How Easter Sunday Changed Revival on Rubber

Something unexpected has come about.

It started on Easter Sunday—a day celebrating new life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What came about wasn’t well organized.

It wasn’t planned far ahead.

We didn’t have much for supplies.

In fact, what was planned—failed.

Yet, something beautiful was born…

—and it’s available for you to join in and be a part of.

I invite you to start with this short story:

The Failed Plan

It began when one woman who recently gave her life to Christ reached out looking for support. Jenn had just volunteered for the 2nd time at her local church, eager to serve—she was informed of a mission group helping homeless people in downtown Winnipeg.

Jenn sent a simple text to Revival on Rubber: “Shaun, just wanted to see if Sunday you wanted to take me to give out water bottles and food to the homeless for Easter? Theres this group that the lady at the church in town told me about and I’m going to try and get in touch with them to do the walk they put on downtown at 1pm.”

I checked the calendar and found a four-hour window available, so I replied: “Let’s do it Jenn, join me for the 10:30 service and we can head downtown right after to make it there for 1pm.”

After service we made two quick stops:

1. We picked up two cases of water from the woman who had told Jenn about the downtown mission. What seemed like a simple pickup quickly became something much deeper. During our short interaction, her heart became visibly heavy. The Holy Spirit moved, leading into a brotherly hug and a prayer right there in the moment. By the time we left, all three of us were emotional, encouraged, and reminded that ministry often begins long before we ever reach the streets.

2. We then headed over to Jenn’s place where we loaded up a rickety old wagon she had salvaged from the garbage.

It was now 12:30pm.

We had a thirty-minute drive ahead of us, and only then did Jenn mention the volunteer team actually met at 12pm to prepare before their 1pm outreach start time.

So we made our way downtown and arrived right at 1pm. As we searched for the outreach crew, we eventually spotted them already out on foot serving.

On the drive in, we both knew we had missed the mark. From my experience, that preparation time beforehand matters. Teams need organization, direction, prayer, safety instruction, and coordination. We noticed everyone wearing safety vests and already moving with purpose while we drove up late and underprepared.

Our lack of communication and planning resulted in a failed attempt to serve alongside that mission.

Thankfully, God works all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

So Jenn and I decided to go find some homeless encampments on our own and hand out what little we had.

Into the Encampments

We found encampments along Waterfront Drive—tarps and garbage stretching along the riverbank, helping keep some of God’s children alive through the harsh climate we face here in Winnipeg.

We parked the truck, loaded up the wagon, and stepped into a part of the world most people try not to look at.

If you’ve never walked into one of these encampments, it’s difficult to explain. It feels like stepping into a nightmare—one many people live in every single day for years.

We first came upon two men living within this reality. They stepped out from their shelters after hearing us approach with water and chocolate. They were friendly and grateful, and one of them accepted our offer for prayer.

His name was Junior, and he wanted prayer for a better life.

We prayed over him, and as we walked away I felt the Holy Spirit ask me:

“Why didn’t you ask him if he’s ever accepted Me as Lord and Saviour?”

Next we approached three women and a man sitting on the ground where there was more garbage than grass. A used needle stuck out of the dirt inches from where I stopped to speak with them.

Again, they were kind and thankful for what we brought.

At first, one woman asked for prayer over her family’s protection. Then another woman, Joanna, asked if I could pray for her daughter, her family, her friends, and for God to help her live a better life.

After the prayer, Joanna shared a testimony about the time God saved her sister’s life. Her sister had collapsed and begun seizing. Joanna cried out desperately to God, begging Him not to take her yet. She said she had never cried out to God like that before. Then she touched her sister—and instantly the seizure stopped and her sister regained consciousness.

Hearing her testimony stirred something in me.

This time I didn’t allow fear, hesitation, or uncertainty to stop me from boldly proclaiming the Gospel. Scripture tells us in Romans 1:16 that we are not to be ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Jesus Himself said that if we acknowledge Him before men, He will acknowledge us before the Father.

So before leaving, I asked Joanna if she wanted to join me in prayer and give her life to Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour.

She politely declined.

And that was okay.

The seed was planted.

The name of Jesus was proclaimed.

And we left knowing obedience matters more than visible results.

Next came two more men running out as we continued down the line of encampments. Again they were friendly and grateful for the water we had left to give them. They politely declined prayer, and we continued on our way.

That was everyone living in that particular area.

The Broken Wagon

As we walked back toward the truck down Higgins Avenue, Jenn kept kicking the wheels of the decrepit wagon back into place while I pulled it along. Traffic rolled by watching us struggle with this broken little cart—and suddenly an idea came to mind.

Revival on Rubber Ministries had just launched, and while the bus vision is still a long way from being completed, pulling this busted-up wagon actually made me laugh. Yet at the same time, I felt genuine appreciation for what we had just done and for what this could become if we simply kept showing up consistently.

This was a Revival on Rubber.

Not with a 40-foot bus…

—but with a broken 3-foot wagon that barely rolled straight.

Honestly, that wagon mirrored our performance that day perfectly.

Unpolished.

Underprepared.

Imperfect.

But still moving.

And that’s okay.

Because it was a beginning.

A beginning that could be built upon.

A beginning that could grow into something impactful.

A beginning that could give purpose and opportunity to many members of the body of Christ here in Winnipeg who have been signing up to serve with Revival on Rubber Ministries.

A Bigger Vision Begins

As this idea unfolded in my mind while traffic passed us by, the vision expanded even further.

What if we built custom wooden wagons designed specifically for outreach?

Wagons that would draw attention.

Wagons engraved with Scripture.

Wagons displaying Christian symbolism like the cross—showing people that Jesus is still moving through the streets, still working, still loving, still reaching people exactly where they are.

It became another miniature expression of the larger vision God had already placed on my heart for the bus:

To create rolling pieces of art that draw people in and open doors for Gospel conversations.

We decided to spend the final hour we had available serving at Union Gospel Mission, which seemed completely divinely orchestrated because they were unusually understaffed that day and had to close their regular homeless drop-in service.

So Jenn and I grabbed our leftover water, loaded up all the food UGM had available, and alongside another volunteer we handed out food to roughly 40 people in the name of Jesus. One woman graciously accepted prayer as well.

Building the First Outreach Wagon

The next day it was time to bring the idea to life.

I searched around the farm and found some live-edge lumber I had never fully cleaned up, an old wedding sign board I had previously made for friends, and a discarded Power Wheels car with four usable wheels still on it.

Over the next four weeks, we slowly began building the first official outreach wagon. Just a few hours here and there whenever time allowed. During that time we quietly put registration up on the website but intentionally held off on making any public announcement before the first official outreach.

Four volunteers showed up at our meeting spot outside Union Gospel Mission on May 3rd

Collectively we had:

• two cases of water

• two cases of oranges

• seven care packages assembled by one volunteer, each containing:

-a sleeping bag

-Bible

-2 protein bars

-2 water bottles

-toothbrush & tooth paste

-cleansing wipes

-The Book of Hope

-ABC’s of salvation

After a quick briefing and prayer, we began moving.

Walking Through Broken Places

We walked down an alley I had never stepped foot in before as we made our way from UGM at Princess and Higgins toward the encampments along Waterfront Drive.

I would guess this is an area most Winnipeggers have only ever glanced at through their vehicle windows with either horror, disgust, fear—or perhaps brief compassion before quickly moving on with the distractions of everyday life.

I would confidently argue that the path we walked that day—and the path we will continue walking during these outreaches—is one of, if not the most roughest and most broken parts of Winnipeg.

Yet I felt no fear there.

Only peace.

Only joy.

Joy and peace that surpasses understanding.

Joy and peace that can only come from God Himself.

People from every direction approached us.

Some broken.

Some intoxicated.

Some hopeless.

Some simply curious.

And through it all, God was with us.

It was genuinely glorious.

We handed out everything we had. We offered prayer, which was often gratefully accepted. Most of the time we spoke openly about Jesus and His love, though occasionally the opportunity for direct conversation never came.

Yet even then, God was still moving.

Some people noticed the Scripture engraved into the wooden wagon and asked us if we had Bibles available.

What they didn’t know was that they had already been handed a bag containing one.

God was drawing people before we even spoke.

As we crossed Main Street just south of Higgins during rush hour traffic, vehicles sat stopped watching this wooden Gospel wagon full of supplies roll by.

Nearly every person who received a sleeping bag shouted with joy and gratitude, many openly thanking God.

It was beautiful.

It was inspiring.

It was impactful.

And it felt like only the beginning.

An Invitation to Revival on Rubber

More wagons are already being built.

The word is beginning to spread.

And this is the invitation you’re receiving now:

• Register under the Commission Crew found on the “Gather & Serve” page

• Join us the first Sunday of the month at 2pm for three hours

• Share this blog with friends and family

• Help support the mission through our designated fundraising campaign

• Sign up for the newsletter to stay updated on future outreach opportunities

This is only the beginning of Revival on Rubber.

The wagon may have started broken—but the Gospel moving through Winnipeg is not.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

— Galatians 6:9

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