Heritage Baptist Church in Woodbridge, VA has had the team periodically since 1997. We have many great memories of God working here over the years and this year was no exception. Mr. Brian Kosa has been the principal since that time. It is always great to be with him and the staff there at Heritage. We are thankful for Pastor Carpenter and what the Lord is doing there! It was great to be a part of things for a week!
Austin, the captain of the Mighty Marines, was out recruiting on Monday. He found a teenager in the park and recruited him. One of the school guys on the Marines happened to know him, and without either knowing, invited him as well. He came out to the War on Friday night heard the testimonies, responded to the invitation and got saved!
Annie, the Incredible Ranger co-captain, counseled a girl on her team on Friday. She was very broken about having a bad relationship with her mom. She responded to the message on Friday after chapel and realized she needed to trust the Lord with obeying her mom, rather than try in her own strength.
After the invitation on Wednesday, Violet, the co-captain of the Mighty Marine’s, was able to talk to a girl on her team. She was struggling with bitterness and realized that you didn’t just have to be bitter at a person, but could be angry at a situation. Violet was able to pray with her, and she was also able to talk with a staff member. The girl testified on Friday,
So this week the message about bitterness, that really helped me because I realized that bitterness isn’t just towards people, it could be towards a situation as well…So a few years back…my grandfather with Alzheimer’s passed away and since the time that I was really little, he was like my best friend…And I was really sad…I was able to resolve that I had bitterness towards the situation that happened. And like I said, if you have bitterness but you can’t like point out a specific person, you might just have bitterness towards a situation. And once you figure out what that situation is, I I encourage you just go sit down and pray. Whatever your personal safe spot is, sit down and pray…and talk to God for a while.
On Tuesday, a young man on the Marine team stayed back to talk to. He had a tablet his parents didn’t know about and was viewing inappropriate media. Austin was able to walk him through some Bible passages and he was convicted to get his sin in the light and get it right with his parents. He confessed to his mom that night and got rid of the tablet. He testified on Friday night,
During the War of Special Forces on Monday and Tuesday, the preacher was talking about what you were watching online, and it was talking right to my heart…the Lord convicted me of that. I went to talk to my team captain, Mr. Austin. And he told me some very helpful things…that showed me what I needed to do. So then I went home and told my mom. And thank the Lord, I handed over a secret that she did not know I had that I was watching things I shouldn’t. I was in lockdown. Thank the Lord…I’m no longer in sin. Thank you Jesus.
Carissa, the Super Seal co-captain, talked to girl on Wednesday about her eating disorder. She finally connected it to the fact that she was bitter at her parents being angry all the time. She realized that she was trying to control whatever she could. That day, she prayed and handed the situation over to God and chose to trust Him even when it was hard.
The Marines were out recruiting on Tuesday and struggling to find teens outside. Violet found a house that looked like it might have teenagers, knocked, and left a flier when there was no answer. On Wednesday, a young man came to the war because of that flier! He came each night, and Austin was able to lead him to the Lord Friday night. On Sunday, the church contacted us to let us know that the entire family had been in church that Sunday!
Annie was working on some Minutemen responsibilities in the gym on Tuesday when one of her girls approached her and asked to talk. She had been too afraid to respond to the invitation, but Annie took her to the lobby. That girl ended up getting saved that day! After her salvation was settled, Annie was able to walk her through a pathway for victory over the sin she was struggling with.
Ashton, the captain of the Super Seals talked to a guy on his team. He was bitter towards one of his classmates had been really struggling, but realized that anger was not the answer. Ashton was able to give him verses and help him see that God would enable him to forgive his sin. After they prayed, the boy realized that the classmate was also being counseled. They were able to talk and forgive each other in person right there! He gave a testimony on Friday,
There’s a situation…earlier this year where…I was wronged…it really really hurt me and I lost some friends over it. And…that message on bitterness really got me and that really helped. I really felt I was able to…get in there with God and get inside of the problem and….I really want to thank you so much. Thank you.
Here are a few more testimonies from Friday night:
This week, in my heart God convicted that I needed to be saved. And I did. And I want to thank that He did that for me….and today in chapel the Ranger captain was talking about having to answer to God someday. I would also like to thank all of the captains for everything, and I got saved yesterday.
The whole week I didn’t really want to go up, I was like, everyone will make fun of me. But after the pastor was done preaching, my heart was…breaking out of my chest and I just stopped gambling with God and I just…felt like God literally picked me up and made me walk over there….I just want to like encourage everybody like I know all y’all trying to fit in and do like what all the people are trying to do and like y’all might think it’s cool and stuff, but…at the end of the day…everybody’s going to go up…one day…and praise God and…today…when we were up in the small groups…each girls and guys…The guys they just were preaching and saying…we’re all going to face Him and we’re either going to go…to the judgment where God wrath is going to be poured out on us or…God is either going to accept us into heaven and if there’s anybody like in the crowd that is…trying to fit in and don’t want to come up here, I just like want to encourage you and…I just want to try to say that it’s okay to be different, especially in a Christian school where you should be….encouraging each other.
When I was born, I was born with a big tumor on this side of my head and I had to get a lot of surgeries just so I could live. I almost died at birth and I never…really fit in society like other kids. My mom would always say it’s okay, God will always protect you. And I lived by that….but as a child, a lot and a lot of people would question me, make fun of me because of my face. And now I know my face doesn’t define me. My parents started coming to church here in 2016…I would come here every night, Sunday school and…You know it didn’t really click. I just kept on coming. Why do I have to know about God? Jesus guy? Is he actually real? And it’s week after week after week after week, my mom would force me to go to church, make me go. I didn’t want to. And then suddenly when I was around eight, I got a massive fear of death. And I remember um April 22nd, 2018…Mr Wright was um talking in the Music Room.He was talking about heaven and hell. And if you die without accepting Jesus as your savior. I started to cry a lot….And then one of the women took me to the stairwell and I got saved…We went to church a lot more often after I got saved.And then COVID…Suddenly I wasn’t getting fed spiritually. And um it it was an interesting thing where I knew I should read the Bible and stuff. Come on, we have the TV, right? Why should why should I do something that’s more boring?…And I went on a really dangerous path. Watching stuff I wasn’t supposed to, doing things I wasn’t supposed to do. And doubt was creeping in slowly….But even then, if the Christian life like Dr. Jim said, is impossible. And so I started to rely on myself and not on God…It would be like this all the time. But it slowly got lower and lower. Eventually it got to the point where I stopped praying. I stopped reading my Bible. I stopped repenting. And doubt and depression started to seek in….And I went back to my sin deeper than last time and it destroyed me. I tried to do things that you know maybe a bit of pleasure here, a bit there.
I didn’t want to admit back then that I was suicidal. Really suicidal….I’m already saved so I have on stupid mentality of being like that….And when I say prayer is the most powerful spiritual weapon we have….But God is always with us. He always is. He loves us so much that he’s dying on the cross for us. He’s love will always fill us up. Infinite supply that he will always have. Because the devil has no power over you once you get saved. If you’re not saved, well, it’s really not choice of mine. But once you get saved, it’s going to fight. You start opening a relationship with God and God will mold and shape you to the person he wants you to be. I remember um sitting over there to the Rangers a few years ago. We won…so I’m just listening to everybody’s testimonies and I got that feeling like Lucas, you should go up there, but I suppressed it. Nobody cares. I wouldn’t change anything…I got home and I regretted it instantly. I did not want to make that same mistake twice…This week has changed so many people’s lives…And I implore you, if you don’t know Jesus as your savior, please. Accept the gift…Jesus is always ready. He’s always ready. And please, if you have any secret sin or you don’t you feel like nobody loves you, talk to someone…And you must seek God and he will seek you.
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