Last night and today have been off the charts. God is taking Ciudad de Dios back. And that's all there is to it.
Last night, we found JP and he had been saying he wants out and needs help and we had told him how we can help him, by taking him to a place called Victory Centre that is a church and a rehab centre. For the last 2 weeks, he has been telling us to pick him up at a certain day and time and has never been there although when we see him every week, he said that he was there, just late. Last night he mentioned that he never had any affection and love from his mom and family. He has been on the streets for 7 years and he is only 19. We told him that we care for him and that's why we keep coming to look for him every week, only that he is looking for love in his druggie friends and girls and not recognizing that God loves him and that we love him and that is why we are constantly there even though some of us live really far away. A lightbulb turned on in his head. He said he would call us to let us know when we could pick him up. We said we would be waiting. He called us at 1pm today.
We were in another part of town and we told him we would be there at 2:30pm. We got burgers to go and went to get him. We got there at 2:40pm and he wasn't there. Luchin was about to give up thinking it was another false alarm but I asked him to go look for Luis JP again. He went and then said he's not there. I said, no, he called us which means he wants to leave this place. We need to look for him. Luchin went again and came back saying he saw a guy sleeping on the pavement of the street divider but his face was covered. Could I come with him to see if it was JP? One thing that needs to be told about JP is that he hadn't been near water for months. He was filthy and only had the clothes he had on. Which were beyond filthy. The only way I recognized him was by his brown jeans. The guy sleeping on the ground had on brown jeans. I knew it was him. We called his name. No reaction, he was sound asleep. Luchin took off the cloth covering his face and it was JP. Luchin shook his shoulders. JP woke up, saw us, jumped to his feet and said, "I'm ready, I'm ready to go!!" So off we went.
On the way there, I talked to him about what it means to give our lives to Jesus, what it meant when He died on the cross for us, that we are all sinners not just him and the guys on the streets, etc. We share the Gospel when we go out on the streets too but many times, they are in a drugged up state or drunk and don't understand what we share. But this time, JP listened. He kept saying over and over before I finished, "I want to change, I want to give my life to Jesus" and so he did, with his heart. We talked to him about his decision and who he is now in Christ. He listened. When we finally found the church/centre, he was so shocked to find out that the people there who were talking to him and looked so normal had been addicts and alcoholics themselves and who now are healed because of Jesus. It was hitting him that change is possible. The person in charge told him he was a druggie for 24 years before his Jesus encounter and decision to change and told him the house rules and then asked if JP wanted to stay. He said yes and then hugged us before going with the guy who led him inside. I could see through the partition later that he was being hugged tightly by the same guy after a brief conversation. Luis JP needed that, he needed to be loved on and to know what love truly is. We then left to go buy toiletries for him and socks and underwear and also some stuff that we are required to buy for the centre to help them out as they only take donations and money that the rehabilitated guys receive when they go out and work to help the centre out.
When we got back with the stuff for JP, Luchin brought it all inside and when he gave JP the stuff, it finally hit him that we truly love him, not just in words but in deeds and he put on the socks right aways as he never had socks before out on the streets even though he had been given clothes by Jorge. Then he gave Luchin a great big bear hug while saying humbly, "Thank you brother". He had showered, shaved and they had shaved his hair off, which is a rule for a newbie and now he is a new creature in Christ in all aspects. We left, assured with the knowledge that he is cared for. This Saturday, there is a "pollada" at the centre where they will be selling fried chicken and fries to raise funds and we will be there to see him and to also help out the centre. He is our spiritual kid, we won't leave him.
Last night with the women, we had victory as well. EM knows that God is calling her to share His Word and hope out on the streets with the other women and she is now fighting hard against the lies of the enemy to keep walking forward in victory and the knowledge of who she is in Jesus. Luchin told her that he senses that she is being called to do that and she said, "Yes, I know. I sense that too". I don't think she's gonna be struggling with an identity crisis for long. I love it!!! The victory last night was P. P had been one who had treated us at arm's length, kinda like LG did when she was alive. She had been one who had mocked us and even treated us with contempt because she had believed that we would never be able to help her. But with EM's conversion and change, the women are seeing that change is possible for them too.
P opened up and talked and talked about what she was going through all last night. She told a john (guys that solicit the girls) to go away while she was talking to me. When a new girl came by to ask her for help, P told her that she was conversing with me and could she wait and that if she wanted to talk, she could also talk to us cos we were, "cool". When we had to leave, she was making plans to meet up with me to continue talking later this week. Can we say our God is beyond awesome?
Breakthrough. We are seeing breakthrough and victory in both areas, the guys and the women. God is super amazing and I am so humbled by Him. We definitely need to rent a place out there so that they can come and find us during the week and possibly start up a church for them. We have a few possibilities of places to rent so please pray for us in that area as well.
Words can't express how we feel about last night and today. Just this immense gratitude that God wants to and is using us to bring hope and life into the ones He loves out there on the streets.
We are so privileged and honored to see the miracles that He is doing.
Last night, we found JP and he had been saying he wants out and needs help and we had told him how we can help him, by taking him to a place called Victory Centre that is a church and a rehab centre. For the last 2 weeks, he has been telling us to pick him up at a certain day and time and has never been there although when we see him every week, he said that he was there, just late. Last night he mentioned that he never had any affection and love from his mom and family. He has been on the streets for 7 years and he is only 19. We told him that we care for him and that's why we keep coming to look for him every week, only that he is looking for love in his druggie friends and girls and not recognizing that God loves him and that we love him and that is why we are constantly there even though some of us live really far away. A lightbulb turned on in his head. He said he would call us to let us know when we could pick him up. We said we would be waiting. He called us at 1pm today.
We were in another part of town and we told him we would be there at 2:30pm. We got burgers to go and went to get him. We got there at 2:40pm and he wasn't there. Luchin was about to give up thinking it was another false alarm but I asked him to go look for Luis JP again. He went and then said he's not there. I said, no, he called us which means he wants to leave this place. We need to look for him. Luchin went again and came back saying he saw a guy sleeping on the pavement of the street divider but his face was covered. Could I come with him to see if it was JP? One thing that needs to be told about JP is that he hadn't been near water for months. He was filthy and only had the clothes he had on. Which were beyond filthy. The only way I recognized him was by his brown jeans. The guy sleeping on the ground had on brown jeans. I knew it was him. We called his name. No reaction, he was sound asleep. Luchin took off the cloth covering his face and it was JP. Luchin shook his shoulders. JP woke up, saw us, jumped to his feet and said, "I'm ready, I'm ready to go!!" So off we went.
On the way there, I talked to him about what it means to give our lives to Jesus, what it meant when He died on the cross for us, that we are all sinners not just him and the guys on the streets, etc. We share the Gospel when we go out on the streets too but many times, they are in a drugged up state or drunk and don't understand what we share. But this time, JP listened. He kept saying over and over before I finished, "I want to change, I want to give my life to Jesus" and so he did, with his heart. We talked to him about his decision and who he is now in Christ. He listened. When we finally found the church/centre, he was so shocked to find out that the people there who were talking to him and looked so normal had been addicts and alcoholics themselves and who now are healed because of Jesus. It was hitting him that change is possible. The person in charge told him he was a druggie for 24 years before his Jesus encounter and decision to change and told him the house rules and then asked if JP wanted to stay. He said yes and then hugged us before going with the guy who led him inside. I could see through the partition later that he was being hugged tightly by the same guy after a brief conversation. Luis JP needed that, he needed to be loved on and to know what love truly is. We then left to go buy toiletries for him and socks and underwear and also some stuff that we are required to buy for the centre to help them out as they only take donations and money that the rehabilitated guys receive when they go out and work to help the centre out.
When we got back with the stuff for JP, Luchin brought it all inside and when he gave JP the stuff, it finally hit him that we truly love him, not just in words but in deeds and he put on the socks right aways as he never had socks before out on the streets even though he had been given clothes by Jorge. Then he gave Luchin a great big bear hug while saying humbly, "Thank you brother". He had showered, shaved and they had shaved his hair off, which is a rule for a newbie and now he is a new creature in Christ in all aspects. We left, assured with the knowledge that he is cared for. This Saturday, there is a "pollada" at the centre where they will be selling fried chicken and fries to raise funds and we will be there to see him and to also help out the centre. He is our spiritual kid, we won't leave him.
Last night with the women, we had victory as well. EM knows that God is calling her to share His Word and hope out on the streets with the other women and she is now fighting hard against the lies of the enemy to keep walking forward in victory and the knowledge of who she is in Jesus. Luchin told her that he senses that she is being called to do that and she said, "Yes, I know. I sense that too". I don't think she's gonna be struggling with an identity crisis for long. I love it!!! The victory last night was P. P had been one who had treated us at arm's length, kinda like LG did when she was alive. She had been one who had mocked us and even treated us with contempt because she had believed that we would never be able to help her. But with EM's conversion and change, the women are seeing that change is possible for them too.
P opened up and talked and talked about what she was going through all last night. She told a john (guys that solicit the girls) to go away while she was talking to me. When a new girl came by to ask her for help, P told her that she was conversing with me and could she wait and that if she wanted to talk, she could also talk to us cos we were, "cool". When we had to leave, she was making plans to meet up with me to continue talking later this week. Can we say our God is beyond awesome?
Breakthrough. We are seeing breakthrough and victory in both areas, the guys and the women. God is super amazing and I am so humbled by Him. We definitely need to rent a place out there so that they can come and find us during the week and possibly start up a church for them. We have a few possibilities of places to rent so please pray for us in that area as well.
Words can't express how we feel about last night and today. Just this immense gratitude that God wants to and is using us to bring hope and life into the ones He loves out there on the streets.
We are so privileged and honored to see the miracles that He is doing.
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