70x7 Outreach Blog

I want to start out by saying that last night wasn't like most nights in the hood and I find myself almost laughing out loud.  So, I guess that's a good place to start:

 

#1.  There are no typical nights in the hood.

#2.  It was a night full of laughter.

 

 

We had the pleasure of a new guest in the van last night.  Amanda Sadler.  Amanda is (among many other things): a young wife, new mother, gifted singer, College Ministry leader (with her husband), and daughter of a friend of mine through drama.  What a treat to have this lovely woman in the van. 

 

We saw a few girls that we knew last night.  "T" was out again. We saw "C" too.  Both girls "expecting" us and calling out for us.  That's always so cool.  They start calling out for us.  We had talked earlier about how we might be the only Jesus that people out here see.  We prayed for the right "Jesus words", the right "Jesus actions".  If we're the only Jesus they get to see, we prayed we would be good Ambassadors.  Amen.  

 

"K" was a new (young) girl that was surprised to see  us.  She took our gift of a lunch bag and hygeine kit, and bowed her skeptical little head in prayer, but like many that night, when she raised her head from prayer, her eyes shined just a little different.  Hope?  Is that what we get to see in their eyes when they lift from prayer?  Amazing God!!  You are so amazing.  When we drove by her a little later and gave her a hat and some gloves (for her cold hands) the light in her eyes traveled all over her face.  It was a cold night and Jesus was on the street handing out hope and mittens.  Imagine!

 

For a ministry primarily for women, last night was a night about men.  They just kept coming.  We saw more men last night than I can remember in a very long time.  The men came... and with them, the laughter. 

 

Walking down the dark street, half hidden by his large hood, we saw Aaron.  Cindy was working the window and she has this innocence, this playful innocence, about her.  When she turns down her window and calls out to someone, they turn to her, mostly out of curiosity and (you can see it) a longing for connection.  She called out to Aaron.  "HI there!  We're from Abide Ministries and we're giving out sandwiches and hygiene kits.  You want one?"  He walked to the van.  This beautiful teenage boy.  He told us his name and he said he was hungry.  As we prepared the bag in the back of the van, Cindy offered to pray for him and he eagerly accepted her prayer.  She started, "Oh, Dear Jesus, we come before you on behalf of our brother 'Harry' and ask you, Lord.................." and the laughter started.  She had not heard his name right and he started to giggle, then we started to giggle.  It was just funny.  And this boy, this beautiful boy... his whole face lit up.  She got it right and finished her prayer and we knew we had a new friend.   As we drove away, we yelled out the window, "Thanks for trusting us 'Harry'!"  He just laughed.

 

Walter and Marcus were walking down the street with a woman.  They were much older men, with raggy coats, and worn shoes.  They were very excited to get the food and equally excited to get the prayer.  When you hold the hands of a person that lives the streets, you feel the difference in them immediately.  Their hands are ice cold, chapped, swollen, and hard.  Their hands, like many hearts of the people we see, take awhile to warm up.  But that night, we were handing out hats, mittens and scarves that were generously donated (by a loyal customer of my store and dear friend of the needy).  How I wished she had been there to see the looks on their faces when they received her gifts.  They were all women's glove sets, but the men didn't care.  Walter started dancing in the street.  He said his mittens "Fit like a glove!" and he laughed at his own joke as he danced around for us.  He was wildly excited and it just made us laugh and laugh. 

 

Jake was the next one to be caught up in Miss Cindy's net.  And as she started to pray,"Oh, Dear Jesus, we come before you on behalf of our brother 'Zake' and ask you, Lord.................." it happened all over again.  He started to laugh (and he wasn't even in on the previous joke) and we started to laugh and it went on like that!  Out the window "See you next week ZAKE!"  And laughter all the way down the street.  As 10 (at least) police cars sped by us to what we would later learn was a car jacking not a mile down the road.......... all you could hear on our block was laughter. 

 

Mr. Tyrone wasn't laughing.  He wasn't sure about us.  But he took the sandwich, he took the hygiene kit, and he bent his skeptical head in prayer.  And, Praise God Almighty, when he lifted his head, there was that light again.  Shining out his eyes.  "I'm proud of you for what you're doing out here", he said.  "You stay safe!" 

 

There is just no hiding Jesus from people that long to see Him.  He came out our mouths... He came out our hands.... He came out eyes... and the light bounced out of our van and into hearts all over the hood.

 

At our friend Junior's house, we were surprised by a car with two men.  We didn't know them, so we were very relieved when Junior said they were "family" of his.  We offered the two men sandwich bags and they kind of laughed and started to drive off.   Donna waved out the window, "Come back!" and (believe it or not) they did.  Backed right up to see what we needed.  "Don't you want the sandwiches?", she asked.  And Sasha said he thought we were kidding.   YES, he wanted them.  They were hungry.  So, out of their car and on to the street.  Hands held in prayer for these two new men in our lives.  When they raised their head, Anthony said, "Well, look at that!"  We followed his gaze and looked up to the moon.  There like a shining star from heaven was a CROSS near the moon.  From a contrail.... from an airplane?.... or from the finger of God Himself!  ..........  A CROSS!  We never would have seen it if Anthony hadn't noticed it.  "Well, who's paying attention?", I asked him.  (And I was thinking to myself... I hope you are, Anthony.)   Anthony, responded with excitement, "God is paying attention!" 

 

WOW!

 

On the way back home, Cindy  looked up to see another Cross spread clear across the sky. 

 

Yes, Lord.  We are paying attention - because you first paid attention to us. 

 

But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

 

God Bless you, your family and all your friends!

Love,

Lauren

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