Our Story
In November of 2005, a couple of friends and I decided to start up a non-profit. Looking around, we realized that we live in an area filled with young adults who possess wealth, talent and time, yet so many are not involved in regular service ministry. I had spent a lot of time in the book of James, and in several of Paul’s writings, and was struck by how much the New Testament emphasizes living out our faith.
With that goal in mind, we started up a nonprofit organization. The Bible is very clear about our purpose on this Earth. When Christ was asked what the most important commandments were, he repeatedly answered with the same message: Love God and Love People. So that’s what we named it: Love God Love People (LGLP).
We registered with the state, filed paperwork, established our name, launched a website, set goals, and then organized our first service project, partnering with the Salvation Army Christmas Angels Program at Paradise Valley Mall. I remember spending hours preparing, but only a small handful of friends showed up, and only one of whom I didn’t personally know. It was a flop. I failed. That’s what I thought, and that’s where I left it.
So life went on, and I didn’t really think about it.
Then, in October 2006, a friend from church invited me to go to Mexico with her. She and a few friends had been going with a small nonprofit organization that had been doing work in Puerto Penasco and parts of Brazil since 1999. I enjoyed my weekend there, and found myself returning the following month, and the month after that. Soon, I found myself in conversations with the organizations board members about LGLP, and I told them what it was and what our original goal had been. It had never occurred to me that God was going to use this as a platform to reintroduce what LGLP was intended for.
In January of 2007, I went down to Puerto Penasco with five other people on our first official LGLP outreach. In February, we had close to 10 volunteers, then 15 in March, and we have been growing since hosting groups as large as 80 people.
God has blessed our time in Mexico more than I can express on this page, and certainly more than I could have ever imagined.
In hindsight, there were plenty of reasons that this ministry should never have left the ground. I was in over my head, we had very few resources, no paid staff and no money. Yet, in the end, I find comfort in this basic truth: it was precisely because of those reasons that we succeeded. Our lack of…of pretty much everything forced us to rely upon God; it forced us to trust Him. In turn, God has blessed this ministry and blessed so many people through it. And He’s taught me a valuable lesson.
As we continue to move forward, we labor to never lose this truth, we strive to rely upon God fully, no matter how much or how little we have. We have such a faithful and amazing God; it is only by His grace that we have reached this point, and it is by His grace alone that we will continue to grow.
In 2010 Love God Love People was officially renamed Love Walks. This process involved both a new name and refreshed focus on a vision that included pouring into youth and young adults and creating disciples of Christ. Along with our work in Puerto Penasco we began the development of a new vision of how we could best live this out in Phoenix. This discussion led to conversations with various pastors, nonprofit professionals, missionaries, and professors. We began asking how we could best serve the body of Christ in Phoenix in developing youth and young adults into disciples who live with purpose where ever they are. Our desire wasn’t to compete with other organizations, and churches; but rather to assist them in this process. We wanted to develop youth to better serve God in the communities they are already a part of.
Out of these discussions came a partnership with Phoenix Seminary, many nonprofits, multiple speakers, and a plan to provide 18-25 year olds a unique opportunity to challenge themselves in their walk with God and to learn how exactly he has created them to glorify him and represent his Kingdom! This program is in its early development stages and plans currently are set to have it launch in the Spring of 2010.
Moving Forward
It is with humility that we step into the future. Knowing that as an organization and individuals we are merely “a mist that appears for a time and then vanishes.” As long as God opens doors for this ministry to grow, as long as people see value in what we are trying to do, and as long as there are youth who desire to follow Christ and serve others we will push forward with this vision. It is a privilege to follow Christ in this way, and one in which we eagerly invite you to walk alongside.
“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” -1 John 3:18