March 18th Prayer Update
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
-1 John 1:9
Our March 18th Outreach Team!
Blessings to you and your family! What a fabulous outreach last Saturday. Our volunteers, including our friends at Clayton Valley Church, were abundantly generous last Saturday by making and helping us to have a substantial number of lunches for us to distribute. We were able to give several to each homeless person we met. Such kindness! No one we interacted with went hungry.
Join us in prayer that the Lord reveals Himself to those we meet who are hungering for more than physical food. We would ask you to also pray for those who don’t necessarily want to hear the gospel message and that God would soften their hearts for our future contact.
We thank God for the numerous opportunities He provides and that He is teaching us patience and compassion for the lost. We await His perfect timing as we are simply the messengers.
Larry (right) had a long conversation with our team. He claims to know God but doesn’t want to make any commitment to change his life. We encouraged him that God is ready and waiting for him to follow Him in obedience and to walk away from his life of substance abuse. He was happy to join us in prayer when it was offered.
Pittsburg / Antioch Team:
Roy: After directing the conversation back to the gospel we were able to pray for him and his family which he was most grateful for. He seems to have some knowledge of the Bible.
Pocahontas was openly sharing her beliefs growing up Native American. She shared that she came to the conclusion that ‘everything is a lie.’ She believes in a creator but struggles with the spiritual truths of the Bible. Our team gave a full and complete gospel presentation and she was moved to tears by the prayers of our volunteers. Please pray along with us that the Holy Spirit brings genuine conviction and change in her life.
Mike is grieving being separated from his wife. Before being homeless due to drug addiction issues he was part of a church. Our team encouraged him to repent of his drug/sin issues though he is hesitant. Please join us in prayer that he stop making excuses and turn his life around.
We encountered a young guy that called himself Ty who said he was an atheist. He did ask for prayer that he would get off the streets. From our conversation it would seem that he is less of an atheist then he would like us to believe.
Victor expressed some genuine belief and faith in God. We read scripture with him and he enjoyed that. He was grateful to receive a Bible and expressed that the Lord had just taken him through a hard season but that it had caused him to press into his faith and grow closer to the Lord. Our team prayed that God would give him endurance.
Claudia shared that she had only been where we found her for a day. She told our team she grew up in a Christian household. The team explained she needs to repent of her sins, to determine to move towards Christ and not rely on her 'good' deeds. Before leaving her it seems like the Lord is moving in her heart.
We let each person know we enjoyed praying for them, and encouraged them to seek out help from the Bay Area Rescue Mission for housing and drug addiction help. Pray with us that they are moved to accept help.
We believe that three others, Mike, James, and Taylor are good candidates for a Bible study. We look forward to being able to offer that soon.
Eric doesn't speak English fluently but our team had a chance to communicate the gospel. He was offered a good deal of food and other items as well as a Spanish Bible. He has never been to church before and didn’t know who Jesus was. We prayed that the Lord would draw him deep into God's word and reveal Himself to him. He was very thankful for the practical things he received.
North Concord Team
Juan Carlos received a gospel presentation and initially made excuses for his sin. Our team answered questions he had and the conversation ended with him being open to hearing more about repentance and faith in Jesus. Please pray with us that we have further opportunity to minister to him.
Yanni also received a gospel presentation. He told our team that he believes in Jesus though there doesn't necessarily appear to be any evidence of that. We challenged him to ask the Lord what He should be doing and to be a witness where God has placed him.
Breno is a Spanish speaker who received a Spanish Bible. He shared that he is struggling with immigration issues.
Solo admitted he uses alcohol. He was defensive when the team confronted him about that. He has a disconnect between head knowledge of God's word and true belief in the Lord. At the same time, he shared some Bible verses he has memorized. He didn’t want the team to leave. He expressed a desire to return to Las Vegas where he is from.
Allie was grateful to have met the team and asked for some clothing. She was also given a Bible. She comes from a Catholic background but has explored the Muslim faith. The team shared the gospel with her and she seemed to respond. Please pray with us that God's truth resonates with her.
Please also pray for Giovanni, Angela, and Sean.
Martinez Team
Roger claimed to know the Lord, and the team saw a well-worn Bible on the dashboard of the car he was living in. He shared he is frustrated with God and he has been on the streets for 16 years. Despite his many years of homelessness, our team found that he was able to carry on a coherent conversation.
Manny (Manuel) has a job as a groundskeeper but hasn't worked much because of the rain. He is homeless because it's too hard to save up for a place to live. Our team had a good conversation with him. He claimed to be a believer.
Ruth & Tom. Ruth has a job at a local grocery store but said they don’t have enough money to get an apartment. They were evicted from their former apartment of 19 years by the landlord. They are now living in their car. Tom did not engage in conversation.
Sean is an amputee who was hit by a car the night before our outreach event. He was treated at the hospital and discharged. Our team had a good conversation about the fragility of life and his need for the Savior.
We received an update on 'Bear' whom we've had many interactions with in the past. Bear's wife Teresa passed away from complications from her kidney problems. Bear has always been very anti-Christian. Please pray with us that this tragedy will be used by God to soften Bear's heart toward the gospel message.
Please also lift up Raphael, Joe, Jim, and JJ.
JOIN US!
Our Next Outreach is April 1st
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 still need the following items for our blessing bags:
540 individually packaged drinks
413 High Protein bars
192 Trail Mix or Nut Packages
488 Tuna Salad or Chicken Salad kits
408 Gallon Zip Locks
350 Mini Tooth Paste
286 Men's Socks (Pairs)
40 Reading Glasses
If you are available to donate some of these items please use the link below to add your name to our sign-up genius.
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.