February 3rd Prayer Update
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Walkathon registration is now open! This is an 'all hands on deck' event and we need your help! We need 90 more registered walkers to reach our goal! All the information and directions are on our walkathon page. Please join us!
For our latest outreach, we had a great turnout of volunteers. Teams were sent to Central and North Concord, Martinez, and an exploratory trip as far as Vallejo. The Lord was kind providing some great conversations with several people. There were moments we witnessed the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of people, softened towards us and the gospel. Thank you for praying for our front-line ministry! Continue to pray the seeds planted will find good soil.
Join us for our Second Annual Walk-a-thon on March 9th 2024. This is a whole family event. We are praying that God would provide 100 walkers to join us as we raise additional funds for the ministry of Hope680. We will be providing hot coffee and breakfast for all registered participants. Registration is open! We have a deadline of February 24th so that we can plan adequate food.
Amy (left) told us she knows about God but doesn't have a relationship with Him. She recently had a health scare which prompted her sister to come to the hospital to see her. She looked a little thin and somewhat tired from this recent health setback. Amy asked for prayer that she might reconnect with her children who live in Boston. We shared the gospel with Amy and are continuing to pray for her salvation. Please join us in that prayer.
North Concord Team
We spoke with another woman named Amy who was very appreciative for the blessing bag offered to her. She immediately opened it and started brushing her teeth with the provided toothbrush. She was closed to conversation but it's our prayer she will read the gospel tract within the blessing bag. One of our young volunteers, Isaiah, prayed out loud for Amy and she looked genuinely moved by his prayer for her.
We've spoken with Gus on numerous occasions. We offered him the usual supplies of hot coffee, a sandwich lunch, and a blessing bag. On this occasion, he seemed open to a future Bible study with us. We took down his phone number and are praying God will open the door for us to study God's word with Gus.
Lucas remembered us from a previous encounter in which we offered him "Free Coupons" for a hotdog, soda, slushy, and hot coffee from 7-Eleven. Those coupons came in handy when he was hungry and they made an impact on him. On this occasion, he requested prayer for his children and for his mother who has cancer. He received a Bible with a bookmark in the gospel of John and allowed us to pray for him.
Kelly shared that he was raised Catholic and was excited to receive a blanket from us. Unfortunately, as we were speaking with Kelly we started to detect the smell of alcohol on his breath. We offered him the freedom from addiction booklet to read. Pray with us that he reads it and God uses it as a tool leading to salvation.
Please pray for Mary (known as Green Eyes) who did not come out of her tent. We've spoken with Mary in the past and we see her often positioned near the Sam's Club entrance. It's our hope that we can have a substantive gospel conversation with Mary in the future.
Tony (right) was reflective as our team explained God's word from Genesis to Christ. He acknowledges Jesus died for our sin and took a Bible. He said he has a job and asked for prayer that he would be able to see his children.
In our interaction with BJ he started off closed, not wanting to interact, not wanting to share his name, not wanting to receive items offered to him. In short order, the team attempted to connect with BJ by discussing others in the homeless community we have connected with. He recognized one of the names mentioned and his countenance changed. In a matter of three minutes, he went from declining a Bible to taking one willingly with a smile and accepted prayer. He shared his name with us and the names of his daughters. We are thankful for the ability to establish relationships with the homeless community and build trust and care with them.
Granville continues to debate us about the Bible and its trustworthiness. As always, we answer his concerns to the best of our ability. When the team raised the idea of the power of God he stopped debating to consider that. We pray that God uses that to continue to soften Granville's heart to the gospel.
Tamara desperately wanted conversation but it was challenging to get in a word. She spoke of her recent job loss as a waitress. She said she has seven children who live in Washington and her desire to see them. When speaking of spiritual matters, she said she attends a church in Antioch. She told the team she doesn't need to lean on the Lord and can do everything in her own strength. She was happy to receive a Bible from us. We pray she reads the gospel of John as we directed her.
Don allowed us to talk to him about the gospel, pray with him, and offer him church information. He told our team that he is interested to attend church on Sunday. He asked and received from the team not only prayer for his monetary needs but for his spiritual needs as well.
Cheryl was with her boyfriend Joe. We spoke with them two weeks ago. This time they seemed to be a little more friendly than when were previously approached. We gave Cheryl three more "Our Daily Bread" booklets because she wanted to pass them out to her friends. Cheryl was friendly and super chatty but was not open to an in-depth conversation.
Our team saw 'Two Knives' recently in Todos Santos Plaza. He usually gets around on a walker but he was without it this time because someone recently stole it. We aren't sure how he is getting around and he didn't look like he was in good shape.
Prayer for all those mentioned in this section would be much appreciated.
Our team connected with Steve (right). The Lord was working to prepare Steve for our conversation as he seemed to have a softened heart towards the gospel and an eagerness to believe. He prayed the prayer of salvation with tears in his eyes along with our volunteer and we pray that his desire to trust and repent was genuine. We took down Steve's phone number with the hopes of providing transportation to church. We also provided him with a Bible and plan to study it with him in our mobile ministry unit.
Central Concord
Bam is someone we've known for years. We've frequently found him on a bench near the library. He continues to be closed to the gospel despite years of interactions. Pray for a softened heart for Bam.
Donna said she is currently living in someone's garage and was grateful for a place to live. Donna happened to be taking a walk and stopped when she saw our team. She asked for a cup of coffee and told our team there is a Bible study that meets in the house where she is living. She took a copy of a booklet with the gospel of John and asked for a second one to give to her roommate. She seemed to have an open heart towards spiritual things.
Sarika (pictured above right) accepted food and supplies from the team. She said she has a religious background. When discussing sin with Sarika, she was adamant she is a good person. We pray that the Lord will be kind to Sarika and bring conviction of her own sin before a Holy God.
Kathy (pictured above left) is a 62-year-old woman that we found sheltering against a wall under an overhang. She said she has been on the street for two to three years. Her current need is to get her government-issued ID so she can pursue various state services. She didn't seem very motivated yet the team felt they had something of a productive gospel conversation which ended with her accepting a large print Bible, reading glasses, and a flashlight. We hope to run into her again soon.
We approached Wanda's tent but she didn't want to come out or engage with our team on this occasion.
Please also pray for the team's encounter with a man who only spoke Spanish. They could not understand his name and it's a hope he may be encountered in the future at a time when we have a Spanish speaking volunteer. He gratefully received a sandwich lunch offered to him.
Martinez Team:
Our Martinez team was prepared to meet a Bible study participant who unfortunately did not come. The team took the opportunity to look for people in the Marina to receive sandwiches, hot coffee, and the gospel message. They met a variety of people.
We stop and talk to Kevin every time our team has a Saturday outreach. He always seems happy to have a conversation about the Bible.
Edrick eyes lit up when he heard about the freedom from addiction booklet and was genuinely interested in the Bible. The Martinez team requests that we pray for him in particular. It's our prayer he reads the material that the team provided.
Please also pray for Fred, Steve, Rich, Daisy, Gregory, Zach, Rico, George, Myeyah, and Robert. The conversations weren't long but it's our hope the gospel message had an impact in their lives.
Andrew was working to secure his belongings for the expected storm. He said he was recently in the hospital and was disputing some charges associated with his stay. He expressed wanting help from a social worker. He gladly received food from our team.
Joe was very closed off to our team two weeks ago. On this occasion, he seemed to be slightly more open. Pray with us for a softened heart towards the gospel message.
Cindy and Paul were using drugs in their car when our team approached. When the team brought up the gospel Paul stated that he "is taking a break from God." Our team responded, "but God is not taking a break from you." Prayer for this couple as with all of the others mentioned is of utmost importance.
Vallejo Team
This team began in Walnut Creek but struggle to find the homeless as the city is proactive about moving homeless individuals out. The team ventured to Vallejo and were excited by what greeted them. There was a very large encampment to which they could offer the gospel. Due to time constraints, the team could not spend as much time in this location as they would have liked. Nevertheless, it was a great start. It's our desire to return to this area soon.
Vanessa lives in a tent with four children and goes to an unusual church. The ages of her children are three, five, seven and nine. The older two children attend school. The team handed out flashlights along with a good deal of food as well as a Bible. The kids were very excited. The family were grateful for the prayer the team extended for their situation.
Sharday is a young woman in her 30's. She suffers from migraines due to some nerve damage from an accident. She was thankful she had gone 24 hours without a migraine. Please be in prayer for continued freedom from migraines and for her spiritual condition.
Emerson was not overly communicative with our team. He said as a child he went to church. He also said he wants to be an electrician. He was happy to receive a Bible and prayer.
We encouraged each of the individuals we encountered to visit Community Bible Church of Vallejo where they could hear more about the gospel.
JOIN US!
Our Next Outreach is February 17th 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.