As the country was beginning to open up from the Covid quarantine in the spring, I looked through Instagram and saw a significant worship event that was to take place near the end of September 2020. It was named “The Return”, and I began to follow its account. As I saw more of their posts, I learned why “The Return” was an important event to hold in the times that our country is facing. “The Return” is a call to repentance for our nation and its people: to turn back toward God in repentance and to pray over the United States. At that time, I did not know what to expect for this event, scheduled to take place on September 26th in Washington, DC. It featured speakers such as Jonathan Cahn (author of “The Harbinger”) and Anne Graham Lotz. However, I began to count down the days to “The Return” over the summer, knowing that God was going to move mightily that day.
Over the summer, “The Return” got closer. As graduate school kicked off, we decided as a house church to schedule a campout during that same weekend. This was super exciting as we would now be together as a church during this important time to pray together. Meanwhile, Franklin Graham organized a big prayer march to take place in Washington, DC the same day, and the Avery County Prayer Group scheduled an event at Newland’s town square (my hometown) to lift the country up in prayer. The stage was set for a critical time of prayer and repentance to take place the weekend of September 26th…
The Return took place as thousands of people converged in Washington, DC. Jonathan Cahn and others delivered powerful speeches as the assembly prayed and worshipped on the National Mall. The message continues to reverberate as Christians across the world hear the call towards repentance (please see video link at the bottom of this post). But ultimately- what happened? If I had to use one word to describe what God accomplished in this time, it would be “juxtaposition”. Juxtaposition is the act of smashing two seemingly unrelated things together to produce an effect that would not be otherwise possible if the two items were separate. This weekend (and the week leading up to The Return) played out this concept in vivid fashion.
On one side, the week saw the most significant progress in over six months towards launching on the World Race. During this time, Adventures In Missions finalized the 2021 Expedition Route, and the 2021 Expedition Squad was formed. We began to get to know each other as a squad, share about our faith life, journey with the Lord, and learn about our heart for the nations. Meanwhile, fundraising started to take off again as I met with multiple potential donors. More fundraising leads were established, and I am currently working out details to speak at small church gatherings in the future. The Town Square prayer event assembled many who love the Lord from Avery County, and I was able to reunite with people that I had not seen in years. At the square, we took turns praying for our local community, the country, and the world. As a church, we camped out and got to pitch our tents while sharing about our experiences with following Jesus. This terrific time together is a glimpse of the fellowship (and primitive camping) that we will have together during the Race.
Yet on the other side, God challenged me to my own act of “returning” to Him- in the form of repentance. Just as the weekend was getting started, I prayed about what message God was sending as the events across the United States took place. He laid out some areas of my life where I needed to trust Him and repent. God is very patient, but He also lovingly convicts those who follow Him. Through His conviction, I was also challenged to examine what lens we are looking at sin with. Is sin something to avoid because fleeing sin allows one to live a better life? The actions of sin oftentimes carry bad consequences, and not sinning can avoid many potential negative outcomes. However, is sin to be avoided because God hates it; and His spirit grieves when He sees His people lost in sin? If we look through this lens, fleeing sin and repenting is an expression of love towards Jesus who saved us from being in the bondage of sin.
In the weeks following The Return, a lot of prayer has taken place. Yet during this time, I am continuing to dive deep into what it means to repent. While at Adventures’ February Open House before Covid-19 broke out across the world, I heard an expression called “Ask the Lord” (ATL) being used. The expression is utilized when missionaries in a country pray over how to partner and engage local people with the Gospel. Today, I see myself doing that on a personal level as I prepare to depart for the overseas mission field next year. Over these past few weeks, I have been doing “ATL” to ask what steps God is prompting me to take to walk with Him and prepare my heart. As I write this blog, it has been fruitful. It has not always been easy, but it has indeed been fruitful.
Seasons of preparation often take place before big milestones in life come to fruition. Marriages usually take place following a period of engagement where the couple prepares to get married. Long-term mission trips come to pass after a period of time where the missionaries raise support, get to know their sending community, and prepare their hearts for serving overseas. A change of seasons in life can come after wrestling with a series of decisions that must be made. During times of preparation, God challenges us and searches the deepest depths of our hearts. He does this to prepare us for what is ahead and oftentimes to bring healing to things that have taken place in the past. During times of preparation, we have much anticipation and excitement for what is ahead. Yet we often overlook the importance of it. And if we choose to take advantage of this season of preparation that God has placed before us, it can build a crucial foundation for what is to come.
It has been terrific to get to know each other as a squad and to begin praying over one another. As we prepare to launch on the race, here are some prayer points to lift up:
1. Please pray for the Unreached People Groups who we are called to reach. Pray that those who do not know Christ may have access to the Gospel and that we can encourage people who are laboring and working on the ground in the countries on our route.
2. Pray for peace- both in the United States and abroad. The US Elections are less than 1 month away; pray for understanding and reconciliation. Meanwhile, Armenia and Azerbaijan are now fighting a war over territory that has been disputed since the 1980s. Azerbaijan is possibly on our route, and please pray for peace between the Muslims and Christians who live in both countries.
3. Pray for the Expedition Squad to actively follow Jesus and to press in during this season of preparation. Please lift up this group as we make disciples in the US and abide in Christ. Pray for the church in America to be a light in the darkness during these uncertain times.
Thank you very much, and I look forward to keeping in touch! More information will be posted here in the coming months (particularly about trip details), and please feel free to reach out.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (from The Return’s instagram page).
VIDEO of Jonathan Cahn’s speech at The Return: (Smashing of the Vase at ~21:00)
