The best part of this week for me was meeting a young man and his five-year-old daughter at the rescue mission. I got to talk to them for about 30 minutes after each performance. He told me about how he’s been unmployed for over 90 days and is unexpectedly having to take care of his daughter because she was physically abused by her mother. The thing he said that stuck with me the most was that he knew things were going to get better for him. He said that he knew God was testing him right now, and if he could just stay strong in his faith he would make it through. Talking to him made me think about how I take all the things that I have for granted. It was amazing to me how a man in his situation could have so much faith in God. He also said that he wanted to thank us becuase he hadn’t seen his daughter smile as much as she did in a very long time. knowing that I helped put that smile on the little girl’s face made this week and made all the work we’ve done absolutely worthwhile.
Rachel Moore
God has blessed me in many ways this week. I keep think of the opportunities that God has given us this week and I’m amazed that He chose FUSION and our church to be a part of what is going on in this city. It’s cool to see how God is working in ‘Sin City,’ and how our church and North Valley can join together as a body of believers and worship our creator together. Probably one of my favorite experiences was singing at the Rescue Mission Wednesday and Thursday night. Not only were we worshiping God, but the people at the mission were worshiping, and I mean really praising God. That was really cool to see.
Amy Lasater
This trip was very interesting. Even though this was my first mission trip, I feel like God let me through all of it. I don’t know how many people were saved, but I know the Holy Spirit - through FUSION - led some people home. I am very sad to be leaving today, because we can do so much more with the people of Las Vegas. I look forward to either coming back or going on another trip.
Megan Alford
One of my favorite parts of the trip was singing at the school [Wednesday]. At first I thought none of the children would respond to us, but while in line for face painting, I met a 2nd grader named Bianca. She was a really talkative person, but she was also cute and sweet. I talked to her all day, and when she had to leave, she ran up to me, hugged me, and said thank you. That made the whole day worth it.
Christian Baker
Wednesday night at the rescue mission I sat near an African-American women. She asked if the songs were written just for them. Later during “Whispers in the Dark” she said, “I was crying last night in the dark. This song was just for me!”
Nancy Simpson
Ok well what happened to me last night was indescribable, but I’m gonna try to put it into words. First off, I have had a really tough last 6 months. My grandmother, who was my best friend, had been really sick, but then she was completely healed. Then 2 weeks after that she went on a cruise and had a stroke. They said it was minor, but she died the next day. I was devastated, mad, upset, and hurt. I was horribly mad at God for taking her away. I was hurting, but I acted like it was nothing. Finally in December the hurt just built up inside of me, and I started just always crying and wanting to be alone. I felt empty, like there was no life in me. Then at D-Now I got my best friend and we just started crying at the altar. I told her everything, and she told me, “Alex, God can and He will hold you.” That just meant so much to me. I realized that night I wasn’t a Christian, so I got saved. Honestly, I was still mad and running from Him till last night during the song “Hold Me Now.” I recognized the words my Granny used to sing it to me when I got scared. Last night at the homeless shelter I confessed and repented to God. I told Him I was tired of running. I asked Him to come break my heart, and He literally did. I felt it crack and melt away. I felt free, and I realized I didn’t have to be strong on my own. It’s just indescribable what happened last night; I still don’t feel completely healed from the hurt, but now I’m able to go through it all knowing God’s there. When i’m weak, broken, and crying I know he’ll protect me because that’s when He’s at His strongest.
Alex Rhyne
While we were singing Tuesday, I was praying for God to give me someone to pray for. He kept leading my eyes to a woman struggling with a young kid. After the show, I figured out that she had five kids, but four had died. She had been beaten, and she had grown up in a rough neighborhood. God told me to pray for her, so I’m going to do His will and pray for her.
Leslie Arnold
We made the 5-hour journey to the Grand Canyon yesterday. For many in our group, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We had a wonderful time at the canyon; this trip was a welcome break in a very rigorous schedule. Today (Wednesday), we’ve got the morning off, but we’ll be meeting up at 1 for our next event. More on that later!
Yesterday morning our team drove out to Lake Mead for a time of group devotion and reflection. We were joined by Matt and Jeff from North Valley, and by a great lady in their congregation named Stephanie Halbert. Stephanie, as it turned out, is something of a musician herself; she started on Broadway doing musicals, landed in Vegas, spent a few years singing in clubs and lounges in the city, and now she’s singing for the band Jefferson Starship, touring all over the place. Stephanie came along because she’d been hearing about us from Matt for months and was very excited about us coming. She heard us in church on Sunday and was blessed, so she wanted a chance to come hang out with us and encourage us. She was very uplifting and inspiring, and we all had a great time at the Lake.
After our group time, setup crew ate lunch quickly and got on the road. We were scheduled to perform for an organization called Westcare Nevada. This particular facility was a recovery and treatment facility for women in crisis – addiction, abuse, crime, etc. – and their children. This was definitely our smoothest and best performance so far; everything technically came together very well, and they tell me it sounded the best it ever has. Our students really stepped up and did a fantastic job, and I believe we truly made an impact on the residents and administrators of this secular facility.
Being so involved in the setup, running, and teardown of the program, I don’t really get a good perspective on the impact of the program and the students out in the crowd (not to mention that my back is to the audience almost the entire program), so I’m going to let the students tell you their stories.
You can scroll down to see all of them, or you can jump to individual stories:
Just before we started our concert, I asked Caryn Lee to be ready to share her testimony during the program. Here’s her story:
At first, I didn’t know what to say. During the song “I Will Not Be Moved,” I was pleading with God to speak through me and to give me the right words to say. I stepped up, grabbed the mic, and felt the presence of God. I felt Him in me, and I knew He would use me. The next thing I remembered was saying, “God’s promise is greater than ANYTHING you are going through.” The minute Aaron let us go and I stepped off the risers, I was bombarded with hugs from crying women and awestruck children. I heard so many testimonies similar to my own. I don’t remember anything I said while I was up there, and I am assured that God took over and spoke what He knew those hurting women needed to hear. I saw the glory of God shining from their faces. It was the most indescribable and incomparable feeling I have ever felt, and there is no way to argue that what I saw was not totally and completely God.
Caryn Lee
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