Backpacks from Alabama

Shane and Trenia Oliver, along with their two sons, Isaiah and Bryson, recently traveled to NYC all the way from Alabama just to give backpacks to the homeless. It all started when Isaiah won a trip through his school for being one of the top five students in his graduating class, and he wanted to use this opportunity to serve the homeless in NYC. Additionally, their youngest son, Bryson, had the ingenious idea of giving out $5 McDonalds gift cards to the homeless. His mom organized a bake sale that raised enough money for them to give out about 80 gift cards! 

So on June 6th they joined us out at Tompkins Square Park, and they brought with them 100 backpacks filled with toiletries to give away and each person also received a McDonalds gift card. The people at the park were extremely grateful to this family and their generosity. It's awesome the way these boys are already demonstrating a heart for the poor at such a young age! 

You can watch the video of Trenia telling the story below. 

Here are some pictures of the family handing out the backpacks and gift cards

Jesus is more Loving than Allah

I've really grown in my ability to dialogue with people from other world religions. I've also developed the mentality that I am always "on call" for the Lord, and that every place I go is a mission field. These two lessons converged for me recently when I was flying back to NYC and sat next to a Muslim man on the plain.

Ryan discussing the gospel with a
devotee of the Hare Krishna  religion

I knew I needed to try and talk with him about the gospel. Surprisingly, he actually initiated the conversation with me and started asking about my trip and where I was from. He was very kind. We made small talk for a while, just getting to know each other. His name was Tameen and though he was only a teenager, he already had ambitions of being a Muslim scholar, an Imam (one who leads prayer in a Mosque), and one who interprets the Qur’an and the Hadith (a collection of the sayings of Muhammad). He is currently enrolled in a school for Islamic studies. He’s 17 years old and he already has the ENTIRE Qur’an memorized! Seriously, that’s impressive.

We maintained a lively dialogue about our beliefs for the entire flight, but towards the end I realized something was lacking. We had talked about his religious practice, Islamic theology, and the history of the Bible and the Qur’an… but I had yet to actually share the gospel with him.

I was trying to think of a way to bring the conversation back to the cross, and I remembered that there was a question I’ve always wanted to ask a Muslim, but until that day, I had never had the opportunity to do so. The question was this: “When has Allah loved you sacrificially?” Muslims assert that Allah is the “all-good" and "all-loving” god, yet I don’t know of any instance when Allah has demonstrated sacrificial love – and isn’t sacrificial love the highest expression of love? If Allah has never done this, can he really be said to be “all-loving” in the highest sense? And if not, is he really deserving of our worship if he has not loved us in the most excellent way?

So I asked my new friend, “Tameen, thank you for all the information you’ve given me thus far. Now I just have just one more question for you - When has Allah loved you sacrificially?” He look at me, puzzled. “What do you mean? All that I have comes from Allah”.  

“I understand that.” I said, “But that wasn’t my question. When has Allah loved you sacrificially? When has Allah done good to you at his own expense?” He paused and pondered for a while. I said nothing and let the question sink in until he finally said, “I don’t know… I don’t think he ever has.” I turned, looked him in the eye, and said very gently, “Tameen, that’s why Jesus is more worthy of worship than Allah, because Jesus has loved you better than Allah ever has.” And from that point on I went on to explain the gospel from the vantage point of sacrificial love – that Jesus (who is God) actually humbled himself to serve us by laying his life down for us. That’s love!

We discussed this matter for a while and he acknowledged that it was an important point that he needed to think about more. I pray that our conversation would stick in his mind as he continues in his Islamic studies and that he would ultimately see that Jesus is more excellent than Allah. I’m grateful for all I’ve learned at Street LIFE Ministries that prepared me for my conversation with Tameen that day!

The Influence of Street LIFE Ministries Extends to Ohio

Emanuel Old Stone Church from Wooster, Ohio has continuously grown in their heart for missions since getting involved with Street LIFE Ministries. One year the ladies at the church made some incredible mats for the homeless out of spare plastic bags. Then they started bringing teams to serve with us in NYC, and last month they just had their first ever missions conference in which they featured Street LIFE Ministries and made a cardboard version of our Step Van! They served the soup we make for the homeless and even set up a Prayer Station! It was amazing to see how our simple outreaches have had such a huge impact on this body of believers!

A trip to Street LIFE Ministries could have a similar impact on your congregation as well, so come join us this summer to gain first-hand experience in living a lifestyle of worship, prayer, missions, and service. 

Building Trust with Women in the Sex Industry

Since 2013, Beautiful One has visited the same massage parlors once a month which has helped us build a good connection with some of the women.  We've even known one lady since the very beginning! This has enabled us to have many conversations with her about Jesus and her Buddhist beliefs. We prayed for another woman who had a pregnant daughter. Now she frequently shows us pictures of her beautiful grandchild and always reminds us, “You prayed for me.”  It's so important to share in the joys and the heartaches of these women.

Over the years, we have come to know several of the workers by name and they've opened up to us about some very personal and intimate details in their lives because they know they can trust us. This is the value of consistency and commitment. It took at least a year for most places to welcome us openly.  But trust takes time, especially in an outreach like this.  Now they know us and invite us in to sit down when they aren’t busy. We’ve learned so much about them and have been able to share the Gospel openly with them. Now we are working with with another local organization to offer ESL and Bible study classes with the ladies. We are still in the planning stages, so please be praying for this!

No Romance Required

Starting in 2016, we have been making a focused effort to reach the LGBT community. So when I learned about "The Center", a community building for LGBT individuals in Manhattan, I knew I needed to go check it out. I saw it as an opportunity to learn more about the community and maybe make some friends. As I mingled with people in the lobby, I met a gentle, and soft-spoken man named Henry, who comes to The Center for their support groups. He’s had a life-long battle with depression and seeks comfort by attending these meetings. When I told him it was my first time at The Center, he took me on a tour of the building.

We had a good time just hanging out and making small talk, but when he told me he needed to leave to get to his next meeting, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. In his wallet was a small scrap of paper with his name and his phone number on it. He paused for a moment, and hung his head in shame, and proceeded to say, “Ryan I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with you… I know that I’m probably too old for you, but if you ever wanted to meet up again, here’s my number.” Clearly, he was longing for companionship.

I started laughing because, at this point, he had no idea that I wasn't gay. Henry thought I was laughing at him, and so he started to apologize. But I explained, “No, Henry, you don’t understand. It’s ok… I’m not even gay!” He looked confused. So I continued, “I’m not gay, but I enjoy learning about LGBT issues and meeting people in the community. So even though I’m not gay we can still hang out – no romance required!”

To make a long story short, Henry and I have had dinner together a few times since, and have been able to talk extensively about God, the gospel, and the biblical standards for human sexuality. As of now, he wants nothing to do with Christianity, but I have a place in his life and he is hearing the gospel.

"What do I have to do to get saved?"

A few weeks ago, as I was giving out care packs at the side of the truck, Jeremy* came running up to me, and with tears in his eyes, began to ask, "Ryan, what do I have to do to get saved?!" He went on, "I know the Jehovah Witnesses don't love me and their message hasn't helped me. I'm still in my sin and I don't have the Holy Spirit. What do I have to do to get saved?!"

The people of Tompkins Square Park

Even though Jeremy isn't homeless, he lives on a low income and benefits from the donations we give out at Tompkins Square Park each week. We see him almost every week, but until this point it seemed like all of my attempts to steer Jeremy away from the errors of the Jehovah Witnesses were  in vain. He routinely attends the  local Kingdom Hall and and invites the members of their congregation over to his house for Bible Studies. He's been deeply entrenched in Jehovah Witness theology for years, and adamantly opposed any attempts I would make to challenge those beliefs or direct him to the true gospel of grace. It seemed like we'd never get through to him, but God must have been working on his heart!

I was stunned and speechless. This man, who had always shut me down when I tried to explain the gospel, was now earnestly asking me how to get right with God. Not knowing exactly what to say, I grabbed a New Testament and sat down with him. I first led him to 1 Timothy 1:15 where it says "Christ came into the world to save sinners" and told him, "Jeremy, it's obvious you see your sin - that's a good thing - now you need to look to Jesus." But knowing that the Jesus of the Jehovah Witnesses is NOT the Jesus of the Bible or the Jesus of history, I took him to Philippians 2:5-11, the great hymn of the early church that extols the deity, humanity, suffering, and Lordship of Jesus Christ. We spent a good while discussing the person and work of Christ, and Jeremy has never been so willing to listen.

I haven't seen him around much since that day, but in our brief interactions he has told me that he's still considering the things I shared with him. The Lord granted me an open door that day, and I trust those seeds will produce life in him.

               * Name changed for privacy

The Beautiful Bride of Christ

 The "Ladies Luncheon" has consistently been a highlight of our Brazil trip every year. We rent out the dining commons at a mall and put on a very special lunch for all the ladies that work in the brothels. It is a very powerful and effective ministry in which the women are treated with dignity and honor, and are introduced to perfect love of Jesus Christ.

Prior to the lunch, Tio Pedro always shares a short message and update about all the Lord is doing through their ministry to the brothels. This year he showed us pictures of some of the women who have given their lives to the Lord, come out of the brothels, and have since gotten married. Their wedding pictures were beautiful, and each of them wore a wonderful white wedding dress. Some people might think that a former prostitute has no business wearing a white wedding dress on her wedding day. After all, white is supposed to symbolize the purity of virginity, something that we know is not true of these women. But their white wedding dress was a picture of a greater spiritual reality - that these women have been washed clean of their past sins and they now stand before God without blemish, free from accusation. As God said through his prophet Isaiah long ago, "Thought your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."

Those women had every right to wear a white wedding dress.