I love to visit Phoenix, AZ in the late fall or winter! The saguaro cacti are beautiful especially as a silhouette on a western sunset! I also love coming to Northwest Vally Baptist Church where Pastor Kevin Schaal has been pastor for years! There are some special people there with whom we love to minister. It seems each time the Lord works in special ways. We are thankful for all the Lord did in hearts this year too!
On Monday morning, the captains were out recruiting before school. Near the beginning of the recruiting time, Josiah, the Marine captain, invited two girls and was surprised at how excited they were. He was unable to get contact information, but the Lord encouraged him that He could draw them out anyway. Sure enough, Wednesday evening they arrived with a group of friends. They listened intently to the gospel message, but did not respond. Abi, the Marine co-captain, spoke with them afterwards and two of the girls were gloriously saved.
A young man on the Seal team was convicted during chapel on Wednesday. When he came back during the invitation, Judson, the Seal captain, talked with him about bitterness and anger. That day the young man forgave several people in his life. He shared in his testimony on Friday about his struggle with bitterness towards people and life events that were out of his control and said:
“Every time something…would occur…I would be mad at God. And I [would] feel like ‘God I know you’re real and I know you died for my sins, but if you really are good why would you let this happen to all these good people?’ And…I’ve been convicted…that bitterness and that anger that it was almost second nature to me…and I felt the Holy Spirit in me. I felt Him grab at me so tightly that I couldn’t resist it…I felt like I was the first to stand up because I was hurting…I felt the hypocrisy in my life…Without God I’ll always be weak, but as long as I am with God that anger, that bitterness, that dark past that I wish I could have never lived through, it doesn’t matter.”
After the purity message on Tuesday along with Josiah’s testimony, several students opened up about their personal struggle in the area of purity. Josiah was able to counsel many of them through to victory. They confessed their hidden sin to their parents and found a freedom they never knew was possible.
Janna, the Seal co-captain, counseled a girl who had struggled with bitterness towards her biological mom for several years. Her mom had chosen drugs over raising her five children and gave them up for adoption. This young lady had turned to self-harm to cope with the pain of rejection and bitterness. After hearing the chapel messages on Wednesday and Friday she was willing to forgive.
After the chapel message on Thursday, Stephen, the Ranger captain, was able to talk with a guy who was burdened about giving in to negative peer pressure. As they talked, the young man opened up about his deep depression. By the end of their conversation, the young man shared that he knew God was calling Him to preach, and that he was willing to follow [God’s] leading. Here is his testimony he shared:
“I’ve had…really bad depression and it’s caused me to hate a lot of people who have done nothing to deserve hate at all…During one of the chapel services I wanted to get up, I knew I was feeling conviction, but I didn’t really want to because I still hated those people…The Holy Spirit softened my heart and I realized that this was a spiritual attack…I just opened up to God that night in prayer. And for the first time in a while when I read the Bible, the words actually had life. Instead of just reading words on a page it felt like someone was actually giving me advice on how to live my life…I no longer have that social anxiety or depression…or that desire to hurt somebody…. And…’cause of the War [of] Special Forces…God’s revealed in my heart that I want to become a preacher.”
A young lady came forward on Wednesday to deal with bitterness towards her parents. The Ranger co-captain, Annaleese, was able to counsel her and see her let go of the bitterness she had held on to for several years. She also saw answered prayer this week and shared in her testimony:
“Bitterness ruins you, and so if you have bitterness towards someone, get it right with God. And prayer works, I had a friend that I’d been praying for a little bit and this past week she got saved.”
This girl, who also attended the Christian school and was saved in answer to her friend’s prayer, immediately was burdened for one of her Catholic friends who was in public school. She invited her to the rally on Friday night. This girl did not respond in the invitation, but afterwards Annaleese was able to approach her a about her salvation. She realized her need for Jesus and accepted Him that night. The girl (who got saved from the Christian school) shared a testimony on Friday:
“So last year I questioned if God was with me and if…He was actually real. And I talked to some people about it, and it didn’t really help. But this week, hearing the chapels and the testimonies and going to the separate rooms with the counselors and captains…that really helped. So…I got saved this week on Wednesday, and now I know that God is with me and that I’m assured to go to heaven.”
We are thankful for all that God did here in Glendale!
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