As we sat in the backyard of our friends house here in Dallas, getting ready to watch the fireworks, I couldn't help but reminisce of our 4th of July in 2014. July 8th it will be our 1 year anniversary out here.

July 4th of 2014 my wife and I were just days away from moving to Texas. We spent the holiday with family in Morgan Hill watching the fireworks and soaking up quality time with everyone. My wife was pregnant, our house had sold for more than we asked for, everything was moving along as it should have and you'd think I would've been on cloud nine, but  I was actually hurting. When you make moves of faith, most people will not understand your choices or direction, which in itself is understandable because THEY didn't hear from God, YOU did. For one thing, our move happened a lot quicker than we desired and the process from beginning to end to new beginning wasn't ideal either; on so many levels. When you pour your life in a community for 14 years it's so hard to leave. You wish to say goodbye to every single person and let them hear your heart and direction. We weren't able to do that for reasons beyond our control and because of that we went through some tough times. I received phone calls from friends asking if I had had an affair or if I was fired? Some of the hardest conversations I had to have were birthed from all of the things we could not control or change. Ministry can be very messy. But we moved forward with God's plan for our life as best we could and with no regrets. We took our shots, and continued to show love and move forward.

This 4th of July meant that we have been in Texas for nearly one year. And what an amazing, stretching, molding year it's been. So here's a quick glimpse of our story so far:

When we got here, we moved in with our friends of many years, The Rubios. They opened their home to us and told us we can stay as long as we needed. They loved on us and blessed us tremendously. Leaving your fully furnished, three bedroom home to then stay in one room with a toddler and pretty pregnant wife on an air mattress for a few months has it's moments! We found a home church and can I just say: it felt so good to finally go to church together. In the 7 years that we have been married, Sunday services weren't something we were able to attend together due to ministry. I have come to realize that many times, people marry their ministry instead of their wives. Truth be told, I was headed in that direction. I've seen many ministers lose their kids, wives and whole families because they've married their ministry. That wasn't going to be me. Our first few months in Texas I had it in my head that churches would throw themselves at me because after all "I was a youth veteran of 14 years from a mega church! I was a pro sports chaplain!" Right?!

 Let's just say that didn't happen.  And I needed to get a job, quick.  Because of my background in ministry only (for the most part), it was hard to get a nice paying position anywhere other than a church. I also needed some healing time before I got back in ministry and so a ministry position wasn't necessarily on my radar at that point anyway. On the search, I ended up at one of my favorite places; Costco. Going from a job and a pace where everyone knows you and the pay is great-to pushing carts in 90 degree weather and no one knows "who you are" was an experience! My nights and weekends were dedicated to Costco, away from my family. But I met some of the most amazing people there and more importantly, God brought me back to a place of hunger and desperation for Him.  I stayed there and worked my tail off for a few months and soon after my friend's dad offered me a job driving school buses. With better pay, less stress and nights and weekends off it was a no brainer, I went for it. I wish you could've heard the reactions of my friends and ministry partners when I told them I was now a school bus driver. As I started this job, we were able to get an apartment just in time for the arrival of our second daughter, Aria Noelle Avila! What a blessing she is to our family!!!

After Aria arrived, I had the opportunity to go to Planetshakers in Australia with one of my good friends who is a pastor on staff with them.  I can honestly say my life was changed there forever. From the services, to prayer, to seeking God, to a big prophecy spoken over my life on that trip; I came home fired up, HEALED and ready. Working for the school district brought me more incredible friends that all encouraged and supported me. To add to our time in Texas, God began to challenge us with our finances. We saw our savings dwindling and we were trying to keep our faith strong. I came across this passage in the bible, "He who sows GENEROUSLY will reap GENEROUSLY, and He who sows SPARINGLY will reap SPARINGLY." God began to ask us, "What kind of harvest do you want?" We both felt we needed to sow and sow generously. So we did. The biggest checks we've written, we wrote. Literally ONE day later a friend of mine called me and asked, "Are you still wanting to buy a home?" I said of course. He said, "I have a home I need to sell in June." (June was when our apt lease was up) I said, "I would love to, but I can't get a loan because of my income as a bus driver. He said, "I know a place that will finance you, Me!" I nearly fell to the ground. My friend, a devout Christian, felt in his heart to bless us and plant a seed in our lives. He sold us a home worth $225k-$240k for $185k and then financed it for us. So this June we went from paying $1200/ a month for a nice apartment to $575/ a month for a castle of a home! But it doesn't stop there. One day after that phone call about the house I got an email from Fellowship of Christian Athletes wanting to interview me. I interviewed with them and after just one hour I was told they didn't think it would be a good fit because the position I would be perfect for was actually an hour away. Just some background, FCA has been around for over 50 years and would allow me to be on public school campuses mentoring coaches and their student athletes. This seemed so perfect. I asked, "what city is the position in?" He said "Keller."

Keller is where our new home was. I said let me pray about this! Ha!!



I can't tell you enough how faithful God is. I'm now on staff with FCA, living in a dream home with my amazing little family. But, the story doesn't stop here. It's July 6th and I continue my journey in faith. Our next big task is to develop a "Home Team" that will support us as missionaries to public schools. My financial goal to raise is $3000 a month to start, it's actually more normally, but this is my first goal. I have been put in charge of over 60 schools in the Dallas Ft Worth area. "The harvest is great, but the workers are few." So in faith, my family and I lean to the help of the church. Just like Paul, through his journeys, he stayed in peoples homes, was fed by them and sent out financially by the church; we too step out. If my life or my wife's life throughout the years has ministered to you or blessed you or encouraged you, would you ask God if He wants you to be apart of our "Home team" by financially supporting us monthly? Some of you could do $50 a month, some of you could do $500 a month. As a chaplain to athletes I have NEVER charged them for any of my services and will NEVER do that. It's all faith. It's ALL for GOD. We need you. Ask God and be obedient and watch God bring a harvest in your life.  I love you guys. Thanks for reading about our journey. If you feel led, below is a link. Copy and paste on your browser. Then enter and become part of our team.

Blessings,
     Chris Avila

https://my.fca.org/6054-avila-christopher.aspx