Testimonies From Teams

It is our joy and privilege to host short term mission trips every summer for teams from all across the country. One moment that stands out was a when young, high school student (who we will call Roger) had his perspective radically altered. Roger had a smooth week until the last day when he encountered hostility from one of the men he was witnessing to at the Prayer Station. The man was very angry with God  and said some hurtful things. Shaken up, Roger returned to the Prayer Station to tell our staff member what happened. This gave us an opportunity to share about the rejection and persecution Jesus experienced during his days of ministry and how he forgave and made intercession for his enemies. After hearing this Roger said, "I would like to pray for him."  That night, at the final night debrief, Roger shared about how this had impacted him. He also mentioned that during the worship time that evening, he dropped to his knees because he was so overwhelmed with the glory of God and with all that he saw God do throughout the week. He ended by saying, "This week was life-changing."

Jeff, a leader of a team from Ohio, shared with us an encounter he had with a man named Christopher at one of the Prayer Stations. He said that Christopher came up to the Prayer Station and just broke down in tears. He was grieving because he hasn't seen his son in over a year, and the fact that Father's Day had just passed only made the pain worse. Jeff spent some time praying for Christopher and told us, "I prayed for him, he kneeled, and then he gave me a big hug and wouldn't let go." Before leaving he told Jeff that he somehow knew that he needed to stop at the Prayer Station even though he originally just wanted a Metro Card. Jeff said, "I told him I will never forget him and would continually pray for him.

A girl named Mackenzie said that she came on the trip with the intention of blessing others, but by the end of the week she felt like she was the one who received the blessing. "Devoting a week to ministry and time spent with God has revived and refreshed my spirit," said the young girl from Louisiana. Proverbs 11:25 tells us that "those who refresh others with themselves be refreshed". That is exactly what she experienced! Overall,  Mackenzie said that her time with Street LIFE Ministries gave her a "pretty substantial priority shift" and caused her to evaluate things in light of eternity. She left saying, "I feel equipped to reach out and minister when I return home."