Well.... to start off I should mention that our team was smaller this week. Amanda, myself, and Randy. (I feel it's necessary to mention the sacrifices that Randy endures for the sake of the ministry. Tonight he sat in traffic for 1hr 45mins just to partake and help us out.) Randy is such a huge blessing to have on our team. Randy has a huge heart and it shows by his genuine acts of kindness. Since our team was so much smaller this week, and will be for the next month or so... positioning myself to speak with others on a more intimate level will have to wait. I certainly don't mind serving. It's a great honor to be serving in the name of The Almighty One, The King of Kings & Lord of Lords!
We arrived on time, and yes we had lots of people waiting. It's heartwarming to know that the men & women can now count on us being there like clockwork. We had numerous men assist with unloading the truck and setting up.
My mind was more focused tonight on being a server and not an evangelist, so I was somewhat one-track minded. I didn't see a number in the multitudes, just alot of hungry men & women. If I had to place a number on the crowd tonight... I'd guess something close to 30.
I wasn't able to give the bible study I had prepared to give tonight, but that's okay. Jesus allowed His light to shine and His message of Love was definately preached without so many words. Most faces were the familiar crowd, with a few newbies mixed in the bunch. We also had our fair share of looky-lou's asking what we're doing. I shared the sole purpose for our ministry with love and kindness. I soon stood face to face with a man named Peter. He came down and told me that because of what he had just heard me say.... he needed to come break bread with his brother. I was moved by that statement. It reminds me that GOD's love overflows far beyond the walls that surround us on the boardwalk.
Our food was gone before 7pm. It's becoming a regular occurance and now that we're prepared for it, it's okay. We regulated the food portions to be safe. The guys helped us with clean up and loading everything back in the truck. We still hung out until around 9pm though. It's nice to sit and talk with the people. Our awesome photographer friend was snapping shots again tonight and blessed me with a photo she'd taken the week before.
Just before we were about to leave, Joshua shows up. He demanded some food and ordered us to find him some. I explained to him that he needs to arrive on time because the guests are multiplying and food is running out so much faster. He asked if we had anything left over. I looked around for chips or anything of such.... with no luck. He was smoking a cigarette on the boardwalk (which is illegal) and the police pull up on their bikes, ask him some questions and inform him that it's illegal to smoke there. While they were speaking to him I decide to start picking up any left over trash in our area. I do not know how to explain this, but all of a sudden I noticed a submarine style sandwich wrapped up laying on the wall that I was just sitting on. I can't explain how it got there because I don't know.... I can assume and share what I believe, but for those who follow along and don't quite share the same beliefs might think I'm making this part up. I'm not!! I politely interrupt the cops & Joshua to let him know that I have a sandwich for him. He looked even more puzzled than I was when I gave it to him. Jehovahjireh
All in all tonight was another phenomenal night full of GOD and a miracle to dwell on. I love this ministry and thank The Lord Jesus for my salvation, giving me a new heart, and the tongue to confess of His goodness.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Week 13 (Sunday)
I drove back to PB and picked Steven up again.
Amanda was still at home getting ready, so we came to pick her up before heading to church. Her giant heart was already preparing a hot breakfast for Steven and I. Scrambled eggs & buttered toast. It was funny to see Steven do a little dance when he saw what was brought out to the truck.
As we sat for service, Steven acknowledged that having helped set up the chairs it really does give you a better appreciation for the hard work put into it every week. He asked if I wouldn't mind picking him up every Saturday. No problems for me.
Amanda was still at home getting ready, so we came to pick her up before heading to church. Her giant heart was already preparing a hot breakfast for Steven and I. Scrambled eggs & buttered toast. It was funny to see Steven do a little dance when he saw what was brought out to the truck.
As we sat for service, Steven acknowledged that having helped set up the chairs it really does give you a better appreciation for the hard work put into it every week. He asked if I wouldn't mind picking him up every Saturday. No problems for me.
Week 13 (Saturday)
Bright and early Steven was sitting on the wall reading yesterdays edition of Union Tribune, waiting for me to pick him up.
We set up the chairs in the main sanctuary. It was fun seeing him hustle and smile as he worked. He shared that it felt good to give back and do something for GOD. I agreed.
Afterwards I dropped him off and wished him well. He said that he planned to read his bible under his umbrella and enjoy the beautiful day.
We set up the chairs in the main sanctuary. It was fun seeing him hustle and smile as he worked. He shared that it felt good to give back and do something for GOD. I agreed.
Afterwards I dropped him off and wished him well. He said that he planned to read his bible under his umbrella and enjoy the beautiful day.
Week 13
GOD always knows best! In our eyes, the budget gets harder as the ministry grows each week, yet He continues to provide through people. Amanda's co-worker, blessed us with enough resources to provide for the next 2 weeks. (I shall leave the person's name out for privacy, until permitted.) I do thank you from the bottom of my heart though!! Our ministry was blessed with 30+ backpacks (brand new) to hand out as needed, thanks to the tremendous help of Randy.
We were shocked to see the large crowd waiting for us. We did things a little differant this night. Our team was myself, Amanda, Jerrica, Joey, Randy, and Christina (another friend from home fellowship). Once the food was set up, we invited our guests to join us in prayer as we opened up shop. About 6 of them came forward to bless the food and give thanks to GOD.
I let everyone know that between 7-7:30pm, we'd be teaching a bible study and anyone was welcome to stay and participate. I was very surprised to see who it was that decided to stay when the time came.
We set a new time record! In all, I'd guess we had about 60 guests dining with us from the very start, which meant the food went alot faster than normal. We were completely out of food by 6:40pm. Almost everyone was able to get a bite to eat. We had a repeat customer from the week before, Spike. He showed up around 6:50 and was able to grab one of the garlic bread pieces that remained. I mentioned that I was about to start the bible study shortly. He respectfully said that he was going to leave in search of some meat because he was starving, but thanked us for the bread he was able to eat. He and I spoke for a few minutes and I did my best to lift his spirits up... all of a sudden I see Amy (from home fellowship) roll up on her beach cruiser, holding something wrapped in foil. It was a stack of kabobs, loaded with chicken & beef! That very moment Spike realized GOD had just provided specifically for him. I couldn't help but shed a tear of joy seeing him smile that way. He then opted to stay for the study and fellowship.
I sat with a woman who's been joining us for the past few weeks taking photographs of everything going on. She's not with our group but she enjoys being around us. She shared some of her work with me. Very good stuff I admit. She asked if there was something she could do to help out. I suggested that even something as simple as handing out the waters would be of great assistance to us. We exchanged information and emails. She promised to send me some of the photos she's taken to use for the blog.
Since the food was gone so fast, the women had alot of freetime on their hands. During the bible study I noticed all the women ministering to people, getting to spend some 1-on-1 time talking with them as individuals. I didn't get a chance to hear what they were saying, as us guys were going through chapter 2 of John. The study went well. Alot of insight from all the men that stuck around. One of those men being the guy I had called the paramedics for weeks earlier. He's doing much better now, I might add. I believe that because of that particular event, he now sees that I'm one that can be trusted.
After the study had finished, most people took off. I stuck around though, sitting next to the tables we set up. A man walked to the table out of curiousity, staring at the pile of bibles. He asked if I remembered him. I vaguely recognized his face but couldn't place it. A month earlier, I had seen him diggin in the trash cans on the sand for bottles. I walked down and had given him a bowl of spaghetti. Of course, now I remember! He thanked me for that act of kindess again. We sat and talked for 30 minutes or so. I invited him to church with us, and offered him my number. Jerrica spoke some spanish to him, so he'd understand what I was trying to communicate. Jerrica is such a blessing to have around!! He offered us help serving in the future. The hearts of these men & women are so giving... if only others can get past the outside and see them for who they really are!
We were shocked to see the large crowd waiting for us. We did things a little differant this night. Our team was myself, Amanda, Jerrica, Joey, Randy, and Christina (another friend from home fellowship). Once the food was set up, we invited our guests to join us in prayer as we opened up shop. About 6 of them came forward to bless the food and give thanks to GOD.
I let everyone know that between 7-7:30pm, we'd be teaching a bible study and anyone was welcome to stay and participate. I was very surprised to see who it was that decided to stay when the time came.
We set a new time record! In all, I'd guess we had about 60 guests dining with us from the very start, which meant the food went alot faster than normal. We were completely out of food by 6:40pm. Almost everyone was able to get a bite to eat. We had a repeat customer from the week before, Spike. He showed up around 6:50 and was able to grab one of the garlic bread pieces that remained. I mentioned that I was about to start the bible study shortly. He respectfully said that he was going to leave in search of some meat because he was starving, but thanked us for the bread he was able to eat. He and I spoke for a few minutes and I did my best to lift his spirits up... all of a sudden I see Amy (from home fellowship) roll up on her beach cruiser, holding something wrapped in foil. It was a stack of kabobs, loaded with chicken & beef! That very moment Spike realized GOD had just provided specifically for him. I couldn't help but shed a tear of joy seeing him smile that way. He then opted to stay for the study and fellowship.
I sat with a woman who's been joining us for the past few weeks taking photographs of everything going on. She's not with our group but she enjoys being around us. She shared some of her work with me. Very good stuff I admit. She asked if there was something she could do to help out. I suggested that even something as simple as handing out the waters would be of great assistance to us. We exchanged information and emails. She promised to send me some of the photos she's taken to use for the blog.
Since the food was gone so fast, the women had alot of freetime on their hands. During the bible study I noticed all the women ministering to people, getting to spend some 1-on-1 time talking with them as individuals. I didn't get a chance to hear what they were saying, as us guys were going through chapter 2 of John. The study went well. Alot of insight from all the men that stuck around. One of those men being the guy I had called the paramedics for weeks earlier. He's doing much better now, I might add. I believe that because of that particular event, he now sees that I'm one that can be trusted.
After the study had finished, most people took off. I stuck around though, sitting next to the tables we set up. A man walked to the table out of curiousity, staring at the pile of bibles. He asked if I remembered him. I vaguely recognized his face but couldn't place it. A month earlier, I had seen him diggin in the trash cans on the sand for bottles. I walked down and had given him a bowl of spaghetti. Of course, now I remember! He thanked me for that act of kindess again. We sat and talked for 30 minutes or so. I invited him to church with us, and offered him my number. Jerrica spoke some spanish to him, so he'd understand what I was trying to communicate. Jerrica is such a blessing to have around!! He offered us help serving in the future. The hearts of these men & women are so giving... if only others can get past the outside and see them for who they really are!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Week 12 (Sunday)
As promised, I drove to our well-known meeting spot for church pick up and to my surprise stood Chicago and Steven (including his over-sized luggage bag) waiting patiently. I hadn't expected Steven, so I brought my car but we were able to make everything fit just fine.
We arrived to church early, as I normally do. Chicago was in awe at the size of our campus and sanctuary. We took our seats and enjoyed the delightful sounds of the worship team warming up for service. Steven was very quiet this morning, so that gave me an opportunity to converse with Chicago more. We discussed some more of the differances between Christianity and the Catholic church. I pointed out that we have no statues or idols to bow down to and he picked up what I was saying. I gave an analogy I had used before about a pilot flying with his coordinances off by just one degree and how after so long, you realize just how off track you are. I believe he understands where that one degree goes.
He told me about how he had spent the previous day walking to La Jolla. He told me how GOD has delivered him from any cravings of alcohol and how satan even tempted him. There were 2 full bottles of booze sitting near a bench he had passed and he admitted that it was very tempting but he knew in his heart it was wrong, so he kept on walking by and soon forgot all about the free booze he had passed up. I gave him a big hug and told him how proud I was. It was then that I realized I'm probably the only person thats told him such a thing in a very long time.
Sarah MacIntosh blessed us with her angelic vocals. (I get goosebumps everytime I hear her sing) Her new song "Come clean" hit the hurt soul of Chicago and the hair on the back of his neck stood up while the Holy Spirit spoke to him. Today's message struck both Chicago & Steven. On the way to church, I had shared that I've been volunteering for chair set up because I felt GOD speak to me. When Mike MacIntosh mentioned that very thing, they both looked directly at me with the same look on their faces. Chicago asked if he could come back, which of course I agreed to pick him up next week.
On the way back down the hill, both Steven & Chicago asked if I wouldn't mind picking them up Saturday to volunteer for chair set up. In short, it seems that GOD has spoken to another 2 men willing to help bless our church and make things a bit easier on our hard working Campus Service guys. My prayer for the week is that GOD will contimue to speak to them both, drawing them closer to Him each day.
As I drove away, I glanced in my mirrior and noticed Chicago clenching his new bible in one hand, while the other held a plastic bag of recyclables he'd kept in my trunk during service. There are certain moments in life where you wish you could capture that precise moment in a picture because 1,000 words wouldn't even be able to describe it... that was one of them!
We arrived to church early, as I normally do. Chicago was in awe at the size of our campus and sanctuary. We took our seats and enjoyed the delightful sounds of the worship team warming up for service. Steven was very quiet this morning, so that gave me an opportunity to converse with Chicago more. We discussed some more of the differances between Christianity and the Catholic church. I pointed out that we have no statues or idols to bow down to and he picked up what I was saying. I gave an analogy I had used before about a pilot flying with his coordinances off by just one degree and how after so long, you realize just how off track you are. I believe he understands where that one degree goes.
He told me about how he had spent the previous day walking to La Jolla. He told me how GOD has delivered him from any cravings of alcohol and how satan even tempted him. There were 2 full bottles of booze sitting near a bench he had passed and he admitted that it was very tempting but he knew in his heart it was wrong, so he kept on walking by and soon forgot all about the free booze he had passed up. I gave him a big hug and told him how proud I was. It was then that I realized I'm probably the only person thats told him such a thing in a very long time.
Sarah MacIntosh blessed us with her angelic vocals. (I get goosebumps everytime I hear her sing) Her new song "Come clean" hit the hurt soul of Chicago and the hair on the back of his neck stood up while the Holy Spirit spoke to him. Today's message struck both Chicago & Steven. On the way to church, I had shared that I've been volunteering for chair set up because I felt GOD speak to me. When Mike MacIntosh mentioned that very thing, they both looked directly at me with the same look on their faces. Chicago asked if he could come back, which of course I agreed to pick him up next week.
On the way back down the hill, both Steven & Chicago asked if I wouldn't mind picking them up Saturday to volunteer for chair set up. In short, it seems that GOD has spoken to another 2 men willing to help bless our church and make things a bit easier on our hard working Campus Service guys. My prayer for the week is that GOD will contimue to speak to them both, drawing them closer to Him each day.
As I drove away, I glanced in my mirrior and noticed Chicago clenching his new bible in one hand, while the other held a plastic bag of recyclables he'd kept in my trunk during service. There are certain moments in life where you wish you could capture that precise moment in a picture because 1,000 words wouldn't even be able to describe it... that was one of them!
Friday, July 17, 2009
and the Calvary came!!! ~ Week 12
I'll do my best to share what has been happening this past week. There's so much to tell and I'm shaking with excitement to write everything out!
First off, for those that have been following along... Jeremy is a completely differant person, by the grace of GOD. He's successfully completed his detox and has now made the transition into a 4 month sober living home in Costa Mesa. He's on the hunt for a job now and is looking forward to attending Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, as long as it's within walking distance from his new home. (I've yet to look up that small detail for him.) It's hard for me to comprehend that this new Jeremy has replaced the guy that first stepped onto the sandy beach in PB. GOD is sooooo good. I contacted his mother in Arizona awhile back and informed her where he was and that things are starting to look up now. It had been weeks since she'd last heard from him and she admitted that she was prepared to fly to San Diego only to discover her son... dead laying in some alley. It broke my heart as I tried to take this in. Hopefully she'll never have to worry about such nonsense again.
Again GOD has shown himself faithful and all-knowing, in His perfect timing. Work has been slow for me, which means alot less income to use on my behalf. Just this past week, we came to the end of our resources that we've been blessed with in support of this ministry. Less than 24hrs had gone by before I was approached by a brother who has been very supportive of this and again he graciously blessed us with enough to get us through another month. (Brother, from the bottom of my heart I THANK YOU!!)
My sister and her boyfriend donated tons of clothes; t-shirts, shorts, socks, and jackets for the cause. It always touches me when other donate for the sake of ministry, whether they know Jesus yet or not. "I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward." (Mark 9:41)
We had the honors of Jerrica joining us again, with her amazing baking skills and sincere heart of a servant. I know Amanda appreciates the extra help. Her cookies are to die for, yum! Randy, the man from Vista, brought down a sleeping bag for a gentleman who earlier in the week had requested one, as he's new to the streets.
Joey and I had planned on teaching a Bible study during dinner tonight because Thursdays have not been working out so well with the guys showing up, or the lack of.... it didn't work out so well though. My mom and cousin made the drive from El Cajon to join us, which was a real treat for me to see them.
Dan, one of the guys from Campus Crusade for Chirst brought a team with him to help serve. There was about 6 of them I think. It was awesome to have the manpower now to have stations fully ready to take what the night had in store.
We fed a great multitude of people tonight. Somewhere between 50-60 people. It's nice to have more than just food to offer them now with the constant clothing donations for them to browse through.
Chicago, was sober as a butterfly tonight! Today was his 3rd day of not drinking and he felt great. I didn't get a chance to hear how it came about, but all glory to GOD none-the-less. (He's been drunk everytime I've seen him, he's never not had alcohol on his breath before.) He was fully aware of all discussion tonight and we had the privilage of praying with him. There was absolutely no obnoxiousness to be found anywhere around us. It was a calm and amazing night. (I need to up my vocabulary... I feel like I say amazing & awesome wayyyyy too much.)I encouraged him some and invited him to church. Be on the look out for good ol' Chicago at 1st service people.
The police stopped by to actually encourage me, calling me by name like we've been buddies for years. As always, I offered the Deserving, a hot meal & cold water to enjoy before they rode off on their bicycles.
We were set up and serving by 6:00pm, food was gone by 6:52pm. We all hung out and shared thoughts about life. Alot of new faces came tonight and I feel bad not remembering everyone's name. I did meet a man, whom I'll leave nameless, who's only had 1 week to experience the street life. He's a believer too. He's beating himself up for this hard part in his life. I did my best to encourage him and advised him to get rooted in a Bible teaching church immediately. I offered to pick him up if need be. He respectfully declined. Please pray for the man I shall call "Spike".
There is so much more to share, but I'll leave you followers on the edge for a few days. I love you and thank you for following along and most importantly for your prayer support.
First off, for those that have been following along... Jeremy is a completely differant person, by the grace of GOD. He's successfully completed his detox and has now made the transition into a 4 month sober living home in Costa Mesa. He's on the hunt for a job now and is looking forward to attending Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, as long as it's within walking distance from his new home. (I've yet to look up that small detail for him.) It's hard for me to comprehend that this new Jeremy has replaced the guy that first stepped onto the sandy beach in PB. GOD is sooooo good. I contacted his mother in Arizona awhile back and informed her where he was and that things are starting to look up now. It had been weeks since she'd last heard from him and she admitted that she was prepared to fly to San Diego only to discover her son... dead laying in some alley. It broke my heart as I tried to take this in. Hopefully she'll never have to worry about such nonsense again.
Again GOD has shown himself faithful and all-knowing, in His perfect timing. Work has been slow for me, which means alot less income to use on my behalf. Just this past week, we came to the end of our resources that we've been blessed with in support of this ministry. Less than 24hrs had gone by before I was approached by a brother who has been very supportive of this and again he graciously blessed us with enough to get us through another month. (Brother, from the bottom of my heart I THANK YOU!!)
My sister and her boyfriend donated tons of clothes; t-shirts, shorts, socks, and jackets for the cause. It always touches me when other donate for the sake of ministry, whether they know Jesus yet or not. "I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward." (Mark 9:41)
We had the honors of Jerrica joining us again, with her amazing baking skills and sincere heart of a servant. I know Amanda appreciates the extra help. Her cookies are to die for, yum! Randy, the man from Vista, brought down a sleeping bag for a gentleman who earlier in the week had requested one, as he's new to the streets.
Joey and I had planned on teaching a Bible study during dinner tonight because Thursdays have not been working out so well with the guys showing up, or the lack of.... it didn't work out so well though. My mom and cousin made the drive from El Cajon to join us, which was a real treat for me to see them.
Dan, one of the guys from Campus Crusade for Chirst brought a team with him to help serve. There was about 6 of them I think. It was awesome to have the manpower now to have stations fully ready to take what the night had in store.
We fed a great multitude of people tonight. Somewhere between 50-60 people. It's nice to have more than just food to offer them now with the constant clothing donations for them to browse through.
Chicago, was sober as a butterfly tonight! Today was his 3rd day of not drinking and he felt great. I didn't get a chance to hear how it came about, but all glory to GOD none-the-less. (He's been drunk everytime I've seen him, he's never not had alcohol on his breath before.) He was fully aware of all discussion tonight and we had the privilage of praying with him. There was absolutely no obnoxiousness to be found anywhere around us. It was a calm and amazing night. (I need to up my vocabulary... I feel like I say amazing & awesome wayyyyy too much.)I encouraged him some and invited him to church. Be on the look out for good ol' Chicago at 1st service people.
The police stopped by to actually encourage me, calling me by name like we've been buddies for years. As always, I offered the Deserving, a hot meal & cold water to enjoy before they rode off on their bicycles.
We were set up and serving by 6:00pm, food was gone by 6:52pm. We all hung out and shared thoughts about life. Alot of new faces came tonight and I feel bad not remembering everyone's name. I did meet a man, whom I'll leave nameless, who's only had 1 week to experience the street life. He's a believer too. He's beating himself up for this hard part in his life. I did my best to encourage him and advised him to get rooted in a Bible teaching church immediately. I offered to pick him up if need be. He respectfully declined. Please pray for the man I shall call "Spike".
There is so much more to share, but I'll leave you followers on the edge for a few days. I love you and thank you for following along and most importantly for your prayer support.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Week 11
An early night it was.... an early night indeed, but nothing short of remarkable encounters.
Tonight's team consisted of myself, Amanda, Joey, and our friend Jerrica (from home fellowship). It was a real blessing having Jerrica join us for the evening. She was kind enough to bake brownies for the ministry.... and they were a big hit!
Of course tonight had the usual crowd. It's nice to know they'll be there waiting for us, completely willing to help unload the truck and set up before we get started.
Being that it's now summer time, alot more tourists are passing by and stopping to grab a free meal while on vacation. It's neat to briefly hear something about them. It never fails that they all ask why. "Why are you doing such nice things?" I love that it gives me the opportunity to share GOD's love and grace with so many people.
There was this young man that's attended our feeds in the past and tonight he seemed very troubled. He asked me to the side because he wanted to just talk. He claims that he's accepted Jesus into his heart but yet feels nothing, and is so overwhemled with this world beating him down. I asked if he had a bible. What he had was a small, old, torn up portion of the New Testament. I coincidentally happened to have an extra bible handy which he gladly accepted as a gift. We spoke alone for a good 15 minutes. He began to open up and weep. It was sad to see all the hurt bottled inside him pouring out. I encouraged him to lift all his pain to Jesus. We finished our conversation properly with prayer. I'll be picking Alexis up for church this Sunday, Lord willing.
The food went faster then normal tonight. We met with tons of people. One of our guests enjoying a free meal, was very equipped with biblical knowledge. I was stunned when he started spitting scripture, word-for-word. This guy carries around a taranchula and claims to use it as a tool to witness.
I had the opportunity to share some differances in beliefs between Catholicism & Christianity. It seems as though I had a bigger audience than I realized because others started asking me more questions. It's an undescribably awesome feeling knowing that people are interested in hearing what the bible has to say.
A true miracle happened tonight.... Amanda actually allowed a taranchula to crawl on her arm. (Jerrica took pix, woo-hoo!)
Needless to say, tonight was another great night.
Praise Almighty Jehovah!
Tonight's team consisted of myself, Amanda, Joey, and our friend Jerrica (from home fellowship). It was a real blessing having Jerrica join us for the evening. She was kind enough to bake brownies for the ministry.... and they were a big hit!
Of course tonight had the usual crowd. It's nice to know they'll be there waiting for us, completely willing to help unload the truck and set up before we get started.
Being that it's now summer time, alot more tourists are passing by and stopping to grab a free meal while on vacation. It's neat to briefly hear something about them. It never fails that they all ask why. "Why are you doing such nice things?" I love that it gives me the opportunity to share GOD's love and grace with so many people.
There was this young man that's attended our feeds in the past and tonight he seemed very troubled. He asked me to the side because he wanted to just talk. He claims that he's accepted Jesus into his heart but yet feels nothing, and is so overwhemled with this world beating him down. I asked if he had a bible. What he had was a small, old, torn up portion of the New Testament. I coincidentally happened to have an extra bible handy which he gladly accepted as a gift. We spoke alone for a good 15 minutes. He began to open up and weep. It was sad to see all the hurt bottled inside him pouring out. I encouraged him to lift all his pain to Jesus. We finished our conversation properly with prayer. I'll be picking Alexis up for church this Sunday, Lord willing.
The food went faster then normal tonight. We met with tons of people. One of our guests enjoying a free meal, was very equipped with biblical knowledge. I was stunned when he started spitting scripture, word-for-word. This guy carries around a taranchula and claims to use it as a tool to witness.
I had the opportunity to share some differances in beliefs between Catholicism & Christianity. It seems as though I had a bigger audience than I realized because others started asking me more questions. It's an undescribably awesome feeling knowing that people are interested in hearing what the bible has to say.
A true miracle happened tonight.... Amanda actually allowed a taranchula to crawl on her arm. (Jerrica took pix, woo-hoo!)
Needless to say, tonight was another great night.
Praise Almighty Jehovah!
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