New Apartment

Praise God for my new apartment. He knows what we need and when we need it.

SLM Summer 2010

Thanks Riley

Worship Warfare Week '10

It was a good Worship Warfare Week in NYC again this year. It's generally a busy week with lots of extra work, but its worth it. I've been a part of this week, with SLM, the past number of years but this year people seemed more open, more ready to hear the good news of the gospel. Praise God.

We also did the drama, that we learned for Brazil, a number of days. The Lord gave me an interesting opportunity a few of times to explain the gospel, essentially by answering kids questions, after the drama.

Summer 2010 SLM staff pic

Good crew

Under a Bridge

One Tuesday evening we joined a group of men from a local Methodist church to minister under a bridge where many "outcasts" of society seemed to gather. It was a blessing to work along side them and see their heart for these hurting men and women. We did some worship, the drama, and prayed for a lot of them. God was present with us. They told us that they had been ministering here for 15 years, which usually includes some worship and giving the people a meal. Street Life kind of stuff.

I evidently prayed with the guy in the last picture last year in a church service and it was a powerful time in his life. He remembered my name. Crazy stuff.

Luncheon for Prostitutes

The past number of years we've done a luncheon for the women who work at some local brothels in Belo Horizonte. We do some worship, share some testimonies, serve a meal, and do a raffle to give away some gifts. It's a powerful time of ministering God's grace.

Marked Change

We did two Sunday evening church services, the first was at the Methodist church where we were staying. At the end of the service this young man came up front and wanted me to pray for him. We didn't have a translator at first but I remember praying about things like: his destiny in the Lord to be revealed, God's word would be powerful in his mouth, and that it seemed like he had kind of a missionary calling on his life.

After the prayer we hugged, something definitely happened during this hug. He just started weeping and he didn't want to let go. It was a long hug and good, I just kept praying for him. I asked the Lord to reveal His Father's heart for this young man, and that he would understand his being a son and that he was loved.

I knew I should try to tell him some of this stuff but there was still no translator available so he just went back to his seat and I moved on to the next person. However, he soon found a translator and came back to me. It was incredible to hear his heart and how he explained what happened. He said he felt like God had hugged him, and that his natural father was kind of emotionally absent and never hugged him.

He also explained that he knew God had called him to some things (the nations). He was in YWAM (Youth With A Mission) a while ago but he left because some stuff happened and he also had a bad relationship with a girl.

It was incredible to explain what I had just prayed for him. He broke down and wept when he heard that I prayed about his missionary calling. He said that this was a real time of confirmation in his life, that it was a time of marked change for him.

I had the privilege of seeing him again before leaving Brazil and it was encouraging to hear how he was taking steps to get things right in his life and trying to join YWAM again. Praise God!

Who's scared now?

One night right after the drama this cute little guy ran up to me and gave me a big hug. His mother came as well and, through a translator, explained that he was scared and had been seeing bad things recently. I assume that because I played the role of Jesus, the rescuer, he felt compelled to run to and hug me. I prayed for him and he soon wanted to also hug Riley (Satan). Guess some of the scariness left. :)

Drama in Brazil

Most of the locations in Belo Horizonte that we go are on the streets, like on busy sidewalks where there's room or outside of a brothel in the red light district. However, we also go to some rehabs and churches.

Once again I was in a drama that we do on this trip. It's a great drama because it tells of how the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. And also how Jesus comes to bring abundant life. (John 10:10) It speaks of our need to give control of our lives to God and doesn't use any words, so its a great way to overcome our language difference. People respond.

Back in NYC

Just flew in to JFK from Sao Paulo this morning. It was an amazing trip to Brazil again this year with people getting saved, healed, and filled with more of the Lord's heart and understanding of their destiny in him. Once again we encountered a people that seem so much more ready to receive God's grace and call to repentance then here in NYC. It was refreshing.

I'll post more soon.

Brazil 2010

Tomorrow afternoon I'm off to Brazil again with SLM. I'd greatly appreciate your prayers. It's a two week trip consisting of a lot of prayer, worship, drama, and the Word on the streets of Belo Horizonte and the surrounding area. I'll try to get this updated soon after I return.

King's Fellowship

It occurred to me that I never really posted anything here about King's Fellowship. It's a Sunday evening service (5-8 pm) which includes a meal, worship, the Word, and a time of one-on-one prayer at the end. Our goal is to invite people we meet on the streets and ideally the relationship would then progress into more mentoring and discipleship, not just on Sunday evenings.

It's been encouraging to see this happen to a degree (some people have come from prayer stations we've done and also from Tompkins Square Park), however we would love to see more consistency from some. Please pray.

SLM Newsletter

This is the latest SLM newsletter (click image to enlarge). You can randomly check the SLM website to view the newest one.

Team in May

We had a good team in May from Masters Commission, a discipleship program, in VA. They had very good attitudes and seemed excited to be about God's business. Praise God for teams like this.

More fresh paint

My apt got a new look.

New SLM staff

This is Riley Mullins, newest SLM staff member. He just arrived yesterday from Ohio. Please pray for him during this transition time in his life.

Fasting and Prayer

SLM is just beginning a time of fasting and prayer along with a few local churches that we fellowship with. In some ways, its a difficult time around here and so I anticipate being refreshed and focusing more on the Lord and less on myself. Often, I'm distracted from being single minded and focused on the Lord and his business and I get caught up too much in the cares of this world.

God help me to be about your business and trust you to take care of my business.

Just soak it in

Last night my friend Daniel and I experienced God's goodness in a big and unexpected way. We were the last to leave after a night of worship and prayer at a local church. A young man approached us as we were about to leave and just started humbly bearing his soul. It was very obvious that God was really getting at this young man. He confessed sin, repented, and asked for prayer. Daniel and I spent some time letting him tell his story, giving some advice, and praying a lot. We hope to stay connected.

Sometimes people just soak in what God wants for them and its a blessing to play a part.

Room remodel

Another team room remodel in the SLM ministry house. Guess I should have had some before pictures.

Neighbor Glen

Sorry the picture is so small. This is SLM's neighbor, Glen, and myself. We've gotten to know Glen much better in the past couple of months because he's been coming to Kings Fellowship Sunday nights. It's been a blessing to witness the Lord restoring him. During the Don't Walk By outreach he's also been helping me as a van driver assistant.

Don't Walk By Outreach

Street Life Ministries has joined other ministries and a small army of volunteers again this year for Don't Walk By (check out the website).

"The outreach strategy for Don't Walk By is simple but effective. Small teams led by a leader will walk a predetermined route on the streets of Manhattan each Saturday night from 5:30pm-9:30pm.
1. Teams will engage the homeless on the streets and offer a hygiene kit as a gift. Rescue workers will show compassion and inquire as to the person’s well being.
2. After chatting, the homeless person will be invited to walk back with the team to an outreach vehicle positioned nearby to enjoy some hot chocolate and catch a ride on one of our shuttles to that night’s anchor church. Workers will be hosting people at the bus offering love and encouragement.
3. If willing, street people will be transported to the anchor church for a hot meal, have the chance to get clothing, coats and blankets, and talk to someone about possibly entering a faith based drug/ alcohol rehabilitation program.
4. If willing, the person will be given overnight shelter to get out of the cold and begin the process of entering a program.
5. The next day or soon after, the homeless person will be transported to one of the programs partnering with Rescue Alliance NYC."

This outreach is Saturday afternoon/evening most of January and in to February. Most of the SLM staff are team leaders, however I have been a van driver, transporting people to the host church or programs that have accepted them.

New Years Eve Outreach

It was a good NYE Outreach again. We had a large team, actually a number of teams, that joined us this year from OH, NH, NJ, NC, ME and a couple from Brazil. After a busy few days of serving at a soup kitchen in the Bronx, prayer stations in Jamaica (Queens), Tompkins Square Park, and Christmas caroling at the tree in Rockefeller Center we handed out hot chocolate at prayer stations in the Times Square area on New Years Eve.