This is where we really get to the nuts and bolts of Storming Jericho. We can set goals all we want, but without a solid plan, we’ll never reach that goal. So…here we go.
Now that you understand our goal, we can share with you our rather unique means of achieving that goal. This is not a typical ministry website. We are not planting a church or opening an orphanage. This isn’t a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen. These are all incredible undertakings, they’re just vastly different from what we’re doing. Because, with our ministry, we have no physical location aside from the ground we may be standing on at any given time. We are just two humble servants, allowing God to use us by taking us on the journey (both physically and spiritually) of a lifetime.
{the path}
Although we were originally planning on starting in the spring of 2013, we sort of jumped ahead of our own timeline a bit and started in June of 2012. Our journey began on the shores of the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco. We had originally planned to follow the American Discovery Trail all the way across the country, but, unfortunately, certain stretches of the ADT are better suited for hiking/backpacking than they are for pushing carts like ours. As a result, we are sort of adjusting and readjusting on an almost daily basis, depending on which roads are safer (or flatter, in some cases) and that sort of thing. Either way, we’re going west-to-east, and our current route goes like this: California > Nevada > Utah > Colorado > Kansas > Missouri > Illinois (barely) > Kentucky > Virginia.
{the logistics}
One thing is for sure about this journey — we are walking each and every mile along the way. To accomplish this within the time frame we hope to, we will need to average 15-20 miles per day. Depending on our pace, this should come out to be about 6-8 hours of walking EVERY DAY.
As we travel, we will depend on God’s good graces to provide for us. We will only be taking the items we can push in our carts. That means no blow dryers, no hair straighteners, no make-up, and no comic books (so say an extra prayer for Mike). We will take the essentials and leave the rest at home. We will bring a few changes of clothes and pray we find several laundromats (or get used to each other’s…aromas).
Our lodging will depend on our location. We will bring a tent and sleeping bags and plan to sleep under the stars many nights of our journey. We’re not opposed to staying with people who may offer, but we’re trusting God to work out those details along the way.
Food will be whatever we can carry. We will have to plan ahead as there will be several days we’ll walk without a store in sight. We’re talking middle of nowhere here.
{the ministry}
First and foremost, this is a journey of simplicity, a walk with Jesus. It’s about stripping off the distractions of our world and focusing on God. It’s an opportunity to let go of pride, comfort and self-created security, and trust Jesus with every step we take. We want to spend time with Jesus, to soak up the word, to allow Him to work in and through our lives without being distracted by things that don’t ultimately matter.
Second, this journey is an evangelism project. As we’ve said before, we have an urgent message. It’s a message of hope and freedom in a world wrought with burdens and chains. We want to make that message known and we will do everything we can to see that that happens.
We’ve found that before we can meet spiritual needs, we need to meet physical needs. In order to do this, our desire is to serve people in whatever ways we can. We’re trusting God to put people in our path that need help. We will clean bathrooms, paint houses, mow lawns, wash dishes and whatever else is needed. If there’s something to be done, we’re willing to do that.
But we won’t stop there. We want to establish meaningful relationships with the people we meet along the way. We want to walk in their footsteps. This is a prime opportunity for fellowship and we plan to take advantage of that. We want to pray with people. We want to worship with people. We want to hear testimonies of the power of God. We want to share in joys and sorrows alike. We want to see sickness healed. We want to see broken relationships restored. We want to work in the power of the Holy Spirit. And as we establish those relationships, we will share the message of the freedom found in Christ.
In the simplest terms, we want to change the world. Shockingly, it won’t be easy. But what’s a few thousand miles if it means we can help even one person find salvation in the Lord? To us it’s a fair trade. And it makes every step of our march worth the effort.
Honestly, we hope you’ll come along for the ride. Or more specifically, the walk.
To read about the logistics behind our journey, visit Our Wilderness [the preparation].
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Storming Jericho 