Hello Friends and Family,
It’s been a while since we've shared a life update. So, here’s what He’s been teaching us these past 6.5 years: surrender. Pure, tender surrender. The kind of surrender our hearts have longed for because of His love, grace, and mercy towards us. The stripping away of the old so that we can birth the new thing He wants to do in us and through us. Has it been easy? No. But is it always worth it? YES. He is worth it.
We moved back from San Diego in June 2018, with a call to reach nations. We left a city and people we loved dearly to spend what we thought would be a short season of rest in SC with family. Shortly after returning, the joy of being reunited with family shifted to a strong desire for us to dream and pioneer again. We knew deep inside us was an apostolic calling from Him we couldn’t get away from—to make disciples and start churches. We’ve had our moments of questioning that call and further surrendering what we thought it looked like. More stripping away. More time on our faces in the Presence of Jesus because we learned He’s the only One who sustains us. We’ve held on to the promises of His Word He’s spoken over us and our family, only at times to see very little shifting in the natural. His Word and His voice have sustained us. We’ve continuously prayed, "Not our will be done, but yours, Jesus."
We went through a season of silence only to again question, why? Someone who had been praying for us back in late summer of 2024 said sometimes He’s silent because we haven’t obeyed the last thing He told us to do. Ouch. We took this together to Him in prayer and gave Him our YES with NO turning back to stepping out of the boat again to plant a church. To many, this may not seem like a big risk, but to us, this is HUGE because we know the weight of our Yes to this. The kind of Yes where we’re stepping out of the boat and we will sink if our eyes aren’t fixed on Jesus. What’s so significant in all of this is that June 2025 will mark SEVEN years of being in South Carolina. Seven in the Bible represents completion.
As we prayed, fasted, and pretty much sought Him with everything in us 😉, we opened up and shared with our family and our Newspring family in the fall of 2024. We’ve prayed, put a map before Him, open-handed to GO wherever He wants us, and He’s made it clear He’s calling us to Jacksonville, Florida. It is the tenth largest city in the nation with over a million people and the largest city in Florida. Over 700,000 people in that region have no religious affiliation. We believe these verses: “He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Matthew 9:37-38). Jacksonville is known as the “Gateway to Florida.” We believe there is spiritual truth to this nickname. What God does in this city will flood the state of Florida and beyond.
Our hearts long to stay connected to His. As we continue to seek Him, asking what He wants for His Bride, His Church, He’s still calling us to go and make disciples of all nations. We desire to build a House birthed in prayer, the power of the Resurrection Gospel that equips and sends out to reach a city and nations, preparing the way for His Return. Jesus is the prize. “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:14).
We’re stepping out of the boat in faith and are reminded as He continuously keeps speaking the story of Abraham and Sarah.
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1).
“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance…Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10).
As we’ve prayed and sought counsel, we feel the stirring to move by the end of this summer. So here we step out in FAITH & OBEDIENCE again to GO to a city, a land He’s giving us for His Glory.
We share all of this because we know this isn’t just about us. Our hearts are to partner with others in this journey as we pray and seek together to build His Church. Some of you may feel the stirring and prompting of Him to GO, others of you to pray and invest in the Kingdom. We want to invite you in on the journey!
“My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples; the COASTLANDS hope for me, and for my arm they WAIT.” (Isaiah 51:5).
Much Love,
Kevin & Susan