We started preparing lunches earlier and grabbed the bags of clothes we separated. We stopped at the park and met Melanie. I prayed with her and gave her a lunch, we prayed for her about strength since she was in bad condition. There was a lot that happened but through the whole route the one talk with Nathaniel really stuck out to me because it was so cool to see how much he knew about God. He almost knew more than I did. Nathaniel is homeless and In a bad spot, but yet he still continues to choose to praise God through all of it. He talked about how we have to continue to stay strong in our faith no matter what. He also talked about how there are gonna be people who bash on our Christian faith, but we have to continue through that. I was just so impressed not only about his knowledge on God but also how he continues to worship God in his situation. I didn’t realize it then but his advise on continuing spreading the word even though people try to stop us really helped me at our next stop. At the next spot we were handing out lunches and this lady was going crazy cussing us all out, I would usually get mad and want to say something back, but I didn’t. Instead I felt bad for her because I knew that there was more to it than just her being angry. At the very least she was very mentally ill, but the way she was acting it seemed like she was possessed. There was definitely more to her story than just her being mean. I was praying for her over and over again afterwards. Nathaniel’s advice helped a lot. When I got back we reflected on everything that happened today because we had a lot to talk about, there were lots of things that happened but that has stuck with me.
~ ZuZu Felix
Today, on route, I talked to and prayed with a woman named Angela. She was probably mid fifties and was very appreciative for the prayer. She shared her testimony with Conor and I and said that she had been on that street since 2011. In that year her brother left her alone and went out west. Since then, she has been on that street with no jobs and not knowing where her next meal would come from. She asked for God’s providence on her life and for Him to continue to keep her safe. She asked for prayer for a job as well so she could maybe provide for herself. This experience really touched my heart and I wanted to do all that I could to help her and the best that I could offer was prayer.
~ BJ Doss
Today was an action packed day when we were on route. Before that we prepared 200 lunches to bring out. Once we were out walking we encountered a lot of people that were under a train bridge. They gladly accepted our lunches and clothing that we had brought. The stop was filled with a lot of people that accepted our lunches but were a lot more reluctant to accept prayer from us. The conditions that they were living in were truly eye opening. There was a train thundering above them every 15 mins. At the last stop we visited with a lot of people that needed lunches. Almost every person I asked wanted prayer. I met someone named Darnell. He was planning on leaving for California to "reunite with his daughter and win a law suit for 300,000 dollars." I prayed for stability and for justice for the situation that he was in and he really appreciated what we were doing for the community. Right before this I talked to a couple who wanted prayer for their financial situation as well as their lives in general because his wife had broken her neck recently. After I had prayed for them I gave them a hug. They really seemed to appreciate the kind gesture and thanked me for my prayers. It really encouraged me that the prayers and food we were offering were appreciated and that I was helping make an impact. This trip has been a great experience that has been very encouraging in my faith walk.
~ Elliot Fortuine
Today during the route there were many new experiences for me. One of which was what we believe to be a possessed women. She was yelling and screaming obscenities into the air as if she was yelling at someone. She even randomly swung and kicked at the air. She cussed at us and anyone who walked by for basically anything. Screaming at everyone, she very harshly rejected prayer from our group. She was even trying to punch another homeless man for talking about Jesus. What stood out to me about this encounter was that one of the homeless men went to her. When he went there he kept repeating things about Jesus, multiple times I heard “With the power of Jesus”. After about 1 minute of these arguments. He said the power of Jesus again, and she went silent, and walked away. This showed me truly how powerful Jesus’ name is. There was a lady I talked to today, her name was Regie, she wanted prayer for her behavior, she explained to me how bad behavior has gotten her kicked out of many places, she wants to see her children so badly, she even teared up when talking about her family. But she believes it is the best for them to stay away from her because she doesn’t want to do anything bad to them. This broke my heart knowing that some people on the streets can’t even be comforted by family. They need us for support.
~ Willem DeJong
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| Back to making lunches |
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| Pizza and sandwiches are on the menu |
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| A little crowded in our van with the donations:) |
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| One doesn't need to drive far to find someone in need |
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| Opening in prayer before meeting with people at our first stop |
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| Some people (like this person) are sleeping or don't want to be bothered. We usually leave a lunch and an item of clothing or blanket and then say a word of prayer before moving on |
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| Unloading at the next stop |
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| Praying under the bridges |
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| There were some difficult things to see at this stop. We had to check one person to make sure he was still breathing. On occasion, the men at 7 Bridges may find people who passed away after a cold night. Thankfully we didn't experience that today. |
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| This next stop is right down the block from the Capital Building |
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| This is the first time I was asked to help someone on the street tie a tie |
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