totally honest, a big part of me thought the drum circle was not going to return and I had the thought that if he had prophesied after I shared the update, he probably would have not said that. Boy was I wrong.
Not only did the drummers return, but over the summer, due to the frequent rain, we had many showdowns with them in the pavilion. This led to many VERY tense moments where various drummers (not the ones we had been talking to, but others) got in our face and made many accusations and threats. It really did feel like a whole new level of warfare, but just as Jamie prophesied, we learned how to take care of what the enemy was doing. This was mainly by learning (which was really hard for me at first) to respond in total love and gentleness no matter what. The Lord gave me such an empathy for them and allowed me to really see their brokenness and bondage. Several times when people got really loud with me, it felt like a grace would come upon me to shield me from any offense or desire to argue. Instead of wanting to do that, I’d have this intense desire to love and bless them. Many people commented on how amazing it was that I didn’t lose my cool each time the persecution would break out, and I believe it was a sign to everyone including the other drummers. The Lord also used it to show them how serious we are about the gospel, because no matter how tense it got, or what the weather was like, we ALWAYS kept the outreach going. Both of these things, I believe, helped us to eventually see two other prophetic words come to pass:
One from Chip Pattison, another member of Guardians of the Gate. The word (given on 1/12) was:
“There will be an attraction to the Presence and Love of God instead of the drum circle itself.”
Another was from a woman who was in town visiting on 6/22. She said:
“I see the circle being replaced with worshippers. People will get saved (in the circle)”
From the summer onward, that is what we saw.
It began with Jesse. Jesse was raised as a Christian but hadn’t been to church in 15 years. Back in 2021, we met his mom Amy and his grandfather Warren at Riverwalk and once she knew that we were ministering at the drum circle, she told us that he was a prodigal and that she hoped that us being there would have an effect on him. Well, maybe it did because after several months of us being there he came back to Jesus and got baptized! Amy was so happy when she told me! Here’s a screenshot of her text-
Amazingly, he was baptized on 6/26, the same day we had our 222nd service! Yet another sign!
The next one to have a huge breakthrough was Miguel, who was the first drummer to ever complain to us about our sound. He became very friendly with us over the months and eventually he told us that he liked us more than the people at the drum circle! He told me one day “I don’t want what they have, I want what you guys have.” He went on to tell me that what was happening in the drum circle bothered him. That people weren’t united and that there was such a competitiveness with everyone. He said that egos got in the way of relationships and that he could see that we were very different. “You guys have so much love” he would tell me. “I feel so good when I’m around you guys.”
Eventually he came over and started drumming with us every week and one night as I shared the gospel, he publicly declared Jesus to be his Lord. Now we talk on the phone, he comes to our other outreaches, and we’ve really become friends.
Another one of the drummers, Justin, whose mom Diana ministers with us, recently gave his life back to Jesus after years of running.
Aaron, a man who had professed to be an atheist a few months ago, recently asked me to pray for his mom, who was in the hospital. The Lord healed her of internal bleeding and now Aaron is starting to see the light.
Raj, the red-haired guy who makes all the strange sand sculptures, went from yelling and taunting me to my face over the summer to telling me recently- “brother, you’re awesome!” Total turnaround.
Mark, the one who made the original post asking for suggestions on how to shut us down, is now so close with me that he tells me that he loves me. He also recently asked me to pray for his girlfriend’s father, who was dying in the hospital. The Lord healed him, and it was a sign and a wonder to Mark and his girlfriend!
The Muslim guy, who used to get in my face every time he would see me and yell at me for being there, now also says he loves me. He even drummed with us one time!
Maji has not only made professions of faith and defended us against opposition, but he is now so close with us that he even offered to let me stay at his farm in Costa Rica anytime I want, even when he’s not there.
On 8/13, during the time when all this transformation was taking place, God sent another prophetic sign that His Glory was coming upon the land. Pastor John Kilpatrick, who led the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola back in the mid 90’s, which saw millions of people touched by God, came to Sarasota and declared this over our city. Watch below.
And the best part is that nobody really complains anymore. Not the drummers, not the attendees, not the Maintenace guy, nobody. It even feels like we’ve become a little more like family, especially since we see the same people there week after week and we get so much love from them. In fact, the Lord even gave us a sign of this on 9/18 when a man posted some pictures from the drum circle on the Siesta Key Facebook page, and he included a picture of our cross!
And although there are still a few drummers that have some bricks left on their walls, we are all SO encouraged because the transformation in just one year has been astounding!
I’ll close by sharing one last thing with you from 2022. This is a 1-minute video that was published on 3/20, the same day that the conspiracy broke out online. It was made by one of the people that attends the drum circle, and it was intended to make fun of us. It ended up being prophetic in a way, which you’ll understand when you see the last screen. It says, “get saved at the drum circle.”
Is that hilarious or what!? I’ve never been so proud to be called a fanatic!
I hope you enjoyed this incredible (seemingly prewritten) God story. Especially since YOU were part of it!
I’m not sure what all to expect in this coming year, but I’m sure that whatever is in the next chapter of His-Story will be amazing!
Love you!
Chris, Sofiya and the Awaken 941 Team!
Big shout out to all those who ministered with us on Siesta Beach in 2022-
Amber, Pat, Daniel, Abagail, Laney, Rene, Maria, Carlos, Howie, Michelle, Diana, Deb, Dave, John, Lance, Andrew, Vitaly, Olga R, Olga ?, James, Rose, Stanley, Grace, Joy, Sara, Tim, Savannah, Gustavo, Diana, Solomon, Bella, Carson, Laura, Mike V, Mike M, Ed, Cindy, Miguel, Cheryl, Rosa. if I missed you it’s probably because you haven’t been out in a while, so come on back! LOL