December 16th Prayer Update
“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
The Lord blessed us with a clear day for our last outreach of 2023. We were thankful to end the year with a strong time of ministry. As our morning concluded, we spent a little extra time reflecting on what the Lord has done this year. Our volunteers enjoyed a special pizza lunch as a thank-you for their faithful service. We have been blessed of God as a result of their involvement.
Likewise, we give praise to the Lord for your ministry of prayer and support. Thank you for being an important part of this ministry. As the year 2023 comes to a close, would you please consider giving a tax-deductible gift to Hope680 for our continuing general expenses? We are so thankful to the Lord for His provision through you.
RV Bible Study
We were able to conduct two different Bible studies at the same time.
It was challenging to get Heather to the Bible Study but our team has grown to genuinely love Heather and they are always thankful for the time they can spend with her. A special focus of the study was the gospel and her need to make a decision to follow Christ. We would ask you to pray with us for God to continue His work in her heart and mind. She requested a pair of shoes and an umbrella that we are going to be providing for her.
Anthony G. was studying Psalm 5 and Isaiah 6. Please urgently pray for Anthony's salvation! In addition to the Bible study we provided him with food and other immediate supplies. He was just released from a week's stay in the hospital. Anthony suffers from congestive heart failure and has had many near-death experiences. The doctor's report concerning his heart is that it is now 10% worse than it was the last time he went in. If he doesn't take care of himself he will continue to decline.
Whenever we present the gospel to someone, we want to impress upon them that 'today is the day of salvation' (2 Corinthians 6:1) and that they shouldn't put off following Jesus. But in Anthony's case, we are fearful that he doesn't have much longer to decide.
Please continue to pray that the Lord will expand our RV ministry in 2024.
North Concord
One of those we encountered was Anthony R. who had all of his belongings packed in a wagon intending to move to a different location. He was soft spoken and open to a gospel conversation.
This was our first time seeing Aaron's face. He is usually zipped into his tent and won't come out and the team ordinarily would have a conversation with him through the walls of his tent. Aaron has a rather aggressive dog named Buddy which he thankfully kept under control. We are thankful for the progress on relationship building with Aaron.
We found a young 15-year-old named River next to a sleeping friend with the name Nick. River was engaged in a short conversation and some food was left with him for when Nick woke up. It's always distressing to see someone so young in these situations. We pray for safety for River and that he has people in his life who will be a positive influence on him.
Suzanne was very thankful to receive a raincoat and blanket. She was open to hearing what we had to say but didn't really engage or respond. We pray that something that she heard will ring in her ears in the silent thoughtful moments.
The team saw Granville once again and they were thankful to be able to engage with him. He is still very sad about losing his dog of 15 years. We continue to pray for him.
John J shared that his wife is currently in rehab. John is 47 and he shared that he has been homeless since the age of 13. When his wife gets back from rehab he intends to go next. The team engaged him in a gospel conversation. We pray that he reads the gospel materials left with him.
Jarrett had a kind word to say about our Hope680 teams. He notices the consistency and dedication to come out and care for the homeless community. The team had a decent back-and-forth conversation with Jarrett. We did our best to continue to share the truth clearly with him. We pray that the gospel seeds scattered will find good soil.
Please also pray for Terri, John, Lisa, George and Josh.
Tim had a long conversation with our team and accepted food a Bible, and prayer for housing. Please be praying that the gospel message will not return void in Tim's life.
Pittsburg Antioch Team:
Our Pittsburg Antioch team had meaningful conversations with 10 people on Saturday and short encounters with several others. A motel in the area has been converted into "transitional housing" and we were told they are now at maximum capacity. Please pray with us for the homeless living in an encampment near the Delta Fair shopping center in Pittsburg which will be swept out before Christmas according to the authorities.
Dale lives on the side of a building and his kids are living down the block from him. He was given a mattress pad and thick blanket. He has some knowledge of the Bible and the team had the opportunity to pray with him though they were unsure as to his relationship with the Lord.
Renee asked and received prayer for strength. She would like to have a spot in the transitional housing place. We took down Renee's phone number as a future Bible study candidate.
Among the people encountered was a couple who took a large print Bible along with a pair of reading glasses. The team was able to pray with them. The wife was very moved by our generosity, cried, and was very thankful.
Pocahontas has always been a 'grab and go' type of person and is never willing to talk in-depth with us about the Bible. She tells us that she is a spiritualist and has Native American beliefs and philosophies. We pray that in the future outreach God would soften her heart to hear the gospel message.
Manuel is a Spanish speaker who told our team he is a Jehovah's Witness. He told our team that he is visiting the area from Fresno. We were thankful to have a Spanish volunteer, Olga, who could engage Manuel in a gospel conversation. We pray seeds were planted and that God will soften his heart to the truth.
The team utilized their first aid backpack for John and provided him with some supplies to treat an insect bite. John claims to know a lot of scripture having quoted several verses to the team. It's our prayer that he not only have head knowledge, but a real heart knowledge and relationship with the Lord.
Martinez Team
While combing the Martinez area the team found eight people in the course of the morning and distributed three Bibles.
Steve and wife Jackie were among those met. The couple wasn't very talkative claiming they attend a local church but didn't want to have any further discussion.
Robert took a few steps away from the group and made a request for prayer concerning his recent drug usage and desire to not be drawn back into addiction. He accepted a Bible and is interested in taking part in a Bible study.
Jessica (Robert's wife) claims to be a believer but said he hasn't been reading God's word. The team gave her a Bible as well, a pair of reading glasses, clothing, food, and engaged her in a long conversation about the gospel. We prayed for her and took down her number as we would like to study with her.
James accepted food, coffee, and a Bible. The team read some from Genesis and prayed for him. He engaged in conversation and is trying to get to a farm job in Hawaii where he worked some years ago. He did receive a Bible we provided him and he was encouraged to begin reading from the book of John.
Please also pray for Al, Alex and Joe.
JOIN US!
Our Next Outreach is January 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!
Thank you again for standing with us in prayer! And a special thank you to the people who are generous to supply the food and coffee that we distribute.