One-on-One at CENA

We walk into crowds of hundreds of people, all doing drugs, all smelling badly from a life on the streets and all completely lost.  

It hits us like a ton of bricks each time, though we have seen it so many times now.  How can we help them?  How can we get them out of this mess they are in?  How can we get them out of this hell on earth?

 Listening to those at the farm tell their stories

Of course the answer is Jesus---100% Jesus, that is.  Our part is to reach out to them one at a time.

So, on one of the walks into the masses this past week, we made relationships...short ones, 10 to 15 minutes each.  Diane reached out to some women and me to a few men.  

Right in the middle of the whole mess I came upon 2 young men (in their early 20’s), handsome, dressed decently, though starting to show the effects of living on the streets. My heart ached for them and I just blurted out, “what are you two doing here?”  They sheepishly answered, “drugs and all that”.  I continued by telling them that God wants so much more for them.  I held one of their faces in my hand, my heart was breaking and as I continued to talk their eyes started to well up with tears.

After pleading with them and urging them to get help to escape this prison they are in, I asked them if I could pray for them.  I pleaded with the Lord for Him to transform their lives, to take them out of this mess.  I left them after telling them about CENA and the hope there is there.

Five minutes later a man from the crowd yelled out in desperation to me, “pray for me”.  It was kind of shocking to hear this, but awesome, too.  I land my hands on his heart and prayed with all my might for “Ricardo”.  I prayed for him as I had prayed for the last two men.  I hugged him with all my heart and compassion and left.

We can only show them love and point them to Jesus.  They must accept this amazing gift on their own...

Jeff