Over one hundred young people marched down 6th Street—the heart of nightlife in Austin and the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival—singing together: “All we need is love!” People in bars and on the street stopped to watch. Some started singing along. Suddenly, Steiger missionary Filipe, leading the flash mob, shouted, “Alright… but where do we find it?!”

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This March, 120 young adults from 8 states, 35 cities, and 33 different local churches in North America travelled to our Intensive Training at SXSW—a huge festival in Austin, Texas! Over three and a half days, the team built community, engaged deeply with Scripture, and worshiped together. Each day, the team took to the streets with creative tools to start conversations and share the Gospel.

Turns out, The Beatles can be very useful for that. Every person needs love, but where do we find it? That striking question sparked many meaningful conversations, including one Jocelyn from our team had with a young woman named "Yumi." Yumi hesitated to agree that love was all we need and didn’t see anything spiritual about it. She didn’t consider herself a spiritual person, but rather someone who is logical and scientific, someone who believes in facts rather than faith.

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“What if the One who created everything is the greatest scientist of all?” Jocelyn asked, pointing to the complexity of the human body and the precision of the universe. She shared the Gospel, about a broken world, a God who stepped into it, and the invitation to relationship through Jesus. Yin listened closely and said she was going to reflect on the message.

During the festival, Steiger team member Andy and the team met "Ryan," a young musician who was performing with his band. Ryan shared about his love for music, the energy of being on stage, and the connection with the crowd. “Making music and being on stage during performances is what gives me that feeling of freedom and purpose,” explained Ryan.

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Andy shared the Gospel, and Ryan was very encouraged. He said he believed in Jesus, but it had been a long time since he had read the Bible or been part of a church. Andy prayed for him and challenged him to reconnect, to make space again for Scripture and for a relationship with God. Ryan was deeply grateful. 

Steiger missionary Michelle returned to SXSW and unexpectedly ran into “Kevin,” someone she had shared the Gospel with last year. Kevin was still searching for hope. Once again, Michelle and the team shared the Gospel with him. Even though he believed the message, he was not ready to fully surrender to Jesus. Still, it was an encouraging moment for Michelle:

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“It reminded me that God is always working. It was inspiring to see the seed that I planted last year and to water it again. I believe God will finish the work in Kevin’s heart and continue to reveal Jesus to him.”

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Michelle is still in touch with Kevin, trusting God with the rest of his story. 

The Steiger North America team trained and mobilized 120 young adults from 8 states, 35 cities, and 33 different local churches to reach secular people during the SXSW Intensive Training. Through it: 

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•⁠  the team interacted with at least 2,000 people during creative actions

•⁠  ⁠1,051 people were reached with the Gospel

•⁠  ⁠at least 700 people engaged in spiritual conversations

•⁠  about 650 people received prayer during these actions

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Interested in being part of this Jesus revolution? Join the Steiger MVMT in North America!