JUNE OUTREACH RECAP | We came to bring “church” to Wildwood Park in San Bernardino, but God had a different plan. What started as our usual praise and worship followed by preaching suddenly shifted to a “blanket Bible study.”
Park residents and street team volunteers sat together on the grass and Tony read from the Word of God. There were questions and answers and prayers and an intimate interchange like never before.
No longer were we the “homeless” and the “helpers.” We were instead fellow travelers in life who paused on a Saturday morning to catch a glimpse of what Jesus has done for us. With that knowledge came the challenge to each of us regarding what we would do with it. How would we respond?
For a woman named Kathye it was to receive Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord. For a young man named Paul it was to place his trust in God for healing. And, for yet another man—Scott—it was a call to rise up, with Christ’s help, out of the pit that had trapped him for years.
We had seen Scott for several months, always quiet and always on the fringes of our park church services. Often drunk, sometimes sleeping, and never speaking. His occasional prayer requests came through fellow park residents who asked for prayer on Scott’s behalf.
But this time Scott was sober, close and talking.
He is a believer in Jesus Christ, he said. One who had drifted from the path early in life and had gotten caught up in a lifestyle that was slowly killing him. He said he believed God was calling him to come out of that life, but that he was struggling. Oh, how he was struggling and in need of deliverance.
We prayed with Scott. Pastors Jason and Yvonne Lewallen of Selah Christian Fellowship laid hands on him seeking the Lord’s deliverance and, as they prayed for Scott’s physical and spiritual healing, a tangible change occurred. Scott’s eyes, once dull and downcast, became alert and radiant. His entire attitude shifted to one of hope and a desire to share Christ with others. In fact, he made a commitment to come visit us at our home church in Crestline, which he did the very next day.
He is now pursuing the resources we gave him and hopes to be off the street, off of alcohol and into ministry in the near future.
Praise God for the work He is doing in Scott’s life and in all of our lives!
We closed with prayer and delivered Bibles, water, blankets, food cards, socks and hygiene kits to about 17 people.
If you feel the calling on your heart as we do, please visit our How You Can Help and Volunteer pages to discover your place in this vital ministry.
Thank you to everyone who continues to volunteer and to support us in our mission to help “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40).
Blessings,
Tony and Koren
P.S. You’ll find more pictures (and also prayer requests) on our Facebook page.