What a night!

I wanted to share some exciting things that have been happening lately! A few nights ago I went downtown with a small group of people to share the gospel with the homeless & give them food. This is one of my favorite things to do because the risk is high enough that hardly anyone will go with us so the ones going really care. We start at 7:30pm & walk around downtown speaking to & serving any homeless person we see until about 1 am or later. I packed a backpack of bibles & we set out. We saw a group of guys sitting on a curb so we stopped to talk with them. As we were talking, some police cars sped by followed by a fire truck. One of the homeless men casually said to us, "Oh yeah before you walked over here we heard 5 gun shots." I thought to myself, "I could really die here tonight doing this" but the greatest feeling was accepting that God has control of my life. I wasn't afraid of what could happen because I knew the Lord called me to follow where he leads- even if that is among danger. It was a moment where I thought, "Wow! This is truly what it means to be a Christian! I'm putting all of my trust in God." I can't keep myself from danger all of my life if I want to give all I have for the cause of Christ. One of the guys sitting on the curb had just gotten released from jail that night & one of our guys shared the gospel with him & he accepted Christ right then!! 

Courtney (middle) praying to accept Christ! Hunter (left) shared the love of Jesus with Courtney and went church searching with him on Sunday. You wouldn't believe the smile Courtney had on his face!! I said, "Man! You're my brother in Christ now! You're no longer defined by your past! Your new life with Jesus starts right now!" I showed him how to share the gospel and he said he has so many friends that he can tell! I walked away so humbled by God's mercy and power! We're such ordinary people but God chooses to use us. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 says, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame to wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world & the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are so that no one can boast before Him."

At one point we walked under an overpass where we met a man named Robert. We gave him a sandwich and I was hungry so I stood there with him and ate a sandwich too. In front of us were 6 lanes of interstate and cars were speeding past us. One suburban drove by and all of the windows were rolled down and the kids inside were staring out at us with a look of shock & disbelief. I imagine them wondering what in the world a young white girl was doing eating a sandwich under a bridge. Ha! Around us were cockroaches & broken glass but none of that phased me. Robert is another person just like I am & we were just 2 people eating PB&Js & enjoying a light-hearted conversation. You see, I no longer look at anyone & only see the circumstances they're in...I look at Robert & see a person who has had a rougher road than I've had & who has so much potential as a human being. We hear Philippians 4:13 all the time but I look at someone like Robert or Courtney & think, "THEY can do ANYTHING through Christ who gives them strength." Why do we only want to apply that verse to sports or talents instead of believing that yes, Christ has the power to change anyone.

We kept walking & ran into a girl named Stephanie. I said to her, "Stephanie, if you were to walk over there & get hit by a trolley & die, do you know where you're going?" She said she didn't know where she's going when she dies. She told me,"I want to get this right." I shared the gospel with her and she accepted Jesus right there downtown by the trolley track! Her prayer was so real-- "Jesus, I don't want to live this way anymore..." She gave me the biggest hug! She was so thin and frail that I just broke for her & the life she lives. But you see, what makes me any more deserving of God's love than Stepahnie? Is it because I live in a nice house or I've gone to a good school? She is a living, breathing person just like me so as a servant of Christ, I have a responsibility to tell people like Stephanie about Him. Who's to say they won't respond to the gospel & be saved? We can't count anyone out!! I'll see her in heaven forever now! When we've been there 10,000 years, I won't be thinking about the "risks" I took to share the gospel or the times I was unsafe...I'll look at Stephanie & Courtney and praise God!

 Stephanie accepted Jesus where this picture was taken.