Beach Reach- Final Report

Michael arrived home at 3:40 Saturday morning. He was so pumped about his trip that he stood in our dark bedroom and talked to Tami and me for two hours. Even though we were awakened from a sound sleep, we were happy to see him and were eager to hear about his time in Florida. In our groggy state we heard amazing stories from Florida.

There were approximately 500 Beach Reach participants compared to about 500,000 spring breakers in the Panama City Beach area. Michael said they felt outnumbered. Um yeah, they were... by a thousand to one. Those aren't good odds! But despite the overwhelming disadvantage in numbers, the 5 day mission reported the following statistics: More than 5,000 plates of pancakes served. More than 6,000 van rides provided. 51 kids accepted Christ. Worth the effort? No question!

Michael said he witnessed unspeakable debauchery during his stay. This is a family-friendly blog and I will not detail anything specific. Use your imagination... I'm sure you can picture what the scene must have been like. Michael did report that he was a bit timid at first (I know I would've been!), but it didn't take him long to be bold about spreading the Gospel. He also said the more he did it, the easier it became. In the end he said the most enjoyable part of the whole trip was preaching the Gospel. He also said it was surprising the amount of people who were receptive to the message. Obviously some people were rude or simply wanted no part of the message, but by and large people didn't mind talking to the Beach Reachers. He said the most difficult part of the trip was not being able to help everyone who needed it. Michael acted as the van's doorman and was responsible for finding the correct party which had called for the ride. These free van rides were not a free-for-all. People had to call and arrange for the ride and as you can imagine, lots of people would rush the door looking for a ride. Michael said it was difficult to close the door on kids (especially young women) who needed help. There just weren't enough resources to help all who needed it. I was very proud to hear of Michael's work on his mission trip. He has real compassion for people and a heart for helping them.