Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ~ Matthew 16:24

On June 7, 2012 Junior Garcia began carrying his cross.  The nineteen year old made the decision to journey from Texas to Washington D.C. carrying a 12-foot cross.  His mission is to bring attention to the name of Christ and prompt those who see him to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Feeling himself separated from God, Garcia surrendered his all and felt God’s prompting to begin this task.  He is being led by God on where to go and the pathway to take. Garcia is literally doing what the word of God commands us to do.  He is sacrificing his time, physical comfort and in some respects his reputation to make the name of Christ known.  On July 13, 2012 Junior Garcia ended his journey by holding a prayer vigil near the White House.  Initially he was told that he would not be able to hold the service but thanks to Congresswoman Kay Granger he and his group were allowed to complete their journey as planned.

When others his age are exploring who they are and how they fit in the world around them, Garcia has discovered something permanent and profound; he has a cross to bear.  As Christians we make daily decisions to deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow Jesus.  We deny what our flesh desires to take care of our families, to work in the ministry, or to help someone in need.  Ultimately we are seeking to make His name known so that the sick can accept Him as their healer, the destitute can accept Him as their deliverer and the lost can accept Him as their savior.

I pray that as people watched Garcia carry his cross they were reminded of the love of Christ.  Maybe a backslider remembered the relationship they once had with their true Savior.  Maybe someone remembered their mother or a grandmother calling on Jesus when times were tough.  I pray that people were reminded that in a world where chaos is the order of the day a sacrifice was made over 2000 years ago for you to have peace in your heart, salvation for your soul, and healing for your body.  In all that Junior Garcia sacrificed I pray that someone came to the decision that they too have a cross to bear.

You can visit http://www.theoasis-church.org/index.php/the-journey to view a video of Junior Garcia discussing why he begin his journey and check out The Oasis Church International Facebook page to see photos of Garcia’s journey.