While traveling from Tacoma to Miami in August 2020, the thought of making another trip from Maine to Southern California popped into my mind (basically making an X across the United States). That idea quickly morphed into traveling to all 50 States. As I pondered traveling to all 50 states to pray and pour oil into the soil at each States’ Gate (Border or Welcome Center), I sensed an overwhelming excitement, a sensation I usually get when invited to speak at an event or address an audience on a passionate topic. Yet, the book I wrote many years ago, “Are You Sure God Told You To Tell Me That?” was now poetically asking that question of me. Nevertheless, I remember expressing aloud, “I will do this, Lord; I want to do this.”

Notwithstanding the grueling challenges Jeremiah and Paul must have faced during their journeys, the 50-State Prayer Mission was not grueling, but it was not without any challenges. Especially spiritual challenges. For me, I had to exact spiritual authority on more than one occasion. To rephrase Paul’s assertion,

“our weapons are not physical, carnal, or worldly. They are of God and mighty enough to cast down imaginations, to include arguments, reasonings, and philosophical bents, as well as all vices or addictions to the obedience of Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

When I arrived home in South Florida, I pulled out my 30-year-old Atlas from my active duty days in the military and began assessing what it would take to accomplish the task logistically. Planning and strategizing the movement of supplies and equipment is nothing new to me. I was at the ground level of moving the Main Distribution Center of the 24th Infantry Division into Saudi Arabia and retrograding out of the theater of operation during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. But this 50-State Prayer Mission was different, and this undertaking required spiritual acuity. God directed me to self-fund the mission and maintain radio silence (military jargon to be quiet) until launch. The most important aspect of the planning was completing the mission by August 2021, a timetable the Lord placed upon me.

I looked over possible routes, transportation assets and researched each State's typical weather patterns, traffic patterns, road conditions, and modest hotels for lodging. I studied the demographics of areas I would travel to (age, race, gender, population size, etc.) God connected me with a few Intelligence Officers (prayer warriors and intercessors) with keen spiritual insight who were discreet and thoughtful. Nearly all of these individuals were people I had never met in person.

The initial plan called for four phases. The first phase included 18 states, driving from Florida to Maine. The first phase was the only phase that was completed as originally planned. The other phases were modified and updated as close as two weeks from the launch date of those phases. A fifth phase was added due to the 100-year snowstorm that blanketed the Southwest in February 2021. The original plan for Phase Two was to cover nine states, but the storm forced me to cut the trip short. Thus, the initial third phase was changed to Phase Four, and the initial fourth phase was adjusted to Phase Five.

Armed with unction from the Holy Spirit and wise counsel, the 50-State Prayer Mission was set in motion. The journey commenced on January 16, 2021. My chief aim was to honor and obey the directives that were placed before me by God. My principal objective was to anoint the soil with oil while simultaneously releasing a strong prayer mist in each State across the land; besides, according to the scriptures, we are ambassadors of Christ and Ministers of Reconciliation.

The distance that Paul alluded to is nearly the same distance I drove for Phase One—2,080 miles. The states included Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont.

On January 16, 2021, I left Florida and arrived in Durham, NC, later that night, making stops in Georgia and South Carolina to pray and plant a prayer tag. My oldest daughter joined me in Durham, and we drove to Washington, DC, the day before the inauguration of President Joseph Biden. I was concerned that we would not have an accessible entrance into DC, considering the events of January 6, 2021, and the heavy presence of law enforcement. Still, we entered the city with complete ease and free of roadblocks and checkpoints. We prayed and anointed the soil with oil near the campus of Howard University.

We drove up the East Coast and arrived in Massachusetts late, spending the night in Boston. We lodged at a hotel along the Boston Harbor. The following day as I walked towards the front desk to check out the hotel, I encountered two hotel workers who appeared reserved and timid. They pleaded with me to pray for them as well as for the hotel. After a quick prayer for them, I prayed again in the lobby. As I left the hotel, the Spirit of intercessory prayer came over me, so I prayed more fervently. It was not until I left the area that I remembered the prophetic words given to me by one of the intercessors that I mentioned earlier. One week before my trip, she told me of a vision she had of me interacting with some people at a hotel and proclaiming God's power to settle over the area. From there, my daughter and I made it to Maine on January 18th and then drove west towards Vermont.

Phase Two was the most challenging of the five phases. The states included Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. I flew into Dallas/Ft. Worth on Saturday, February 13, 2021. Bishop Earl Parchia joined me on Sunday, February 14, 2021. It had snowed, and more snow was on the way, but I still had the urge to stay with the plan to drive to Hobbs, New Mexico, which is usually a 5-hour drive, but it took us just over seven hours as the road conditions were capricious. Nevertheless, we were undeterred and planted the prayer tag into the ground, anointed the soil with oil in Hobbs, NM, and drove back to Dallas/Ft. Worth. It was around 2:30 a.m. when I could see in the distance the lights from Ft. Worth’s skyline. But all of a sudden, things went dark from the distance. I thought I was hallucinating, considering the hour and fatigue I was experiencing. As we continued driving and entered the city, I realized that it was no hallucination; the entire area experienced a blackout because of the storm.

We experienced a worsening of the weather conditions while driving in Oklahoma and Arkansas. I have lived in both Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska. The roads in Arkansas were none like I have ever experienced, particularly along the very business Interstate I-40 on the Arkansas/Texas border. As we were driving, I thought about the time during Desert Storm when we launched into Iraq. Within a couple of hours of our launch, we experienced a sandstorm, which seemingly came out of nowhere. After a few more hours into Iraq, a heavy rainstorm followed. Both storms were challenging to drive through, but we kept going. We later discovered that it worked to our advantage as many Iraqi vehicles got bogged down in the sand, which later became mud because of the rain. Although Phase Two's mission was a bit treacherous, the task was accomplished.

Phase Three was a continuation of Phase Two. It included the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama.

After flying into Atlanta, GA, I met up with Bishop Parchia. We drove through Chattanooga, Lebanon, and Nashville, TN., and rested for the night in Clarksville, TN. (borders the military base, Ft. Campbell, KY). We received an invitation into the home of a lovely couple who lives in Lebanon along our journey. We were greeted and welcomed with enormous respect and honor. We had dinner and had a wonderful time conversing with them. Before leaving, we prayed for the couple and their home. The Lord gave me a prophetic word for the couple, and it aligned with what they were discussing with each other months prior. They were so encouraged and overwhelmed that they donated a generous gift for the mission.

After planting the prayer tag into the ground in Kentucky, we drove through Tennessee and rode through the entire State of Mississippi (North to South). While in Mississippi, I was led to stop in Hazlehurst. There, we anointed the soil and placed the prayer tag into the ground.

We continued driving south and arrived in New Orleans around 6:30 p.m. and met with Bishop James Daniel and Lady Daniel, Diocesan of the 27th Episcopal District of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World and Senior Pastor of Philadelphia Ministries, Inc. We prayed, planted the prayer tag, anointed the soil with oil, and had a great time of fellowship as we eat some sumptuous New Orleans-style cuisine.

We departed New Orleans around 8:30 p.m. and arrived in Birmingham, Alabama, around 3:00 a.m. on March 14, 2021. We lost an hour due to daylight savings time. After a few hours of sleep, we completed the mission in Alabama by planting the prayer tag and anointing the soil with oil at the eastern gate of the State, along Interstate I-10.

I flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Minneapolis, connecting flight layover via John F. Kennedy in New York. The states for Phase Five included Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska.

This phase was a little unique and was the most challenging, logistically. My oldest daughter rejoined me, and my son joined me for parts of Phase Four. After arriving in Minneapolis, we immediately traveled to North Dakota (arriving in Fargo just after midnight on March 23, 2021), South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, back into Minnesota, into Wisconsin, and back to Minneapolis. We poured oil into the soil and planted the prayer tag at one of the eastern gates to Minnesota.

While in Bismarck, I visited a Walmart to pick up a few items. As I walked towards the exit door, an older woman in her late 80s or early 90s engaged me in a lengthy and pleasant conversation. She was incredibly kind and kept saying words like, "you're doing fine, keep up the good work, keep going, etc." It was not until I got miles down the road that I realized her shopping cart was full of unbagged groceries, yet she was nearing the exit door. She also spoke some things to me that had to be by divine revelation.

In South Dakota, we spent the night in Rapid City. The morning of our departure, a couple left Starbucks simultaneously and inquired about my hat, which had the 50-State Prayer Mission logo. We had a pleasant exchange and agreed to pray for God's purpose and will to be done. Soon after I left the couple, another woman pulled up next to our vehicle and read the magnet sign. She, too, offered her prayers. We planted the prayer tag into the ground and poured oil into the soil at one of the gates on the southeastern border, just before entering Iowa. The prayer tags for Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Wyoming were planted near those States' gates.

We flew out of Minneapolis and arrived in the State of Washington on the afternoon of March 25, 2021, one day before my grandson's first birthday. My entire family met in Tacoma. I rested for a few days to spend quality time with them, as all three of our children live in different states. After a few day's rest with the family, I flew to Fairbanks, Alaska. Within a few hours of arriving, I saw three men; two were standing and wobbling, the other was lying in 3-4 inches of snow. I know they were all drunk. I approached them, and immediately one of the men started citing the Lord's prayer. I told him to continue as I bent down to the native man lying in the snow and said to him, "Be Saved; Be Free, Be Saved Now!" The man reached his hand towards me as a person would if they were drowning. One of the men began to pour his bottle of alcohol out onto the ground, but I told him not to do it for me. Serve the Lord.

While in Fairbanks, I was honored to catch up with my former pastor, District Superintendent (Bishop) Gordon Parrish. I was a very young 23-year old stationed at the nearby military base back in 1984. His temperament and pastoral approach still resonate with me today.

A significant snowfall came the night after I left Fairbanks that closed the airport and practically shut down the city, a rare occurrence. I departed at the right time. I returned to the State of Washington to plant the prayer tag and poured oil into the soil at one of the welcome centers along Interstate I-5.

Phase Five included the States of Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. One might think of Phase Five as a vacation or boondoggle by the initial look of things, but it was far from it.

I flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Honolulu via a layover in Los Angeles. Because of Hawaii's COVID-19 protocols, getting into the State was not easy. Most people might have avoided the trouble and delayed their travels, but I could not wait—I was on a mission that had to be done by August 2021. Besides, this was the final phase, with only 12 more states to go.

Hawaii is a gateway state that draws people from Eastern cultures and Western cultures. I received more inquires and opportunities to share the prayer mission in Hawaii than in any other place, and there were times went I could have used help. I was encouraged by the great reception from TSA workers, native Hawaiians, and visitors from the Eastern and Western hemispheres. I placed the prayer tag in a beautiful garden in Waikiki.

I departed Hawaii and arrived in California at 4:30 p.m., Sunday, May 2, 2021. After renting the SUV and driving 45 miles towards Vegas, I discovered that I had left my backpack at the rental car establishment. My computer and a few journal notes were inside my backpack. I returned to the establishment to retrieve my backpack and was pleased to know that a young Asian man named Michael secured it for me. I offered him money for being honest, but he would not accept it. He was happy that I was able to retrieve it. God answered my prayer as I asked Him to send an honest person to find and secure my backpack. Glory to God!

I planted the prayer tag and poured oil into the soil in Barstow, CA., near the military base, Ft. Irwin, and the National Training Center (NTC). When I was a young 28-year-old soldier, I learned about intercessory prayer during a wargame exercise at NTC. But that story is for another time. I arrived in Nevada nearly three hours beyond my expected time. Aside from delays in California, a traffic accident also contributed to the delay, as I witnessed one car flipped over and another fully ablaze, but no fatalities. While in Nevada, I visited the Hoover Dam since I was so close to Boulder City. I planted the prayer tag and poured oil into the soil on the Arizona side of Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, but I placed the prayer tag for Nevada in Logandale, NV, near the eastern gate to the State.

My youngest daughter accompanied me to a few states during Phase Five. While driving through Utah, it felt as if we were on a different planet---I mean, it was eerie! The earth formation is incredibly breathtaking, and beyond anything I have ever seen, including a road sign that read, "No Services for the next 106 miles." And it meant just that, no gas, no restroom, etc.

We arrived in Denver/Aurora just after Midnight on May 4, 2021. My youngest daughter concluded the journey in Denver while Pastor Charles Stephenson joined me for the remainder of the mission's trip.

Phase Five included the States of Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. One might think of Phase Five as a vacation or boondoggle by the initial look of things, but it was far from it.

I flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Honolulu via a layover in Los Angeles. Because of Hawaii's COVID-19 protocols, getting into the State was not easy. Most people might have avoided the trouble and delayed their travels, but I could not wait—I was on a mission that had to be done by August 2021. Besides, this was the final phase, with only 12 more states to go.

Hawaii is a gateway state that draws people from Eastern cultures and Western cultures. I received more inquires and opportunities to share the prayer mission in Hawaii than in any other place, and there were times went I could have used help. I was encouraged by the great reception from TSA workers, native Hawaiians, and visitors from the Eastern and Western hemispheres. I placed the prayer tag in a beautiful garden in Waikiki.

I departed Hawaii and arrived in California at 4:30 p.m., Sunday, May 2, 2021. After renting the SUV and driving 45 miles towards Vegas, I discovered that I had left my backpack at the rental car establishment. My computer and a few journal notes were inside my backpack. I returned to the establishment to retrieve my backpack and was pleased to know that a young Asian man named Michael secured it for me. I offered him money for being honest, but he would not accept it. He was happy that I was able to retrieve it. God answered my prayer as I asked Him to send an honest person to find and secure my backpack. Glory to God!

I planted the prayer tag and poured oil into the soil in Barstow, CA., near the military base, Ft. Irwin, and the National Training Center (NTC). When I was a young 28-year-old soldier, I learned about intercessory prayer during a wargame exercise at NTC. But that story is for another time. I arrived in Nevada nearly three hours beyond my expected time. Aside from delays in California, a traffic accident also contributed to the delay, as I witnessed one car flipped over and another fully ablaze, but no fatalities. While in Nevada, I visited the Hoover Dam since I was so close to Boulder City. I planted the prayer tag and poured oil into the soil on the Arizona side of Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, but I placed the prayer tag for Nevada in Logandale, NV, near the eastern gate to the State.

My youngest daughter accompanied me to a few states during Phase Five. While driving through Utah, it felt as if we were on a different planet---I mean, it was eerie! The earth formation is incredibly breathtaking, and beyond anything, I have ever seen, including a road sign that read, "No Services for the next 106 miles." And it meant just that, no gas, no restroom, etc.

We arrived in Denver/Aurora just after Midnight on May 4, 2021. My youngest daughter concluded the journey in Denver while Pastor Charles Stephenson joined me for the remainder of the mission's trip.

Pastor Stephenson and my flight were at the same gate, flying into Ft. Lauderdale. Bishop Parchia's flight was at the gate next to ours. Our flight got delayed an hour, but it was only the beginning of the exhilaration to come. A weather system arose in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area precluded us from landing as scheduled. The airplane circled the Jacksonville airspace about four times. The pilot came over the intercom and informed us that we would land in Jacksonville, refuel, and fly to Ft. Lauderdale when the weather cleared. The pilot returned on the intercom within a few minutes and stated that we were cleared to fly to Ft. Lauderdale. When we arrived in the South Florida airspace, the pilot came over the intercom and said that another weather cell prevented us from landing, so we circled over Bimini and The Bahamas about three times. I seized the opportunity to pray for the Bahamas in general and my many friends who live there. After circling the Bahamas, we flew west over the Florida Everglades, circled back, and made our approach to land at the Ft. Lauderdale airport. We landed safely! Now, Mission Accomplished!