It's so nice to have the wonderful sunlight again! As the winter comes to an end, so does the shelter & help from the city, for the needy. Which brings them back to the streets in search of places to eat. Just from the last few weeks, we've seen the attendance grow in the upper 2 digit numbers again. Due to the lengthy line, and people arriving later, there were about 3-5 people who missed out on a meal tonight. It's really sad to look them in their eyes and have to tell them we have nothing left, before they walk away.
Tonight's message was about facing the cold reality of "Death". This week was a struggle for me to find the proper message to share... and to be honest, it wasn't until this very morning, that I was inspired by my own Pastors daily devotions, that GOD revealed what was to be said. I certainly couldn't have planned that, and it was perfect because it was all part of GOD's perfect plan. Today was such a beautiful day in sunny San Diego! The beach itself was packed with many people enjoying the weather -tanning, playing football, reading books... all on the sand. As I started to share the message, I glanced out to the beach and noticed a large portion of people were listening to what was being said. I feel it was at that very moment, that GOD gave me a very small glimpse of what He had planned.
We were blessed again with so many of the HSE students, to help minister where it's needed. While Jason played an amazing set of worship songs, Will and I went to speak with a regular guest, "Ron". He was very depressed and we offered prayer. He declined because he's agnostic. Just a few minutes into our conversation, I was baffled to learn that he was once a Reverend. (I can not comprehend how one could go from one to the other!) His piercing blue eyes screamed out years of pain and suffering of some kind, as tears slowly trickled down his cheeks. It's hard for me to know what to do in this situation... most people are more than happy to have others pray for them, but not Ron. He doesn't want anything to do with Jesus. (Please stop reading right now, and take a moment to pray for this man.)
As we went back to the lower level to be with the group, we were greeted with smiles from everyone. All seemed very well. There were tons of clothes being given out. It's a great honor for me to see how this Ministry has grown over the last year.
Starting from Amanda and I bringing a single tray of Spaghetti and meeting with a group no larger than 7 or 8 people; growing to 4 trays of pasta, fruits, salads, desserts, clothes, hygiene kits, socks, Bibles, worship music, dozens of people coming to know Christ, men overcoming their addictions, a full team of support, and ministering to a group the size of a few Platoons. I am sooooooooo thankful that GOD is moving in this Ministry!
Many of our friends from HSE got the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with people and pray with them. I wish I had the time to sit down with all of them and get their perspectives to share with all who read this blog. Perhaps some of them will write and share...
One of our regulars, Michael (who'd recently accepted Jesus) had a handful of prayer requests and I had the privilage to pray with him. Simply by his requests, I could tell that fruit is starting to blossom. His prayers were not of selfish motives, on the other hand, they were for others. One person I'd like to share about is a man named Mr. Groff. He's currently a patient at the VA hospital and spends his days laying face down on a gurney, alone with no visitors. Michael asked if we could pray for this mans comfort! I did my best to let Micahel know that he doesn't need a mediator to Jesus, he has full access to our Lord just a well as any of us do, and encouraged him to pray for Mr. Groff anytime he thought of him.
Amanda's co-worker, James, was able to sit with a gentleman for some one-on-one talk. I didn't really get a chance to hear what all of the conversations were throughout the night, but it's neat to sit back and watch the love of GOD work through people. For many, all they desire is to be accepted and talked to like civil human beings again. If nothing else, we can at least do that..... but I'm happy to announce that GOD is doing far more than that through his faithful ones who are willing to step out in faith.
