Spending a day out on the lake has always been my favorite. I can’t put a finger on what my favorite part about it is–quality time with friends and family, being out in the sun, wakeboarding, or the music playing through the speakers–but there’s something about the whole experience that brings me so much joy. I always feel so at peace, truly leaving me with a sense of what Heaven must be like, in ways. And that’s exactly what our enemy is after.
Read MoreCosta Rica 2022 with the Ride Nature team was a monumental point in my life. Prior to this trip I had never been out of the country, so as you can imagine it was quite a culture shock. It took the first couple of days to adjust to this foreign but beautiful country. I didn’t know what to expect going into this trip, I just knew that I had been walking through a pretty rough season up to this point and was praying for the Lord’s strength and peace as I was preparing to leave on this eight day trip. Little did I know that the Lord would do incredible things in the days to come.
Read MoreI was born and raised in Fort Myers, FL and to be honest, I’ve never traveled outside of that. Signing up for this mission trip to Costa Rica was a big step of faith for me. Since day one I told my friend Malysa, "It's an honor to even be thought of to be invited along.” I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the Shred Sisters who gave me the opportunity to go with them but beyond grateful for what the Lord was doing
Read MoreThis scripture was so clearly seen at The Grind Conference this year. I’m a new intern with Ride Nature so this was my first time attending. So many skate ministries from all around the United States and some from out of country came to encourage one another, connect, pray, and worship together and to celebrate all that God is doing within the action sports community for the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Read MoreI'm super thankful I was able to be a part of the team on the Los Angeles mission trip. While I was definitely intimidated by the idea of going to a bunch of different skateparks in the LA area without having any experience on their individual communities and cultures, it was super encouraging to see how God provided opportunities for us to share who Christ is and make connections. I felt that even at the well-known and more exclusive skateparks, the skaters there were open to hearing the Gospel and were excited that we were throwing spontaneous contests that everyone could participate in.
Read MoreLast week our team of 16 trekked 23 surfboards, along with 6 skimboards, 15 checked bags, and even some carry-ons full of supplies, sneakers, and clothes from our storage unit in Fort Myers to our brand new Latin American headquarters in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. There were a handful of purposes for this trip, the main one being finishing the base–from framing and hanging pictures, to painting, to building board racks.
Read MoreIt turns into a soothing song. The breeze touches my face again. It is warm and direct. There is laughter and a sense of calmness as people greet knew faces with conversations filled with new introductions and welcoming questions with thoughts of intrigue.
Read MoreAbout two months ago, Danielle and I felt the Lord place a pretty rad idea on our hearts. We’ve been doing Surf Church, which has been a super awesome addition to the ministry we’re doing here at Ride Nature, but the day always goes too fast; time flies when you’re having fun! We thought the only thing better than a day full of fellowship and surfing is a weekend full of fellowship and surfing. The idea sprouted into action, and two weeks ago we took a group of 10 surfers to the east coast for a weekend full of camping, surfing, and most importantly, creating an environment that cultivated intentional growth in our relationships with the Lord and each other.
Read MoreEarlier this month a few of us drove out to the east coast to skate in a demo along with motocross riders and X-games BMX riders. The boss man (Mark), staff members Brandon and Derek, and the homies Alex and Coty and I were slam packed into a 15 passenger van with a ton of products to toss and high stoke to skate at Space Coast City Fest.
Read MoreAs the plane took flight to Nicaragua, I prayed that the Lord would use our team however He willed for this trip. I had plenty of my own expectations and even desires for this trip as I have been a part of countless mission trips before, but this mission trip was quite different from all of the previous trips that I’ve been on.
Read MoreOur headquarters in Nicaragua is coming together! The transformation is black and white. Our team in Nicaragua has been working hard reconstructing the headquarters and starting ministry in San Juan Del Sur. We are sending a team of four to Nicaragua this week from the 1st-7th with more tools and pieces to finish up the project–from door handles to bed frames, mattresses, and refrigerators.
Read MoreThis past week I was able to take four interns to The Grind Conference in South Haven, Michigan. The Grind Conference is for leaders in the skate-ministry world to meet together to network, encourage, train, and equip one another to continue to pour into the skate community.
Read MoreSince 2010 we’ve given away thousands of skateboards to kids around the world. We’ve been blessed with tons of boards that have been donated through numerous companies including Penny, Z Flex, Zero, and many others. We’ve had hundreds of skimboards donated from Zap and they continue to supply us with more as needed. Surfboards, however, have been one of the hardest items for us to get donated.
Read MoreAs this season has turned our attention toward our local community, God has given us the opportunity to step into new areas of missions right here in Fort Myers. One of our new local-mission outreaches has been going into government housing and giving skateboards to kids who cannot afford them.
Read MoreDuring this season of sickness throughout our world, life as we know it quickly came to a halt. But like He always does, the Lord had a plan to use this standstill as a jumpstart for something new. With the majority of our trips and community outreach being canceled, the time we generally use to invest in others transitioned into a new form of investment to prepare for even more community to come.
Read MoreOn behalf of our Ride Nature team, I want to thank you all for your faithful and generous support of the work that we are leading. For the hundreds of you in our local area who were able to join us for the banquet, thank you so much for coming out and being a part of making this our best banquet to date!
Read MoreDuring the last week of February we were asked to travel to Cuba to the city of Playa Jibacoa, to be a part of an underground action sports conference. With the help of two local pastors, who are part of a network of over 1000+ home churches with 10,000+ members…
Read MoreWe recently returned from a pioneering mission trip to Israel. We were presented the opportunity to come and see what the action sports scene looked like in Israel and knowing that there were less than 1% evangelical Christians and that it was ILLEGAL to proselytize or share the Gospel with kids under 18, it seemed like the need was pretty evident.
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