Toward the end of the first week of our tour, we received news alerts on our phones about the devastating hurricane Dorian that was potentially heading toward Florida. We prayerfully watched the news and route of the hurricane as it could hinder our meeting in Orange City, FL. We were trusting that whatever happened with the weather God could overcome and still do a work despite all the odds against us. 

As our first week came to a close, I changed our traveling route for this next meeting. Instead of taking Interstate-95 directly toward Orange City and Hurricane Dorian, we took a round-about route taking Interstate-75 in hopes that by the time we reached our destination the hurricane would have passed already. As we continued to receive updates about the hurricane, we were stunned to see that God was keeping Dorian’s course just alongside the coast, plus the most brutal parts of the storm hovered over the Atlantic. Thankfully, when we arrived at the church, the city seemed to have been completely untouched by the effects of the hurricane. The youth pastor informed us that they only received rainstorms that morning and by the early afternoon the skies had cleared. 

Though the city did not experience devastating effects, we as the team did have obstacles to face as a result of the potential hurricane; all schools in Florida closed their doors from Monday through Thursday. This was probably our biggest mountain to face during the week because our “recruiting” days are on Thursday and Friday. Since the schools had closed for the majority of the week, many families took that opportunity to go out of town. God would have to  provide miracles if we were to reach teens with the Gospel. Our team captains went everywhere they possibly could go to invite teens, and God did provide a good number of recruits (teens that signed-up to attend our rallies). 

Saturday morning arrived, and both team captains vigorously messaged and called each recruit to confirm whether or not they could still come to the rally night. They had several teens reply that they were excited to come and were still planning to attend. The day quickly passed as we set up for the night’s events, and before we knew it, it was already time for registration to begin. A decent amount of the church youth group came, but only a handful of recruits came. 

Cody, team captain of the Marine Raiders, was able to see an entire family attend that night. While recruiting a couple of teens the day before, a mom with a one-year-old in hand came over to him to get an invitation from him. Cody was surprised that she wanted the information and would have never thought that this young mom with a one-year-old would have any teens in her family. She informed him that she had one daughter and a few nieces and nephews that were teens, and she enthusiastically took the invitation and promised to be there Saturday evening. When Cody messaged her to ask if she could still come, she said yes and asked if she could bring eight teens instead of four teens as she originally thought. Cody replied saying that it would definitely be fine. The young mom brought five teens that first evening. God greatly used the message to impact this family. Following the invitation, all five teens walked back to the counseling rooms to know more about the gift of salvation, and all five of them spoke with a Bible counselor, and prayed to receive Christ as their personal Savior. The young mother was excited of all that the Lord was doing in her family’s life that she made the decision that evening to start attending the church. 

We all were encouraged that the family came to trust Christ as their Savior, but still in our hearts we knew that God wanted to do a greater work. God used the low number of recruits that came to drive us to our knees. Before ending the night we had a sobering prayer meeting, and the next afternoon we broke again before the Lord, pleading with Him to open the doors of heaven wide. All the work we had done during the week would be in vain if God did not intervene. When we finished praying, the Lord gave us peace that He would provide. 

The Sunday rally registration began once again. Youth group teens returned and several new recruits came as well. The attendance that night more than doubled from the previous night, and we did see God do a mighty work. 

As Thomas, the Delta Force team captain, watched over the competition equipment on the field, he noticed two teen guys walking on a park trail right next to the church property. He ran over to them and invited them to attend, even though in his heart he doubted that they would come back when the competitions would begin just under thirty minutes from then. To Thomas’ surprise the two teens returned not too long afterward fully anticipating the night’s events. During the service that evening, Thomas watched the teens as they heard the gospel and earnestly prayed for them. He could tell that both guys were intently listening and absorbing the message. God heard and answered Thomas’ prayer; both of his last-minute recruits responded to the invitation along with nine other guys. Thomas had the privilege of leading both of his recruits to the Lord; he noticed that their once troubled countenances transformed into countenances of joy and hope. 

Those two recruits returned for the final night, and several other recruits brought friends with them, and a group of teens from a local Christian school participated in the last night. We saw more teen girls that evening trust Christ as their personal Savior, and many more teens surrender their life to serve Christ in whatever area He would have them serve. Thomas’ two recruits that got saved the night before, both quickly responded to the call to surrender to God’s will for their lives. Also, one young girl from the Christian school, came to my wife in tears as the Lord spoke to her about being burdened for her unsaved aunt that had shunned her family away, after being witnessed to for so long, and now the Lord has put in this young girls heart to reach her aunt with the Gospel.

We greatly appreciate your daily prayers. Were it not for your faithfulness in interceding on our behalf, the work of God may not have come to fruition as it did this week. God’s work was so great that all we could say was that it was all His doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. God redeemed us, and brought so many lives under the sound of the Gospel that many of them their names are now written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Please continue to pray for this church, that God will continue to work in the lives of the newborn Christians, and that those who have surrendered to God’s will, will continue to make the daily decision to die to their own will, but live for God’s will instead.  

In His Service, 

John H. Pound

Minutemen Ministries Evangelist

2 Corinthians 4:5-6