"Josephine's story"

We had just finished our worship set at the Greater Love Cafe. As we mingled with the crowd, a woman came and sat next to Ryan. Holding back tears, she said, "Please pray for me... I'm grieving the death of my husband." This was our first interaction with Josephine, who has now become a regular attendee at The King's Fellowship. These weekly gatherings have helped strengthen her faith in a time of great personal suffering.

Josephine said, "I sensed such love in these young people when I first met them. They invited me to The King's Fellowship and I've been attending ever since. It's a very intimate gathering because we meet in a home which has allowed me to get close to the staff. Being here at The King's Fellowship every Sunday has taught me so much more about God. I've been delivered from so many things in the past year - it's just awesome! This place has brought me to a different level."

During her time with us, we have seen Josephine grow leaps and bounds in her walk with God. She has become a bold worshipper and enjoys volunteering with us on the streets and helping with meal prep for The King’s Fellowship. In the past year she has joined us for the New Year's Eve Outreach, the Step Van Ministry at Tompkins's Square Park, and she even came with us on our Brazil mission trip this summer!

"When it comes to serving, I've always wanted to be on the streets with the people. I love people and I've always wanted to do this my whole life. I came to The King's Fellowship and within a month or two, I'm out on the street loving people and sharing the gospel!" God is doing tremendous things in her life and growing her in ways she never thought possible.

"A lot of my religion is going…" Josephine said. "… because since I've been here my relationship with Jesus has become more personal. There's a power in The King's Fellowship, and it's the anointing and presence of God that shows up every time we gather. The love among the staff and the people who come here is touching broken hearts."

"Give them what they need."

Micah, a 19 year old from Colorado felt like God may be calling him to minister to kids after one of our ministry days. It was during our debrief meeting after the Children’s Outreach at Moore Park that Micah shared his experience.

“I was so tired after just twenty minutes of playing with the kids,” Micah began. “They were climbing all over me and so loud, laughing and shouting, I could hardly talk to them.” He had planned on talking to the kids about Jesus. “But then I felt God tell me, ‘Give them what they need’. I realized they didn’t need me to talk to them. Through playing with them and paying attention to them, I was loving them. That was what they needed.” He went on to say that he felt like the Lord gave him the energy to keep playing with the kids and that he got filled with more and more joy as he did it. “I feel like through that God may be calling me to minister to kids.” Wow and praise God!

What a wonderful reminder that God knows what people need more than we do. Simply spending time with adults or kids may be all that is needed depending on the situation.

That same day I had a moment with some of the kids that melted me. After some very rowdy parachute games we sat on the big parachute and pretended to have a picnic. A bunch of the girls from the same second grade class started singing a song to me they learned from school. It was precious! Then they sang that song from Frozen that isn’t overdone (sarcasm), and then a bunch of the kids tried to tell me knock-knock jokes. Most of them didn’t make sense, but it was okay because they delighted in having me listen and pay attention to them. I am thrilled at the receptivity we are experiencing in this park. There have been many meaningful conversations and connections with both adults and children. Hearing week after week, “When are you coming back?!” is music to my ears. Thank you for praying for the Children’s Outreach and please continue to do so!

Thank you again for your partnership and prayers. You are a big blessing.
Enjoy your weekend!
Jess

The Kings Fellowship, Strip Clubs, and a Parade :)

“God Is Here”
Hello! I want to share a quick story with you from our Sunday night service, The Kings Fellowship (KF). Two Saturdays ago, a young man named Charlie came to the prayer station in Flushing asking for prayer. We invited him to KF and he came out the following evening! We were so glad to see him and a few on our team were able to talk with him further. It turns out that he is a Christian currently staying in a shelter. At the end of the night Ryan asked Charlie what he thought. “It was good, very good,” Charlie answered. He then looked up at Ryan and said, “God is here.” Our team was greatly encouraged to hear this and to see Charlie again last night. We are praying for him and curious to see what role God will us play in this young man’s life.

We often meet people who are not connected with a local body for a myriad of reasons. Many in this city feel isolated and intimidated at trying out a church. Many are sick of what they see and hear and have been wounded by churches and leaders not meeting their expectations. Of course there is no perfect “church”, but we remind people that there are legitimate churches and to pray and ask God to lead them to the right place. We also invite people to KF and spend time every Friday fasting lunch and praying that God would draw people out and that His Presence would be there. More than a good evening with good worship, good preaching, or good food, we need and want God’s Presence. That should be what draws people out and keeps them coming.

“Beautiful One”
The new ladies outreach we are doing to women in the sex industry has officially been named “Beautiful One”. Mary Anna and Amy who are both full time staff here are heading it up and took a team out this past Thursday for the first time to three different strip clubs in the area. They brought roses and candy for the women as well as cookies for the bouncers. They have been praying specifically to go into these places for at least a year now, and miraculously they received favor at each place and were able to go in and talk with the women while they were working! The third club they visited allowed the team to go into the ladies dressing room which is a very strategic place to be because the women have their guards down a bit more. Many of the women were so blessed to receive a rose (what women doesn’t like that?!) and to be told, “We love you and just want you to know we are praying for you.” One particular women was heading in to start her shift while the team was leaving. After receiving the rose, she turned to Gintare who had given it to her and said, “I really needed that today. Thank you.”

Along with showing the love and acceptance of Jesus to these ladies, we desire to build relationship with them and see them discipled and lead out of the sex industry for good. We appreciate your prayers for this new outreach. Here is the link: http://streetlife.org/beautifulone.html

“Gay Pride Parade in NYC”
One more announcement is that we will be taking a team to minister at the Gay Pride Parade in Manhattan this June. This is our first time going and we are still getting details together. I am very excited for this opportunity to represent the Lord and be His light in this city. I would especially like your prayers for me personally as I facilitate this outreach, both for strategy and wisdom. I also appreciate prayers for the Lord to raise up prepared people to join us, and for those we will meet! I will share more about it in my video update next month, so stay tuned!

Thank you so much for sowing into my life and New York City. Your prayers and support have such impact and I am grateful. Have a blessed week! Jess

Are your arms full?

Friends and Family,

A few weeks ago before heading to Main Street in Flushing for the prayer station, I was praying for our team and those we would meet on the street. While praying, I pictured myself standing with my arms out in front of me forming a circle with my hands meeting. I saw the Lord filling my arms up; like He was giving me things to give out to those around me. It was an encouragement and reminder that He fills to overflowing, and that we were not going on the street empty handed.

Later on at Main Street I prayed with a Chinese woman who was so blessed that she went and bought some food from a nearby Chinese bakery for us. I put the bag under the table to share with the team later. Shortly after, a man with a mental disability was talking with Ryan and shared that he was hungry and asked if we were giving out food or clothes. Ryan checked in to see if he could buy the gentleman something to eat, and I told him about the food we had on hand.

It was a quick exchange, and as I was standing on that busy corner, I was reminded of the picture the Lord gave me that morning. He literally just put something in my “arms” to give to someone in need. I was initially thinking of spiritual food to give out, but God loves meeting physical needs too. What a picture of His love and concern for that man! I am convinced that no need of ours goes unnoticed by the Lord, no matter how great or small. Like He says in Luke12:7, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

I am trusting that we will see more of this on the streets as people come with different needs. Whether internal or external, dire or insignificant, God wants to fill our arms up to give to those around us! I pray the same would be true for you in your sphere of influence. For your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors and strangers you meet daily. Let God fill you up so you can pour out to those around you- for His glory.

Again, thank you so much for your partnership with me to see God’s Kingdom advance in New York City. I could not be here without your prayers and support and continue to thank God for you. God bless and have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Jess

Ps- For my Grace and Peace family- depending on traffic I will try to make it out to the praise night next Wednesday and would love to say hello!

Here is a woman with her daughter stopping by the table on a Saturday morning.

New Step Van!!!

The Lord provided a new stepvan for us! Our current truck is a 1979 Ford with the frame rusting out. We were certainly in need and did a special fundraiser the months of April and May. To our joy we were able to raise $38,000 (thank you who gave) and purchased a 2003 stepvan. It is much much newer, nicer, and 4 ft bigger which gives us room to take more food, clothing and supplies to the streets. The truck is being customized this summer and we are hoping to begin bringing it out this September. We are thrilled at how God hears and answers prayer!

Here is the new stepvan on the left and the old on the right. We were so excited when David brought this home!

Reaching the nations....

One sunny Saturday morning in Flushing a man named Kais stopped by our prayer station. Seeing the table covered with literature he walked over to Amy and asked if we had anything in Bengali, his native tongue. Amy chatted with Kais for a few minutes and found out that he is Muslim and lives with his family in the Bronx. Then she checked in our mixed language box and found a stack of Bengali tracts! We don't meet people from Bangladesh very often, so it was a big deal that we "happened" to have Bengali tracts out with us that day. After Amy handed Kais the gospel tract, he pulled from his pocket a tract in English he received a few weeks prior. He could not read English and was carrying the tract around hoping to read it eventually. Though this seems like a small exchange, our team marveled afterward at God's timing and provision. Here a Muslim man from Bangladesh received a gospel tract in a foreign language and had a desire to read it. Through the prayer station and our team being available, Kais was able to get a tract in his own language. We continue to pray that the Truth written on the small pamphlet will pierce his heart and bring revelation of who God is. "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

Brazil 2012 story

It's been over a year!!! Here is a video testimony from our trip to Brazil this past June into July. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBOTSQjKLsU