Love on the Streets

The street ministry is really picking up. Last night was the best night yet. People are really getting to know us on Long Street and look forward to seeing us. We are pretty intentional at stopping to see all the people we know. We all are building relationships; sometimes we all know the person and other times the relationships are strictly between one or two people. Last night was really anointed, we had to of had almost 30 meaningful conversations and some conversions.

I had a great talk with a lady from Connecticut. She was at one of the clubs and had a bit of a grudge against God and church, but we had a lot in common and I got to share a little of my testimony.

I met a teen who is working on the streets. Oh you guys, how I wish you could see him. This is the second time I have seen him and each time the Spirit washed over me and showed me visions of his life – this grief and burden for him just floods over me and then I feel this great love from Jesus to him. Last night I went up to him and said how much Jesus loves him. I told him that God showed me his life and I told him how sorry I am that things are the way that they are. With tears in my eyes, I told him I love him and wish I could take all this away. As tears came to his eyes, I asked him if I could pray for him and he said yes. I gave him a big hug and just held him as he cried. I asked him if he had Jesus in his heart and he said no. I asked him if he would like Him in his heart. He said yes… when he is ready. I said okay. I told him I will be praying for him and then I left.

I don’t know that I will ever get to the point where this doesn’t wound my heart and honestly I’m not sure I want to. It’s times like this that I feel so helpless. There is no law here for human trafficking, there are no Safe Houses running at the moment (though we are training a few groups on how to get one started) and foster care is not for kids like that. This is not America, things are not the same. There is no where to go to get food and very few shelters. The shelters cost for people to stay at them. Thousands of people here are homeless. Teens on the streets is common. There is little that we can do, but offer them Jesus, relationship and at times, food. Where possible, we do try to get them off the streets.

I also met a couple of women working on the streets. The man that was with them stopped to talk with a couple of guys on our team. I went over to talk with the ladies, but they were quite closed and told me they didn’t want to talk to me. I stood there with the men and just prayed. I met them at the beginning of the night and was a little discouraged that I didn’t know how to start up a conversation.

When we were leaving one of the ladies came up to me; she grabbed my hands and said I believe in you. She told me that she heard me talking to someone and that she believes in me. She told me this over and over and said that I don’t judge her. I don’t know what conversation she overheard, if it was one that I had with someone on the street, or one of the couple times that I was asked about why it is that I am here. I got the impression that she knew I was here to help her. I told her how much Jesus loves her and that I believe in her, too. She gave me a hug and wanted to know when she would see me again. I told her we try to come every Sunday night. She said that she would come back and find me. Her friend was less keen on my being there. She was quite intoxicated and would go back in forth from pushing me, cursing at me and telling me to leave to holding my hands, giving me a hug and saying she would like to see me again, too.

This, this is what I came for.