A Day On The Streets

ministering to the homeless in Cincinnati

In this section, I am going to share with you my journaling of a day I spent out on the streets. I had been fasting for 27 days at the point of this outing. I just wanted more of God. All through this book you will find areas where you might say to yourself, well I would have done that better. Or I would have done that differently. My writing out all I’ve experienced isn’t to show perfection. On the contrary, it will greatly show that God uses imperfect people who do things in imperfect ways and yet He will accomplish what he wishes to get accomplished.

Every single one of us is imperfect. Just do it anyway! Just trust God to be the strength where we have weakness.

Cincinnati Ohio

11/16/2013

Jeff St. James and I met in Ohio and went to the inner-city. We typed Cincinnati Ohio into the GPS and it took us to Vine Street. We decided that was where God wanted us and we parked and got out. Jesus is the vine, so it seems so appropriate.

At first things went slow, Jeff and I talked and admired the cities beauty.

After 20 minutes or so we ran into bicycle man (Robert) an older Gent with amazing two colored eyes. Brown in the center with gray blue rings.

He had a broken ankle---no healthcare.

He also had a huge purple bruise looking thing on his leg that Holy Spirit told me was cancer. We prayed over him and God healed him of the pain in his ankle. Only God knows about the rest. I gave Robert a Bible from my backpack. He was happy to have it! Jeff and I stepped into subway to get him a meatball sub, when we came out, he was reading the Bible and shared some of his favorite scriptures with us. I was so excited to see him having such excitement to read a Bible! It was like we just gave him a long lost friend.

More memories of that is when we wanted to take bicycle man to Subway, he wouldn't let Jeff help him with his things. The homeless fear theft more than anything. It happens to them often. They share that people are mean to them, cuss at them and treat them like less than human. My heart is broken for the homeless. They need the real Jesus.

Next we met a 17-year-old girl. She was cold, hard, unfriendly and brazen. But somehow I had to love her and bless her. I spoke to her and convinced her to let me pray for her. I explained that we live in an unkind world where people show hate, but there is a better way where people can love one another and be loved.

Others were listening….

She became increasingly uncomfortable, so in love for her, I finished and left her to think about what just happened.

Jeff and I went next to a man in a wheelchair who had an amputated leg. I had always wanted to see God grow out an amputated leg so this excited me. We learned he had a blood disease and a heart condition. We prayed for these things to be healed, filling his veins with the blood of Jesus. He was a professing Christian but only in word, not a life change. This was easy to understand by the conversation that he shared with us. We did not get to see his leg grow out this day but I pray he felt God's loving draw and touch to prick his heart to come into a closer relationship with the living God. Life is so much easier when you walk it out with Jesus.

While praying for this man my attention was drawn back to the 17-year-old girl. I pulled a Bible out of my backpack and a tract. I went to her and God gave me some words of knowledge about her life. I shared what I saw and gave the Bible to her. I asked her to give Jesus a chance. To read John and make an educated decision. Because of the words of knowledge the Lord gave me for her I could tell she was listening with a more open heart. She agreed to read the Bible and give God a chance.

Next we found a woman holding a cardboard sign. She was poorly dressed and unshowered. She looked much older than she truly was. Effects of a very hard life. The first thing she said to us was that she didn't do drugs, just needed money for rent and food. We learned she had a boyfriend, who in my opinion, owned her. I felt Holy Spirit tell me she was in fact addicted to hard drugs. I inwardly asked God to tell me what to do with this information. I didn't want to call her a liar, but felt God wanted her free. So I very carefully told her that God had revealed her addiction to me. She instantly burst into tears. I asked, “Do you want to be free?” She nodded yes. We prayed, breaking off addiction, withdrawals and the control of this man over her life. We prayed for her protection and shared how God saw her. I then had her declare her freedom out loud over herself and had her invite Jesus into her heart. She did so in tears.

I felt God telling me she would not change however. That she was a beaten down, weak willed woman and we would need to reach the boyfriend. We went and bought her some food and drink and came back to bless her with it. The boyfriend had left the area so we didn't get a chance to make that needed connection. I learned from this experience that I need to research areas I am visiting to know where to send people like her for further discipleship and help. I could only pray that God would indeed finish what he started through us.

Next we stopped a man with a strong limp and using a cane. He was so cute to me because he would say, “I watch 700 club, I believe God can do miracles.” and yet he didn't believe for himself. He said, “You don't understand, I have severe degeneration in my hip.” I said, “You don't understand, God took dirt and blew on it and I living man popped up!” LOL!

He let us pray. It took three times, but each time his pain got less and less and the look on his face was priceless. He then kept saying, “It's really better! I'm not kidding! really! I'm serious! it feels better!”

I love that! From doubt that miracles could happen to him (only on 700 club) to healed and trying to convince us he actually got a miracle! God is so good!

Next, as Jeff and I were headed back to put more money in the meter for the car, we saw some young men leaning against a wall. They were looking us over. You could tell they knew we were not from around there. Aundre, (as we learned his name to be) called out and said, “Hey!”

Jeff said, “Hey how's it going?”

Andre said, “I am blessed!” With a confident smile on his face.

This set Jeff on fire! He was like, “Me too!”

The young man, Aundre, asked us what we were doing? Jeff told him we were just out praying for people. That we had come all the way from Michigan. Aundre says, “I could use prayer right now!” And he stepped forward in anticipation. So we prayed and blessed his life!

My attention was drawn to Lee, the other young man on the wall. I went to him and asked if he could use prayer. He said, “No I'm good. I've had all the prayer I need.”

But Jeff asked him more questions and we learned they were homeless. This led to asking, “When was the last time you had something to eat?” They look at us and in harmony said, “DAYS!”

We offered to take them to Subway and buy them something to eat. This put a smile on their faces and they walked with us.

The offer of food for the belly opened the door to begin feeding the spirit and soul. Jeff talked with Andre and I talked with Lee as they led us to the closest subway. This allowed me to learn what was in Lee’s heart. He was full of anger, bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness because the guy that recently bought this subway fired his girlfriend and all other employees when they took over ownership. She had worked there three years and this hurt them dearly. Lee and I went inside and waited for Jeff and Aundre to catch up and come in. But they stood outside talking and Jeff gave me the ‘wait a minute’ sign.

I stepped back outside and got to learn what Jeff was learning about Aundre. That he was full of deep guilt, shame and a great fear of God's rejection and condemnation. Jeff asked Aundre if he felt comfortable telling me why. Aundre shamefully looked at me and said, “I’m a male prostitute.”

I look at him with the greatest love in my heart.

How brave of him to confess that to me!

So then I asked him, “Do you hate that about yourself? Do you feel shame and guilt towards God?”

He said, “Yeah.”

I said, “then you're forgiven! It's not who you are! Your heart is bent towards God. You don't wish to sin, you just found yourself stuck and in survival mode. But God sees your heart and your heart's desire. He sees the man you want to be and forgives the man you are in disagreement with.”

His eyes lit up! I went on to share how God does not accuse us or condemn us. Satan does. God encourages us and convicts us. I explained the difference between condemnation and conviction.

Lee was listening, more lights came on.

Our talk helped Aundre to gain strength to seek God for help in finding new ways to sustain himself. He hated what he was and wanted very much to change. But felt he could not come to God for that help thinking God would just reject him. Now he understood differently. God meets us where we are at!

We made a decision not to buy from this particular subway.

1. because I could feel the tension for Lee there. And, 2. They had no bathroom and I needed to go!

We walked for a different subway about 8 city blocks away. On the way, we stopped for more in-depth talking when Aaron showed up. He looked at me and Jeff so meekly and said, “I heard you guys were being nice and buying people lunch, could I please get a lunch?”

God! My heart broke! I said, “Yes! Please join us!”

He said, “You're so kind, most people spit at me, cuss at me, flip me off or just ignore me.”

He shared his hard luck story, how he had been homeless over a month because he came all the way to the city for a job, but it fell through and he was left with nothing. He too had not ate for days.

I asked if he knew Jesus and he began telling me that he had a Bible, but shamefully sad, “I don't read it.” He told me he knew Jesus was the only way to heaven and he believed that. He asked, “I am going to heaven, right?” His question led me to tell him a parable as I could see he was only saying what he thought he should say, not what he truly understood or believed in his heart. He had information….but had not met the man Jesus.

I asked him what did he think? If there was a man who lost his home,(his body at death) lost everything (all his worldly belongings), just like you, and there was another man with an enormous house and he owned the whole world. He owned everything. Do you think he would just let you walk into his house and move yourself in just because you wanted to? If he had never met you, and you were not friends, don't you think that if you just walked into his house that he'd have you carried off to jail by his security officers?

Just because you knew about his son, have information about him, does not mean you KNOW him. You never took the time to meet him and actually get to know him.

Now, what if you became friends with this rich man and you talked every day, went golfing together, had dinner with him and became his best friend. Then when you lost your home, he would invite you in and say, “my house is your house, make yourself at home. What ever I have is yours!”

He looked at me and said, “You really know how to make things make sense. I never understood it like that.”

We talked about adoption and a father son relationship. That accepting Jesus was only the beginning. There was so much more! So Aaron joined our group and now we had three.

We continued walking to the next subway only to find it closed. They knew of a third one a few blocks down, so we continued on. I went back to talking to Lee about how the “laws” of scripture about sin, bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness we're not there to subvert us, make life hard or give us a mandate of things we had to do to please God, but they were there to help us to walk in the abundant life God promised we could have on earth as it is in heaven.

I explained to Lee and Aaron about seeds and harvest. How the one seed of anger would reap much anger. I explained corn and wheat, how one seed planted made many many more seeds. So imagine planting many many seeds of anger, bitterness and the like. Your life is producing from the garden of seeds you are planting.

Their eyes were opening more... more light came in. Aaron loved the analogies.

As the conversations progressed, Aaron wanted to feel what the Holy Spirit felt like. So I put my hand on his head and asked Holy Spirit to come. I watch this tense man turn into butter!

“He said, “I feel great peace.” Then he said, “I wish my hands would stop shaking.”

He held them out to show them to me and his hands were just trembling. It was not fear, but something he had been dealing with for some time now. It made even working difficult. So I prayed and released more of Holy Spirit’s love, and his hands……. stopped……..shaking!

Aaron was very very moved by this experience! A grown man was now wiping tears from his eyes...He had just met the love of God, for HIM!

Continuing on with teaching them about sowing and reaping we went on to explain that kind is drawn to kind. I was now walking with Aundre while Jeff took over with Lee and Aaron. I explained to Aundre that if we give off an energy of hopelessness, despair and other negative things, we draw that “kind” of energy to us. But if we give off love and act in love we will reap a harvest of love.

More lights.

We get to the third subway to find it closed as well. So we opted for Wendy's, it was just across the block.

We get to Wendy's and I tell them to order whatever they want. They were so grateful! Lee asked me if I was going to eat and I said, “no.” That I was fasting. That I had not eaten in 27 days. His jaw dropped! Literally...

He said loudly, “On purpose!!!” He looked me up and down and said, “And you're alive? Why would you do that?”

Now understand, these men know what it is like to go hungry!

Now I had the entire restaurants attention as Lee was not quiet about his shock in this.

I told him I was not going to eat for 40 days. That the only reason I was fasting was for intimacy with the heart of God. That God was that amazing and that important. I shared that God owns everything. Even the shirt on their back, that we can't give him what already belongs to him. But we can deprive ourselves of what brings life and pleasure to our flesh, our bodies, as an act to show how seriously we want what we are asking for in prayer, and God will honor that.

This was a turning point for Lee and it hit home with all of them. They now saw the depth to our love of this God we profess to them.

As they ate, we continue to walk the many blocks back to my car as it was time, past time, to put money in the meter.

We took pictures, got phone numbers and parted ways with Aaron, but took Aundre and Lee with us in the car to buy them a phone charger.

This took us to a bad area. I needed gas in the car, so while Jeff and Aundre went into get the charger, Lee and I got fuel for the car.

While I was pumping the gas Lee opens his door and says, “You want me to come stand with you?”

He wanted to protect me! This man who hours earlier wanted nothing to do with ‘this Christian”, now I wanted to protect me!

I look at my surroundings and noticed the men there were actually sizing me up, looking me over, and I felt evil intent coming from them. But I told Lee it was OK. I wasn't afraid. I finished pumping the gas and got back into the car. We was in the backseat so I turned to talk with him. He began to tell me how I should be afraid because just last week there was a six gun standoff right across the street.

I smiled and said, “but I'm not afraid to die.”

Lee said an emphatic, “I AM!!!”

I smiled again and explained, “Lee, I know where I am going when I die, you are afraid to die because you think life finishes here. But you have a spirit inside you that will leave your body and go somewhere for eternity! Lee, you are guaranteed, 100%, you are going to die! Where are you going to go? Life here is no longer than a puff of air compared to forever. You need to plan for eternity, not what you can get on earth. You will lose all of that when you die. And you WILL die!”

Lee was squirmy at my declarations of his certainty of death. He hated the thought of it. But he was listening to every word.

I said, “ Lee, I'm not afraid to die, because I will go to my father who loves me, who loves you! And if those man stabbed me in the belly right now and I was to die today, but my coming here today got you to know God and be with us for eternity… I am OK with that. Because you are worth it!”

He looked at me dumbfounded and said, “I have never met anyone like you before. You aren't like other Christians I've met, they just call us sinners and say we're going to hell. You're different.”

Jeff and Aundre re-entered the car and we took them a couple blocks up. We parked and got out to say our goodbyes. Lee hugged me and said, “You are the best thing to happen to me in a real long time.”

The look on his face and the emotions that were emanating from him were absolutely priceless to me. He got to meet God through the love given, the acceptance of Jeff and I. Christ in us.

Aundre came for his hug. I believe hugs heal. I normally hug long and let God's love flow from me to others. But Aundre hugged me for five minutes straight! I would let go, but he would not. So I re-gripped him and waited till he got his fill. He wasn't just taking, he was giving. I kissed him on the cheek and told him I loved him, he kissed me back and said, “I love you too. I've never met anyone like you.”

In the four hours God gave us with these men, all three said that to Jeff and I. To me, it is a testimony of the power of Jesus to transform lives for his glory! I was not able to love in these ways before meeting Jesus.

Because of Jesus, we...Christians... are not of this world. We are a peculiar people. Set apart, made holy by the blood of the lamb. To go to the lost ones that the world rejects and accept them where they are and show them the love of the Father.

We gave their numbers to our other team members who live in the area who will find them and show them where our food shelters are so they can get regular food and discipleship. They kept telling us how blessed they felt, but Jeff and I are the ones who felt blessed. What a great honor, what a great privilege, to take God to people who have hard hearts, wounded hopeless lives, sadness oozing from their spirits, to men full of joy and life and peace. Yes, I am blessed!

(end of journal)