Tenderloin: finest and most expensive of all meats.
In San Francisco there is a part of town called "The Tenderloin" and not because it is a ritsy fritsy part of town, that is not the case whatsoever. Here is the story behind it.. In this part of town, the crime rate is huge, the drug rate is bigger, and when compared to Harlem in New York, the Tenderloin is said to be worse. For these reasons no policemen wanted to patrol these parts for the wages they were earning, so it was decided to increase the wages of the policemen willing to patrol this part of town. Their wages were so good that they were then able to afford the finest of foods, including the... yes you know it.. Tenderloin.
"When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: 'Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?' On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'” Mark 2:16-17
It is to this part of town that poses the greatest need for a God like ours, so it is to this "corrupt" place that we went. A total of 42 middle schoolers/ high schoolers/ staff members. A mission trip that would truly change your life.
Let me tell you that I had been asking God to reveal Himself to me for a while now and really pleading that He would let me feel His presence with me, just to let you know for later reference. Anyway, one of the events we did was on the first night (Friday). It was called "Lost and Found" because we split up into groups and had a sheet of questions we had to go around and ask people, so we could get a better understanding of the city and put a face to the homeless we had heard so much about.
What happens at the civic center on Mondays and Wednesdays?
Where is the nearest Senior Center?
How much does it cost to use a public restroom?
As I try to remember the order of all these events, i begin to get a little mixed up,, so i am just going to tell you of the highlights of the trip as they come to me. The first thing that stands out is that the day before we left for the trip i got my Pocket Testament League "Gospel of John" books in the mail(go to www.pocketpower.org). I was super excited and thought that they had come just in time for me to take them to San Fran with me. As we were walking around talking to people we stopped to talk to a man in a wheelchair. His name was John. We didn't say much about our purpose or even force our belief on him. We simply just enjoyed the company of a lonely man who wanted a friend to talk to. As we first began to talk to him, his eyes were glistening and as our conversation began to end and after we prayed with him i noticed that that glisten had turned into streaming tears all around his eyes. My heart instantly swelled with compassion for this man and wishing the Lord would comfort him and make his life better. As i was trying to choke back my own tears, I felt the Lord as He spoke to me: "Do you see why I love these people? Do you see why I died for them?" I had to summon all that was within me to keep me from falling to the ground to cry. We kept walking, we met a another man.. He told us that he had recently turned 57 and was so so happy because he just got to speak to his daughter again after 18 years of no communication. We spoke with him for a while and then prayed over him. His name was John. Laughing at the coincidence of meeting two men that night both with the same name, we kept walking. We stopped and talked to some catholic men and woman at a street corner handing out rosaries and a booklet on how to pray with them. In return I gave them one of my Gospel of John booklets that has a summary of what we believe and how to go about living it out. They introduced themselves to us as Sister Victoria, Brother Bill, and Brother John. We walked back to our Hostel and i was so stunned about that name. Taelor, don't over think this, John is such a common name. This is just a coincidence, that's all. NO! THERE IS NO COINCIDENCE! God is showing Himself to me. The Gospel of John in my pocket, John in the wheel chair, John with the daughter, Brother John the Catholic.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" Matthew 7:7
I had asked God to show me, and He showed me. But don't stop reading now; it only gets better from here.
Another event was giving out sack lunches to the homeless and just talking to them and listening to their stories. Sutton and another kid named John paired up to go talk to a homeless man. Guess what his name was? WRONG! haha I'm just kidding, you're right, his name was John also. This homeless man told them that he too was a Christian and after being asked what his favorite Bible verse was he replied by showing the boys his necklace that had an eagle pendant on it that reminded him of his favorite verse...
NOTE** The night before we left for this trip Sutton and I made a collage of
pictures and Bible verses on the cover of his Bible notebook.
...Sutton pulls out his notebook and points to a verse on the front.
"but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31
The man smiles and tells them that is his favorite. He continues by saying he also loves the verse that talks about walking through a shadow of death or something and no matter what, God is with you. Sutton, again, points to another verse on his notebook and asks if it is the one the man was talking about.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Psalm 23:4
Indeed, this was the verse. Just something that makes this more spectacular even than it is, is that we only put three verses on Sutton's notebook and the chances of that man talking about two of the same verses as on Sutton's notebook... think about it... so unlikely.. again, this was God.
Another event was being homeless for a day. We started off by going to a Methodist church and then to a place where they give free lunch to anyone who comes in (huge lines form outside and around the corner of the cafeteria place). Just a side note, not every church interprets the Bible the same way, and you need to know what you stand for and what you do not. Back up all your beliefs with prayer and God's word. This church avidly believed in some things that I did not agree with whatsoever, and my views are taken straight from God's Book-->> (Gay/ Lesbian relationships celebrated and promoted by the church and having a female preacher).. But I don't want to go crazy on that topic.
Now here is the story everyone has been talking about...
We split up into groups again for the evening and went out giving out hot chocolate and talking to people. We ran out of hot coco in the first ten minutes and we had a couple of hours for this event. Our group decided to search for a market to find some more (Keep in mind that these groups are pretty good sized groups like 8-10 kids and two adults and the markets there are very small, so naturally some of us stayed outside). The night was dark and misty, but Kassidi, Riley, and I were cheerfully waiting for the rest of our group, just enjoying the night. A man approaches us, probably 6'4" or taller. He is anxiously/desperately asking for money in the sake of "Please, It is Saturday night" obviously not fully there due to current/recent intoxicants in his system. We told him that we didn't have any money and immediately the look of desperate need melted into a frightful look of terror, anger, fury. I think all three of us felt a little bit of fear. I tried to reason with him and ask if he'd like us to pray for him. What i didn't notice was that on the opposite side of where i was standing, he was pulling out a homemade shank (ghetto knife) from his back pocket. Riley pushes us behind himself for protection. I still don't know what is happening and reach out my arm to the man while still trying to talk to him. Now this is where it gets confusing... The man's expression of anger suddenly disappears and now the look on his face is blank, unreadable. He looks at us then turns and walks away. Now this is where you have to think. First, Why did he pull a knife on us and not use it? What/Who changed the man's mind?
I'm sure you've all heard the crazy true stories of God sending angels to protect his children. Let me tell you one that really gets me... A girl was walking home from work late at night. In order to get home she needs to walk down this ally, but there are two men at the end of it and they see her so it is too late for her to turn around. She prays to God the whole way through the ally, asking Him to protect her. She gets home safe and sound. The next morning she reads in the paper that a young lady around her same age had walked down the same ally only a few hours after and been raped and killed by two men. The girl identified the men and the police brought them in for questioning. They asked the men why they hadn't chosen the first girl as their victim. The men looked at each other then said it was because there were two huge men on either side of the girl and that they didn't want to mess with them. The girl had been all alone, except for God and the two angels He sent down to protect her. She couldn't see them, but the potential predators could.
This brings me back to my story. Why did the man's face drop from anger to nothing? God changed his mind... but how? The three of us never turned around to see if there were angels behind us. Yet if there were, they probably wouldn't be visible to anyone except the man with the knife. Is it possible that God sent an angel or two to change the man's mind? I think it is.
This all still confuses me when I try to think of sensible reasons for all of these occurrences.. They confuse me until I stop and say to myself,, I asked God to reveal Himself to me and allow me to feel His presence. I have never felt God closer than during all these events. God wanted to show me so many things, prove His everlasting love, eternal power, and His ever so merciful protection. If anything had gone any differently, all three of us could've been hurt or dare I say killed. I feel like when something happens in your life that will forever change the steps you take, it is necessary to share and encourage others with those experiences. So, hear me out, read this report of what happened in San Francisco in January of 2011 as many times as you need to until you understand that God is the ultimate Protector, Provider, Lover, and Giver. He will never let you go, trust always in Him. If maybe you don't have any miraculous stories to tell of God's provision for your life, then maybe, dear friends, maybe you need to dream bigger and fully realize how big a God you serve.
"I love you, LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies." Psalm 18:1-3
In Christ, that we may view the world as He views it,
Taelor Danae Hewlett
