I have learned to trust Him. I can only trust Him. I believe His Word and that is what I stand on. I cannot do anything else. His Word says that He takes care of the sparrows, that He clothes the lilies in the field, that if we ask for bread He will not give us a stone. His Word says that He loves us more than we can imagine and that nothing can separate us from that love. His Word never returns void. I believe His Word. I believe that He is the God who makes all things possible. I believe that He is God Almighty. I believe in the depth of His love for us. And so I will trust.
I will trust Jose Luis to Him. I will release Jose Luis to Him and believe that His Word never returns void. I will believe that his heart of stone will change into a heart of flesh. I believe because my God never lies. The Centre called today to let me know that Jose Luis wanted to leave today. Luchin and I were supposed to go two days ago to take him to get his wrist looked at again but neither of us felt a peace to take him out of the Centre. I called the Centre to ask them what they thought of it and they said that we needed the Pastor's consent to take him out and we tried calling the Pastor but he didn't answer. So we left it at that. The Centre is voluntary, so if any one wants to leave, they can just walk out. Jose Luis talked to me on the phone and said he had lied to me and he has an uncle whose home he could go to, etc. I know he is craving the drugs and he is desperate for them. Even if he has an uncle whose home he can go to, I doubt he is heading there. He doesn't care where he can stay at or if he has anywhere to stay. He just wants the drugs.
I can't make someone do something they don't want to do. Jesus doesn't do that, so how can I? Even though every fibre of my being wanted to lock Jose Luis up behind locked doors so he won't hurt himself again. But I can't. I had to release him. I had to tell the Centre it was ok to let him go if that's what he wants to do. It hurt so much. All I could do was tell Jose Luis that I don't hold any resentment towards him and no matter what, that we care a lot about him and I want him to know that, that we want to know about him, about how he's doing, that he's not in the prison at Lurigancho or dead in a gutter. I told him he could call me again and we would still go and help him if he needed help. He asked when we go out to Ciudad. I told him. And then told him to take care of himself and blessed him.
The Word has been sown in him. It never returns void. Nothing was by chance from the time he called to now and beyond. The Lord loves Jose Luis more than I ever can and I have to trust that He will look after him as He does the sparrows in the air and the lilies of the fields. All I can do is keep loving him and pray for him.
I have to trust that the Lord will never abandon him. I know that. Yet I want to go out there and drag him back into the Centre and put him in a place where he's safe. I want him and the others out there like him to live so badly. I don't want them to die or live half lives. I want them to know what it's like to really and truly live.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Oh, How He Loves Us!
God, you are beyond amazing. I had thought that my last post was the last post for 2011 but I can't not blog about what God did today. Today, Luchin and I had stuff to do and we were on our way to catch the bus when my cell rang. In the depths of my cavernous purse. The first miracle was that I heard it ring and answered on time. I ususally never hear my cell phone ring in my purse. Jose Luis, one of the youth from the streets was on the other end in a panic. He had just been kicked out of his girlfriend's family's home and now had nowhere to go. Luchin and I delayed our plans and went to meet him in Ciudad. He told us parts of why he was kicked out but it was no surprise really, as his breath reeked of alcohol from the night before and he regularly smoked pasta and snorted coke. We fed him, made him drink jasmine tea to sober him up a bit and just listened to him and counselled him. He wanted to change, he said. We counselled him, spoke to him at length about real change and not just temporary change just to get a bed for a night. We sat there wondering where we could have him stay.
Luchin had to go get something checked at the hospital so we decided we were just going to take Jose Luis with us until we could figure out where he could stay and he seemed to like the idea as his face lit up when I said, "well, you're coming with us and hanging out with us until we find a place for you". Enroute, he mentioned that his wrist hurt a bit as he had fallen about 3 days ago. Since we were headed to the hospital anyways, we figured he might as well get it looked at. We spent the entire day at 2 hospitals. The first one to get xrays done and to have the doctor do a diagnosis. Jose Luis had been drunk when he fell because he couldn't remember and had been high and drunk for most of the time so it hadn't hurt too much. However, as the day wore on and he being with us, and having had no access to drink and drugs started to feel the pain on his wrist as the effects of the drugs and alcohol from the night before wore off. It became evident why the pain was unbearable when the xray showed that his wrist was broken in 2 areas. We then got sent to a state hospital where they set his wrist. I was just in awe at the fact that we were going to the hospital anyway and he mentioned that his wrist was hurting and so we got it checked. I shudder to think that if he never called today, that the probability of his wrist getting set would be zero and the chances of him getting it infected and not being able to use his wrist properly would have been really great. God was definitely taking care of him. That took till about 6:30pm.
Our next problem was finding him a place to stay. Luchin had called several rehab centres but they cost more than an arm and a leg per month and we could not register him as we are not family. The only one we know of that is Christian and does not charge was not answering our calls. Since Jose Luis does not have a DNI (ID), we could not get him a hotel room either and since he was fresh off the streets, we did not feel at peace to have him stay with us at our home. I kept praying that God would give us a solution, that He who takes care of sparrows would find a place for one that He loves to have a place to stay. At that moment, we were close to the church of a friend of ours, Pastor Juan and I knew that every Tuesday night his church has a prayer meeting. Luchin and I figured that at the very least we could take Jose Luis there and have others pray for him and a solution and maybe Pastor Juan would have a connection somewhere. We went in and after the meeting ended and we had talked to Ps Juan about the dilemma, he mentioned that his mother-in-law would most likely be able to help as she is very much in the know regarding rehab centres as she has had to deal with them personally. Another miracle? She was there at the meeting when she normally does not go and she told us later that she wasn't planning on going tonight but felt to go. We followed her home and she gave us some phone numbers and connected us to several people on the way, all of whom laid hands and prayed for Jose Luis. We kept telling him that God was showing him how much He loves him to create all those connections so that he could go where God wants him to go and be safe. We finally got to Victory Centre, the Christian rehab centre that does not charge, but only asks for a minimal donation, at 10:45pm and finally registered Jose Luis at 11pm and left him in the capable hands of the people in charge. It is a centre that does not believe in capturing people against their wills to be rehabilitated and totally uses only the Word of God as their primary and only method of therapy.
Luchin and I felt at peace and promised to come back for Jose Luis on the 3rd to take him in for the check up on his wrist. He was scared we were going to leave him there and never see him again. I told him no, we would be checking up on him and making sure he was all right and we would visit him once a month according to the rules of the centre. At 11:30pm tonight, Luchin and I headed for home, totally in awe of how God had put everything in place to bring about this miracle in the life of one he loves so much. Please pray for Jose Luis Arcos Tito that he will perservere and allow God to work a real change in his way of thinking and in his heart.
Luchin had to go get something checked at the hospital so we decided we were just going to take Jose Luis with us until we could figure out where he could stay and he seemed to like the idea as his face lit up when I said, "well, you're coming with us and hanging out with us until we find a place for you". Enroute, he mentioned that his wrist hurt a bit as he had fallen about 3 days ago. Since we were headed to the hospital anyways, we figured he might as well get it looked at. We spent the entire day at 2 hospitals. The first one to get xrays done and to have the doctor do a diagnosis. Jose Luis had been drunk when he fell because he couldn't remember and had been high and drunk for most of the time so it hadn't hurt too much. However, as the day wore on and he being with us, and having had no access to drink and drugs started to feel the pain on his wrist as the effects of the drugs and alcohol from the night before wore off. It became evident why the pain was unbearable when the xray showed that his wrist was broken in 2 areas. We then got sent to a state hospital where they set his wrist. I was just in awe at the fact that we were going to the hospital anyway and he mentioned that his wrist was hurting and so we got it checked. I shudder to think that if he never called today, that the probability of his wrist getting set would be zero and the chances of him getting it infected and not being able to use his wrist properly would have been really great. God was definitely taking care of him. That took till about 6:30pm.
Our next problem was finding him a place to stay. Luchin had called several rehab centres but they cost more than an arm and a leg per month and we could not register him as we are not family. The only one we know of that is Christian and does not charge was not answering our calls. Since Jose Luis does not have a DNI (ID), we could not get him a hotel room either and since he was fresh off the streets, we did not feel at peace to have him stay with us at our home. I kept praying that God would give us a solution, that He who takes care of sparrows would find a place for one that He loves to have a place to stay. At that moment, we were close to the church of a friend of ours, Pastor Juan and I knew that every Tuesday night his church has a prayer meeting. Luchin and I figured that at the very least we could take Jose Luis there and have others pray for him and a solution and maybe Pastor Juan would have a connection somewhere. We went in and after the meeting ended and we had talked to Ps Juan about the dilemma, he mentioned that his mother-in-law would most likely be able to help as she is very much in the know regarding rehab centres as she has had to deal with them personally. Another miracle? She was there at the meeting when she normally does not go and she told us later that she wasn't planning on going tonight but felt to go. We followed her home and she gave us some phone numbers and connected us to several people on the way, all of whom laid hands and prayed for Jose Luis. We kept telling him that God was showing him how much He loves him to create all those connections so that he could go where God wants him to go and be safe. We finally got to Victory Centre, the Christian rehab centre that does not charge, but only asks for a minimal donation, at 10:45pm and finally registered Jose Luis at 11pm and left him in the capable hands of the people in charge. It is a centre that does not believe in capturing people against their wills to be rehabilitated and totally uses only the Word of God as their primary and only method of therapy.
Luchin and I felt at peace and promised to come back for Jose Luis on the 3rd to take him in for the check up on his wrist. He was scared we were going to leave him there and never see him again. I told him no, we would be checking up on him and making sure he was all right and we would visit him once a month according to the rules of the centre. At 11:30pm tonight, Luchin and I headed for home, totally in awe of how God had put everything in place to bring about this miracle in the life of one he loves so much. Please pray for Jose Luis Arcos Tito that he will perservere and allow God to work a real change in his way of thinking and in his heart.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Looking Back To Look Forward
Ahhhh yes, the close of a year and the beginning of another. 2011 has been a year of many miracles in my own personal life and also in the life of Siembra S.O.W., the ministry the Lord has called me to start up here in Lima. This blog was started with the intention of it becoming a personal blog but, because my life is so intertwined with that of the ministry as well as the fact that I'm not Shakira or Kim Kardashian whose lives are so full and interesting, it ended up becoming a ministry blog with splatters of my personal life sprinkled into it.
Siembra started out the year thinking it was headed in one direction, and even though I felt uncomfortable with some of the projects we were going to embark on, I kept going instead of stopping to take stock and see if that was what the Lord truly wanted because it was already on the agenda. And despite all that I was doing, the Lord kept shutting doors. I had moved to Jose Galvez, this area on the southern outskirts of Lima which to me might as well have been the ends of the earth, to live in a house that was seemingly perfect for the ministry and myself. It was, at the beginning and God brought the first Siembra team together during this time. I was starting to feel that perhaps the area was not the best area for the type of ministry we were doing when we couldn't find any homeless drugged out youth. I believe I was the only person in all of Lima at this time constantly begging people if they knew where the street youth lived and hung out. Most people ran the other way, I wanted to run to them. People thought I was nuts. Helpful neighbours introduced us to drug addicted gang members but they had homes and jobs. Not the ones we were looking for. The Home Refuge part of the ministry never flourished despite the fact that the Lord kept downloading ideas on how to sustain a Home as well as to teach the youth practical ways on how to manage small businesses. Yet, everything except the street ministry was a flop. Later, as I prayed into it and surrendered the idea over to the Lord, I realized that He never asked me to do the Home Refuge. He asked me, however, to do a Drop In Centre. The idea of the Home Refuge was originally that of a friend and I had taken on that idea believing it to be the logical way to do things as things are done here. At this point, things started to close drastically in terms of having a home refuge for street youth. The house became a hazard when water started pouring in through electrical outlets and the main box during the rainy season. The landlords started becoming odder. I made the decision to leave the house and felt like a total failure. The saving grace for me was that the street ministry was going well.
I learned many things, however, when I lived in Jose Galvez. I learned how to use praise as a weapon against stuff that made the hair rose on the back of my neck at nights in the house. I learned how to not be afraid because the Word was in me and it came out through me as a promise for me and a weapon against the enemy. I learned that if God is for me, no one can come against me. I also made good friends with the people around me and saw what community was all about. The day I left for good, the lady across from the house who runs the little store received Jesus into her heart. My being in Jose Galvez was not in vain. God had used me to sow the Word there even though my original intention of being there never materialized. I knew in my spirit that the Lord wanted a drop in centre in Ciudad itself but with the failure of the Home Refuge fresh in my mind, I was reluctant to jump into it. That was 6 months ago.
Today, I know the Drop In Centre is an idea from God. Confirmations come when I see the need for discipling and a quiet place to sit with the guys or women to listen to them; when they ask me where there is a place that they can come to talk to us; when I watch a movie that I know will touch their hearts and I have no place to be able to play it or to have a place to hold events or workshops for them. I have submitted my plans to my lawyer so he can draft up a good write up to present to the mayor of the district so that the Municipality will know what we are about. Yet, there is a voice in me that goes, "What if, you rent a place, put in money and time and no one comes? Isn't that a waste of money?" And then I also hear, "Obey me and you will see what I will do. Your job is just to obey me." So, I push on and up because I know whose voice I will listen to and obey. I have made mistakes but I will not let those mistakes keep me oppressed to the ground. I will push on and push up and keep going and rise up so that I can keep running the race that is set before me. I will trust that the Lord will lead me and keep shutting doors and opening doors that need to be opened and shut. It has been 6 months and I keep checking to see if He truly wants a Drop In Centre and the sense I get is that it is needed and so step by step I will take with the Lord holding my hand. He leads and I follow.
So as one door shuts, I look forward to other open doors and windows for the year to come. We've seen guys come to the Lord, kick their habits because they want to, heard women say they need to change their lives when they thought we weren't listening, guys out of the blue telling us they want to change and accept the Lord. Sometimes, we take one step forward in victory and it seems like two steps back after. But all I know is that we are just to obey the Lord and follow His plans and designs for these diamonds in the rough. The Lord will touch the hearts of those He came to die for. I can't wait for the day when I will see them rise above their addictions to finish school, have a job and serve the Lord with all their hearts, minds and strength.
Siembra started out the year thinking it was headed in one direction, and even though I felt uncomfortable with some of the projects we were going to embark on, I kept going instead of stopping to take stock and see if that was what the Lord truly wanted because it was already on the agenda. And despite all that I was doing, the Lord kept shutting doors. I had moved to Jose Galvez, this area on the southern outskirts of Lima which to me might as well have been the ends of the earth, to live in a house that was seemingly perfect for the ministry and myself. It was, at the beginning and God brought the first Siembra team together during this time. I was starting to feel that perhaps the area was not the best area for the type of ministry we were doing when we couldn't find any homeless drugged out youth. I believe I was the only person in all of Lima at this time constantly begging people if they knew where the street youth lived and hung out. Most people ran the other way, I wanted to run to them. People thought I was nuts. Helpful neighbours introduced us to drug addicted gang members but they had homes and jobs. Not the ones we were looking for. The Home Refuge part of the ministry never flourished despite the fact that the Lord kept downloading ideas on how to sustain a Home as well as to teach the youth practical ways on how to manage small businesses. Yet, everything except the street ministry was a flop. Later, as I prayed into it and surrendered the idea over to the Lord, I realized that He never asked me to do the Home Refuge. He asked me, however, to do a Drop In Centre. The idea of the Home Refuge was originally that of a friend and I had taken on that idea believing it to be the logical way to do things as things are done here. At this point, things started to close drastically in terms of having a home refuge for street youth. The house became a hazard when water started pouring in through electrical outlets and the main box during the rainy season. The landlords started becoming odder. I made the decision to leave the house and felt like a total failure. The saving grace for me was that the street ministry was going well.
I learned many things, however, when I lived in Jose Galvez. I learned how to use praise as a weapon against stuff that made the hair rose on the back of my neck at nights in the house. I learned how to not be afraid because the Word was in me and it came out through me as a promise for me and a weapon against the enemy. I learned that if God is for me, no one can come against me. I also made good friends with the people around me and saw what community was all about. The day I left for good, the lady across from the house who runs the little store received Jesus into her heart. My being in Jose Galvez was not in vain. God had used me to sow the Word there even though my original intention of being there never materialized. I knew in my spirit that the Lord wanted a drop in centre in Ciudad itself but with the failure of the Home Refuge fresh in my mind, I was reluctant to jump into it. That was 6 months ago.
Today, I know the Drop In Centre is an idea from God. Confirmations come when I see the need for discipling and a quiet place to sit with the guys or women to listen to them; when they ask me where there is a place that they can come to talk to us; when I watch a movie that I know will touch their hearts and I have no place to be able to play it or to have a place to hold events or workshops for them. I have submitted my plans to my lawyer so he can draft up a good write up to present to the mayor of the district so that the Municipality will know what we are about. Yet, there is a voice in me that goes, "What if, you rent a place, put in money and time and no one comes? Isn't that a waste of money?" And then I also hear, "Obey me and you will see what I will do. Your job is just to obey me." So, I push on and up because I know whose voice I will listen to and obey. I have made mistakes but I will not let those mistakes keep me oppressed to the ground. I will push on and push up and keep going and rise up so that I can keep running the race that is set before me. I will trust that the Lord will lead me and keep shutting doors and opening doors that need to be opened and shut. It has been 6 months and I keep checking to see if He truly wants a Drop In Centre and the sense I get is that it is needed and so step by step I will take with the Lord holding my hand. He leads and I follow.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
You Just Never Know....
Last week in Ciudad we befriended a new working street girl, Cecilia. I spoke to her at length and found out that she attends the mormon church, teaches their bible in sunday school for adults, volunteers as a director for a school and is in charge of dealing with 700 parents. As far as she was concerned, the only thing wrong in her life is her prostitution. And she knew that had to change and talked about being a street vendor to get out of prostitution. Today, she told me that she is a licensed lab tech for orthodontic prosthesis but she worked for a dentist who didn't pay her very much and that she only wants to work for a Christian dentist now. It is interesting to note that when we want to take the easy route, we will justify anything and everything in our own heads so as not to have to do anything overly hard or difficult. Cecilia is able to work a proper job that will allow her dignity but she chooses the easy road; the path of less resistance. In doing so, she loses her dignity, self esteem, the core of who she is and walks farther away from God.
We see a lot of this in Ciudad. And this is why our job is not easy. It's not just about converting someone to Christ. It's about getting them to be hooked on to Christ and then see that they truly need to change from the inside out, from their way of thinking to habitual behaviour. It's about having them learn to leave aside their pasts to move into the future and hope that God has planned for them. It's about helping them understand why they behave they way they do and how to change that. It's about truly just saying that our "problem" is really sin and there is only one solution: repentance. I guess we are showing them that we choose to stick with them, choose to love them, to be their friends, to accept them despite what they do; that with them, we choose the harder road and that we will not give up on them. One day, the Lord will open their eyes to see Him, I just hope it's soon. For their sakes.
Today, I saw Angie, this girl from way back when who used to sell her body. Back then, the Lord gave me a precise Word for her and she left with tears. I saw her a couple of months after that and she told me she had stopped hanging out on the streets with the same people and was staying home more. I was happy for her. Today, she saw me and greeted me happily. I was pleased to see her and she looked really well. She has stopped hanging out on the streets of Ciudad and now works with her mom in her mom's carpintry workshop. It was a joy to see her and it touched me that she was happy to see us. Jessica (of jessica and henry) saw me too and called out to me and she had both her kids with her. She said that she hangs out more at her mom's house now because the older boy is sick. I hope she decides to stay away from the streets more for the sake of her children. Luis has not appeared since we saw him on his birthday. He has my number and email but has not contacted me. I want to know if he's ok. But this is how it is on the streets, we sow the seed of the love and the good news of the gospel and we have to pray lots and trust that the Holy Spirit will care for His own because so often after, we never know what happens to them as they're so transient. The fact that I haven't seen Luis is a good sign. I'm hoping he has gone to his uncles to live with them.
Tonight it was Elizabeth, Luchin and me. When we went to see the working street girls, we split up so that we could be more effective in conversing with them. I got to share how God has been blessing Luchin and I and it was good to just be able to share what God's doing in our lives and letting them know that God cares about the everyday details of our lives too. Luchin had to come "rescue" me later as this creepy man was lurking behind me while I was talking to the girls thinking that I was one of them. If there were no johns there would be no prostitutes. I think that the next time we're out there, we need to also talk to the johns. This job sure is interesting. I have to admit that I do love my life as it's never ever boring!!!
Your prayers are coveted, please do not stop praying for them and the ministry and us who lead it. Thanks.
We see a lot of this in Ciudad. And this is why our job is not easy. It's not just about converting someone to Christ. It's about getting them to be hooked on to Christ and then see that they truly need to change from the inside out, from their way of thinking to habitual behaviour. It's about having them learn to leave aside their pasts to move into the future and hope that God has planned for them. It's about helping them understand why they behave they way they do and how to change that. It's about truly just saying that our "problem" is really sin and there is only one solution: repentance. I guess we are showing them that we choose to stick with them, choose to love them, to be their friends, to accept them despite what they do; that with them, we choose the harder road and that we will not give up on them. One day, the Lord will open their eyes to see Him, I just hope it's soon. For their sakes.
Today, I saw Angie, this girl from way back when who used to sell her body. Back then, the Lord gave me a precise Word for her and she left with tears. I saw her a couple of months after that and she told me she had stopped hanging out on the streets with the same people and was staying home more. I was happy for her. Today, she saw me and greeted me happily. I was pleased to see her and she looked really well. She has stopped hanging out on the streets of Ciudad and now works with her mom in her mom's carpintry workshop. It was a joy to see her and it touched me that she was happy to see us. Jessica (of jessica and henry) saw me too and called out to me and she had both her kids with her. She said that she hangs out more at her mom's house now because the older boy is sick. I hope she decides to stay away from the streets more for the sake of her children. Luis has not appeared since we saw him on his birthday. He has my number and email but has not contacted me. I want to know if he's ok. But this is how it is on the streets, we sow the seed of the love and the good news of the gospel and we have to pray lots and trust that the Holy Spirit will care for His own because so often after, we never know what happens to them as they're so transient. The fact that I haven't seen Luis is a good sign. I'm hoping he has gone to his uncles to live with them.
Tonight it was Elizabeth, Luchin and me. When we went to see the working street girls, we split up so that we could be more effective in conversing with them. I got to share how God has been blessing Luchin and I and it was good to just be able to share what God's doing in our lives and letting them know that God cares about the everyday details of our lives too. Luchin had to come "rescue" me later as this creepy man was lurking behind me while I was talking to the girls thinking that I was one of them. If there were no johns there would be no prostitutes. I think that the next time we're out there, we need to also talk to the johns. This job sure is interesting. I have to admit that I do love my life as it's never ever boring!!!
Your prayers are coveted, please do not stop praying for them and the ministry and us who lead it. Thanks.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Little by Little; Bit by Bit
I always learn new things which is good as it indicates that I am not dead. So, on the way to Ciudad tonight, I had to take a taxi as Fedex didn't show up with my parcel until 7:30pm. Talking to the cab driver, I found out he used to live in Ciudad, used to do drugs because of the people he hung out with and knew all of the guys out there. He was surprised there are still guys out there as he thought they had all moved downtown. I told him they are still there. He told me he left that lifestyle when his daughter was born and he completely left the area and the people and moved to a different area. I was encouraged by his story as he showed that this is not impossible. He kept saying he was old now but he's like 28 years old. I know in my heart that Luis can change. And we will continue to be there for him.
He didn't show tonight. We didn't see him. Maybe that's good. But I want to feed him the word of God more, to give him a foundation to stand on when things get difficult. We will keep praying for him and be there for him. The cops were in abundance tonight. The guys were not permitted to be around us to even receive food. So Jorge and I left for the hospital area to see the street girls. Luchin could not meet up with us today so it was just the two of us.
Walking on the sidewalk where the street girls work proved to be dangerous for Jorge tonight. A he/girl lunged at him as he walked by to try to seduce him and I was only a half step behind so I quickly stepped in turned to face the person and said, "Hi". Which calmed the person down. The transvestites don't like me, they won't talk to me at all and the hate on their face when they see me is incredible. The street girls are different. They greet us and ask about us and listen to us. Later I told Jorge that by the hospital, the roles are reversed. I would have to protect him from the girls on that street!
One of the girls Katy asked about where she could go to meet me to converse about problems and such. I gave her my card and told her to call and we will go out for coffee and talk away from there. Later, we saw Susana, another Katy and 2 other girls whose names I can't remember. One of them, I have talked to extensively and I was sharing about Luchin and my wedding plans so as they gave their opinions on marriage, Jorge and I took the opportunity to teach them about how God sees marriage and sex without being judgemental of them. Then the Holy Spirit showed me the condition of one of the girl's heart whereby her heart was so fortified by chains and bars and walls that she had put up because she had been so abused and hurt by people. However, deep within was a little girl imprisoned, dying to get out and be free. I told her that. She told me that at night in her room when there is no one, she would cry and cry and cry all night to release all the pain she felt. But on the streets, she is hard as nails because no one was going to hurt her again. I sensed the Lord say to give her a real big hug so I asked her if I could. She laughed but I told her it was important that she knows that she does deserve to be hugged and loved without conditions attached. She let me hug her. And the others as well. As we left they had tears in their eyes.
Claudia hasn't been there for a while. Hopefully that means she has changed for the better. Karina wasn't there tonight although I did call her last week. Little by little as we show them that we mean what we say, that we will love unconditionally and that we keep showing them that we are there for them, I know that they will start to see Jesus in us and let Him into their hearts too.
Please keep praying for them. We hope to have a drop in centre by next year where they can come and just rest for a bit and not feel judged. Pray for that too please.
He didn't show tonight. We didn't see him. Maybe that's good. But I want to feed him the word of God more, to give him a foundation to stand on when things get difficult. We will keep praying for him and be there for him. The cops were in abundance tonight. The guys were not permitted to be around us to even receive food. So Jorge and I left for the hospital area to see the street girls. Luchin could not meet up with us today so it was just the two of us.
Walking on the sidewalk where the street girls work proved to be dangerous for Jorge tonight. A he/girl lunged at him as he walked by to try to seduce him and I was only a half step behind so I quickly stepped in turned to face the person and said, "Hi". Which calmed the person down. The transvestites don't like me, they won't talk to me at all and the hate on their face when they see me is incredible. The street girls are different. They greet us and ask about us and listen to us. Later I told Jorge that by the hospital, the roles are reversed. I would have to protect him from the girls on that street!
One of the girls Katy asked about where she could go to meet me to converse about problems and such. I gave her my card and told her to call and we will go out for coffee and talk away from there. Later, we saw Susana, another Katy and 2 other girls whose names I can't remember. One of them, I have talked to extensively and I was sharing about Luchin and my wedding plans so as they gave their opinions on marriage, Jorge and I took the opportunity to teach them about how God sees marriage and sex without being judgemental of them. Then the Holy Spirit showed me the condition of one of the girl's heart whereby her heart was so fortified by chains and bars and walls that she had put up because she had been so abused and hurt by people. However, deep within was a little girl imprisoned, dying to get out and be free. I told her that. She told me that at night in her room when there is no one, she would cry and cry and cry all night to release all the pain she felt. But on the streets, she is hard as nails because no one was going to hurt her again. I sensed the Lord say to give her a real big hug so I asked her if I could. She laughed but I told her it was important that she knows that she does deserve to be hugged and loved without conditions attached. She let me hug her. And the others as well. As we left they had tears in their eyes.
Claudia hasn't been there for a while. Hopefully that means she has changed for the better. Karina wasn't there tonight although I did call her last week. Little by little as we show them that we mean what we say, that we will love unconditionally and that we keep showing them that we are there for them, I know that they will start to see Jesus in us and let Him into their hearts too.
Please keep praying for them. We hope to have a drop in centre by next year where they can come and just rest for a bit and not feel judged. Pray for that too please.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Not In Vain : Luis' Story, A New Beginning
For some reason it felt darker in Ciudad tonight, physically and spiritually, even though the street lights were working fine. There was a lot of movement and not a lot of police presence. Jorge and I started out first as Luchin was going to be late. We prayed in our usual spot, at the door of the casino then headed to the usual areas. Jorge had a bag of clothes for Luis and in my heart, I was really hoping he would show up tonight. Most of them will say that they will show up but then they never do...time and space has no place in their lives as their movements and behaviour are lead by the drugs they smoke. But Luis showed up. A totally different Luis.
He was cleaner and almost unrecognizable. He had clean clothes on and he had this amazingly huge grin on his face when he saw us. He couldn't wait to talk and tell us what was on his mind. I was in awe. The whole week, I had been thinking that I wanted to celebrate his birthday and since he received the Lord last week and his birthday is in November, it would be a great time to take him out for a chicken dinner to celebrate and also to have an opportunity to sit down and talk to him without distractions around. When I suggested that, his smile grew bigger, "Today is my birthday, I turn 18 today!" I squinted up at him menacingly with my tiny chinese eyes. "So, why did you lie to me and tell me you didn't know the date of your birthday?" I never mince words with them. I just go straight to the heart. "I don't know. But really, today is my birthday!" he said still with his huge grin. "I want you to know that you don't have to lie to us, Luis. You can always tell us the truth and we won't think badly of you. " "Yeah I know," he said. Meanwhile, I'm going in my head, "Dang, now what else did he lie about?" But then, I had to change my attitude. I was in their world and until they trust us, they will lie and hide things from us. But tonight, there was a change in Luis, a huge change and he couldn't stop wanting to tell us about his change. And I really didn't care if he had lied because I know that God will deal with him and transform him.
We went to a chicken restaurant and let him talk. He told us that after what we had told him last week, he couldn't stay the same. He couldn't live in filth and just exist the way he did, living beneath the bridge. So he decided that he had a future and he began to hope (yes, that is the power of the living God working in him!!) and the first thing he knew he had to change was the way he viewed himself. So he made a date with soap and water and got clean and felt better. Then he went to look for a place to rent. He found a place to rent for 10 soles a day in a hotel (rent is expensive for them cos they have no documents and fixed jobs, so no one will let them rent long term) and he gave up smoking terokal 4 days ago and has stopped stealing. I asked him again if he had stopped smoking terokal and stealing and he said yes and he couldn't do it anymore because he felt bad. So he now works helping direct passengers to the minibuses and he makes about 10 soles or a little more each day. Jorge told him to talk to his landlady about lowering his rent a little more in exchange for him cleaning the passageways or certain parts of the hotel.
He started telling us that he also decided to stop living the way he did because he has a 3 year old daughter who lives with his ex girlfriend and her new boyfriend. And that through his sister in law, he found out that the ex girlfriend and boyfriend both beat his little girl and his main concern now is to get her out of there. I told him to not take matters into his own hands but to go through the proper channels of authority. But first, we need to help him keep bettering himself so he can help his daughter. And also to pray for God to lead and open doors in this case. He also wants to finish high school so he can attain his dream of becoming a cop. I told him that Siembra will and can help him if he truly wants that. He does. And Siembra will also help him go through the channels to help his daughter.
Tomorrow I will check with Blanca, the policewoman in charge of children's rights in Lima on how to proceed with Luis' daughter's case. In the evening, I will meet him at 6:30pm to take him to church with me. He wants to go. He has never been to church before nor does he know anything of God. And yet, God has never left him nor abandoned him.
If you're reading this, please pray for Luis. And his daughter Anjeli. And us to know how we can keep helping him. God is just awesome.
He was cleaner and almost unrecognizable. He had clean clothes on and he had this amazingly huge grin on his face when he saw us. He couldn't wait to talk and tell us what was on his mind. I was in awe. The whole week, I had been thinking that I wanted to celebrate his birthday and since he received the Lord last week and his birthday is in November, it would be a great time to take him out for a chicken dinner to celebrate and also to have an opportunity to sit down and talk to him without distractions around. When I suggested that, his smile grew bigger, "Today is my birthday, I turn 18 today!" I squinted up at him menacingly with my tiny chinese eyes. "So, why did you lie to me and tell me you didn't know the date of your birthday?" I never mince words with them. I just go straight to the heart. "I don't know. But really, today is my birthday!" he said still with his huge grin. "I want you to know that you don't have to lie to us, Luis. You can always tell us the truth and we won't think badly of you. " "Yeah I know," he said. Meanwhile, I'm going in my head, "Dang, now what else did he lie about?" But then, I had to change my attitude. I was in their world and until they trust us, they will lie and hide things from us. But tonight, there was a change in Luis, a huge change and he couldn't stop wanting to tell us about his change. And I really didn't care if he had lied because I know that God will deal with him and transform him.
We went to a chicken restaurant and let him talk. He told us that after what we had told him last week, he couldn't stay the same. He couldn't live in filth and just exist the way he did, living beneath the bridge. So he decided that he had a future and he began to hope (yes, that is the power of the living God working in him!!) and the first thing he knew he had to change was the way he viewed himself. So he made a date with soap and water and got clean and felt better. Then he went to look for a place to rent. He found a place to rent for 10 soles a day in a hotel (rent is expensive for them cos they have no documents and fixed jobs, so no one will let them rent long term) and he gave up smoking terokal 4 days ago and has stopped stealing. I asked him again if he had stopped smoking terokal and stealing and he said yes and he couldn't do it anymore because he felt bad. So he now works helping direct passengers to the minibuses and he makes about 10 soles or a little more each day. Jorge told him to talk to his landlady about lowering his rent a little more in exchange for him cleaning the passageways or certain parts of the hotel.
He started telling us that he also decided to stop living the way he did because he has a 3 year old daughter who lives with his ex girlfriend and her new boyfriend. And that through his sister in law, he found out that the ex girlfriend and boyfriend both beat his little girl and his main concern now is to get her out of there. I told him to not take matters into his own hands but to go through the proper channels of authority. But first, we need to help him keep bettering himself so he can help his daughter. And also to pray for God to lead and open doors in this case. He also wants to finish high school so he can attain his dream of becoming a cop. I told him that Siembra will and can help him if he truly wants that. He does. And Siembra will also help him go through the channels to help his daughter.
Tomorrow I will check with Blanca, the policewoman in charge of children's rights in Lima on how to proceed with Luis' daughter's case. In the evening, I will meet him at 6:30pm to take him to church with me. He wants to go. He has never been to church before nor does he know anything of God. And yet, God has never left him nor abandoned him.
If you're reading this, please pray for Luis. And his daughter Anjeli. And us to know how we can keep helping him. God is just awesome.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
His Strength is Made Perfect in My Weakness
It has been a while since I last posted an entry. Street ministry has never stopped, we go out every week each time praying for a God encounter for them, a victory to loose the chains of slavery to addiction. I may have been silent on the blogging front, but the work continues. It seems like we had been on a flatline for a while, trying to reach the street people while they didn't want to be reached. But tonight, it seemed like God reached down and something just happened.
Luis is 17 going on 18 in November. He doesn't know the exact date of his birthday. He has lived under the Atocongo bridge for 2 years now, since his mom died and his dad remarried. He has no siblings and smokes terokal once a day. I love honesty like that when they tell you that they are addicts and do not try to hide it. He hangs out alone, robs to feed himself. He was sooty black. Everything on him, his skin included, is black. Not because he has African descent, but because he has probably not had an encounter with water and soap in a long while. His shoes are wide open, with black toes sticking out of them. We had never met him before now and he was open to talking with us and talk we did. We wanted to convey that we care for him, that he can call us and not have to be alone. We talked to him and at the end asked if he wanted Jesus in his life to transform it and to be able to live an abundant life. He had tears in his eyes and he wanted to be transformed. We prayed and he prayed and received Jesus in his life tonight. And Jorge told him he will get him clean clothes and shoes for next week.
We talked to Jhonny too. And it turns out that he has received Jesus into his life before and had gone to church. That was before his addiction to marijuana and probably something else. He lives on the streets of Ciudad because he is running from responsibility; to his child and ex girlfriend and to his mom and siblings. He's 19. I started talking about the image of God that most of them have, that God is a God with a lightning rod waiting to strike down and punish, and he nodded at the picture. Then I told him that God is not that kind of a God, that He loves us so much and that He wants to bless us but it is us who decide to turn away from Him. Jhonny told me he knows the Word of God, having gone to church before. I told him it gives life, it never returns void. He said he knows. Then I said that he just needs to call on Jesus and right aways Jhonny quoted Jeremiah 29:12 word for word. We prayed for healing in all aspects, for his hand that was burned in a fight, for his heart that needs to be turned into a heart of flesh, for his mindset to be transformed by the living Word, for him to desire after the Lord instead of substances. He prayed with his own words as well. And promised to call with unshed tears in his eyes.
We then took a bus to the Hospital area as we normally do, to talk to the street women there. It's still in the area of Ciudad, just 5 blocks away. Jorge had decided he wasn't going to speak to the women tonight. Generally, the guys in our group leave the talking to the street women to me or whichever female is there just so that the street women don't think that they are soliciting them for their services. However, he made a joke in the vicinity of one of them who is named Karina. She then thought he was there for her services but he quickly told her he was there to share about God. She opened up and told him that today, she had wanted to kill herself. And in the taxi that she was in, the taxi driver turned out to be a Christian who started sharing the Gospel with her without knowing what her intentions were. The Word of God calmed her down so that she didn't throw herself in front of a car after being dropped of. She had wanted to throw herself off a building too. And now Jorge was there to talk about God. She wanted to listen because it had calmed her down in the taxi. He shared the Word and she received the Lord in her heart. And now she wants to go to church with us. She has my number and I have hers. I will be calling her for sure.
Coincidences? Not a chance. Not a one. God's presence tonight was so evident and so palpable that those hearts melted before Him. He had gone before us and He has given us His favour and grace. The feeling in my heart is indescribable. All four of us were so thankful to have experienced such an amazingly tremendous night as His instruments out on the streets. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
Luis is 17 going on 18 in November. He doesn't know the exact date of his birthday. He has lived under the Atocongo bridge for 2 years now, since his mom died and his dad remarried. He has no siblings and smokes terokal once a day. I love honesty like that when they tell you that they are addicts and do not try to hide it. He hangs out alone, robs to feed himself. He was sooty black. Everything on him, his skin included, is black. Not because he has African descent, but because he has probably not had an encounter with water and soap in a long while. His shoes are wide open, with black toes sticking out of them. We had never met him before now and he was open to talking with us and talk we did. We wanted to convey that we care for him, that he can call us and not have to be alone. We talked to him and at the end asked if he wanted Jesus in his life to transform it and to be able to live an abundant life. He had tears in his eyes and he wanted to be transformed. We prayed and he prayed and received Jesus in his life tonight. And Jorge told him he will get him clean clothes and shoes for next week.
We talked to Jhonny too. And it turns out that he has received Jesus into his life before and had gone to church. That was before his addiction to marijuana and probably something else. He lives on the streets of Ciudad because he is running from responsibility; to his child and ex girlfriend and to his mom and siblings. He's 19. I started talking about the image of God that most of them have, that God is a God with a lightning rod waiting to strike down and punish, and he nodded at the picture. Then I told him that God is not that kind of a God, that He loves us so much and that He wants to bless us but it is us who decide to turn away from Him. Jhonny told me he knows the Word of God, having gone to church before. I told him it gives life, it never returns void. He said he knows. Then I said that he just needs to call on Jesus and right aways Jhonny quoted Jeremiah 29:12 word for word. We prayed for healing in all aspects, for his hand that was burned in a fight, for his heart that needs to be turned into a heart of flesh, for his mindset to be transformed by the living Word, for him to desire after the Lord instead of substances. He prayed with his own words as well. And promised to call with unshed tears in his eyes.
We then took a bus to the Hospital area as we normally do, to talk to the street women there. It's still in the area of Ciudad, just 5 blocks away. Jorge had decided he wasn't going to speak to the women tonight. Generally, the guys in our group leave the talking to the street women to me or whichever female is there just so that the street women don't think that they are soliciting them for their services. However, he made a joke in the vicinity of one of them who is named Karina. She then thought he was there for her services but he quickly told her he was there to share about God. She opened up and told him that today, she had wanted to kill herself. And in the taxi that she was in, the taxi driver turned out to be a Christian who started sharing the Gospel with her without knowing what her intentions were. The Word of God calmed her down so that she didn't throw herself in front of a car after being dropped of. She had wanted to throw herself off a building too. And now Jorge was there to talk about God. She wanted to listen because it had calmed her down in the taxi. He shared the Word and she received the Lord in her heart. And now she wants to go to church with us. She has my number and I have hers. I will be calling her for sure.
Coincidences? Not a chance. Not a one. God's presence tonight was so evident and so palpable that those hearts melted before Him. He had gone before us and He has given us His favour and grace. The feeling in my heart is indescribable. All four of us were so thankful to have experienced such an amazingly tremendous night as His instruments out on the streets. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
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