Missions Update - Andrew Fisher, May-June 2024
Psalm 75:1 NKJV - "...O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near."
Hi all! After a couple weeks of travel, we’re officially settling into Atlanta! It’s been incredibly busy so this is a two-month edition of Andrew’s life update… here’s what I’ve been up to:
First Preaching Experience @Bethel Christian Center
I had the opportunity to preach at my home church in Durham, NC about Spirit-led discipleship in late May. Big thank-you to Pastor Ferrill Gallaway for the invitation! Click here if you’d like to check it out.
WHAT I HAVE - In-Roads Trip to Alaska
From May 23-29, I had the privilege of traveling to Alaska with the Chi Alpha-based missions initiative What I Have. This organization connects college graduates with Alaskan schools that are desperate for teachers, so Christians can find teaching positions in remote communities that need to hear about Jesus. I had wanted to see Alaska for awhile, and God opened the door for me to go. And let me tell you… Alaska is gorgeous. The greenery, the mountains, and the sheer scale of its nature takes your breath away.
Two primary takeaways: 1) Our time praying in the schools reawakened in me a peace-giving desire to teach. 2) For the first time, I felt led to the literal wilderness. The villages of inner Alaska, like Bethel, AK (pictured above), are sparsely populated and challenging to live in. It garnered a new appreciation for an entirely different set of cultural values. Below is a fitting excerpt of The Law of the Yukon by Robert W. Service, a 1907 poem describing the terrain of the state. It reflects the grit needed for God’s work on this earth all too well:
“I will not be won in a day; And I will not be won by weaklings, subtle, suave and mild, But by men with the hearts of Vikings, and the simple faith of a child; Desperate, strong and resistless, unthrottled by fear or defeat, Them will I gild with my treasure, them will I glut with my meat.”
Pure Hope Church & GA Chi Alpha Staff Retreats
Only a week after Alaska I landed in Atlanta, and our ministry teams hit the ground running with planning for the fall semester. Shelby and I are now the Discipleship Coordinators for Pure Hope Church, and we are currently planning all material and discipleship strategies for the church’s inaugural small groups. We’re also staff members with Chi Alpha (XA) at Georgia Tech - our whole XA team, pictured below, came together to share wins, establish goals, and plan events for the coming fall semester.
Homeless Outreach w/ Pure Hope Project
Every Saturday afternoon, we go into the neighborhood with a meal to feed and shade for the homeless and whoever’s out wandering in the heat. We have a strategic setup - near multiple bus stops in the area, our big canopy, ample seating, and fans always attracts quite a few individuals. We have a number of regulars who look out for us and our missions teams when trouble might wander our way. The best part is hearing each person’s story and having the opportunity to pray with them every week.
GA Assemblies of God Youth Camp
The highlight of the past month-plus was Georgia Youth Camp - I had led our Pure Hope boys here the past two years, but this was definitely the heaviest and most fun time. Among our 15 students who attended, we had one salvation, multiple rededications, and many opportunities for our students to process grief in the arms of other believers. It was a lot of fun, and our kids were happy to be Camp Champs for the first time!
Now, the priority is taking our spiritual momentum from camp to disciple these kids, that they can strengthen their faith and withstand spiritual attack and overcome discouragement (and worse) at home.
This Month’s Testimony Highlight… Joseph Smith
Joe, the teenager above on the very right with the cross necklace, got saved at Youth Camp last summer and I have been discipling him ever since. God has lit a fire in Him that is undeniable - he asks insightful questions every time I see him about Scripture, and he’s going to start a Youth Alive outreach club at his high school to witness to classmates. What we’re walking through now together is how to be an effective witness as an introvert, and how to give his testimony and a defense for his faith. Joe is like a spiritual son to me, and I’m so proud of him. He’s a new person since when I first met him.
Prayer Points
Please pray for me - that I would make close friendships here that hold me accountable, inspire discipline, and bolster my faith. Much of my time here I have spent alone, and that has been a struggle.
Pray for our wisdom and endurance as we ramp up for the school semester at Georgia Tech and a new season at Pure Hope - that new and seasoned believers alike will reach new depths in their faith and grow their love for the Lord.
I had two divine encounters with an individual named Anthony, who the Lord is working on. An ex-drug dealer and doubting Muslim, pray for his salvation - that his soul might be good ground and not rocky soil.
The youth group boys and I are starting to go to different basketball courts in the neighborhood to build relationships over the game and be a light. The parks and courts are prime spots for trouble - pray for safety and Spirit-led words to witness.
Shelby arrives to Atlanta on July 26th! Pray for her peace, traveling graces, and that hearts would be softened for her ministry here.
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