Beginnings: a distant dream

The Beginning:

I can't believe I am writing this now. This is the beginning of something that has been a long time coming. I never imagined we would be in the spot we are at age 23. I guess what I mean is that when Trevor and I had talked about church planting, it was always this distant dream- something we knew we wanted to do and something we knew we were called to, but something that was always in the distant future. It was never something we could plan for or make concrete goals about. It was only something we could prepare for and hope it would some day happen. We thought maybe in our late twenties or early thirties. Never now. But here we are.

My story:

I grew up in the church and had a heart for missions at an early age. I was as involved as a child could be in church and youth group and all that jazz. I knew I wanted to be a part of ministry so I joined every single one. From kids ministry to worship, refreshments to dance (please dont ask me to explain this one as I have pretty much blocked it out of my memory), drama to youth. It took some time to narrow down what I wanted to do and what I was called to do. When I really discovered what I was called to do, I was 17. I was on a missions trip to Mexico. I had been on missions trip to Mexico before, but this one was different. I had always done the typical reaching out to people, giving food, offering help anyways I could. However, on this trip, we visited a family that was pairing up with a local church to support them rather than come do their own thing. My entire view on missions was changed. I realized the importance of reaching people in a culturally relevant way, and that while the Gospel doesn't change, how we present it and how we reach people must. It was at this time that I felt called to reach people for the gospel by church planting. I didn't know how or where. All I knew is that I wanted to reach the unreached. Wherever there were people who had never heard the Gospel or had never been reached out to, I wanted to be there.

Trevor's Story:

Trevor grew up in the opposite way as I did. He never went to church and was never taught the Gospel. I met him when he was not saved (I'll tell that story another time). When he was in jr high, his aunt began to take him to church. She lived in the valley so he wouldn't go very often, but whenever she had the chance she would take him. He would attend youth events just for the social aspect. In the fall of 2002, he attended the Billy Graham Crusade at the Rose Bowl. And while part of the reason he actually went down when they had the alter call was simply so he could walk on that amazing field, he ended up getting saved. Shortly after, he overdosed on drugs, and truly committed to walk with the Lord since he knew his life had been spared. It was at this time he felt the call to be a pastor. From almost day one, he had felt this call on his life.


So here we are today! I chose to start this blog today because this morning Trevor and Pastor Bruce landed in Portland. They are visiting to meet with several pastors in the area to get feedback on the best place for us to church plant in Portland. Lord willing, from this visit things will be much clearer and we will have decided on an area to plant. We are planning to move up to Portland in March to plant Nexus Portland. The next two months will be a lot of preparation and job applications and house hunting! We are so excited for what God has in store. Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on this journey. Pray for provision, open doors, wisdom in our decisions, and the city of Portland.

My friend Emily made this for me for Christmas - there's a heart on each city we have lived- Camarillo and soon to be Portland. 

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Thanks for reading!

Julianne