December 2nd Prayer Update
“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
Our teams report your faithful prayers have an impact on the spiritual battle for the souls within the homeless community. We continue to see the progression of hearts softened towards the gospel and are grateful to be a part of this front line ministry. It's our desire to see the fruit of the gospel and lives changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for being a part of this ministry for the lost.
We have one more outreach in the year 2023 and look forward to an entire new year of ministry opportunities. As the year 2023 comes to a close, would you please consider giving a tax-deductible gift to Hope680 for our general expenses? We are so thankful to the Lord for His provision through you and your generous gifts.
JOIN US!
Our Next Outreach is December 16th
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!
RV Bible Study
Heather returned once again and participated in a Bible study conducted in our RV. On this outreach she was the only one who took advantage of this opportunity. Nevertheless we are so encouraged by the many who have already been blessed since having the RV. We look forward to more opportunities in the coming year.
During this study, the Bible study team opened their Bibles to Romans 3:10-23 and looked in depth at man's total depravity. The study questions revolved around man's sin before a holy God. It seemed clear Heather began to understand she can't earn God's favor but that it is a free gift through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Heather has been highly motivated to study God's word and is evidently convicted of her sin. She said it's been easy to be blind to the sin around her in the homeless community. Pray with us that God would through the power of the Holy Spirit continue to work in Heather's life giving her the ability to work on the homework given to her.
Update: Dec 7th a local hairdresser and volunteer, Carolyn blessed Heather with a 'beautification day.' She was given a shower, washed clothes, and received fresh produce from the NorthCreek food pantry.
Don wasn't drawn to the gospel message. He shared with our team some pretty significant challenges he has experienced both physically and spiritually. He was given some information about the Bay Area Rescue Mission which is a resource Don was unfamiliar with. We pray he follows through and contacts the mission.
North Concord Team:
The North Concord Team reported that everyone they talked to in this location were remarkably coherent where there weren't any apparent significant mental issues, and all encountered seemed to be sober.
Leah - had a puppy she named "puperoni." There was just a bit of small talk though the team shared the gospel message, and she was left with a "Daily Bread" along with a blessing bag.
Daniel who appeared to be extremely coherent with all of his possessions in seemingly good shape, expressed a desire to build himself a mobile home . He acknowledges that there is a God but also admits that he is trusting in his good works to earn favor with God. Daniel was interested in our RV Bible study. We would ask you to pray along with us that he will be able to participate soon.
The married couple we've met before, Lonny and Nikki were not together on this occasion. Nikki said she doesn't want to get off the streets and offered the argument that homelessness is more "God-honoring" as Jesus didn't have a permanent earthly residence. The team reminded her Jesus did stay in homes. She was encouraged to seek out help from the Bay Area Rescue Mission though she was not inclined to follow that advice. Join us in prayer that God would soften her heart towards her husband, her kids, and the gospel message.
Our team ended their time with a visit to the Concord homeless shelter. There were several good conversations. Please pray for Charleen, Wayne, Curtis, Elissa, Kristy, Linette, and Franky.
Franky gave a positive report that he feels his life has improved since our last encounter with him, though he didn't elaborate. Franky has a 'Daily Bread' devotional and a Bible and it's our prayer that he continues to read and make progress on his living situation.
On our last outreach, we saw a white horse but its owner was nowhere to be found. On this occasion, they were able to meet its owner, Chris. He said his mother went to church and always prayed for him. He claims to have read the Bible nine times and was honest enough to acknowledge he has not trusted in God for his salvation. The team had a good gospel conversation with Chris. We pray that if we have an opportunity to see him again, that the Lord will convict him of his need for salvation.
Central Concord Team
Mike is someone we've spoken to on multiple occasions. He is very conversational and has some knowledge of the Bible. In the past, whenever our team tried to steer the conversation into spiritual matters Mike would get resistant and cut them off. His response would inevitably be that no one could understand his hardships and trials and the team would give the examples of people such as Job, Paul, and even Jesus to remind Mike that God is near the brokenhearted (Psalm 34). On this occasion he allowed for a brief spiritual conversation which encouraged the team. We are praying this is evidence of some softening towards the Lord and that God is using these conversations to turn Mike from anger to repentance.
Paul also displayed some knowledge of God's word and quoted and referenced several passages when talking to our team. When the team asked him if he was attending a Bible teaching church he responded by saying all churches are full of hypocrites. Please pray that Paul will receive the word of encouragement and gentle correction and he will be open to attending a church.
Arthur was greatly struggling with his mental condition. He was making some very bizarre and incorrect statements about Jesus. We do not know if his mental issues stem from drug use, spiritual warfare of a combination of the two. The team did their best to present the gospel and provide materials for Arthur to refer to when they left. Please be praying for Arthur that God would heal and enlighten his mind.
We've attempted to speak with Nacho on multiple occasions. While he doesn’t speak English with any fluency, he accepted the Spanish Bible we offered him almost two months ago. He was able to tell our team he started reading one page a day. He is very friendly and might be a good candidate for Bible study should the Lord provide a Bible study leader who is bilingual in Spanish.
When our team encountered Cathy, an older lady, she kept repeating she was in a hurry to find a bathroom and wasn't interested in a prolonged conversation. She is in the process of obtaining a government ID so she can get her social security benefits. She made a request of our team for some things and they took down a list. If we are able to encounter Cathy on our next outreach we will do our best to meet those needs and engage her in a deeper gospel conversation.
Jeezer seemed out of it when our team approached. He was saluting and marching by himself. He claimed to be ex-military. When the team asked him if he believed in God he responded, “everything is God.” To our surprise, he wanted a Bible. We pray that when he reads the book of John, as directed by the team, he will have an understanding of what he is reading, that Jesus is the only way, truth, and life.
Please also be praying for Anthony, Aaron, Eddie, and an unnamed man.
Martinez Team
The Martinez team had a pleasant conversation including some prayer with Steve. He and his wife live in the Martinez Marina with their dog Reggie. They attend an outdoor church that meets in Marina Park.
Fred lives in a van and shared a cup of coffee with our team that he prepared himself in an impressive little coffee setup. The team had a good 20-minute conversation with him. He has had some Christian exposure but his beliefs have drifted over into different Eastern religions, especially Hinduism. The team shared a variety of verses with him about Jesus being the only way and how God wants to have a relationship with him. We hope to see him again and continue our conversation.
Roger is in his mid-80s and our team has had opportunities to talk to him during previous outreaches. On this occasion, the team talked to him about the shortness of life, death, and eternity. Roger seems to have quite a bit of Biblical knowledge though it's unclear if he has a real relationship with God. He wanted to discuss the distinction between the soul and the spirit using Greek words in the New Testament. Rogers's main challenge is better management of money. It's our prayer that his knowledge and understanding of God's word is not just head knowledge but that he would have a heart knowledge of who God is.
This was the first time we've spoken with James. Though he said he has faith in Jesus the gospel was presented. We don't want to make the assumption that people we meet have necessarily placed their trust in God alone for their salvation when their doctrine is unclear. Prayer for his housing situation was made and he was offered a Bible, a jacket, and a beanie.
We used to encounter Ron at the former 'Camp Hope' homeless encampment in Martinez before the city closed it down and removed the structures. Ron was attentive to everything our team shared and accepted all the items offered to him but was not as talkative as others we encountered. We pray that on a future outreach event we can have a more in-depth conversation about spiritual things with Ron and God would give him ears to hear.
Rooty exhibited an angry heart towards God and our team about the Sabbath and end times. He claims to know who the antichrist is. He eventually accepted a blessing bag, rode away on his bike but, had a change of mind, turned around, brought the blessing bag back, and rode away angrily. Please pray with us that God would soften Rooty's heart towards the truth of the gospel.
On their way back to the Hope680 office the Martinez team passed a homeless man who had just received a blessing bag. The individual was screaming and cursing the team all while holding up the blessing bag in the air. It's our prayer that God will use the contents of that blessing bag and its gospel tract to make an impact on his eternal destiny.
We found Dwight with his feet wrapped in plastic. It was difficult to have a conversation with him. Though our blessing bags contain a fresh pair of socks he declined all the items offered to him.
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.