January 21st Prayer Update
"For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing"
2 Corinthians 2:15
Our January 21st Outreach Team!
We have many reasons to praise the Lord, among them, we praise Him for the beautiful sunny weather we enjoyed for our last outreach.
We also praise the Lord that we continue to have the freedom to openly share the gospel without the threat of imprisonment. It can be difficult to love hard-hearted people, but we rely on God to give us compassion for the lost around us and help us as we communicate the seriousness of the gospel message.
We are burdened especially for those who think that they are right before God and are ultimately far from him. We pray that people who received Bibles this last weekend will be drawn to read them, and God would use his word to move their hearts toward true repentance and belief.
Some of the folks we encounter express that they have some difficulty reading the Bible. We try to match them with a Bible that will fit their needs. We provide large print Bibles, Spanish Bibles, glasses, and in this case, an illustrated comic book style Bible.
Pittsburg Team:
This was our second time sending a team to Pittsburg. They are still getting acquainted with the area and looking to find homeless encampments.
The team came across a man named DJ. They were able to offer DJ some food, a blanket, a sleeping bag, and coffee, and they prayed with him. He declined the Bible when offered but our team had the opportunity to share the gospel through prayer.
Nathan was receptive to the Bible and seemed to have a church background. He shared his favorite Bible verses with the team. He took the Bible that was offered, a blanket, sleeping bag, and some food. He told the team that he was going to be entering rehab soon and he was given information about the Bay Area Rescue Mission. They had a good conversation with Nathan about the difference between relying on ourselves and relying on God for salvation. The team prayed with Nathan and that he would have success in rehab.
Our team came across a group of four to five vacant cars in Pittsburg where several people were living.
Luis was one of those individuals. Luis took some food that was offered and accepted a Spanish-language Bible. Our team asked him, "Do you believe in God? Who is Jesus to you?" He expressed that he didn't know Jesus and this gave our team an opportunity to share the gospel. We can be praying that Luis will read the Bible provided and his heart will be softened to his need for the Savior.
Anthony was found living in a truck. He told our team that he had a stroke and is recovering, and he seemed depressed. He took food and clothing, but he didn’t want a Bible and didn’t even want to receive a Bible verse from us. We did pray for him, specifically for his health and we shared how to be saved.
Armando lives in a car next to Anthony. We shared the gospel with him. He seemed receptive. He said he is going to church. He took a Bible that was offered and seemed appreciative.
Pray that as we continue to serve the homeless of Pittsburg that God would direct us where to find them and start building relationships with those that we find.
Central Concord Team
Anthony: has congestive heart failure. He said he reads his Bible from time to time. Please pray for him to receive the right medical attention.
Jennifer: usually doesn’t want prayer and is generally very closed. This time she was willing to accept prayer, but she didn’t share a particular request. We prayed words from the Bible. It seems like there is a wall (likely addiction). We told her about the Bay Area Rescue Mission. Please pray that her heart would be softened to change.
Robert: is friendly and has a potential job coming his way. He said something about Safeway opening on Monument. He is also waiting on possible housing.
We are very thankful that the Lord provided our team with a bilingual Spanish-speaking volunteer (Kenya) who could more effectively communicate a clear gospel message in Spanish to the following people. Usually, we are only able to offer them sandwiches, coffee, and blessing bags but we are unable to have a meaningful conversation. It would be our desire to have more Spanish speakers join our outreach events so that we don't have to miss out on those opportunities when the Lord presents them.
Pepe and Antonio: expressed that they have a love of their Catholic faith and want us to respect their religion. We gave them food and coffee. We are praying that this will begin a relationship we can build upon.
Paco and Armando: were very friendly and shared that they are not affiliated with any religion. We prayed for them and shared about the God of the Bible. They seemed open to know more about Jesus.
Michelle: is a woman that we've seen before. Her daughter in Texas recently had a baby. She asked for prayer for her own health. She says she is Catholic. She seemed to be in good spirits while at the same time struggling with depression. We pointed her to Christ and gave her a new Bible. She just got approved for social security and should be getting permanent housing.
We were so thankful to have volunteer Kenya join us on this outreach who could help us communicate the gospel more clearly with those who are Spanish speaking.
North Concord
We sent out a team of six to North Concord in search of some of the folks that we have built ongoing relationships with.
Our team was able to visit with Irv once again and follow up on his job search. He reported that he is still looking for a job. He hasn't been reading the Bible we gave him previously. The team specifically encouraged him to read it. On this visit, he didn’t want to engage with us on spiritual matters. Nevertheless, he was grateful for the coffee and food we provided.
Today our team was able to get into a deeper conversation with Maya. Maya has an interesting religious background. She has five children but does not have contact with them. She has belonged to the Catholic church and identified as a Jehovah's Witness in the past. We engaged her with the question "Who is Jesus?" and used that to present a clear gospel message. We took the time to read Psalm 115 out loud with her. She is still trying to get a job. She and her boyfriend Jose need continued prayer to be saved.
Maya holding a hot cup of coffee.
Tony expressed confidence in his being a 'good person' and that he would be accepted by God. This gave an opening to present the fact that 'no one is righteous, no not one.' (Romans 3:10) During our gospel presentation, he became resistant and even hostile to the truth. He told our team that he loves God but doesn't love Jesus and denies that Jesus is God. Tony is a friend of another man our team has interacted with who is openly hostile to the gospel. We suspect that Darrell is working to plant seeds among other homeless folk in the area which contradicts the Bible.
Pete was very closed off to a gospel conversation. He told the team that he is mad at his family. Our team was still able to plant some gospel seed, and we pray that despite his closed heart, God would work to soften him through our practical gifts of care and love for him.
Ricky was demonstrating to the team this he is not clear thinking likely due to prolonged drug abuse and was impossible to understand. He seems to be open to whatever viewpoint presented to him. We know that the Great Physician can renew this man's mind and bring him to saving faith if that is His will.
We came across Keith (in orange), whom we have met before. He had shared previously that he has a church background and even served in a church ministry at one time, but that he fell into drug abuse and was removed. He said he reads the Bible but was ambiguous concerning his understanding of the truth of the gospel message.
Keith represents people that we often encounter that might believe they are alright before God because they have some knowledge of Him. As we are aware, knowledge of God and being reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus are not the same thing. We pray Keith's eyes will be opened to the difference, and that he would place his faith in Jesus alone for his salvation.
JOIN US!
Our Next Outreach is February 4th
Please consider serving during a Saturday Outreach in one of the following ways:
1) Prepare Lunches
2) Serving at the Homeless Camps
3) Volunteer Breakfast
4) Cookies for Volunteers
Our ministry is a labor of love with the main purpose of providing gospel hope through practical means to the homeless. Thank you for serving alongside of us!
Thank you to everyone who have signed up to participate in our First Annual Walk-a-thon fundraiser event on January 28th, 2023! We exceeded our goal, and we are now expecting over 90 people on Saturday. We have raised over $16,000 for our mobile ministry unit. This will allow us to expand the quality and quantity of our outreach to the homeless.
The window has closed to request Nation’s breakfast, but you are still welcome to join for fun and fellowship.
Thank you again for standing with us in prayer! And a special thank you to the people who are generous to supply the food and coffee that we distribute.