Hey Fam! Happy 2/22!
This is a special time of the year for me. Every year at this time I remember and reflect on the amazing journey I’ve been on since I became a “fuller time” missionary.
You may know some of this story but it’s worth recapping.
In March of 2018, Monte and I began the outreach ministry on Siesta Beach, and for two years straight, we never missed a week. I could tell back then that the ministry was a true calling from God, but I never really saw myself doing a whole lot more than just our one little outreach per week.
Then, in March of 2020, everything changed. COVID hit, the lockdowns were declared, my business was shut down, and the beaches were all closed. Desperate for something to invest myself into that was worthwhile, I began praying about other locations where we could minister. On March 26th, 2020, the Lord made it very clear that the main location we should focus on was Bayfront Park.
The two of us (and often several others) went to Bayfront Park several times a week, every week during the lockdowns. We saw amazing moves of the Spirit there too, due to the hunger people had for God back in those days of great uncertainty. When the beaches finally opened back up in mid-May, we knew that God did not want us to abandon that location, so we decided to make it our Friday night spot and we kept Siesta Beach as our Saturday spot.
Prior to COVID, I was working a lot of hours, Monday-Friday and just doing outreach on Saturday. But, a few months into the COVID era, I felt like my life had been recalibrated to this new flow of doing ministry as my main “job”. And I loved it! So, when my business opened back up, I started pressing into God for direction on how my life should go from that point onward.
In addition to this strong desire to do more ministry, I also had a tremendous sense of urgency in my spirit because of the clear writing on the wall that COVID was a warmup for Daniel 7, Revelation 13 and ultimately the return of Jesus. For months, I wrestled through what I should do, and then, when I saw the outcome of the 2020 election, I knew that time was running short. I told the Lord that no matter what He wanted me to do to prepare the way for His return, I was in.
On Christmas day 2020, I was at the beach, and I met a prophetic woman who just moved to town. She prophesied over me that I was called to go all over the state of Florida and do outreaches like the ones we were doing here. She told me that I would go in the spirit of John Wesley, the man who famously said, “I set myself on fire and people come to watch me burn.” I found out later that this woman (Song Bae, from South Korea), has a proven prophetic ministry and she has been a consistent and VERY accurate prophetic voice in my life ever since.
This is us at dinner the next night-
One week after receiving this prophecy, I went to LA for the Let Us Worship New Year’s Eve gathering on Azusa Street, and I got baptized in such a fiery passion for preaching the Gospel that all I wanted to do was declare the Word and works of Jesus everywhere I went. That’s when I knew that God was preparing me for the next level of ministry, I just had no idea when or how it was going to come together.
On February 11th, I was called into a meeting with the landlord over my office, and he told me that the time was coming for us to negotiate a new contract. I had an absolute sweetheart deal for nearly 10 years at this point, and the time had come for me to start paying more for the space. Because he is a believer, I told him that I really felt like I was being called to the mission field and that I wasn’t sure if God wanted me to rent the office full time anymore. Thankfully he was very sympathetic, and even quite excited for me, but he told me that he needed an answer by Monday the 15th. I said, ok.
The very next day, February 12th, Monte and I were at Bayfront Park and a woman, and her daughter came up and sat down on the benches and listened for about 30 minutes. They were clearly engaging in the worship and the preaching, so we didn’t talk to them much, but when the time came for us to have the prayer circle, we invited them to join. What happened next was so unexpected- they began crying out to the Lord for mercy and forgiveness, begging Him to forgive their sin and to renew their passion for Him.
We ended up having dinner with them at O’Leary’s and we found out that the woman was the daughter of a missionary, who fell away from the faith. Her daughter was a prodigal as well. They both gave their lives back to Jesus that night and they were SO happy and thankful. They were up here on vacation from Miami too, which made it all even more incredible.
After this, I felt like God had given me a partial confirmation that I needed to step out more, but because it was such a big decision, I asked Him for another clear confirmation.
On Sunday February 14th, I was walking around the neighborhood praying, and I kept getting these waves of excitement about the idea of going all over the state to evangelize. Then, when I got home, I got a text from the woman from Miami whom we met on Friday, and she said that she was back home and was visiting her brother and that she really wanted me to talk to him. I called her, and he got on the phone and was so excited to talk to me. He told me that he is a pastor in Miami and that after hearing what happened to his sister through our outreach, that he wanted me to come to Miami and do outreach with him. He said he would provide a team and take me to where the people were.
Here’s her text
I was stunned. I had never been asked to come to another city and do outreach before, but just as I was praying for confirmation of whether I should take on this call of going all over Florida to preach, I get invited to the biggest city in Florida by a local pastor to preach the gospel. After this, it was clear as day that this was indeed what God was calling me to do. I thought it was so cool that the confirmation came one day before I had to give my landlord an answer, which also happened to be Valentine’s Day! God is so good and always on time!
The next day, I told my landlord what happened, and he was stunned. He said, “that’s definitely God! We will work out a deal that allows you to do this because I want to be supportive of your calling.” All of a sudden it all became real!
The very next Sunday, February 21st, I typed up an official announcement and I sent it to all my clients and subscribers. The feedback I got was amazing. People were so excited that I was following the call of God, even nominal believers. It even seemed to spark a little revival in my practice too, which was amazing!
Here was my official announcement- The Biggest Business Announcement I’ve Ever Made (nonfictionfitness.com)
I also love how my first full official day in the calling was 2/22, the day after I made the announcement. Definitely not an accident!
Looking back, these past 3 years have been beyond what I could have imagined. The Lord has provided everything I’ve needed to do this, and He has allowed us to minister at the biggest events and darkest places all over the state. He’s so good!
And, in case you are wondering, the first mission trip I took once I made the full transition was to South Beach Miami, with that same pastor. We have since ministered together multiple times and have forged a strong friendship.
It’s fun to reflect on these things, because it gives me strength and courage for the days ahead. I hope it does that for you too!
On to this past weekend…
On Friday night, a few more prodigals came home. A man and his girlfriend came up to me at Bayfront Park and the first thing he asked me was “what’s the word of the Lord for me?”. I poured into them the love of Jesus and they opened their hearts up to the Lord. Cool that Augast got a picture of me praying for him.
Several others received the Lord that night too, which was amazing. Here’s a picture of a few of them surrendering.
The rest of the weekend was super wet, so not a lot to share there. However, I did have a great trip to Daytona Beach, and I made some great Kingdom connections with some ministers that I’m sure I will link up with in the future. I also got to pray over the beach where MTV used to host their Spring Break show, which was an important prayer assignment in preparation for Ft. Lauderdale.
On Monday, I also saw that revival had begun to break out at FSU! Right after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl!!
Here’s the full article- ‘Revival Is Here’: Hundreds Turn to Jesus at #2 US Party School, Get Baptized in Fountain | CBN News
It’s an exciting time to be alive!
Hope to see you on the frontlines this weekend!!!
Love and blessings,
C, S & N