From Portland- by Trevor

portland trip: 

pastor bruce and i have been in portland for 2 full days now. it has been an incredible experience and God continues to open doors and confirm our calling. over the past two days we have driven all through the city of portland, and have met with a total of 10 pastors in the area. during our meetings, i had the opportunity to ask questions about the area and ask where they see need as well as field questions that the guys had for me. overall, we sensed that the meeting couldn't have gone any better! the time was a huge blessing and it was an honor to speak with the guys. each brought great wisdom, encouragement, and insight for us. i'm excited about the new relationships that were formed. Lord willing they will continue to grow when we move up here. for the most part all of the guys were very excited and extremely supportive of the work that julie and i feel called to do. 

tomorrow is another full day. we have narrowed our location down to essentially two areas: metro portland; which is a young college area with a lot of diversity. and is located in the heart of downtown portland. the other area that we are praying and considering is the north east side of portland. it is just outside the city, and from our conversation with the guys, we were told that currently there are not many, if any, healthy gospel centered churches in that area. north east portland is a culturally diverse place. you don't have too drive far to see different races, socio-economic standards, religious views etc. with that being said, we are hoping and praying that as we continue to drive around portland that God would give us a more specific sense of which area and which group of people He is calling us too. 

this has been the most fruitful and exciting trip that i have ever been on. i have also never been so excited and sure that julie and i are called to plant a church in portland. God has been very gracious thus far in leading and guiding us, and i cannot wait to see what He has in store for us in the months to come. 

portland is a wonderful city. a city that desperately needs Jesus and the gospel. it is exciting and humbling to play a part in furthering the gospel and the kingdom of God!

"therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. we implore you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. for our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 corinthians 5:20-21