Saturday, July 7, 2012

Week 2

Mission Possible San Fransisco
Kids Club at Potrero Hills
One of our ministries is working with kids in poor neighborhoods.  We play games with the kids, perform skits, puppet shows, and share the gospel with them using the sketch-board to teach the Bible.  Right now we are working at a neighborhood called Potrero Hills. The kids are always really excited to see us when we come.  I think this is really important to show Christ's love to these children.  Some of these kids may be hearing the gospel for the first time.  It very encouraging to have a friendly crowd of kids that are eager to learn and they soak up everything we are teaching them.
Sam White

This week with have been in every nook an cranny of San Francisco.  Potrero Hills, Haight & Masonic, Berkeley, 1st & Market, Market & Powell, and Union Square.
Market and Powell Outreach
We have some exciting news to share.  On Monday during the adult ministry, in the heart of San Francisco at Powell and Market, Saivon Russell came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.  After one of the sketch-board presentations, Saivon said that he had never heard this message before and after talking to him more deeply, the Lord convicted him in his heart and he expressed faith in Christ in prayer after believing.  Please pray for Saivon as in goes amongst the wolves and tested as a new believer in Christ.
We have been studying Luke in our personal and group devotions and the day that Saivon was saved we could just imagine the spiritual warfare, in the unseen world, because we could see all the many distractions that were going on around us to draw people away from what we were sharing. It was crazy.  From fire engines pulling up right next to us with their sirens blasting, to another, so called "Christian", yelling at us and telling people not to listen to us because we were hypocrites, but through all these things we could see the power of the Lord working through us and His people who he was calling to Himself.  
Carmina
On Monday we were preaching at Powell and Market Streets again. I, Kelly, had noticed a man who'd been there before holding up a sign saying things such as "No promiscuity" and "No unlawful sex". Since we agree with those things based on the Bible, I assumed this man was a fellow believer. However, when we struck up a conversation and I said we were preaching the same thing, he argued with me. He said that if any of us were married that we weren't preaching the same thing because you can't be married and be a Christian. He backed up his view with Bible verses (that he was taking out of context) - saying that Jesus is the way, so we have to walk as He did. This is true, but the more I talked to him, I realized that he didn't really understand the saving grace of Jesus' life, death, burial, and resurrection. Through our 20-30 min. long discussion, I learned something. Just because someone's wearing a cross or seeming to be a Christian, that doesn't mean that they actually understand what Jesus did for them and have embraced that in their lives. We've been talking this week also that just because people say that they're Christians doesn't mean that they actually have given their lives over to Jesus Christ. Only God knows their hearts and whether or not they're really saved. Our job is to continue to preach the Gospel, no matter what. God takes care of the rest.  Kelly

1960's Hippie Revolution Haight/Ashberry
On Friday, we were preaching on the corner of 1st and Market Street. A man walking by asked Micah where we were from. Upon hearing that we are from Maryland, the man started using profane language to the two of us and Micah.  He began accusing us of being racist and ignorant, even though we had not even said anything to him yet. He said we are narrow minded and brainwashed and compared us to the KKK.  As the conversation went on, he made it known to us that we were not welcome in "his" city of San Fran and that we should go back under the rock where we came from. After a while Paul, Adam, and Matt stepped in. Paul handled the situation like a boss. (:  Though he was upset at the man for talking to us with such horrible language, he spoke to the man with the love of Christ in his voice. Paul told the man not to talk to his girls (the two of us) the way he had been. We both felt so safe knowing that the men were so protective of us.  Meanwhile, Tim, Kelly, and Jianna had been across the street handing out tracks. Tim came over to where we were talking to the man and started to get upset over what the man was saying. He went back across the the street and told Kelly and Jianna. They prayed that the man would leave, be quiet, or if he was there so that we could grow from the experience, that God would use it to grow our faith. When they started to cross the street, a bus pulled in front of them, blocking their view of the conversation. As the bus slowly pulled away, it revealed that the man had walked away. Prayers = answered!  Such an incredible God moment.  Julie Jefferies & Shauna Adams 
Berkeley University          


What a day we had on Thursday!  The team did ministry on the Berkeley campus with the SOS ministry.  They speak the gospel, and sing praises to God on the streets, while we engaged in intellectual (or seemingly intellectual) conversations with many people.  Because we were there during the summer, most of the people there were highschoolers that were checking out the college.  Without all the college students, Berkeley was a much easier place to preach.  Paul preached an irrefutable message on creation, which drew in a large crowd of curious people.  Many Christians came and prayed for us, for the college, and for the students.  Everyone had some amazing conversations that day.  I personally had a great conversation with a man named James, who didn't believe in God, but he also didn't believe in anything else.  He wasn't atheist, because even atheists have faith.  James called his faith "hope", hope in that the world does not need to be a messed up place, and that everyone should do good to each other no matter what they believe.  I pray that God works in his life, and that I managed to answer all his questions.  He said he would like to believe that there is a God, and that there is a place where people can have eternal happiness, but he said he cannot believe something without seeing some proof.  I told him that the proof is in the creation, and that eternal life comes by grace through faith, not grace through knowledge.-In Christ, Adam.


San Franscico
Only real men do laundry!
How many men does it take to do laundry?





July 4th Celebration at Treasure Island

Call home day!

3 comments:

  1. It's been great reading this. I'm reminded that the works God blesses is not characterized by glamor but by humility. Thankful to Jesus for each of your work. Stay strong!

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  2. This is SO exciting! I will be in prayer for Savion and he seeks the Lord further in his walk. As you watch God work in the lives of those in the San Francisco area make sure to keep your heart tender to what God is speaking to each of you individually. Do not grow weary!

    Praying for all of you -
    Tricia Latham
    (Auntie Trishie ;)

    "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
    Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-2

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  3. Praying for you. Praying you last week in CA will be glorious for the Lord and that each of you will see God's Hand at work.

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