So I just spent my spring break in the Tenderloin of San Francisco working with City Impact. If you have no clue what this is, I encourage you to look up SF City Impact and let them tell you of their fabulous program. As one of our jobs, at night we would do street ministry. Street Ministry consists of taking bags of chips or popcorn and not handing it out, but using it as a conversation starter. And we would just try to get to know these people and build relationships with them.
I hope this makes you think,
Love,
Jen
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On the streets of the Tenderloin of San Francisco lay a man named Bird. Bird cross dressed, but he called himself a Christian. Two girls from City Impact walked up to him and came down next to him. And they asked how he was, what he called himself, and how his day had been. He answered all the questions in a deep, tired voice.
Then one of these two girls asked if the two of them could pray for him and he said no. So they kept on making small talk until the same girl asked him "Would you be offended if I prayed for you?"
And he answered "Yes I would."
Not shocked, but definitely disoriented, the other girl asked him why. And in turn he asked what denomination they were from. One answered reform and the other didn't know.
Bird told them that he considered himself a "generic Christian" and the two girls chose not to call him out on it. He then quoted a passage of scripture where Jesus said to pray in your room, door shut, and eyes closed. Because of that he didn't believe in prayer being spoken aloud.
Confused the first girl said goodbye to Bird and the two walked on with bags of chips and popcorn in their hands. But the first girl had a bit of turmoil from the question. So she gathered courage and asked her friend about it.
Now her friend had heard his words too and knew them to be from the Bible, but it didn't seem right the way Bird used them to ward off prayer. And in that moment, God used her to reaffirm what the group had been sent out to do that night for her friend as well as herself.
"Jesus did indeed say that, but Bird took it out of context. Jesus had been talking about the Pharisees who would stand on the street corners and pray to God to get attention and recognition from their fellow Jews. And Jesus was speaking against this."
And the girl nodded and they continued on to talk to more people. But it stayed in the friend's mind because of the amount of courage it took to ask about that instead of trying to figure it out and keep doubting God's work in the Tenderloin through City Impact. And she was incredibly joyful to be blessed so much to be the instrument God used to talk to this girl. And she is still glad to have been there for this girl at a weak moment in her faith. And she was blessed to know that God always comes through.
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