Three, thirteen.
I am trying to find words that could possibly bring understanding to the life that has happened behind these numbers. It’s a total Jesus thing. My hope is that if you continue to read, you’ll discover how much He cares about us all and is in the details of everything.
From the time I can remember since I was a little girl, Jesus has spoken to me in 3s. It’s a number that has always been significant to me. Beginning of 2021 a group of my girlfriends and I sat down to pray over the year and have a vision board party. One of my friends, Taylor, had been doing vision boards for a few years prior and felt the Lord call her to gather girls to be involved. Throughout the middle of that night, one of my friends, Shannon, felt led to put the numbers 11/02 on her board. After more conversation, I ended up putting 313 on my board. I didn’t know what or if it would mean anything, but for whatever reason (Holy Spirit) I felt it needed to be there! I never thought that would be the name of a ministry the Lord would call me to lead.
Flash forward to the middle of 2021 when the Lord began to me speak heavily on the number thirteen. I called my friend Shannon and said, “Gods speaking to me about 13.” After my first mission trip to Africa, I had been praying for God to send me back. I prayed for open doors within the next 3 months (this was in July). I ended up randomly meeting a man at a work conference in America. He was from Kenya and had connections with another pastor there. I ended up returning to Africa, in September this time. They had scheduled my flights so I had no control over when the time they were scheduling them for, but the dates that they ended up scheduling for me to leave for Africa and return to America were the 3rd – 13th. At the time, I knew this was one of the confirmations God was giving me about 313.
While in Africa the second time, I went alone to stay with a beautiful Kenyan family. God led me there alone as my faith and relationship with Him truly became dependent in a way I’d not experienced before. It was incredible. It really was just me and Jesus. Throughout my time in Africa, the Lord began to speak and give me a vision/blueprint of the clips He’d given me of this ministry. As I was sitting in the bedroom in the house I was staying in, I felt the Lord say that when I returned to America, I was to begin 313 Ministries.
That is a glimpse of where the ministry began, yet God had reminded me of the mission statement that He had already given me several months prior and the vision He had revealed to me many years ago. I am incredibly grateful to carry His name to whomever and wherever He leads. If you are reading this, I encourage you to document each thought or idea that you may feel came from the Lord. Sometimes, it may not mean anything, but others He may be slowly leading pieces together for a bigger mission that He is wanting to create through you.
P.S: At the beginning of the article, I mentioned Shannon putting the dates 11/02 on her vision board in 2021. 11/02 is the date that 313 Ministries Organization became an official non-profit in the state of Georgia. I mailed off all the material in October with no thought about when it would be established by the state. God had his hand on this ministry before the beginning. Now, Shannon is a vital part of this ministry through prayer and on 313’s Board of Directors.
Colossians 3:1-3, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (NIV)