Reaching the world for Christ both to and through the U.S. Military

God is on the move in the U.S. Military!

Last year over 400 active duty military service members attended free Soul Survivor Outdoor (SSO)  adventure events, another 4,500 attended spiritual fitness, resiliency, and suicide awareness discussions; 405 prayed to receive Christ.  The Mighty Oaks team played a major role in helping SSO reach active duty military service members with the gospel through outdoor adventure during 2018!

In a recent Mighty Oaks podcast, Rick Wolf, the Founder and President of Soul Survivor Outdoor, and  Jeremy Stalnecker, the Executive Director of Mighty Oaks, discussed issues our military service members continue to face; depression, suicide, marriage and family issues, drug and alcohol use, and others.  That these issues remain center-stage, continues to provide a tremendous opportunity to share real hope to a generation that is largely without it. Military service members are receptive, hungry for answers, are open to hearing a different perspective, and are responding to the gospel message.  

So far this year, SSO has had more than 400 active duty military service members at rock-climbing, skydiving, and sailing events.  SSO has hosted another thousand military service members at spiritual fitness and resiliency talks, like the one held recently at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, where Jeremy Stalnecker spoke to nearly 300 Marines attending the Defense Language Institute.  

Military commanders have been eager to take advantage of the unique opportunities provided by SSO to participate in outdoor adventure and spiritual fitness events.  Recently, on March 13 and 14, SSO had the privilege of hosting 82 Marines from the Marine Corps Base at Twentynine Palms at Joshua Tree National Park. Military service members participated in rock-climbing and rappelling, shared a meal together, and heard a life-changing gospel presentation.  

With a focus on building the mind, body, and spirit, SSO’s outdoor adventure events contribute directly to improving individual confidence and motivation, improve each military member’s physical fitness and stamina, decreased stress and mental fatigue, and strengthen teamwork and unit cohesion.  All provide direct value to the U.S. Military, unit commanders, individuals, and overall unit combat effectiveness.

Of the 82 Marines that attended the events at Joshua Tree on March 13 and 14, 60 prayed to receive Christ.  Many that prayed, were from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines at Twentynine Palms. These warriors will deploy to Southwest Asia sometime this fall.  During their deployment these young leaders will interact daily with other U.S. Military service members, other U.S. Military service branches, will serve alongside multinational partners, and local indiginous people; making strategic global evangelism by way of the U.S. Military not just a theory but a reality.

Soul Survivor Outdoor is reaching the U.S. Military with the gospel through outdoor adventure.  Bringing the life giving message of Jesus Christ to the military is a mission Soul Survivor Outdoor and Mighty Oaks share, and it’s a mission with the potential to reach the entire world.

Please continue to pray for divine opportunities as we share the gospel with our active duty warriors, those that truly embody the message of John 15:13, “Greater love has no one that this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

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