We are excited as we begin to prepare and head back into the parks over the course of the summer months. Tomkins Square Park is branded as a sub-culture homeless park in which multitudes of youth flock to from throughout the US during the warm summer months. How do they get here? They prepare and travel hundreds of miles on freight trains until they arrive to thier final destination which is Tomkins Square Park. Upon thier arrival they settle in and make this park their make-shift home base. This predominately youth crowd is likened to a colony-pack of teen-agers which can be spotted right away. They are riddled with scores of tattoos, body piercings, and for many even their faces are plagued with tattoo markings. Many are accompanied by their canine pets which are usually pit bulls and for some the detested rat. Drugs are administered unashamedly out in the open along with alcohol consumption. These youth are notorious for their abrupt and care-free behaviors. Intimidation is quite obvious on the faces of the park locals who take a stroll, walk a dog, or perhaps a jog. The youth are feared and known as the outcasts of this park.
Although, lawlessness and intimidation abides in this place we are boldly going in to share the love of God to these young men and women who are ultimately hurting from past wounds,fear and rejection. Our team distributes specially prepared gourmet sandwiches along with fresh fruit and a delicious dessert. Although they are hungering for tangible food, they are also craving for a listening ear. As we warm up to them and develop friendships, they began to share their struggles and frustrations. We believe that as we continue to visit the youth God will bring them hope and show them that there is a loving Savior who loves them and is willing to take them just as they are. We will continue to go to those who are in need of a Helper and we know without a doubt that God has clearly established and grounded us in this particular park. Our hope is that they will receive and be restored by His unfailing love. Please pray that God will move upon this hardened generation and that the love of God will illuminate the darkened corners of Tomkins Square Park.

Since the beginning of this year we have been going every Wednesday to the Barbour Hotel. John has been one of the residents that we have seen God’s been doing a good work in his life.

John came from a dysfunctional family. Most of his brothers have been in and out of jail or they are dead. He was raised in NYC but his family is from Puerto Rico. He had a Santeria and Pentecostal background growing up. He got mixed up with drugs and has been in and out of jail as a younger man for minor crimes. John has diabetes, HIV and is in his forties. He is also a father of three grown up boys and is married to his wife who is also sick.

Since coming to the shelter, we have seen God work in his life through prayer. John faithfully met with us every Wednesday to hear a message of hope and deliverance preached. Some nights he would be broken, despondent and in confusion but we would pray week after week and see his mind clear up. We also would see a hunger in John for more of God’s word so we decided to invite him over to TSC. We soon began to pick John up at the Barbour Hotel and drive him to the Sunday service.

John has been responding to the good news and wants to live a better life and be a better example to his sons and wife. Since coming to TSC John has responded to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and has prayed the sinners prayer at the altar weeping with tears of joy and awe of the goodness of God. We want continual prayer for John that he will continually grow in the Lord and that he would stay steadfast.

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Every first of the month, each Raven teams stay back and pray for the needs of the ministry and for God to touch our hearts as we go out and minister to the homeless.

This is the kitchen and it is here we prepare the meals and pray before we go out everyday. God has blessed us with a new equipped kitchen and he continues to bless us with it everyday as we go out. We also have a few scriptures to share with you about how our God feels about the poor and homeless and how his heart is stretched out towards them.

Psalm 146:7 Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free

Prov. 19:17. He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.

Friday night was wonderful. We went to Bellevue men’s shelter to show the
love of Christ. God is great, he answered our prayer and the people came
pouring in to be fed physically. Little did they know that after they left
they were also spiritually fed.

The prayers varied from people wanting to get housing to people praying for
freedom from physical ailments. People were open to hearing the gospel and
some accepted Jesus into their hearts and lives.

We thank the Lord for touching the hearts of the people even before we
showed up. As he said in his word, the harvest is ready but the laborers are
few.

This summer we will be doing cardboard testimonies in the park. The
cardboard testimony is a powerful tool God has used in showing a life we
lived compared to now that we are believers. Some of us struggled with
doubt, fear, lies, anger, spirit of religion, drug addiction, etc. Now that
we met Christ he has given us love, peace, patience and freedom in him and
his word has touch our hearts.

We were once prisoners of our sins. Now we are prisoners of Jesus Christ.

For a year we prayed for the ministry to receive favor from Whole Foods to donate food to us. I am here to say God answers prayers. Whole Food’s called inviting us to begin picking up donations from their Columbus Circle location. Apparently, another donation company is not consistent in their pickups and as a result, a lot of left over food remained. With this situation, they asked us if we could use the food.

God is good and HE is worthy to be praised…

Psalm 22:26 “The poor shall eat and be satisfied”

Two of us from the Raven Ministry had the opportunity to travel back to Greece for a month in February. We had just recently returned from Greece with a larger team in October 2008. Upon our return, the Lord gave us an overwhelming burden to travel back to this nation to serve and be willing to be given to the work and the needs in Greece.

Prior to our departure, we were asked by the pastor in Greece if we could launch the Women’s Drug Program at the Center. Have we ever done this? No! But we were willing to say, “Here we are Lord take us and use us for Your purposes.”

This would be the first time ever in the nation of Greece to establish a Christian Drug Program for women. It was an honor for us to serve and be a part of this unique and challenging experience. The pastor is currently housing a men’s program at the Center which was established roughly about a year ago.

During our stay, we learned what it truly meant to lay our lives down — to serve and sacrifice without our own conditions, agendas or resources. We had to rely on Christ and Christ alone.

The Lord brought two women who came fresh off the streets that were bound to the vicious addiction of heroin and to a lifestyle of prostitution. In Greece, thousands have fallen prey to heroin addiction. Prostitution and heroin addiction is massive and consumes multitudes of women in the epicenter of Greece and abroad. Male prostitution is also prevalent and widespread in Greece.

It is evident that Satan has a hold on these heavily oppressed areas near the Center. No matter how thick this cloud of darkness looms, we know that the Lord is moving on many aching hearts that long to be set free from this tormenting and gripping way of life. We have witnessed that the ones who remain on the streets, Jesus is beginning to captivate their hearts and is drawing them to Himself.

It was exciting to see many familiar faces from the neighboring streets flow into the Center looking and longing to be released from the grip of the enemy. The scripture comes to mind, A broken spirit and a contrite heart He will not despise!! On ministry nights, we would drive in the ministry van down the street to a nearby plaza and invite street workers and addicts to come and hear a message at the Center. They would anxiously pile into the van and ride back with us yearning for spiritual food and prayer!!!20 One night a prostitute brought her client and he responded to the alter call and accepted Christ into his heart. He returned back to the Center again on a regular service night!

In addition to the Women’s Program and evangelizing, we counseled and held Bible studies with the Center as a whole. We also assisted with the weekly outreaches including the explosive Afghani Ministry community that was birthed last October. The Lord’s power is being unleashed in a mighty way through the Afghani ministry. This ministry was birthed when the October team applied face paints on a few children in the neighborhood. This drew the Afghani’s into the Center and within a week this ministry was born!! What began as an unexpected outreach to the neighborhood with mere face paintings, God had other plans and brought many. Another scripture comes to mind…..God will use the foolish things of the world to confound the wise!!!!

One evening I was across the street from the Center and the Lord showed me that He has this Center and the residents who reside there now in the palm of His Almighty Hand. As I looked up to the dimly lit windows of the Center, I knew and had a hope that there were precious lives inside this building that the Lord was restoring and that He indeed was mending the broken pieces of their lives back together. The Center is that city on top of the hill where many in Athens that are bound, hopeless and rejected can come, just as they are, and come to this place of refuge to find love, prayer, a Word or perhaps a blanket to keep them warm.

The Women’s Program was an unforgettable experience for the both of us. Together with these women we experienced tears, pain, withdrawals, joy and laughter and so much more. Through the passing days, we saw the character of Christ supernaturally develop in the two women addicts and in us as well. The two of us learned about characteristics that our carnal nature so easily wants to escape such as mercy, patience and longsuffering.

Our continued prayers for the Center is, for those who reside there now, their hearts will never grow cold or discouraged and that the Lord will continuously increase a hunger for righteousness and more than anything, that they will have a face to face encounter with the One and Only True and Living God.

Please pray for the nation of Greece and the Center that the Lord will continue to do a work and that lives will be forever changed and transformed by the power of Almighty God.