Hey my friend! We hope you are doing well!
Recently, our team completed a mission in St. Agustine that was a little different than our usual missions. As you probably know, we usually go to big events with tons of people, but this time, we went to an event that was much smaller. Our goal was not so much to evangelize massive crowds, it was mainly to pray, worship and push back the principalities that were being invited in by the event.
However, we did share the gospel with several people and had some powerful Divine appointments. As one example, we talked to this young man for about two hours on the streets the night before the event, and he prayed to receive Jesus.
I don’t know if you are aware of this, but St. Augustine is the oldest city in America. It is also one with a VERY dark history. In 1562, a group of French Protestants called the Huguenots came to Florida seeking religious liberty, and they set up a small colony right outside of modern-day Jacksonville. They called it Ft. Caroline.
In 1565, Spanish Catholics came to Florida, and they launched an attack against these protestants. Once the Huguenots were captured, they were all given an opportunity to convert to Catholicism and live…but they all refused. They were subsequently martyred for their faith.
The man who led this atrocity was Pedro Menendez, and the place where he landed and based his military operation against the Huguenots was…St. Augustine. Therefore, St. Augustine was founded to be the launching pad for the cold-blooded murder of 300 people who simply wanted to worship Jesus in peace.
Now, if that wasn’t awful enough, get this- the city has an annual event that honors and commemorates Pedro Menendez, where they paint him as a man who was on a mission from God. They call it Founders Day, and even the mayor shows up to speak her praise for this murderer.
The event is even held on the grounds of the Catholic church that he founded when he arrived, and they have dozens of people re-enact the entire thing while a crowds of several hundred watch. Here’s some video of the event:
What the Lord showed me very clearly was that this atrocity was the open door to the spirit of division being unleashed across our land. Therefore, going into the event my heart was go to war against these spirits that were being re-invited into the land by this event, in the hopes that it would bring about a greater movement of unity amongst the body of Christ in America.
We were there worshipping and praying for several hours, and right as we began to pray, God did a pretty cool thing to let us know there was a shift coming. He brought the lightest sprinkle, right above us, for about 5 minutes. It was super sunny out too, and after those few minutes the rain stopped and it never rained again.
Going into the mission, I kept getting this feeling like there would be something extra powerful released if a Catholic (who was actually saved) joined us as we prayed. Sure enough…God brought one! He was there for the event, and he initially came over to push back on what we were doing. But, after we talked to him for a while, he was really nice to us and could see where our heart was. He, like nearly everyone at the event, had no idea how dark the true story was.
Interestingly, Sofiya, Adam and I were also joined by two people (the black man and the other girl) who were both raised Catholic and got severely persecuted by their own family for becoming born again. This gave them a strong anointing to come against those spirits, and I could really sense His power flowing through the time of intercession, which took place right outside the church where the event was held.
It was also interesting that when we stopped to get lunch afterwards, these drinks were in the front of the beverage cooler next to the cash register:
Even in something like this, we could sense the Lord speaking.
Later that day, I took everyone up to Huguenot Memorial Park to see the beach where the Huguenots had their first worship service after they arrived. This service was actually the very first protestant worship service on American soil.
Once we got there, I knew that God wanted to redig the wells, and I felt strongly like He wanted to release a new anointing for commitment to the Word and will of God- like the Huguenots had. How amazing that these believers were willing to take the risk of coming across the Atlantic through an uncharted course, just to be able to worship Jesus in Spirit and truth. And… how amazing that when they were given the chance to “repent” and become Catholic, they chose death instead.
That day we held a worship service on the beach, likely in the very spot where the Huguenots had the first worship service. It was next level amazing. Here’s a video I recorded there:
We got back from this mission on September 7th, and as you know, it was only a few days later when our brother Charlie Kirk was martyred. What has happened since then has not only been a revival causing many lost people to come to Jesus, but it has also caused many in the church to come to a greater place of commitment to the Word and will of God, just like we prayed for on that beach.
We have also seen a MASSIVE movement of unity amongst the body of Christ that has been beautifully represented by all the memorial gatherings that have taken place across the nation. Even the newspapers are writing about it. This is from the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Natalie and I went to the one in Bradenton, and it was very powerful. Here’s some video of the event:
All this to say, I feel like God caught us up on His storyline via this trip and I’m praying for a continual outpouring of unity, revival and zeal. Let’s make sure to do our part to pray against the spirits of disunity and lukewarmness, to make sure they do not get a foothold into our hearts either. We need each other more than ever and we need to be committed to the Word and will of God more than ever. Help us Lord!
Love you!
CV