Our family just returned from three weeks of outreach in Ohio, and we are seeing a new normal in many different ways. The fruit we saw in Greenville, Ohio was astounding. What began as one scheduled week of outreach quickly expanded into three weeks as God kept opening doors and momentum just kept building. By the end of the first week, we had seen God do some pretty special things in the public schools. Time to Revive was invited to share the Gospel with the Greenville High School football players, and 35 of them stood up to put their faith in Christ. After that came a wave of open doors into other public school clubs and sporting events. By the end of week 3, we had been invited to share at over 30 different public school events- volleyball, cross country, soccer, marching band, cheerleading, dance team, basketball, baseball and more- at schools across Darke County. In all we saw over 200 students say yes to Jesus through these gatherings.
But the public schools weren’t the only open door in Greenville. The judicial system of Darke County was also incredibly impacted. Two of the local judges were “all in” with reviveOHIO, and worked hard to connect us with those needing hope. We prayed and shared the Gospel at the courthouse, the recovery center, and the local jail for the entire three weeks.
Whether in the school systems, the judicial system, or just out on the streets of Greenville, 570 people from Darke County were matched one-on-one with a Disciple-maker to walk with them and show them what it means to follow Jesus daily. 363 of those people chose to put their faith in Christ for the first time!
And while the numbers are incredible, let’s not forget that each one represents a story…a life changed. Below are some of my favorite stories from the week:
A Life Transformed
God is transforming lives here in Darke County, Ohio, and it’s not just the football team and the cheerleaders who are being impacted. If you say the name Shawn Bowles on the streets of Greenville, everyone knows who you’re talking about. A well-known drug dealer and violent enforcer of his territory, Shawn has made quite the name for himself in this town that has been ravaged by the drugs streaming out of nearby Dayton…(read more)
You and Your Household
The story from Acts 16 begins in a prison where the jailer sees God miraculously rescue Paul and Silas from the bars and chains imprisoning them. And then he wants that same freedom too, not physically from a jail cell, but from the weight of life without Christ. Not just for himself, but for his whole family…(read more)
This Is Not Normal
Eight Greenville varsity football players walked across the field toward their local rival, the Ansonia varsity football team. It wasn’t game night, and as a matter of fact, the official season hasn’t even begun yet. These football players showed up for a very different reason…(read more)
Death to Life
Courtney was sitting on her front porch in the heat of the afternoon sun. The ragged and rundown condition of her home was an exterior reflection of the internal state of her heart. As we walked up to the front porch, Courtney’s two children greeted us from behind the wooden baby gate that was the only separation between the outside and the inside…(read more)
The past three weeks have begun a new normal for our family as well. We are settling into the routine of being on the road (often more than we’re at home lately), and the kids are doing great! I could tell through reviveOHIO that God has strengthened our family, and we’re walking in a new level of supernatural strength. Crystal has been doing a phenomenal job and is truly becoming a very special part of our family. We love her so much and are so very thankful for her. We also started a new routine of homeschooling while in a national city, and it went pretty well too. We’re definitely still learning and figuring out what is best for the kiddos and our whole family in this new normal, but God has been so faithful. The kids are already asking, “When do we get to go back to reviveOHIO again?!?” They’ll get their wish sooner rather than later as we head back to Ohio October 9-15 for reviveOHIO :: Auglaize County. You can find more information about our upcoming schedule at www.reviveOH.com.
Love, prayers, and so much thanks…
the Harts
Sooo happy for and proud of you guys 🙂 Meg and I hope and pray you guys find ways of being recharged in realtime. You guys are a beautiful model of what it means to follow God’s call, and I’m deeply excited to see how this all unfolds!!
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