in need of Christ

Hey guys,

Went out today w/ Rena and Samantha (grad student from Penn, first time going out) to pass out blankets to the people above ground.

Today, through the people we met, I saw some of the many ways we need God:

Creesha and L.: They were sitting on one of those giant checkers in the square w/ all the game pieces across from Love Park. They were two girls who were going out for five years. They recently became homeless for two days due to a bunch of circumstances. They both said they asked their families for help but did not receive any. They stayed at a shelter one night but the next they weren't allowed into another one since somebody claimed one girl got into a fight at that first one. They were covered in blankets and said they were outside since 5:30am. I can't imagine how they stayed outside in the cold for that long. Luckily, we were able to give them two Septa tokens to take a bus to a cafe. I saw in them a need for our loving Father who always takes us in. We prayed for them to trust in God and draw closer to Him as He provides for them physically and spiritually.

Norman: Norman was sitting on one of those big vents at Love Park. He said he didn't need a blanket. When asked how his Christmas was, he said he doesn't celebrate it b/c he is a Muslim, and he said he wasn't in a talking mood. I saw in him the need for the true gospel.

Andrew: We saw Andrew sitting by the sidewalk on a duffel bag. From his looks - he was young, well-kept, and had dress shoes on - he looked like he just recently got out on the streets, but he has been there for a year. After two years in prison, he has had a hard time finding a job and hasn't had progress b/c of the economy. He said he became a Muslim in prison mostly b/c of family reasons and b/c he talked about w/ his brother in prison. He said he didn't know the basics of Christianity. We were able to share the Four Spiritual Laws of him to tell him the Gospel. I felt some of God's compassion for him - God wants so much for Craig to come to true salvation and not take any false comfort in something other than Christ. To God, Andrew is a lost sheep in need of the true shepherd. Please pray for Andrew's, as well as Norman's, salvation.

Craig: Craig saw us as we were finishing up talking to Andrew and asked us for help. He just had a major fight w/ his girlfriend and was kicked out of his house w/o money or any credit cards. He needed help getting on the Regional Rail to Media to get to his mom's house. We helped him buy a ticket downstairs. On his way down, he talked about how he is so glad he is surrendered to God, to know God is in control. It was blessing hearing about how he was so happy when he committed his life to Christ at church when he was seventeen. Please pray for healing in Craig's relationship w/ his girlfriend and continued joy in Christ.

William: We ran into William at the very end. I saw God's joy in him as he kept wishing us happy holidays and encouraged us by saying how thankful he was. He said he is a Christian.

It was a big mix of different people in different situations, including ourselves, all in need of Christ. Thank God that He is big enough, powerful enough, and loving enough to see all our needs and meet them. I'm thankful for this reminder of how great our God is.

Matthew 12:21: "In his name the nations will put their hope."
[ a prophecy in Isaiah that Jesus fulfilled ]