The Lord Rejoices Over Us: Ladies Outreach Update

Zephaniah 3:17
¹⁷ The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.

It’s been over a week since last outreach to the ladies at the massage parlors and I stand amazed at what God is doing here. For those of you that do not know, my friend Christine came with us and was a translator on our behalf. Usually we go bringing baked goods, a gift bag full of goodies and a bookmark with scripture in Chinese.  At times our actions appear small and insignificant but our heart’s desire is to share God’s love with them.

At one of the massage parlors we went in and the first lady we saw (Mimi) recognized and was excited to see us. Since Christine was able to translate, we were to answer her question of why we keep coming back. Mimi’s eyes lit up as shared how she is a Christian and explained how excited she was that we were reaching out. She had started going to church the moment she came to the United States and shared how sometimes because she works every single day and has 12 hour shifts, she felt extremely lonely. Yet she said when she prayed, she knew God was with her and she felt His presence. This was extremely encouraging for us because for years, Mary Anna and I have been praying for the ladies to know God and for Him to encounter them where they were at. Not to mention, one of our firm beliefs here at Street LIFE Ministries is that God has bought people from around the world to the United States so they can come to know Him.

Mimi told us how she tried to go to church in China, but felt that churches there did not teach the Bible so she knew coming to the US, she had to go church, even risking the possibility of losing her job (which she boldly asked her boss to let her off for a few hours every Sunday despite the fact that he doesn’t usually let his employees off). This encounter fell nothing short of confirmation that God was doing a work among the Nations and also the ladies we’ve been praying for.

In the end, during our prayer time with Mimi, Mary Anna felt God give her a picture of Jesus jumping up & down, rejoicing that Mimi was coming to know Him and that their relationship together was growing. She felt God saying that He was going open doors that she never thought possible or imagined, that this was only the beginning. This whole encounter made me think of Zeph 3:17 and the rejoicing that God has for Mimi and the ladies who work at the massage parlors. 

There’s so much more I can share about what happened that night but I want to keep this update short. If you would like to hear more or just have questions, you can feel free to contact me! Once again I want to thank you for reading this update & all your prayers for it!

Gifts & Goodies We Gave Out That Night

Video Update!

Hear me share about our New Mobile Resource Center & Summer Outreach.



Pictures & Recent Newsletter with more about it...

 

Thanks so much for reading & listening to my video update! I hope you are well. :)

-Amy

"Wo Ai Ni" - outreach to women

A few weeks ago I shared about starting an outreach to women in the sex industry. We’d been praying over a strip club in downtown Flushing, hoping to build relationship with the ladies that worked there. Back in April we asked the manager for permission to go in and befriend the ladies; he was hesitant to give us an answer but told us he will talk to the “house mom” first.

Flowers with the notes

After that encounter, we were determined to go back. Excited to be a blessing to them, we brought flowers with handwritten notes attached. What happened next took us by surprise. When we got there, it was closed. Unsure of what to do next, we prayed and asked the Lord where to go. We made our way to Main Street and went into a few Asian massage parlors, some of which are fronts for brothels. That night, through my limited Chinese and our gifts, we gave away all the flowers and shared a few moments of joy and laughter.

This past week, we went back to the same massage parlors (along with some new ones) and handed out gift bags complete with Chinese pastries, candies, the Gospel of John in Chinese, and a bookmark with Psalm 45:11-15. When the ladies asked us why, we simply said “wo ai ni” – “I love you” in Chinese, which made them laugh and joyfully say the same back to us. One lady opened her gift bag, found the Gospel of John, and starting reading it in front of us. For me, watching her was humbling, knowing deep down she had a hunger for God. Another lady read our bookmark out loud and smiled as its message hit home. The whole experience was amazing because I am reminded how God wants us to bring His light to the darkest places (you should’ve seen how creepy looking some of those places were!).

Please continue praying for us as we pioneer this type of outreach to women and build relationship with them. Thank you so much for reading this!

April 2013 Newsletter

April 2013 Newsletter

Church On the Streets

"the view from our truck"

Every week we go to Tompkins Square Park and set up chairs along the fence for our guests to sit and enjoy a cup of soup with bagels and hot chocolate.  For some who pass by, the sight of our step van is a delightful surprise to their day as they take time to rest and appreciate the free food.     

Two weeks ago, a man name Pete was passing by when he saw us and joyfully grabbed a cup of soup and sat down. A little after he started commenting about the music he was listening to. “That’s real good spiritual music there. It reminds me of my grandmother, she was a real spiritual woman… she prayed for me a lot and I miss her.” It was then I started asking him about his life. He began sharing how he used to go to church but didn’t want to do “the right thing”. As a result of his choices he was incarcerated and lost everything. He shared how he was trying to live right afterwards but his wife left him and he lost his apartment. This caused him to become very angry at God and questioned what’s the point to trying? All this happened a year ago, but since then Pete said he wasn’t angry and has been meaning to go back to church but hasn’t. It was then that I started sharing how God is pursuing after him to come back. Even if Pete was delaying his visit to church, God had him there to fellowship with the Church out here on the streets. He was encouraged by what I said and we continued to talk. He let me pray for him and I was able to give him some of our SLM worship music to enjoy.

That day, I was reminded what “church on the streets” looked like and like others we meet, Pete is one of many who are not ready go inside a church but God is reaching them through us going to the streets. I love it when God brings divine appointments like this and know that there are many more Petes’ out on the streets of New York.

Thank you so much for reading this & know that your support help make this happen!

Meeting Shaquetta

Hi Everyone!

This month I want to share about an encounter I had during the “Don’t Walk By” outreach.

Meeting Shaquetta

She came asking for help looking for a shelter. Kicked out of her house over a year ago, her life was now sleeping in subway carts with her boyfriend and going in and out of jail. “These are my papers from jail and oh here, information from my doctor because I have PTSD and Bipolar I.”  From the moment she sat down to the moment she left, I felt God’s presence nudging me, whispering; this was the one He was pursuing tonight. As we began our intake process, she shared how life had been difficult since she was young and that she’s experienced things that caused her to be traumatized. At 24 years old she’s been estranged from her family, has attempted suicide on the streets and felt so angry and misunderstood. No one could deal with her issues, not even her boyfriend, who she complained could not fathom why her moods would change so quickly. As Shaquetta finished the assessment, I felt God saying now is the time to ask her if she believed in Me. So I did.

Her response? “Well, no, maybe, I mean I don’t know, I feel so alone and not sure where He’s been throughout all those times.” Of course that did not surprise me. I knew exactly how she felt. Having been abused and misunderstood by people around me, I began sharing how our encounter tonight was not by accident, that being there was a result of people praying and God pursuing us. I shared how although she doesn’t feel God was there, He wasn’t giving up on her. I shared the Good News and how much He desires to have relationship with us. To give us freedom when the past comes to haunt us and make us new. Her eyes widen as she listened to the words I spoke. What happened next was truly wonderful.

A few moments later, Dawn from Walter Hoving Home joined our conversation and shared her testimony. She shared how God brought someone in her life at the right moment when she was drunk, sitting at a railroad track waiting for the train to come and hit her.  Dawn continued sharing how God helped and healed her and now she works with women in restoring their lives – something she’d never imagine! Without knowing Shaquetta’s history with suicide, Dawn had spoken life into her situation. How awesome was that!

Towards the end, Shaquetta let Dawn and I pray with her and I gave her some information about Street LIFE and our outreach at Tompkins Square Park. I reminded her that she’s not alone and that God is pursuing after her. Please continue to pray for her with me! I’m praying she will show up one of the days we are at TSP and believing that her story is not yet complete.

Thank you for your support in reaching the lost & broken on the streets of NYC.

Love,
Amy

p.s. for more stories from this months outreach check out: https://www.facebook.com/dontwalkby?ref=ts&fref=ts

 -there you find some articles & stories from volunteers who have taken the challenge to "Don't Walk By"

A full house @ DWB with guests being served and conversations at every table

Esther & Fred, Don't Walk By & Hurricane Sandy

Hello!

Happy New Year! As I think on all that has happened this month, I am excited to share with you the story of Esther & Fred in my video update.

Check it out!

Also some other neat things happening here at SLM:

• Don’t Walk By (every Sat during the month of Feb) – want to step out of your comfort zone and experience the joy of reaching the broken, hurting & needy on the streets of NYC? DWB is a unique opportunity where teams of volunteers walk the streets of Manhattan in a “search & rescue” mission looking for the homeless and offering them an alternative. For more information or to sign up go to: www.dontwalkby.org. If you are interested or coming, let me know so I can connect you to one of our staff members who is leading teams. But if you cannot make it, please pray for us!! This year I will be a part of the assessment team, engaging and connecting those who are desiring help to resources (detox, shelter, medical etc) that we have.  Every year God does amazing things and I am excited to see what He will do this year! I will keep you posted.

• Hurricane Sandy: we continue in our efforts with Hurricane Victims. Read more about it in our latest SLM Newsletter.

Thanks so much for all your support & prayers! As always, I love you guys and please feel free to let me know how I can pray for you!

Love,
Amy

p.s. Below is a picture of Mary Anna ministering to Fred at Tompkins Square Park.