Mission Trip Opportunity …

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Redding, California! As many of you know, I am here attending Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM). This year, so far, has been so much more than I could have asked for and far beyond my expectations. Attending school here has been on my heart for years and it’s been amazing to actually be able, this year, to come and be a part of what God is doing here. I am daily being stretched and challenged, being formed into the man God has destined me to be.

One of the core values of BSSM is for their students to not only learn in the class room, but to take what we are learning to the streets and put it into action.  We do this weekly though local outreach in our “Activations” (which I do at a local hospital with a small team, bringing healing and the prophetic to patients through  art and music), but each spring, the nearly 2,000 students have to opportunity to go out even further and take the Kingdom to every corner of the globe through missions trips. This year they have over 70 trips going to over 40 countries.

I personally will be journeying into the depths of Los Angeles and to the heights of the Hollywood Hills. My team and I will be connecting with Expression 58 church, as well as multiple community organizations in the region, participating in a variety of outreaches throughout LA, Hollywood, and near-by beach cities. Some of the possible ministry opportunities include: leading worship and meetings at E58 and other local churches, bringing music and worship to the streets, outreach with ex-gang members, Hollywood sign prayer walk, Venice Beach outreach, Revival History Tour, Homeless Karaoke, Skid Row outreach, West Hollywood nightlife outreach, and home groups to love on Christian friends who work in the entertainment industry.

I personally believe the city of Los Angeles is ripe and ready for a mighty move of God. I believe that with the amount of influence contained in this one city, the smallest touches can have global impact. I have a passion to see God’s love spread through California and I am excited to be able to bring His love to the state’s most influential city. I also have a passion for the entertainment community, and to see artists of all types touched by the radical, live-changing love and Gospel of Jesus Christ and see their art reflect the Glory of God.

There are two main ways you can help in partnering with me on this trip and to see what God’s has put on my heart unfold.

1.)    The first being in prayer: Pray for safe travels, safety as we go into some rough areas of the city, divine encounters through the trip, boldness as we bring the gospel, unity within the team and it’s leaders, and whatever else you may feel lead to pray for.

2.)    The second would be financially partnering with me. The cost of the trip is $950.00 ($100 by Dec. 7th, $400 by Jan. 22nd, $450 by Feb. 26th), which in the grand spectrum of missions trips isn’t a large amount, but right now, it is far beyond my personal financial capabilities. I am trusting God to provide this amount, and ask that you would consider giving if you feel led to. By partnering with me financially, not only are you sowing into what God wants to do in the people of the Los Angeles area, but sowing into me personally and the ministry the Lord has called me to do.

Financial gifts can be made online at https://missiontrips.ibethel.org. This gift is tax-deductible and you will receive a statement at the end of the year for your tax records. If you want for your gift to be anonymous, you can check the anonymous box when you give. If you do, you will still receive an end of year statement, but will not allow me to see who gave the gift. This is a non-refundable donation to the Bethel Church Missions Department for the benefit of the trip specified. If for any reason I or my team do not go, unused gifts will support another mission trip sponsored by Bethel Church.

(If online payment is not an option, check donations can be made payable to Bethel Church and mailed to the following address: Bethel Mission Trips Department, 915 Twin View Blvd., Redding, CA 96003. Please include a note with the donation designating which student’s trip you are supporting, me, Jared Walsh.)

Thank you so much for partnering with me in this opportunity in whatever way you are able. I pray the Lord richly blesses you for your generosity and that you see the blessings you have given to me multiplied back to you. Please feel free to email me (JWalsh222@gmail.com) or Facebook message me with any questions you may have. Be sure to look out for updates on the trip and how the Lord moves in this awesome trip.

Abundant Blessings,

Jared Walsh

Welcome/Testimony Pt. 2 …

So I’m struck with this powerful question, and I have this thought, and now I know it was the Holy Spirit speaking to me, of, “Maybe the problems in my life, and even theses problems with depression, are related to my lack of relationship with God.” It never really crossed my mind. God had been so far from my mind for so long. There was definitely a emptiness in my life that I tried to fill, but, as I would come to find out, only God could fill it. I always thought I’d go back to church one day. I was just taking time to “do my own thing” and “explore what else is out there.” . The truth was that these were lies I would use to convince myself that I wasn’t that bad. The truth was, I was walking away from God, the person who loved me the most.

Just to be clear, I don’t believe that my life situations, or the depression I was experiencing, were in any way judgement sent from God. I made choices and there were natural consequences for those decisions. God is in the buisness of redemption (Rom. 8:28), pulling us up out of the miry clay of life & establishing our steps on a firm foundation(Ps. 40:2).

My mom, through all of this over the years, always was right there to encourage me in th right direction without pressuring me into doing anything. After she had started going to church again & getting her life right with the Lord, she would offer to go with me anywhere I wanted to go, anytime I wanted to go. She’d also tell me about this church she had started to go to, Living Hope Christian Fellowship. She’d tell about how great the people were there, how kind and friendly they were. She also told me that she could see me playing up on the platform with the worship band, which was something (instrumental worship) I grew up believing wasn’t right. I told her for a long time that it needed to be my choice & I had to want to go for myself. At some point, and I don’t remember why, but I agreed to go one Sunday morning with her and my sister.

So I went & for the first time in along time, I sat in a church service and, for the first time in a long time, didn’t feel like I was being judged or ridiculed. There was definitely a freedom there. So, during the whole sermon, it seemed like the Pastor kept looking over at me. I noticed it, but didn’t really think much of it. Maybe he just dug my hair (I had pretty long hair back then) and it turned out he did. But, after the service, my mom goes to introduce me to him. He shakes my hand and introduces himself and says something to the effect of , “Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep staring at you, but I was just drawn to you and God was highlighting you. I feel the Lord saying that You were created for greatness and are to be a leader in the Kingdom of God.” … (To Be Continued)

Welcome …

For my inaugural entry, I wanted to just share a little bit of my testimony and the amazing things the Lord has done in and through my life.

I grew up in a Christian family and going to church, but I only knew about God. I was never taught about a relationship with God or that He would actually communicate with us aside from The Bible or about the awesome reality of the power of The Holy Spirit. I was baptized at the age of 8 and I knew that I had sin, I needed to be saved to go to Heaven and not go to Hell, but I had not really encountered much testing of my faith. I didn’t know the full extent of what I was committing to and also what I was becoming, A son of God(Rom. 8:14-17).

Around the age of 14, with my family in disarray,  and my faith in Jesus Christ consisting only of my sitting on a pew 2-3 times a week trying not to fall asleep, going just to see my friends, and being grilled about why I hadn’t been there the week before, I saw no point in denying the temptations of the world. Over the next five years, I quit going to church and got caught up in many worldly things. As time went on, I had surrounded myself with many ungodly “friends”, had no job, dropped out of college, my relationship with my family had gotten pretty bad, and I was dealing with depression that was getting worse and worse.

But, there was a point where God began to open my eyes to the people and things I had surrounded myself with. I started to see the direction I was heading in. Also around the same time, I got up the courage to talk to my mom about my depression and pursuing medication for it. She said she’d support me in anything I wanted to do, but she posed a question that would change the course of my life. She asked me, “Do you think that it might have something to do with you not having a relationship with God?” … (To Be Continued)