Dear Friends and Family,
I am so excited to share with you an update on what the Lord has been doing in my life in these past seven months, as well as invite you into my life financially.
I just finished CRX DTS with Circuit Riders that began in Huntington Beach, California with 70 other students from all over the U.S. having classes in a park (thanks, Covid), hearing from multiple speakers and being trained to go out and live our lives boldly for the gospel. I chose messengers track for my ministry focus where they taught me how to represent Jesus through preaching and evangelism. The Lord grew me in so many areas in my life by exposing areas of pride and calling me into a spirit of humility and grace. God blessed me with so many amazing friendships within the CR community that have challenged me in my pursuit of the Lord.
Next, during Carry The Love Tour, we took what we had just learned and applied it by going to high schools, colleges, and youth groups, sharing the gospel and inviting people into newness and a relationship with the Father who created them. After much planning and phone calls, my team of seven had tour stops in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. I was super excited that half of tour was spent pouring into my hometown since tour started in Colorado and my team was able to stay at my house. Tour was so amazing! We saw: over 60 salvations, people getting set free from suicidal thoughts and depression, and even miraculous healings from dyslexia, migraines and injuries. It was incredible to see the Lord move every single night. His love was displayed everywhere we went as people were encountered with the love of the Father in some big ways.
My favorite testimony from tour was in Riverton, Wyoming when my team had the privilege of being the first Circuit Rider team to go to a Native American reservation. The Lord gripped our hearts for the Northern Arapahoe tribe as we prayed for God to come and encounter them. There is so much drug and alcohol addiction in this reservation and 30% of the families living there don’t have running water or electricity. This was hard to imagine since we so often think unreached people groups are outside of the U.S. But there is actually a group in the middle of America right now that are struggling deeply. There had been only one Christian on the whole reservation and by the time we left, 19 teens from the youth group gave their lives to Jesus! It’s so amazing to see how the Lord is moving through this reservation by breaking off the spirits of the land and inviting people into a relationship with Him. God gave me a new confidence in speaking while continuing the work He began in chipping away my pride. The Lord also continued to grip my heart for the lost and to always go out for the one.
After Tour, I was invited to attend a Black Voices Weekend, created by CR leadership to bring together and activate young African Americans who love Jesus and want to see His name spread. I will never forget this weekend and the lifelong friends God blessed me with. My heart burns for godly racial reconciliation and what it looks like for African Americans to be empowered to step into the mission field. Circuit Riders has done a really good job stewarding the Lord’s heart in this area by not shying away from what is taking place in our country at this time and by acknowledging that the Lord desires to use black and other minority voices, believing that the great commission cannot be fulfilled if not every tribe, tongue and nation is represented at the table.
CR is where the Lord has called me to be for this next season of my life. So, I’m excited to announce that I will be joining CR as a full-time staff, as I plan to make a five-year commitment there. I have had so much confirmation over this next step and feel such peace from the Lord. God has opened up many doors for mentors that I can run with in my life as well as housing in a staff house with nine others. I will be pioneering the newly formed HBCU tour with Circuit Riders. This tour is one that focuses on reaching historical black colleges and universities across America by calling African Americans into relationship with Jesus and inviting them into missions.
As, I prepare for this transition as a full time missionary, there is a need of some help financially. All CR staff are required to have a minimum income of $1,200 monthly support. I’m happy to say, I’m a little over one-third there! This monthly income will help pay for my rent, groceries, gas, and air fair for leading tours.
I’m incredibly thankful for the supporters that God blessed me with as a student of CR last year and am asking if you would pray and consider joining my financial team of monthly supporters as I become a full time missionary with CR.
Please pray for God to continue to use my life for His Kingdom and for Him to continue to grow me and reveal new things to me in this next season.
Thank you so much and God bless,
Ian