Hey Fam! Happy Thursday!
It’s hard to believe that at this time last week, Hurricane Milton was just beginning to make landfall in our area. I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve lived several weeks in just the past week!
I continue to thank the Lord for His goodness and His mercy, even as I see more reports of damage from the storm. I can only imagine what things would have been like if The Lord hadn’t allowed the storm to weaken significantly before it made landfall, and significantly reduced our rainfall and storm surge. Hopefully I’ll never be in a position to find out!
Here’s a recap of some of the details of the storm- Team Jesus Post Hurricane Milton Update – Awaken941
As for the weekend, praise God that we were able to minister in all 3 locations, but I must admit, it was VERY different. Tons of tree limbs down at Bayfront, two huge trees uprooted at Riverwalk, and very small crowds everywhere. Despite this though, it was definitely fruitful.
On Friday, Monte joined us at Bayfront and about an hour into ministering, a young man came by who recognized him from Walmart. They talked for a little while, and the young man (Joshua) prayed to receive Jesus. At another point, our friend Michelle came with her mom (whom we have been praying for to fully surrender to Christ for years) and she got to meet Natalie and hear her miracle story. We then prayed over her, and she seemed touched. It was a great moment given that we had been praying for her for such a long time.
She and Joshua are in this picture:
On Saturday morning, Natalie and I went to pray outside of Planned Parenthood in Sarasota. The impetus to do this came a few months ago, when I discovered that the very first abortion clinic in Florida was opened on May 1st, 1974, and that our current 6-week abortion ban (which is the strictest abortion law we’ve had since 1974), was implemented on May 1st, 2024- exactly 50 years later.
When I discovered this, I felt like the Lord said that we were in a jubilee season in regard to abortion in Florida. In the Bible, the Jubilee year came every 50 years and in that year, there would be many special blessings released upon the people. In Leviticus 25, it also says that in the 50th year, we should gather together on the Biblical “Day of Atonement” (which was Saturday) and to blow the shofar and declare liberty in the land.
Natalie and I walked around Planned Parenthood 7 times praying and decreeing life, and after the seventh time, I blew the shofar and proclaimed liberty.
We’re believing that in this year of jubilee, Amendment 4 will be crushed at the ballot box…and babies all throughout the land will be able to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
As a sidenote, check out this demonic painting that is on the wall of a building right next to Planned Parenthood:
So wicked!
On Saturday evening we ministered at Riverwalk, and although the crowds were small, many people were listening, and many people seemed very thankful for the mercy they were shown during the storm. Many children also came to receive gifts and several prayed to receive Jesus.
One young girl even came up and asked for a bible and she told me that she hadn’t prayed to receive Christ before. She prayed with me, and then I met her mom who was a believer and who was very supportive and thankful. Here they are, the girl is the one in gray.
One cool thing that happened the week before at Riverwalk is that a young man whom I met back in early 2023 was there. He prayed to receive Christ the night I met him, and then I didn’t see him for many months. He came to Riverwalk again back in the spring, and he told me that he moved to Tampa and that he was plugged into a Church up there. He also said that God had been blessing him and his family in a major way ever since he surrendered his life to Him, and that he was really growing in his faith.
Last week, he came to Riverwalk again, and this time he told me that he is going to bible school in Tampa and plans to become a pastor. How amazing! Here he is:
We really just never know what God will turn these little seeds into once they are sown. So cool!
On Sunday, it was shocking to see that for the third week in a row there were hardly any people at the beach and there was no drum circle. It was almost eerie, given that we are so used to thousands being there every week. In the very beginning, I met a 60 some year-old woman named Carla who came over and seemed interested in what we were doing. We chatted for a minute, and then I asked her if there was anything I could pray for her about. She immediately began to cry.
She then spent the next 30 minutes or so unloading the many layers of family drama that she was going through, while continuing to cry on and off.
At one point I felt like I needed to turn the conversation back to Jesus, so I asked her about her relationship with God and she said that it wasn’t good. She said she grew up catholic in Cuba, but that she hadn’t been to church in years, and that she was really struggling with her faith. I shared some things that the Lord was putting on my heart, and then she prayed with me to receive Christ and the Holy Spirit. It was such an amazing Divine appointment, and the woman was amazed. She had actually just prayed and asked God for help while she was on the beach before she came up and saw us too, which was wild!
Then, a little later we met two linemen from Canada that were down helping FPL. One said he was a believer, and the other one said he was a Buddhist. He was super open to the Gospel though, so I shared with him the message of the cross and asked him if he wanted to pray for Jesus to touch him. He said yes, so we did. He left with tracts, and I fully believe that man is going to be saved very soon.
We also met a couple from Georgia who came down to Florida to help Hurricane victims because they heard the voice of God tell them to. They also told us that God told them to bring two generators, and it just so happened that our friend Stephanie was there from Christian Retreat, and they were still without power. The couple gave Stephanie both generators and a bunch of gas for them, and it TOTALLY made her night! And she even had one to give someone at the Retreat, which is amazing.
All in all, it was a great weekend. BIG thanks to the remnant who came out to serve- Amber, Monte, Michelle, Trish and Stephanie. You all rock!
I’m excited to see what happens this weekend. Our schedule will be:
Friday at 7
Saturday at 6
Sunday at 5
Blessings and love!
Chris