April 6th Prayer Update
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Life on the street is physically taxing. Many folks don't last long, either because of the hardened conditions or from their days of substance abuse. On this outreach, we learned that two of our homeless community died in the last two weeks, John and Theone (pictured above). We had many months of sharing the gospel with these folks but we don't believe that either made a decision for Christ prior to their passing. Would you pray that their passing would have a positive impact on the community of homeless who are mourning their death? We pray that many would think more seriously about their eternal destiny as a result of losing John and Theone. We pray that they wouldn't be hardened or angry at God, but that God would use this to soften their hearts to the gospel.
Martinez Team
When our team first arrived in Martinez they found a group of people gathered around the picnic tables that they could engage in conversation. The folks there looked like they had recently been able to take advantage of showers and changes of clothes provided by another outreach from Bay Church. We are thankful that others are purposeful in caring for the homeless community. They also had boxes of food among their belongings.
We had a very brief conversation with Steve and his dog Reggie. He wasn’t in a good mood on this occasion so we offered him items and let him be.
After accepting hot coffee and food Michael engaged the team in a good gospel conversation. He listened to a whole gospel presentation and told our team that he 'prays and asks for forgiveness.' When the team transitioned to the next phase concerning Christ as Lord of your life Michael responded that he was 'good for now' and seemed in a hurry to leave.
Our team encountered a Deaf man, since no one on our team knew sign language they did their best to communicate using basic hand motions. He indicated that he could read lips some. The team offered him a page of verses outlining the gospel, which he accepted. We pray he reads them and God uses them in his life.
Frankie shared that he is on a list currently waiting for housing and asked for prayer in that regard.
Catherine asked for a Bible from our team. We are usually the ones to initiate that request but when the team shared about God she immediately asked for the Bible. It seemed that Catherine had a drug history as she went in and out of reality during their conversation and started bringing up things like UFOs. They ended their conversation in prayer for her.
Lee was a really friendly guy who shared that he has been working on getting social security for 4 years. Lee was hoping to get something in a week and was in good spirits. He asked for prayer that that would indeed happen. He also accepted a Bible.
Please also pray for Ron who accepted a Bible and asked prayer for 'wisdom and guidance' and Caroline who didn't want to engage at all with our team.
Central Concord Team
Our team came across our old friend Anthony. He was very apologetic for flaking out on previous Bible studies. He was in good spirits and wanted to do another Bible study in the future. His medication that he got a month or two ago has been helping his congestive heart failure conditions. We gathered an updated phone number for Anthony and hope to connect with him soon.
Aaron is a quiet guy who has slowly been opening up to us in the last several months. He wasn't there but others gave the team an update. Aaron developed sepsis in his leg and was staying in the hospital in Berkeley. Others in his community shared that Aaron's dog was taken away and was likely in a shelter. He was very close to his dog and we expect that he will be very sad when he gets out and doesn't have his dog.
The team spotted a man swinging a very big and shiny sword. They've seen this gentleman before and have kept their distance. They did so again as this man seems to be more unstable than others and they don't want to get into a dangerous situation.
Brandon is a soft-spoken guy that our team had an enjoyable conversation with and they hope to see him again. He told our team that he would read the Bible that they provided him.
Flo is a woman who doesn't look much past her 20s but told our team that she has 5 kids. She asked for her children, specifically her 8-year-old son.
Gloria asked for prayer for her son Angel who is 26 and is an alcoholic and trying to break his addiction.
Irwin had a very positive response to the gospel conversation. One of the volunteers noted that it seemed as if God was actively working in Irwin's heart as they were sharing. He told our team that he wanted to repent, he wanted to believe, and he wanted to go to church. Our prayer for Irwin is that he would follow through and take the time to do work with God. We took down Irwin's contact info.
Please also be praying for Teressa, Charles, Nacho, Kareem (who asked for prayer for work), Daniel, Bob, and Gus.
North Concord Team:
The community in North Concord was the most impacted by the passing of Theone and John (as shared in the intro). Granville was one who specifically shared that he was depressed and mourning due to their loss.
Jarett is someone we've spoken to on multiple occasions. He is still wrestling with repentance but was incredibly open to continued spiritual conversations. The team talked to him about the thief on the cross who was saved moments before death. The thief could die with confidence in the promises of God. Jerrit stated, “I can’t fathom being okay with death.” The team encouraged him that the process of death can be frightening, but the outcome doesn’t scare those who have been reconciled to God.
John was demonstrating some hardness of heart when our team spoke with him. He comes from an atheist background. He was willing to accept prayer and shared about his dog. His pit bull has some type of thorn in its foot but wouldn't let anyone get close enough to try and remove it.
Kelly is someone who has known our director Toby for 15 years. She told our team that she is open to a Bible study and specifically asked for two Bibles so she could share one with a friend. She told our team that she has a job doing customer service and claims to also be off of drugs. They prayed with her as they left.
Please also pray for Teressa, Ray, Lisa, Jared, Lamar, Jason, Jesse, Cyprus, Chris, JR, Steve and David who we also interacted with.
Vallejo & RV Team:
The Vallejo team arrived to a very different sight than our last outreach. They were told the city had recently done a sweep and cleared everyone out of the area. As a result, the encampment sizes were greatly reduced. They visited two small camps.
At the first camp, Edwin & Holly (pictured above in the matching shirts) claimed to be believers. Edwin shared that his last wife died of cancer and that drove him to drugs to the point of being hospitalized. He says that he has now been clean for about 5 months. He also shared that he read through the entire Bible a few months ago and they discussed with him his favorite passage, Proverbs 12:25. When the team offered a Bible study he seemed hesitant.
John accepted a Bible from our team last month and engaged with us in a long conversation during this outreach. He was the one who accepted the Bible so that he could compare versions. John's Grandmother was a Catholic. The team challenged him to pray before he reads and asks God ‘what type of relationship do you want with me?' and 'what did you want to say to me from the word?’ The team told him they would quiz him on the book of John next time they saw him.
This is the second time we've engaged with this three-generation family that live together in this encampment. They used to have an RV but lost it when the city swept the camp. They are now living in a minivan and tent. The team was concerned as they have four small kids, the oldest of whom should be enrolled in school but isn't. It is a heartbreaking scene to see those homeless girls sitting in a tent. The police seem to be aware of the situation and we pray that God works His will in their lives and keeps the children safe. Our team offered them sleeping bags and food.
Amanda shared that she been on the streets since the age of 11. She was very distracted when they tried to engage with her. A truck came up and she had to take off.
In the second camp, the team spoke at length with Sean. He told the team that he had died and they brought him back to life medically. He was not all that receptive to the gospel message and wanted to get away from the conversation. The team was able to engage him with some questions about heaven and hell. They used that as an opening to walk him through 3 or 4 of the ten commandments. He was unwilling to admit his guilt before God. We have a long way to go with Sean and pray that God gives us more opportunities to share with him in the future.
JOIN US!
Our Next Outreach is April 20th 2024
Please consider serving during a Saturday Outreach in one of the following ways:
1) Prepare Lunches
2) Serving at the Homeless Camps
3) Volunteer Breakfast
4) Cookies for Volunteers
Our ministry is a labor of love with the main purpose of providing gospel hope through practical means to the homeless. Thank you for serving alongside of us!
We continue to pray for those who might be able to contribute a small additional monthly gift of $25 or $50 a month to help with ongoing Hope680 expenses, including our ministry supplies, offices, and RV maintenance. We are trusting God to continue to provide through you!
FYI Our Executive Staff and Leaders (including Toby and all team leaders) are unpaid volunteers - all donations go 100% towards the running of Hope680, including administrative contractors, our facilities, and RV maintenance costs, as well as ministry supplies.