January was a busy month for Final Greetings, full of fun times and amazing opportunities. We met some amazing people and made connections with churches that we'll be sure to visit again.
Gathering of the Bands
In early January we met with Good Friday, Small Giants and some of the amazing leaders from A Jesus Mission to learn about being stronger bands. It was a really cool opportunity to learn from Pierce and Andy, who together had 20 years of touring experience. They gave us practical ways to continue growing as a team and to steward our mission, from finances to friendships.
Adventure Day
After the conference finished, we had a spare day to spend in the San Diego area. Garrett and Alissa went with our friends Andy, Bryan, Jill and Jiross down to Ensenada, Mexico to meet Ashley and her boyfriend Alex. Sam, Kyle and Steven went to an active duty aircraft carrier with the Good Friday guys and were given a tour of it.
Saying Goodbye
That weekend we also said goodbye to our friend Steven. He decided to step down from Final Greetings to pursue the pastoral training that A Jesus Mission now offers. We were sad to see him live, but are excited to see what God will continue to do through him!
Calvary Chapel San Diego
We were able to lead worship at the church we stayed at during the conference with Andy as a joint New Divide and Final Greetings team. It was an amazing experience, and then we went to lunch with some of the young adults and Good Friday after their service.
Writing Week
After returning to Oregon, we jumped into action and worked at a church in Portland called The Bridge. We spent four days working on original songs to add to our outreach show with the hopes of getting to record them. It was also a great time to embrace our rock side again and see who we are as Final Greetings
Edmonds Calvary Chapel
We traveled up to Washington for a weekend and partnered with Edmonds Calvary Chapel in Edmonds with Andy. They blessed us with donations and donuts, then took us out to lunch for gyros as we had a fun time getting to know some of their attendees. They also paid for our gas to get home, which was a great help to us.
Band Photos
While we were rehearsing for our next event, we had Aaron Ziesemer come in and take some band photos of us! We were excited to get some cool photos of the current team and put them out on social media. Sam and Andy ended up taking The New Divide photos as well. You can check out their social media pages to find them.
Catalyst Winter Camp
Final Greetings and The New Divide teamed up again to lead worship at a camp at Washington Family Ranch out in central Oregon. We had a blast meeting kids, other leaders, and praising Jesus with them. We were excited to partner with them this year and hope to do so again!
Recording Week
When we heard our friend Jonny was in town and that he was free to help us record an EP, we jumped at the chance! Not only have we been recording our 3 original songs, .Keep your eye out for updates and info on our social media.
The Bridge
The Bridge had been letting us use their building for rehearsal and songwriting, so we wanted to make sure and bless them as well. We got to play there the last weekend in January, and it was so fun rocking out with them! We also met a lovely lady named Julia for lunch with Andy and got to share with her about AJM as she shared her own dream to get back into the mission field. We look forward to working with her in the future as well!
And finally, a piece of amazing news.....
WE HAVE A VAN!!!
After much fundraising and searching, we found a van down in Modesto that will help us continue touring. Thank you to everyone who has donated or prayed for our van. We are so glad to have a reliable vehicle to travel in, and it fit perfectly in our budget without the need for monthly payments. It was an answered prayer for sure!