VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — “I’ve been on mission trips to different places, even local, and I’ve never been able to lead anyone to Jesus. They’d listen to me, and I’d ask, but they’d say, ‘No, I don’t want to pray.’”

For Evelyn Howell — a 74-year-old volunteer at Serve Tour Virginia Beach during March 28-29 — that streak finally ended. She and other volunteers were sharing their testimonies with a man they encountered during a neighborhood “grill walk” when he decided to commit his life to Christ.

After ensuring he understood the importance of his decision, Howell asked the man, “Would you ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins?” He did so happily, asking Jesus to be the Lord of his life.

The man is one of 28 people who came to Christ during Serve Tour Virginia Beach and one of over 1,100 gospel conversations. Over one weekend, 865 volunteers from 58 churches across 13 states came together to meet needs in this city. They completed a total of 40 projects, serving 5,375 individuals. In every interaction, these volunteers had the same goal — to tangibly show the love of Jesus to a community in need.

As Howell experienced, “grill walks” are one of the most effective ways to engage a neighborhood with the gospel. In Virginia Beach, volunteers participated in six different “grill walks,” traveling through neighborhoods with a mobile grill and handing out hamburgers to everyone they encountered. As they passed out burgers, they started conversations, prayed for needs and shared the gospel.

In one neighborhood where a Hispanic church plant is getting ready to launch, 13 people accepted Christ. At another, a man struggling with depression and drug use after a work-related accident gave his life to the Lord.

Construction projects were a big focus on Serve Tour Virginia Beach. These projects were a great opportunity to show that volunteers and local churches are invested in the betterment of the community and allow them to build bridges for future relationships.

Projects included working on playgrounds at several local schools, building two different community gardens in partnership with a local church, painting eight bathrooms at a middle school alongside students and giving a complete makeover to two teachers’ lounges and a teacher’s office.

The transformation of her office left the teacher in tears. Additionally, the school security guard expressed curiosity about why volunteers were doing so much work to care for the school, providing another opportunity for a gospel conversation.

Other construction projects enabled local churches to expand their ministries. A Chinese church hosts a food pantry to combat food insecurity in its community. Volunteers were able to triple the size of the pantry, meaning the church can now serve 150 families every month.

Volunteers came together to care for Virginia Beach’s homeless community by offering free haircuts and hot meals and hosting a block party. Two individuals made the life-changing decision to pray to receive Christ, including a teenager currently living on the streets.

Sign up to experience a Serve Tour here.