Missions In Colorado Springs

A Call to Missions....right where I'm at.

One night at WorshipMob, while praying and longing for the missions field, God spoke to me and said, "This is not a season of waiting until you go back on the missions field. This IS a missions field".

Ironically, of all the places I had been in the past year and half, I experienced the most culture shock in Colorado Springs.  Maybe it was because the last place I had been was Africa. Maybe because it was the first place I'd lived in the US that was not in the Midwest. But no matter where I am at, I can be, and AM a missionary.

The truth is, that ANYWHERE we go IS a missions field, if only we open up our eyes to see it...

Matthew 9:37- "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

Bob and Betsy

I moved to Colorado Springs February 6, and on that first day in Colorado Springs, I met a man I will call Bob.  Bob was walking down the middle of the street when I stepped outside.  I greeted him, and he then preceded to tell me about many things and needs.

It seemed to me during our conversation that Bob was nearly begging for prayer, and so I offered and prayed for him. I then invited Bob to come to WorshipMob, but since he had introduced himself to me 3 times, I didn't have high hopes of him remembering to come to WorshipMob. So you can imagine, I was rather surprised when Bob and his girlfriend Betsy showed up that Thursday, and not just for one, but three weeks in a row they attended WorshipMob.

Throughout those three weeks, I began to build a relationship with Bob and Betsy, learning their story, praying for them, and just in general being a friend.  Unfortunately, after three weeks, Bob and Betsy were forced to leave where they had been living and became homeless.

I lost track of them for another three weeks before I ran into them at the grocery store.  While there I prayed for them, purchased a grocery gift card for them, and then told them I hoped to see them at WorshipMob again.  They came that following week!

While there are many more details to the story, I'll just jump to some highlights!

In the beginning of March, another homeless couple that the leaders of WorshipMob had been building relationship with, who had been heroin addicts made the decision to go to a Rehab Center in Wyoming.  Recently they just returned and I saw such an incredible transformation! They were totally different people and were drug free! While they still have hurdles to overcome, the transformation of what God MIRACULOUSLY did in their lives was OBVIOUS.

So, after months of simply loving Bob and Betsy, supporting them how I can, listening, and praying for them, I suggested that they also go try this rehab center, and Bob and Betsy have made the decision to go! I couldn't be more thrilled for them! It's going to be a long journey ahead for them, and Bob's health is really not doing well, but I am believing that God, who has been pursuing them all these months, and likely longer, is going to draw them into his arms of love and redeem them!

Please pray for them whenever you think of it. They are such precious people, with such incredible brokenness that they have carried through life. Pray that they would be able to receive God's unconditional love. A love that doesn't require them to change and fix themselves first, but a love that embraces them just as they are, and heals them.

The Man with no Name

We were out on a walk one day, just walking and chatting when we passed a man with a loaded bike. I wanted to go speak with him, but we were in mid-conversation and so I walked past. Still, at the last moment, I looked back at him, just as he looked up at me, and we caught eyes.

This gave me the courage to go speak with him, so I stopped my friend and we went over to say hello.  We talked with this man for quite some time, and he explained to us why he didn't give out his name.

He was homeless, but a very clever man. He managed to survive quite well, stayed clean, and was well-read.   We talked about many things, and he told us how unimportant things were too him.  "If someone steals my bike, I can always get another", He said.

And he was right. Stuff doesn't really matter.  In Africa, some people have less than this man who had no home at all. 

Because I love relationship, every time we would pass that spot, we would search for his bike, and lo and behold, we have managed to see him various times since that first day. Though he still hasn't told us his name, I like to think of him as Richard, and I feel God's incredible love for him. He isn't just homeless, he is my friend.

Broken People Together

One thing I loved about WorshipMob was seeing broken people seeking Jesus. Including me :).   Everyone has a testimony, and it's beautiful when you see others being pursued by God and coming to him and being transformed, and it encourages each of us on our own journey. 

One of the things that encouraged me the most was Thursday nights praying with people around me.  The truth is, it is AMAZING how God uses all of us, broken as we may be, to share His love and minister to others.