A Volunteer's Perspective of Don't Walk By

Jillian has been faithfully serving with our Beautiful One outreach for over a year now and when she heard about Don't Walk By, she was very eager to sign up. Now, she's just completed her first ever Don't Walk By, and we'll let her tell you all about it:

"My first year of Don't Walk By was awesome! They needed volunteers in the transportation department, so my job was to sit and talk with the guests as they waited for the van to take them to the shelter. I asked one of the men I was waiting with if I could pray with him. He allowed me to and after I finished , he looked up and I could tell he was touched. He said, 'I really felt that!' That's what the Holy Spirit can do in the blink of an eye!" I would definitely recommend Don't Walk By to others. Getting to sit and talk with the people is so personal. There are no barriers!"

Jillian was not the only person who noticed the atmosphere of unity and compassion during the outreach. Another volunteer named Dahee told us that she was blessed to see so many believers united for the cause of Christ. She said, "This level of unity was literally a taste of heaven. I pray that churches in NYC  would continue to mature into oneness as we elevate Christ together."  This year we had over 1,000 volunteers unite to flood the streets with the mercy of God. Hallelujah! 

Salvation on the Streets: A Testimony from Brazil

The "Red Light District" of Belo Horizonte is a neighborhood populated with brothels, porn theaters, and lost souls. It's the perfect place to do ministry! We went there several times on this trip, each time bringing worship, the Word, and the presence of God. This past year we saw God move upon one man's heart in an undeniable way. Here's the story from Ryan's perspective:

"Our first night in the Red Light District, during our second or third worship set, a man who was either just leaving a brothel or on his way into a brothel  was drawn by the music and stopped by to see what was going on. A few members of our team approached him with a translator to talk and share with him (I was watching all this happen from about a hundred feet away). After a few minutes of conversation, I saw the man put his hands over his face and start to weep uncontrollably. His sobs where audible even over the music! Then he dropped to his knees and just started crying out to God, confessing and repenting of his sins. This went on for several minutes. Once he calmed down a little bit, he stood back up shouting, "Jesus! Obrigada Jesus!" (which means "Thank you Jesus"). Without any hesitation at all, he joined in with us praising and dancing, just worshipping Jesus. I even went over and joined him! We both danced and celebrated his new life in Christ together."

2015 New Year's Ever Outreach

Since 1997, we have yet to miss an opportunity to minister to the estimated one million people that gather in Times Square ever year to celebrate the New Year, and this year's outreach was just as good as years past. One young man named Enrique was drawn to the Prayer Station when he heard we were offering free hot chocolate. After making some small talk he confided in one of our staff members and shared his life story. "My mom left me at the age of five and I never knew my father." he said solemnly. "I've just started going to church and I know I need God, but let me ask you something... how do I let go of all my bitterness? How do I get rid of all the pain in my heart from the way I've been mistreated?" His humble question turned into a long conversation about the gospel, finding our identity in Christ, and the healing that comes from knowing God as our Father. Enrique was blessed that evening. He was just one of many who entered into the new year with a fresh perspective on God.

Chasing After Saul

Some of our volunteers praying over Saul

“Is that Saul?” Ryan asked himself as he looked across the parking lot. Sure enough, that was Saul. Saul was a man we helped get off the streets and into a church that would help him get out of his addiction to alcohol. But a few days ago he had a strong disagreement with one of the people in the program and ended up leaving without telling anybody. We hadn’t heard anything from him and we didn’t know where he was. Ryan slammed the car door and ran over to him. “Saul! What are you doing out here?” Saul shared everything with Ryan and even admitted that he started drinking again. After a long talk, Saul said that he thought God was angry with him. Ryan said, “No, that’s not true! This is God’s love in action. He’s disciplining you in love. That’s why He brought me here today!” After this amazing encounter, Saul decided to enter back into the church program, and this time he’s sticking with it. We’ve been keeping in touch with him and he is doing better than ever. He’s participating in Bible studies, working around the community, and has even saved up to buy a phone. He is growing in character, responsibility, and most importantly, in his love for God. 

Ryan hanging out with Saul 

He's Never Heard of Jesus

“I just shared with a man who has never heard about who Jesus is!” Tony said with a huge smile on his face. Coming on a missions trip from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, he was not expecting to have this type of encounter in New York City.

Galileo, a gentleman from China who had been in the United States about three months walked up to the prayer station inquiring about the Gospel of Johns on the table. As it turns out, he had never heard the Gospel message before and listened intently as Tony shared it with him. “The amazement on his face when I told him that God died for him…” was one of Tony’s highlights from the trip.

The prayer station in Flushing can sometimes be difficult with language and cultural barriers. Encounters like this encourage our team that God is faithful in answering our prayers for those in our town. He hears and answers and will draw the right people at the right time as we step out in obedience. Thank you for praying for the work we do here! 

Clarence Gets An ID

As a social worker, one of my greatest joys is being able to connect someone with a resource that can help them transition off the streets. This process is different for everybody. Some people need a detox, some a job referral, and others an agency that will advocate for their housing needs. It’s just a matter of pointing people in the right direction.

I first met Clarence when he came to the Mobile Resource Center  looking for a job referral. He wanted to start taking the next steps in establishing a new life. He had been using drugs and living in a shelter for years, but recently he hit rock bottom  and that was when he surrendered his life to God. This is what gave him the strength to change and become serious about sobriety. One of Clarence’s immediate needs was getting an ID. He lost his while in the shelter and did not know how to get a new one. I set up an appointment for him at one of the nearby social service agencies.  Since our first conversation, Clarence has received his ID and continues to come on Tuesdays to meet with us.

 

God Cares About A Report Card

One woman stepped into the room with a handful of papers from her child’s school, including a report card written in English.  She was a Chinese woman who has only been in the country for a short time and was scheduled for a parent-teacher conference the very next day.  Her English was quite limited so she couldn’t understand very much of what was written, but we happened to have two Chinese and English speaking members on our team who were able to translate the papers for her.  

As all of this was taking place, we knew that this was how God wanted to show His love to her. It never ceases to amaze us how God reaches out to people in very practical ways, and that he does it by sending his Church to those who are in need. Praise God! 

A view of some of the massage parlors we go to