Friday afternoon, I was in a really bad mood all day (you know, one of those moods where you just feel grumpy and you don't know why? :P), and really didn't want to do anything at all. I wasn't even sure about going to Lazarus Tomb. Even though I wasn't feeling my best, I still felt God whispering in my heart that I really need to go. I've had many experiences where God has told me to do something and I've not listened to Him and I end up regretting and feeling convicted later about it. I knew no matter how I was feeling, if God wants me to do something, I need to listen to Him and not listen to my own feelings. These feelings I was having, I knew it was the devil trying to get to me, so I knew that tonight God had so many great things in store.
When we got to the Coffeehouse, I started to get excited. The coffeehouse is small, but it was so cute and I just felt this peacefulness whenever I was inside. It was so cool. :) I was privileged to go in a van with Pastor Anthony and two other people to drive through the neighborhood and pick up kids to bring to the Coffeehouse. I was nervous because I knew that I would have to talk to complete strangers in a neighborhood that seems unsafe and scary, and I was totally freaked out.
While we were driving, we saw a man walking and Pastor Anthony decided to pick him up and we'd take him home. His name was Lester, and he seemed to be in his early 40s and a little bit out there, if you know what I mean. But we talked with him about his family, and he was telling us how no matter what we said we couldn't convince him about Jesus, but instead of giving up, we just kept talking to him, and before we dropped him off, we decided to pray for him. This guy had no hope at all in God, and it just broke my heart. It was really eye opening to see how people who have never grown up in the church and see how they feel about God. After we prayed for Lester, we let him off in this alley and he just kept on walking. I will never forget that moment when we picked up Lester and prayed for him. God really showed me how lost our world really is, and how we need to reach out to people more and stop sitting around not doing anything.
The next place we went was to this apartment complex where we saw kids running around everywhere. Pastor Anthony told us to go over to the people and ask if they have kids and invite them to Lazarus Tomb. When he said that, I felt like I was going to throw up. No joke. I felt like I couldn't do this at all by myself, but then I remembered God was with me and He would help me have the courage to talk to these people. You know what happened? As I walking towards these people,I still felt fear within me. But I didn't let that stop me. I talked with a couple of the parents and some of the kids who were older. I started talking with these girls Claudia, Tamika, and Taleah. (Tamika and Taleah are twins and they are so funny!). And then, out of the blue, this little boy comes up to me and just takes my hand. His name was Dante and he is 4 years old. He is just such a love muffin. He's so funny and rambunctious. :) I knew just by talking and hanging out with these kids that tonight would be a great night. :)
The church van was PACKED with kids we picked up, and everyone was talking in the van and was so excited about going to the coffeehouse. When we got there, all the kids piled out of the van and there were kids all over the place and after we arrived more kids would get dropped off for the ministry. I'd say we had about 20 or so kids there. The first thing we all did was sing Father Abraham (it was a hip hop version), and the kids LOVED IT! Some of the kids were too shy to get up and dance and sing but all the kids were having a good time laughing and singing or just watching. Then we did a short program for the kids, Pastor Anthony talked about gum and how gum can stand for God Understands Me. G-U-M. Isn't that cool!? I thought that was really neat. Then there was snack for the kids, and we played this game where you had to squeeze water from a sponge in one bucket into another bucket. It was a very wet game but the kids really enjoyed it. :) Throughout the night I'd try to talk with different kids, and I started talking with this one little boy Brian. He was just cute as a button! I found out that he also had two brothers there, and they came last time we did the coffeehouse ministry. Brian was such an energetic, talkative boy. He even asked me if I could come to his house and ride bikes with him and pull him in a wagon. It was the most adorable thing ever. :)
The saddest part of the night was when we had to take the kids back to the apartment complex. I didn't want the night to end and you could tell the kids were having so much fun. On the way back, the kids made a little song to "God Understand Me!" and screamed and sang it all the way to the apartments. It was so awesome! All the kids talked about was how much fun they had and kept asking if we were coming back. After we made sure the kids got inside their houses, we went back to the van, and Pastor Anthony told us that the one girl I talked with a lot when we came earlier, Claudia, was telling her stepmom how much fun she had tonight and couldn't wait to go back.
I'm so glad I listened to God and went to Lazarus Tomb tonight. I'm so glad I got to be involved in this ministry and that we had an impact on these kids lives. I hope that I am able to go back again when my church goes and that I'll see those kids again. Even though their circumstances may not be the greatest, they're still children of God and they are still some of the greatest kids ever.
When God lays something on your heart that He wants you to do, just do it. Don't hesitate. Listen to Him, and it will be so rewarding. :)
