This post is about this past weeks red-light district outreach. It was amazing for me to see how much God cares about this one man I have been praying for, even when my own heart towards him was not as open as it should have been.
The Discipleship Training School girls and I felt like we should make encouraging cards for the girls for that nights outreach. After intercession and making the cards, we headed out to meet up with our ministry leaders. While walking to our ministry place, I chuckled to myself and thought, "Ha, we should buy Chuckie (our drunk guy from Tunisia) a flower this week since we don't have a card for him." I laughed about it, until I felt God lay it on my heart~ "Buy Chuckie a flower." I laughed again, "Um, no, Jesus. You cannot be serious." I kept walking. Again, I heard~ "Buy Chuckie a flower." Now I got frustrated. "No, God. Not Chuckie." Last week he had called me crazy for believing Jesus was the Son of God, so I felt that this week, when he would see me, he would very likely throw the flower in my face. Why try? We had prayed for Chuckie during the week and at our small group, and I did not realize God was wanting to show me something through this- not only show me, but show Chuckie as well. Once more, I hear~ "Buy him a flower." I relented and asked my leader if I could stop to buy a flower. To my dismay, she said yes. So I walked into the market and stood before the flower display. I prayed, "Okay, God, what color flower do you want Chuckie to have?" Clearly I heard~ "Red." I thought, "Oh no, Lord, not red. When I gave him a white flower last week, he wanted to kiss me! What will he do when I hand him a red flower?!" Nevertheless, the direction was clear. So three red carnations I bought (they didn't sell single stem and those were the only red flowers they had. Quite beautiful though.) I cut the stems shorter and we were on our way again.
Us girls split up into two's and three's and walked the block praying. When we arrived, Chuckie wasn't present. This was not normal, as he is always at that block, with a beer or wine, ready for conversation. We noticed four policemen in the nearby area and our Mr. Purple guy who is always agitated seemed evermore so tonight. The atmosphere was not good. We all walked around the block again, praying for God to pour out his peace on Mr. Purple and the block, the right words to share with the girls and for Chuckie to show up.
We came around the block, and I was greeted with a beautiful hello from none other than Chuckie. Not just any Chuckie, but a sober Chukie. I had never seen him sober, every week he seemed more drunk. Yet this week, he was stone sober and happy to see me. I told him I had something for him. I reached in my bag and handed him the flowers, telling him, "God told me to give this to you on our way here. These are just for you." He accepted them with smiles and smelled them, gently placing them in his own bag. He said he had to go to his house but he would be back because he wanted to talk to me. Before he left, I asked, "Chuckie, do you like this color red? The flowers?" His eyes lit up as he grabbed the flowers and placed them next to his heart, "I live this color, it is my favorite!" he hurried away, promising to come back. I stood still.
God had told me his favorite color.
God had TOLD me his favorite color.
God told ME his favorite color.
I started jumping up and down in the middle of the sidewalk, grabbing hold of Kim and Bryn's arms~ "I'm so excited! God told me Chuckie's favorite color! Oh my gosh, He told me!!! Wow, I'm so excited! Am I excited?! I am SO excited!" People walked by and looked at the strange American with joy on her face. Oh well. Americans. Kim and Bryn started laughing and we all started singing praise songs and thanking God for revealing that. He cared so much for Chuckie, that not just any flower would do. He wanted Chuckie to have his favorite color flower. God cares just as much for Chuckie as he does for the girls. This scripture has become very real to me the past two weeks~
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
ALL. God's heart is for all of us to come. From the innocent girls, to political men, from victims to predators. They are all God's children, and He wishes all to come. So to all we must reach out.
Friday, our SOW:School of Worship students presented their creative worship project they had been working on. All of the students presentations were beautiful and well-done, proclaiming who God is. One that resonated with this past week for me though, for Chuckie, was Johnny's project. The main title was, "You belong to God's Heart." As I watched it, I was reminded of God's love and plan for each of our lives. He has so much more for us (bad English, I know). A destiny, a purpose and a legacy for each of us to leave.
When Chuckie came back, he said he wanted to do something for me. I shook my head and told him that was not necessary. He insisted and Bryn and I went with him to Seven Eleven where he bought us some juices and we could talk. He told us about his week (someone had ripped him off) and then began to show us what he had done that day. This kind Muslim man had went to a local church called "The Vine" and participated in the Alpha course, a study designed for evangelism or new Christians. It is very good and easy to understand- and Chuckie was excited to show me the literature and handed Bryn and I the free hand sanitizer he had gotten as well. We talked at least half an hour to an hour, and he invited one of his friends (a jamaican who has a school in the a mainland that teaches English) to also come and talk with us. It was an amazing night of seeing God's heart for people. Oh! As for Mr. Purple, God's peace did come over him and he stopped cursing everyone out that night and instead had a lovely conversation with Kim and our ministry leaders. Calmly. For the first time. Also, there had been four fights in that area that night, which explained the police presence nearby and the difficult atmosphere when arrived. After our prayers around the block, there were no more fights that night. Praise God~ He hears!!!
~*~Leave a Legacy that will Make a Difference in the World Around You.~*~
