Lindsay Michelle

God is moving in our community, like we’ve never seen before, but it’s not happening just by inviting people to church… it’s a movement of love and service!!  The more I study the Scriptures and look at the life of Jesus I see Him in the streets, touching the hurting people, and meeting their physical needs as a door to meet their spiritual.  We all ask God for miracles, we want to God move in powerful ways, and we want to see our cities come to know Christ, so we must go where the people are.  Jesus’ miracles many times happened in the streets too!

I am so blessed to be a part of starting these groups here at Next Level.  People that have never gotten involved in their communities are responding simply because we’re providing opportunities to love.

I am even more excited to know that what God is starting here, is simply the “trial ground” for training leaders in Latin America the same concepts, and equipping them to have a Movement of Love in their city!  God is changing lives!!  It’s great that it looks different than what we might have thought.

Check out this short video I recorded for Matt’s blog (pastor of NLC).  It will give you a glimpse of what I’ve been up to.

Also, if you’re interested in kicking off  ”Service Connection Groups” in your church, it’s MUCH easier than you think, and I would LOVE to spend some time with you to get it going!

Here’s a link to the message Matt and I preached on a Sunday @ NLC.  Check it out!  Thank you!!!!  On your iTunes store search:  Next Level Church, then click on Act Now: Part 3 The Needs Around Us.

Today was the last of our Five Weeks of Service!  Each week was so filled with fun, and most importantly stories of lives that were touched, either by prayer, or just a simply smile!

Today we separated into two teams.  One team went to a local nursing home called The Lakes.  Mark and Jess did a great job at leading that team.  They sang Christmas songs with these sweet people, and showered them with hugs, kisses, and love!

The second team went back to Pine Manor, the low-income international neighborhood.  We had so much fun.  Hanging off the sides of trucks, hundreds of cookies, beautiful sunshine, door knocking, and more.  We broke into smaller teams, to go door-to-door giving out cookies, a hand-written Christmas card, and an invitation to come let us serve them at NLC.  

We had the opportunity to pray with some of these struggling families.  Many needed financial miracles and healing.

I was most excited that the people of NLC saw the poverty that exists here in SWFL, and allow the Holy Spirit to put a burden inside their hearts to do more.  I know we’re going to begin reaching out more in this area with the love of Christ.

Thanks again to EVERYONE that did SOMETHING the last five weeks.  You were all important, and I can’t wait to see what happens as this all keeps on growing through the New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!

Check out this story that was featured on NBC and ABC.

This Saturday we had teams from NLC at four separate locations. One team helped out a single mother that needed work done on her house, another repaired a home for a single woman unable to do so herself, and the third group worked on building a home with Habitat for Humanity.
I was able to spend some time with one of  the single ladies yesterday, and joy filled my heart as she shared how blessed she was by these acts of service. 
See, the holidays aren’t all about giving gifts, but about giving love. Working for these families, and doing things they couldn’t do themselves, were the perfect gift of love at Christmas!  Everyone can do something to show God’s love, and these teams proved just that. 

The Morris family was our family that was chosen for an “X-treme Home Makeover.  God was ALL OVER this project.  We decided on his home on a Wednesday, and by Saturday morning, God had provided literally everything we needed.  A new air conditioner, new tile and wood floors, paint, wall paper, new decorations, and more!

Great job NLC!  You guys worked so hard, and it was so worth every moment!  I was amazed at the giving attitude.  We had young kids all the way up to “more mature” hands working to make it happen!

NBC came out to do a story… You HAVE to see this!!

Community Clean-Up Day was a HUGE success!  We mobilized around 40 volunteers with shovels, gloves, and paint, to make a change this community won’t long forget.

We have been serving Palmetto Courts and Sabal Palms here in Fort Myers, FL for a while, and after continuing to see the dissenegration of the parks, we decided it was time to make a difference to brighten up the lives of young children.

So, the team from NLC headed out.  We landscaped, painted over graffiti, took out thorns and weeks, painted playground equipment, and cut down trees!  Everyone worked so hard all day, and the end product showed just that.

It was so great to see the children from the community jumping in and working hard to make their playground beautiful.  There was such a longing for love in each of their eyes.  Many of them come from struggling single mom families where they’re many times forgotten.  

One little boy even asked one of our men to walk him home because of 

The adult residents that I spoke with were quite amazed that we cared enough about them to what we did.  The people here assumed they had been forgotten because of the poor reputation the area holds. Moms were happy, and kids, well smiling BIG!

As they say, “Pictures say a thousand words”…so check out the YouTube video attached.

Many thanks to all of you that worked hard, and a special thanks to Matt, Mike, and Jim.  We couldn’t have done this without you guys!  ;-)

Oh boy what an adventure!  So…the original plan is that we were going to have a group of NLCers head out to the busiest intersection in Fort Myers, to hand out 3500 sodas that were donated by Pepsi.  We printed out little business size invite cards to let people know we’re here to serve them, and invite them to church.

The first group went perfectly according to plan.  They passed out lots of sodas to thirsty shoppers, and were greeted with smiles.  The second, well, hit a few bumps in the road.  About five minutes after arriving we had a huge accident in our intersection (not our fault), and were forced to leave when all the fire men showed up.  I thought Wal-Mart would be a swell place to go next, but the managers didn’t seem to agree.  So, after handing out a few sodas, the manager asked us to leave.  We started throwing out ideas, and decided on Pine Manor.  This is a very low income international community, known for it’s drugs, illegal immigrants, and high crime rate…EXACTLY where we wanted to be!!  ;-)

We loaded up, and headed to the place the Lord lead us through our crazy circumstances.  We passed out the 1000’s of remaining sodas.  People brought five-gallon buckets, plastic bags, and small boxes to fill up with the free stuff!  All of them were so grateful and excited that we cared enough about them and their community to do something small that would brighten their day.  They thought they were just forgotten.

This was just the beginning of what I know will be a lasting relationship with these beautiful people.  The people of NLC saw a need, and God placed a new desire in their hearts to meet it!  I can’t wait to see how this community will change, as we begin to show God’s unconditional love to the people there!

This last Saturday was the first of NLC’s Five Weeks of Service!  I was so encouraged that we’ve had the problem of having TOO MANY people signed up!  That’s a GREAT problem.  The first week we announced this community service project, we filled every slot, and gave away every single T-shirt we had printed!!!

God has definitely called us to do more than sit inside the four walls of our church.  Those in the community that may never walk in the doors of a church, can experience the love of God by us simply serving.  Touching the lives of fellow brothers and sisters in a tangible way.

On Saturday we helped to prepare and serve 150 meals with The Soup Kitchen in Downtown Fort Myers.  This is an awesome organization that serves this many meals every single day.  

We had a great team from NLC.  Everyone hopped in and served with a humble heart.  We mopped, disinfected, sorted food, cut veggies, cooked chicken, served plates, and cleaned garbage!  The best part for all of us was just hanging out with the clients that shared a meal with us.  We got to hear some of their stories, and let them know how much God loves them.

Our goal is to start connection groups the beginning of 2009 and serve in the Soup Kitchen on a regular basis.

Thanks to everyone that helped!!!  Great job!!!  This is just the beginning of a season of serving filled with fun, laughs, hard work, and touching lives!  

Things have been a little interesting over the last couple months. I’ve been seeking God and asking for direction as to what’s next for my life, and for Impacto Juvenil. Leaving Mexico so quickly wasn’t in my plan, and it sure wasn’t the way I wanted to leave, but after some time away, and some time on my face, God has spoken. When things happen that we just can’t get, when all of our dreams seem to change over night, it’s an opportunity to grow, to trust, and TO DREAM EVEN BIGGER!!! No matter what, we can’t give up!

So here’s the scoop….Myself and the board of directors, have taken time to re-define the vision for Impacto Juvenil for 2009. We all have sought God, met together, dreamed, and God is now leading us in a new direction.

We we will be focusing on three major areas:
1. Support pastors and missionaries living in foreign nations. We want to love them, encourage them, and let them know they’re not forgotten.
2. Train locals pastors and leaders for community/evangelical outreach. We plan on hosting 3 day mini-conferences to do so.
3. Link Resources to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the people. We will train, and them provide the financial resources to implement programs. Also, provide food, water, and medical assistance when possible. This might also include volunteers, interns, printed material, Bible study programs

We plan to take three short-term mission trips in 2009. The locations we are currently considering are Kenya, India, Thailand, Colombia, and Ecuador. These trips will be taken in conjunction with the Next Level Church Missions Department, however, will also be open to individuals that desire to be a part of changing lives in countries around the world!!
In addition to that, I’ll be writing a Training Manual that we will leave in the hands of the leaders that we train with basic outreach principles and ideas, and working on a follow-up program. We’d like to re-visit these leaders once a year, to continue building these relationships, and watching the outreaches grow in strength and in the number of souls being reached for Jesus!

On a PERSONAL NOTE, I’m living in Fort Myers, writing some new music, recording, and running our NLC local outreach program as well. Robbie, my best friend and boyfriend, is moving back down to Fort Myers, so we’re excited about spending time together. We’re praying God will continue to open up doors for us and weave our hearts together!

Thanks for all your prayers and support! Oh, and I’ll be blogging more often now. Sorry it’s been forever. The journey continues………

“Life is an adventure!” Those words continue to ring through my mind as I look back over the last few months. God has taken my hand and lead me on an adventure that includes good, bad, great, and ugly.

I am writing this e-mail to let you know I am currently back in the US. I arrived here in Tampa a couple weeks ago. I had to leave Mexico very quickly due to a difficult situation involving my safety.

Though leaving Mexico City was not as I planned, I trust that God works everything together for good. He did some incredible things during my time in Mexico City. Together, we were able to send 6 kids to youth camp, and provide an abundance of food to give to poor families. I also taught break-dancing classes to the youth, shared the Gospel on the streets, volunteered in the church youth group, shared the Word with the youth at a few churches, sang and shared at an indigenous prayer crusade in the mountains, and prayed with multiple people in multiple places.

I choose to celebrate these victories and learn from the difficulties!

What now?

I know that God is in control, and with Him ALL things are possible. I’m not giving up on the vision that God has placed inside my heart to reach Latin America and the world! My plan is to stay here in the U.S. for the next two months. After seeking wise counsel from my pastor, family, and best friend I am sure this is the right decision. I will be living in Florida and attending my home church.

During this time I will be focusing on spending time with God, working through the emotional stress caused by the situation I faced in Mexico, and becoming whole. I will also be working on administrative tasks for Impacto Juvenil. This will include meeting with supporters, organizing future trips, and preparing for the next step God desires Impacto Juvenil to take.

Please continue to pray that God makes His perfect will clear, and that doors continue to open that we might see lives changed!

I will continue to share my heart with all of you here on my blog. Please check-in often to listen as I share the lessons I am learning, and what God is up to in my life!

First, let me thank you for your e-mails and words of encouragement this last month. I’ve had many of you wanting to hear what’s going on, so I thought I’d let you in on the plans for this next month.

We started our Youth Break-Dance Classes about a month, and that’s been going great! We have had from 20-30 young people coming every week. It’s been an incredible opportunity to build relationships with them, and earn the right to speak into their lives. For many of them, it’s what they look forward to all week long!

We’re learning not only how to dance, but kids that are shy, and have no confidence, are learning to be confident in God and step out, even when they’re not comfortable. Each week we talk about individuality, God’s love, and how to learn to NEVER walk in fear. In just four short weeks, God is changing these kids. There are more smiles, more laughs, and more confidence in who they are in Christ. Wow!!

It has also been a blessing to partner with the “Adolocente” youth group, and continue these relationships.

I continue to be amazed that absolutely nothing has happened exactly according to plan. It amazes me that God knows us so well, that He changes things, according to HIS will, and HIS plan, and then just asks us to trust. The Lord keeps saying….”Lindsay, just love my people.”

People are what ministry is all about. It’s about the one. One life. One soul. Almost every day that I’ve been here, God has placed spiritually hungry people in my path, that are literally begging me to hear my testimony, which of course introduces them to the Gospel. I’ve been able to pray for healing with women in the metro, prayed for single moms on the buses, discussed philosophy with some punk rockers, and explained what an authentic relationship with God is all about, to a girl from Scotland, and cooked dinner for the widow neighbor. Building relationships with people and learning the heart-beat of this culture is priceless. Just loving people is so much fun!!!!

When things don’t go according to our plan, it means God’s doing something even greater!

Yesterday, my church, had a food drive, and thanks to all of you, we were able to buy two packed-to-overflowing carts full of rice, beans, soap, oil, baby wipes, noodles, and milk. We’re going to deliver the food this week to the poor of Mexico City!

This week, I will be in Aljaba. This is an intense Bible camp for young people. Impacto Juvenil sponsored 6 kids that didn’t have the financial resources to go! I will fill you in on how God changes their lives this week!

Thank you for your support! We’re feeding the hungry and impacting the lives of young people together!! May God continue to bless you in every area of your life, that YOU may continue to be a blessing to others!

http://www.youtube.com/v/eipzuz6dWlI

This week I spent two days at Centro NOE. This is a wonderful ministry that was started by a small group of missionaries from the states almost sixteen years ago. After hearing about the fruit of NOE and the impact they are making on their community, Loren and I chose to take a trip and visit.

We spent time with the director, sat-in on a few classes, and of course asked lots and lots of questions. Centro NOE is a youth center in Morelia. They offer classes to the community, that are very similar to what we will offer with Impacto Juvenil Centers. In addition, they have a small rec center, basketball teams, workout area, music classes, and even small groups for parents as they wait.

Centro NOE is living proof that building relationships with kids and their families works. They have seen many teens start a relationship with Christ and are making a difference in the lives of hundreds each week. We will be implementing a few additional outreach programs than what they are currently using, and I am SURE we can do the same in Mexico City!

It was a great time to learn, get new ideas, and see how it actually works! Thank you Overcast family for your hospitality!

At the end of last week, I went to see the building that the church I’m working with just bought. The guys had breifly described the amount of work that is yet to be done, but I don’t think their words painted a clear picture. The new building is HUGE and there is a HUGE amount of construction still left to be done.

One thing that has been so incredible to see is how everyone, fifteen year old boys, all the way up to 65 year old grandpas are working together to make this happen. There are some young men who have even temporarily quite their jobs, cut all their spending, and are giving everything they have for the sake of building the church. It’s encouraging, and challenging to see such a self-sacrificing attitude.

After my tour of the church building, I was given a tour of the local neighborhood that surrounds the new church. There are literley thousands and thousands of small low-income housing apartments within walking distance. This area is known by parents that work in the local market, or sell things in the streets, and kids that are left alone if their mother works as well.

My mind drifted quickly to the opportunity to minister the the kids and families in the area. One of my prayers has been that God would lead us to the perfect area to reach the largest amount of people as quickly as possible. As we drove through these apartments, my eyes saw lots of trash, children running, dogs barking, youth leaving school with their back-packs, and moms returning from the market. My heart however, saw these young people coming to the youth center, a door-to-door outreach, a Sidewalk Sunday School program, and even a block party to kick things off!

I’m very excited! There is a lot of work to be done, and this is just one small “colonia” of many here in Mexico City, but praise be to God, we know where we’re going to start!!

We’re still trying to find a building to rent. Honestly, we need a lot more financial support base to be able to sign a lease. Please pray that God would allow us to find the perfect building, and that He would supernaturally provide every “peso” needed to touch these kids lives!

We’re off to a start….starting……just around the block.