Short and Sweet
Our ministry received an invitation from Pastors Raul and Julissa Gutierrez of the Church “El Alfarero” in LA, California. They invited us to participate in a young adults retreat that they were doing at the end of October. The retreat was a 3-day event & took place in Running Springs, California. Many of the young adults were touched by God & filled with the Holy Spirit!
Here are some more details from Rick & Johanna:
On Our Way
At our arrival to the airport, flights were behind schedule and chaotic leaving groups of passengers stressed and tired. Many passengers had already been delayed for hours in the airport. But, we knew God had sent us on His mission, so we prayed & pressed on through it all to make our flight. As we headed out to LA California an excitement grew to see what God had planned for us! And finally at the end of that chaotic day of travel a warm reception by our Christ family in LA was very welcome.
First Day
We helped load up the equipment, and headed out to the camp grounds. They had told us that traffic was bad in LA, now we experienced it personally. Our drive should have taken 1hr 45min, but in ever changing LA traffic it took 5 hours for us to make it. We made it to the camp grounds around 9:00 PM and set up for our first service that night. There were around 20 people all feeling tired. That is where God stepped in, God surprised us! We had an awesome service where Johanna participated with their worship team and Rick shared a message. Around 12AM Rick felt to do a prayer to receive the Holy Spirit and 6 people where filled with the Holy Spirit that night!
God meets with us when we least expect it.
The Second Day
was the most packed of all the days. We had 4 services plus a workshop. In the morning Pastor Raul shared a word about how important our words are and afterward Johanna did the workshop with the worship team. The workshop was a good time for anyone to open up and participate. In the afternoon we had a time of worship and 2 more messages about our calling and service to God. Then in the evening Rick preached on our authority in Christ Jesus and at the end of service we had a special time where families prayed for one another! It was amazing to see God bring healing among parents, children, siblings & spouses.
The Third Day
As our last day at the camp. We all took a break to play games that morning despite the cold weather and spent time together. after that time together, without a minute to spare we headed back to LA. For our final service that afternoon at the church. We did a quick set up and started our service. Rick shared a final message challenging the congregation to discover their role in missions by trusting God with their whole life! After service we spent time eating with some of the church members. Even there at the dinner table God was still touching people which was really cool to witness.
Our Final Day
we were able to spend some time with the pastors and different members of the church. In all the activity that we had, something that was amazing to see was how the young adults pushed thru all these services and songs and sought after God! We are all human and can reach our limits of tiredness and mental focus, but Jesus met with us there. And knowing that produces such a gratitude in our hearts!
We just want to Thank Pastors Raul and Julissa Gutierrez and Iglesia El Alfarero for this timely opportunity & moment that we got to share with them.
Thank You, King Jesus!