On the Road Again: Journeying with Hope

We left Vista, California on May 13th with a mix of excitement and sadness. We felt that we had to go to Marie’s cousin in Houston, and she had invited us to visit her a couple of weeks ago. Our last destination before heading back to Canada would be the kickstart in Long Island, NY at the end of the month. I also started to feel anxious, thinking that it might be the end of our adventures. I didn’t want it to end; we wanted more of this life.

Dios es amor

We stopped for three days in Del Rio, Texas, at an Airbnb near a beautiful lake. We had planned to take some family time, maybe go swimming at the lake, but I suddenly fell very sick. For the next two days, the family was confined inside the house, and I was restricted to my bed and the bathroom. Once I was back on my feet, we decided to head to a park with a swimmable river. We found a spot under a little bridge where the water was shallow enough for the kids to go in, and we saw a writing on the wall: “Dios es amor.” We didn’t think much of it at that time, but God was speaking to us.

Learning experience

We headed towards Houston, Texas, to visit my wife’s cousin. We were received with open arms, and we had the opportunity to meet her husband and a family member who was living there. During the week we stayed there, we shared our journey and the gospel. She wanted to know more and had lots of questions, so we prayed for her, and the Holy Spirit came, sending shivers and bringing tears to her eyes. Marie took her to a room and guided her to repentance while I was preparing the bath for her baptism. Once she was in the bath, her husband seemed concerned about what we were about to do. We tried to explain that water baptism is more than a symbol and that Jesus gave us the authority and commanded us to baptize all nations. However, we felt a shift in the atmosphere, and we weren’t at peace anymore. We decided to continue our journey but not before we tried to get her connected with a fellowship in her area. Her husband strongly disapproved, and we went on our way. Looking back, we probably would have done things differently, but we did the best with what we knew at the moment, and it is expected when you step out in faith.

Cajun country

We then headed to New Orleans in Louisiana for a four-day trip. We were welcomed by Chris Johnson and his family, amazing people who had gone through so much with Hurricane Ida. Their persistence and love for each other were a blessing to witness. Chris also shared a great teaching about being serious in our Christian walk since not all Christians or believers will be accepted in heaven. During the meeting, a word of knowledge was given: “It’s not the end, but the beginning.” Again, we didn’t think much about it. We had great fellowship and had an occasion to pray for people in a mall in New Orleans. God also answered a prayer I had; I wanted to see an alligator! Brother Darren brought us to a pond, and we had the opportunity to feed a small alligator with some leftover chicken nuggets. I even had a bonus and painful experience with fire ants! They covered my entire right ankle, and I had pimples for about a week. It was not a pretty sight!

Back on the road

Time flies in good company, and we had a great time in Louisiana, but we had no choice but to keep going. After all, we had promised Brother Jeremy that we would help him with the Kickstart in Long Island, NY. But in all honesty, these thoughts kept creeping in: what’s next, what will happen, are we up to the task, is this the end?

Shortly after leaving New Orleans, I received an interesting phone call from Warner. Warner was the person we met during our Luke 10 experience in Sacramento, California. He was kickstarted, healed, and connected to a fellowship. He called when I was at my lowest, and I really believe God used him to give me hope! With the help of the TLR map, we got connected with Kent and Lisa in Chattanooga, TN. They received my family, and we had a short but great time! Aside from the great coffee that they roast themselves 😉, we had such an edifying time. It was a breath of fresh air!

Long Island, NY

After 8 hours of driving, we learned the hard way about NY traffic. The drive was exhausting, and everyone was tired, hungry, and cranky. We stayed for 4 days to help brother Jeremy, but the traffic made it even more challenging. We were invited to a short meeting at brother Kim’s home with all the other participants of the upcoming weekend kickstart. It gave us the opportunity to meet some of the harvest workers in the area.

The kickstart was amazing. God healed the mother of one of my brothers, and many people were set free and healed. I had the opportunity to lead a small group to the streets, where I guided them to find a person of peace and pray for them.

Last day of the meeting, a word of knowledge was given, and it was powerful for me because it was the last day we would be in the USA, and it also confirmed what God was trying to tell us during our travel.

‘’ It’s not the end, but the beginning’’

Philippe