Thursday, August 21, 2008

H Street Ministries - Chapter One

You really don't know much about me if you don't know about my relatively new family. Almost 2 years ago, God invited me to see what he was doing in an apartment complex on H Street. I knew one person who lived there, because she used to be part of a women's home with Tehillah Ministries.

A women's home is available to women on a volunteer or court-ordered basis to help them get off drugs and get their life straight. To become part of this women's home, a person must decide to accept Christ into their lives. Ruth did - and she was very excited about her new life in Christ. As a part of the women's home, my friend (I'll say her name is Ruth) came to my house almost every week to help me clean. I am not naturally motivated to clean--so having somebody come over just for that purpose really helps get me going. Ruth (not her real name) and I got along really great. She was a good hard worker and we had lots of conversation and prayer together.

In rehabilitation, a person's life is very structured. Everybody gets up early in the morning, does chores, goes to Bible Study, works, goes to church etc. (That is if the rehab is faith-based). After one year, Ruth graduated with flying colors. Her mom had been taking care of her 5 children during that time - and left to go back to LA as soon as Ruth came home to the apartment. Ruth came home to 5 children, no job, no car, and the very same environment where she had previously been on drugs. NOT GOOD.

After two months, I looked her up because the other house-cleaning situation was not working out. Ruth and I had a friendship and a good rhythm together. I needed her. Ruth was not doing well. She was utterly overwhelmed with no structure, no job, no car, and 5 children. She managed to limp along with the children's needs, but mostly she slept to avoid getting back into drugs.

I started picking her up to come and clean my house--but 50% of the time she wouldn't make it. She was sick, or too tired, or had a toothache, or........... I prayed and did not give up. In my visits, I got to know her children - 5 pretty sweet kids living in chaos (I will use that word a lot).

At church I was leading a Wednesday night group on prayer. What we did was pray--different kinds of prayer; contemplative, warfare, sidewalk prayer (praying as you walk different areas). We were having quite an experience together with God. Our last class - we went to the apartment complex on H Street and knocked on doors to pray for anyone who wanted prayer. Several people wanted prayer - and the kids flocked around us to be prayed for. I got kind of an idea what it might have been like to have Jesus, and have kids surrounding you.

I started to go on my own to the apartment complex just to pray and read scripture. I would find a chair in the courtyard and sit against a wall and pray and read scripture. Isaiah 28 came up over and over as scripture God lead to me. Victor Matthew's warfare prayer inspired me to pray over this apartment and the people living there.

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