Old Faces

I had been praying for a long time to at least know what's happened to so many of the guys we hadn't seen for so long. Luis Enrique, Jose Luis, Luis Gustavo, Henry and his girlfriend Jessica, to name a few. Well, we ran into Jessica and Henry tonight with their 3 kids, all looking good. Henry's working at a cleaning company and Jessica has stopped hanging out on the streets. They gave us the lowdown on Luis Gustavo and Jose Luis. 


Jose Luis was the kid we had taken to the hospital to get his wrist set and then to a rehab centre in which he lasted only 5 days. The last time we saw him, months ago, he was back on the streets,  the cast on his wrist prematurely off. And the last time we heard about him, he was heavily drinking. He is now in a rehab centre again, voluntarily. Luchin found out the directions on how to get there so we can go visit him this week sometime. 


Luis Gustavo, Henry's brother, had checked himself into a rehab centre after the Word hit him hard. He spent some time in the centre but is out now and I'm not sure about the details but he now wants his mom to send him to a centre without an open door policy. I am praying that we get to talk to him before he convinces his mom to do that as the majority of private rehab centres here charge a lot of money and treat the patients horribly. In any case, the fact that Luis Gustavo is seeking help is really good. 


It was good to find out about these whom we hadn't seen for so long. I keep wondering about Luis Enrique, and praying that he has returned to the Lord and that he is working and is being a proud dad. It scares me to think of the alternative.


We need prayer for :


- provision. 
- JP who left home last week without telling anyone and is working as a bus conductor. He had been slipping into his old habits and we need lots of prayer for him please.
- EM who is walking with the Lord and needs provision as well as strength and faith to keep walking the narrow road; her kids and their dad to know the Lord and to learn to be a real dad.
-SP who just received the Lord an started her first discipling session with me last week. Pray for her to find a job and persevere in kicking old habits and addiction.
-Felicita, JP's mom who is hungry to know more about Jesus.
-Ytalo, Jean Paul and Arturo; JP's younger brothers who are all coming to church with us along with their mom to give their lives to the Lord and to follow Him.
-Luis Gustavo, Luis Enrique and Jose Luis.


The Word doesn't return void. Seeds of the Word have been sown into all of the ones mentioned above and for so long we saw nothing. The fact that we are hearing now that they want to change for the better and are seeking help to change makes me realize once again that it's not by might, nor by power but by His spirit that people's hearts are touched and changed.

Not Too Short

It says in the bible that God's arm is not too short to save. I used to gloss over that verse wondering why in the world would the Lord use the allegory of an arm. I knew it meant that God is able to save anyone. I guess I'm a little slow on the uptake but I finally saw the arm allegory as an arm extended to rescue someone in dire straits; like a drowning person or a person half falling off a bridge or building. An arm, strong and with a hugely tight grip holding with surety onto the arm that we extend to Him. His arm is not too short (will extend as much as is needed) to save (rescue us from death). I claim this verse for the ones I work with and their families.

Learned to let go a bit. Had to trust the Lord that He loves His kids more than any one of us could and stepped back a little.

JP had been slipping back, lying to everyone and mostly himself. Scared us all so many times not returning home some nights. But what the enemy intends for evil God will turn around for good and in this case, the situation brought us closer to his mom. And she ended up going to church with us...and loved it....and decided on the way home that night that she wanted Jesus in her life and so she asked Him into her life. We got her a bible, and she asked if she could take JP's younger brothers to church too. They all went to church with us last Sunday. I believe this week the whole family's going to go to church again. Perhaps, God had us know JP so that He could reach his family. But I also know God loves JP so much and that He won't give up on Him. All we can do is pray and love him and be there for him. God's arm is not too short to save.

EM has had some pretty hard stuff thrown at her lately but she's persevering and going forward. The Word keeps her strong and as long as she stays in it, she is fine and unafraid. She needs prayer to keep her focus on the Lord and His Word and to trust that He is her provider. We keep walking with her, teaching her, loving her and praying for her. God will never leave her nor abandon her.

Out on the streets this week, two women told me they needed to find jobs to get out from what they're doing on the streets. One of them, not because she wants to change but because her boyfriend gave her an ultimatum. But all the same, we are helping her in that area. The other has seen the change in EM and told me she wants to change and get a job. We talked about change and the only real change is through Jesus. She decided she wanted to know Him and asked Him into her heart. We start discipling on Wednesday and she also wants to go to church with us. God's arm is not too short to save.

The foreign women at the prison really balance it all out for me. They make the sometimes 2 hour line up wait to get into the prison and the humiliation of the body search every week worth it. They love the Lord, and they hold on to Him and have their hope in Him. Some more than others but they do encourage each other and as it is, they are pretty honest with each other and hold each other accountable. It's also cool to see that some of them have giftings that God is cultivating and God is already using them to reach out to the other women in the prison.

God is faithful. We are seeing Him move in ways we never thought of, seeing Him touch people we didn't know we were supposed to share the Word with, showing us that this ministry He has called us to is not just about street guys and women but their families as well and beyond. We are amazed at how He has opened doors for us to be involved with the families of these dear ones whom we are walking with.

I am just privileged and honored that He would consider me for this work. And so grateful that He gave me an awesome husband who loves people so much. The harvest is white, the people out there are searching, seeking to fill empty spaces in their hearts and they're filling it with everything but Jesus.

Will you believe that God's arm is not too short to save and share His story and who He is with the people around you? You only need to show up. God will give you words and wisdom  and do the rest Himself.

Will you?

Not By Might, Not By Power But By His Spirit

One soul is worth it all. And if we hit the streets just so one life can be transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ, then it's worth it. However, I know I want more than one. I want them all to be transformed, to be freed from the chains that bind them, to live a life in abundance. I want more than one. And Ephesians 3:20 says that He is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us. And John 14:14 says that I may ask Him for anything in His name and He will do it. My God doesn't lie. I will ask and I expect to receive more than I have asked for. 


What seems impossible to man is not to my God. El Gibhor. Mighty God. With Him, all things are possible. More than one. I believe that they will return to their Father, all the prodigals, all their hearts will be turned back to their Father. We will keep building them in the Word, we will not stop, we will sow the Word and He will do the impossible. He is El Gibhor.


I met up with EM on Saturday. I pray that one day she will travel the world to share her testimony of how her God got her out of the muck and mire and placed her feet on His solid rock. She struggles, struggles to go to work because it takes her away from her children and there is no one for her to talk to there. Yet every time when she wakes up and doesn't feel like going and sees her two kids, and all she wants is to stay home and be with them, she decides to go because she recognizes that this is what will help her get ahead. The tears poured down her cheeks as she shared this. She gets calls from the other women on the street asking her to go and join them. Yet, she keeps holding onto the Word of God and praying for strength to be able to go to her regular work every day. She has rejected the other women's invitation to go back to the streets to work even though she hasn't any money as she hasn't completed her month of employment yet and hasn't been paid. I asked her how she has been feeding her kids if she hadn't any money and she said, "Funny how when I don't go to the streets, the money comes somehow. My mom decided to give me money as she said I had been the one supporting her before, so now, she will help me out." Another time she decided against going to the streets to work and her kids' godparent showed up to visit and took them all out to eat. 


I told her that's how God is. He's in the business of providing for His kids. When we walk right with Him, the blessings come. 


On the other hand, with JM, God keeps reminding me that it's not by might, not by power but by His spirit that levels mountains into plains. JM has been working as a motortaxi driver, driving his family's motortaxi with their permission. The unfortunate thing is that he has been in contact with his old friends through working the motortaxi route and he's sinking back into his old lifestyle. He's in denial, trying to convince all that he is in control. We can only pray and trust God for him and keep being there for him, knowing that God loves him more than we do and that His Word doesn't return void. It's not easy watching JM sink, but he has to want to surrender completely to God because in his own strength, he won't be able to change his own life. 


The women in the prison are so hungry for the Word of God. What amazes me is that they don't even care about what I bring in for them, the cookies or the muffins and fruit. They have me sit down and then they just talk about and want me to talk about God. They can't wait to share about what God has been doing all week long, what they've learned, etc. I come out of there so encouraged and blessed by these women. 


Your continued prayers, support and encouragement are very much appreciated. EM, JM, the women in prison and the guys and women on the streets really need us to pray for them even if they don't realize it. Thank you so much for caring and standing alongside us.