April 28, 2025
“I’ve been on mission trips to different places, even local, and I’ve never been able to lead anyone to Jesus. They’d listen to me, and I’d ask, but they’d say, ‘No, I don’t want to pray.’”
For Evelyn Howell—a 74-year-old volunteer at Serve Tour Virginia Beach—this streak finally ended. She and other volunteers were sharing their testimonies with a man they encountered during a neighborhood grill walk when he decided to commit his life to Christ.
After ensuring he understood the importance of his decision, Howell asked the man, “Would you ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins?” The man did so happily, asking Jesus to be the Lord of his life.
This man is one of 28 people who came to Christ during Serve Tour Virginia Beach and one of over 1,100 gospel conversations. Over one weekend, 865 volunteers from 58 churches across 13 states came together to meet needs in this city. They completed a total of 40 projects, serving 5,375 individuals. In every interaction, these volunteers had the same goal—to tangibly show the love of Jesus to a community in need.
As Evelyn Howell experienced, grill walks are one of the most effective ways to engage a neighborhood with the gospel. In Virginia Beach, volunteers participated in six different grill walks, traveling through neighborhoods with a mobile grill and handing out hamburgers to everyone they encountered. As they passed out burgers, they started conversations, prayed for needs, and shared the gospel.
In one neighborhood where a Hispanic church plant is getting ready to launch, 13 people accepted Christ. At another, a man struggling with depression and drug usage after a work-related accident gave his life to the Lord.
Construction projects were a big focus on Serve Tour Virginia Beach. These were a great opportunity to show that volunteers and local churches are invested in the betterment of the community and allow them to build bridges for future relationships.
Projects included working on playgrounds at several local schools, building two different community gardens in partnership with a local church, painting eight bathrooms at a middle school alongside students, and giving a complete makeover to two teachers’ lounges and a teacher’s office.
The transformation of her office left the teacher in tears. Additionally, the school security guard expressed curiosity about why volunteers were doing so much work to care for the school, providing another opportunity for a gospel conversation.
Other construction projects enabled local churches to expand their ministries. A Chinese church hosts a food pantry to combat food insecurity in their community. Volunteers were able to triple the size of the pantry, meaning the church can now serve 150 families every month. As they provide meals, this church will also be able to share something even more important—the love of Jesus Christ!
Volunteers came together to care for Virginia Beach’s unhoused community by offering free haircuts and hot meals and hosting a block party. Two individuals made the life-changing decision to pray to receive Christ, including a teenager currently living on the streets.
One particularly moving moment came from an encounter with a former motorcycle gang member. A volunteer found out that he and the man had lived in the same areas and was able to connect with him. This connection opened the door for healing, and soon the entire team gathered around the man, laying hands on him and praying. As they lifted him up in prayer, his hardened demeanor softened as he experienced the love of Jesus.
At Send Relief, our mission is to meet needs in Jesus’ name. Volunteers embodied this mission as they served the city of Virginia Beach. As they presented the gospel in word and deed, people gave their lives to Christ, and many more seeds were planted that will be continually fostered by local churches.
They were following the example of Jesus in Matthew 20:28: “For even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Sign up to experience a Serve Tour here.
