A Big Life Update!!
The end of another travel season…
I can’t believe I’m writing this! Two years of travel are officially over. Has it been hard? Yes. Has God been good? YES YES! As we look back on the past year, we are reminded of God’s goodness, faithfulness, and power to save! As of last week, we have seen 297 people make professions of faith in Christ since we hit the road in October of 2021! God has worked abundantly above all that we could ask, think or imagine as He has promised. He is so, so good!
So what happened during this travel semester?
While it certainly is not everything that happened these past few months, I wanted to highlight a few things that God did this travel semester:
There was a man and his wife who had been coming to the church we were at who openly said they were not saved. After hearing a message on the judgment seat of Christ, the man came up to Mark, spoke with him, and made a profession of faith in Jesus! A few days later, his wife did the same! Most of the salvations we have seen in the last two years have been kids and teenagers, but God is still working in the lives of adults and it’s so cool to see!
We brought the team out one night to get desserts from a local bakery, and while we were waiting, two of our team girls went into a cigarette shop to pray with the lady working behind the counter. You could tell she was confused 😂, but she did share a prayer request with them. They were able to pray for her right in the middle of the store! The boldness of these team members is so encouraging! I am Grateful for their example!
One young lady came to a youth rally we were hosting in NC. She was struggling with depression & suicide. As a result of that night, she turned her life to Christ and changed COMPLETELY. A week later she came to another church that we were at and as the team sang, she stood up in worship with both hands raised, tears flowing down her face and just worshipped Jesus. How cool is that?
One dad said they have turned off the television and are replacing it with the Word and sharing the Word with their families.
A Father decided to quit playing video games, and he is giving that time to the Lord.
Another man went home after a service, and he told his family that they were going to stop watching so much television. Instead, they turned a bedroom in their house into a prayer room!
The girls had a prayer meeting the night before we headed to our final church of the travel semester. They all wrote down specific prayer requests of what they wanted to see God do that week. One of the girls prayed that one person would get saved at the nursing home we would be going to. We had never seen or heard of that happening before, and when we got to the nursing home that day, I looked around and thought, “No chance.”.. well, turns out one of the girls was able to lead one of the residents to the Lord that day. It’s so cool to see God answer specific prayers that are coupled with faith!
We continue to get positive updates from pastors at the churches and schools we’ve been to of people getting saved and baptized. Praise Him for fruit that remains!
I could go on and on about all that God has been doing! God has used this opportunity to reach others and also to grow us! We are so grateful for your investment in us and all God has been doing!
Ministering in Jamaica
Toward the tail end of our Spring travel semester, the team piled into a jet plane and traveled to the island country of Jamaica. While the plan was for Bailey to help lead the team alongside Mark and Nate, God had other plans. Less than 24 hours before He was suppose to leave for the airport, our family had a medical emergency that forced us to stay stateside while the team headed off to the Caribbean. While we don’t know why things happened the way they did, we know God has a purpose for every pain and we are grateful for His love and grace now more than ever. As the team left for their trip, we knew that our role was to prayerfully support them, and we are so grateful how He answered those prayers during the trip. The trip provided an opportunity for the team to minister in a way familiar to them but in a different context. While in Jamaica they held revival services in local churches, worked with kids and teens, and shared the good news of Jesus through Gospel Conversations. The team also got the chance to grow together as a family as they stretched outside their comfort zone together. As the team returned home from their trip, we were elated to hear about all the stories of how God used them and grew them for His glory. Below are some photos from the trip complements of Gavin Mahle. He did a great job!
So what are we up to now?
Currently, we are finishing up our pre-summer break! We were blessed to be able to spend a week with the Farrells in celebration of Peter graduating from Law School (Way to go Peter!!!). We were so grateful to have this special time relaxing and being together. After our trip with the Farrells concluded, we headed to Rochester (where we are now) for a few weeks. We are excited to spend some time with the Tumia side of the family and friends from back home!
What’s Next?
In just a few weeks, we will be kicking off our 2023 Mt. Lou San Summer Camp season! We are beyond excited for this opportunity to serve alongside over 50 summer staff members to help make camp possible for hundreds of kids. Bailey and I will be in charge of Summer Staff Discipleship, which means we will oversee the spiritual growth and development of all our high school and college age volunteers. Thru weekly classes, prayer meetings, home Bible studies, and other means of life-on-life discipleship, our prayer is that God will use us to encourage the summer staff as they serve to make Mt. Lou San possible. Bailey will also be preaching in chapels, and Reid will be in charge of making mud pies and leading worship! It is going to be a busy summer for sure, and prayerfully, it will be a blessed summer as well!
What comes after Mt. Lou San?
After many conversations with each other, with wise counsel, and with God, Alyssa and I have made the decision that this will be our last year serving with Encounter Revival Ministries and Mt. Lou San Bible Camp. This decision was made for several reasons, but the foremost is that we believe God is calling us away from traveling revival ministry with ERM. We have loved the amazing opportunity to serve alongside Mark, Valerie, and the team these past two years. God has done so much in us and thru us, and we wouldn't trade this time serving Him for anything! But as Reid gets older and we pray that our family would grow in the future, we believe that life on the road is coming to an end for us. This was a decision we did not make lightly, and we are grateful for all the staff and team members that have made these past two years some of the most memorable of our lifetime! We will be staying till the end of the summer camp season, and couldn't be more excited to invest in the campers and staff this year at Mt. Lou San!
Following the Encounter team's final concert on August 4th, we will be moving on to our next assignment. We are praying God lead us to something that brings Him glory and encourages others to love and serve Him. We will be sure to update you as we seek God’s will, and we cannot say thank you enough for your continued prayers!
As it relates to financial support, we are so blessed to say that because of all your generous giving we are completely supported through the summer! That is incredible! I cannot believe how many people have sacrificed to make our time serving with ERM possible. I am in awe. I am humbled. I am grateful that you are a part of all God did over these past two years. By God's grace, we have partnered together and seen churches encouraged, lives changed, and souls saved! Praise God and thank you for giving to make it possible!
With this said, there are a few details I need to run past you:
For those who give monthly, you will need to reach out to ERM’s financial office to cancel your recurring giving. You can contact via email at finances@encounterrevival.org or via the phone at (717) 545-2599. Alternatively, you can also end your recurring giving via the Ministrylinq giving portal: (https://give.ministrylinq.com/App/Form/76759b67-0e02-494a-8ab8-9e70a21cee30).)
Any funds given to Encounter Revival Ministries on our behalf after August will be refunded, but you will still need to contact the office to terminate your recurring giving.
If you have any questions as it relates to financial support, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask. My number is 585.794.8631 and my email is leyfarrell@gmail.com. You can reach Jimmy, who helps with the finances at ERM, via his email Jimmy@encounterrevival.org.
I'll close with a few prayer requests:
Pray that the team members would have a restful break. Camp is very busy season for them, and it can be tiring to serve week after week. That is why these few weeks before camp begins are essential to get rested up and prayed up!
Pray that God would start preparing the hearts of the campers who will be attending Mt. Lou San in the coming months! Pray for salvations and sensitive hearts!
Pray that the students who are coming to serve on staff this summer begin to prep their hearts for all God wants to do in and thru them this summer.
Pray for all of us at Mt. Lou San as we begin to prepare for our roles at summer camp.
Pray for Bailey, Reid and I as we begin preparing to transition from life and ministry with Encounter Revival Ministries and Mt. Lou San Bible Camp to life and ministry wherever God has prepared for us! We trust that He has a plan to both protect and provide for us as we continue to make disciples and make His Name known!
Thank you again for all the ways you have supported us and the ministry! We couldn't have done this without your heartfelt prayers and loving support! Thank You! Thank You!! Thank You!!!