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Mobile Outreach: Reflections
Thu, March 15th
If I had my way, at least one person would return with me to the
Mission
every time that I went out on a Mobile Outreach event, but that’s not always the case.
However, last night’s outreach in
Oakland
was memorable for another reason. I actually spoke to nearly 30 people during a very busy evening of visiting homeless encampments with the OPD. Although none opted to return to the
Mission
for shelter or other services, I had the privilege of helping MANY people by giving out necessities like food, clothing, water, hygiene products and much more. In a very memorable way, the people that I helped seem to express their thanks in ways that seemed more sincere and heartfelt than any outing in recent ministry. While I was giving out the items, I kept being reminded of the OT passages that speak of God exhorting
Israel
to be “open handed” toward the poor and needy. Whether we brought anyone home last night or not, I believe that God was pleased with our generosity as desperate people were given BRAND NEW soaps, deodorants, razors, socks, T-shirts and more.
The last woman that I helped that evening was actually blind and begging with her partner on the street corner. After speaking to her, we discovered that she had lost her sight four years earlier as a result of health problems. When I explained what we were doing, she was overwhelmed with thanksgiving when she learned that we were able to provide a coat and sleeping bag for her. She truly appeared to be in great need of both and said that God had answered her prayers through us. When I drove away, her partner helped turn her body toward the direction of the R.V. so she could wave to me and shout THANK YOU one last time! I have to admit, it was quite a site to see the smile on her face as she waved energetically in a like-new, warm jacket while holding her sleeping bag.
May the Lord continue to bless this ministry as we persist in being “open handed” toward the poor and needy while offering them the hope of Jesus Christ for His glory!
In His service,
Ron Johnson
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Fri, December 29th
In case you’re wondering if the Bay Area Rescue
Mission
’s Mobile Outreach ministry really makes a difference, just ask the 39 year old woman named Lisa who returned with us from the streets of
Oakland
for food and shelter last night…
When we first encountered her, she was lying in a cold, concrete doorway in
East Oakland
. Shortly after we began to talk, she informed us that she was three months pregnant with her first child and was very hungry. After hearing about what the
Mission
had to offer her and discovering that we were willing to take her there, she enthusiastically accepted the invitation to return. Within the hour, she was in our dining hall eating a tasty ham sandwich and sipping on chocolate milk. She was then entrusted to the women in our family center for care and a place to sleep. My hope and prayer is that God will use the time that Lisa spends with us at the Bay Area Rescue
Mission
no matter how long or short it may be.
In His service,
Ron Johnson
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Fri, October 20th
I thought you all might be encouraged to know that a man who simply identified himself as
Jackson
prayed to receive Christ with me on the streets of
Oakland
last night. Our group encountered him and another individual sitting in the bushes behind a fence that overlooked the freeway. Had it not been for the police officer’s flashlight, we never would have known they were there.
After accepting the officer’s invitation to speak with C-CARE volunteers, the lady that I was working with immediately focused in on
Jackson
’s friend and it wasn’t long before my conversation with
Jackson
turned toward eternal things. After discovering that BARM was a Christian-based ministry, Jackson quickly pointed out that what we were doing reminded him of a parable that he remembered from the Bible where guests were invited to attend a wedding banquet, yet none came until the king commanded his servants to “Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found (Matt 22:9-10).”
Needless to say, it was obvious that
Jackson
was familiar with the Bible. Before we were done talking to each other, he referred to or quoted no less than 5-6 passages of Scripture. Shortly after referring to himself as a “spiritual man,” I asked
Jackson
where he considered himself to be on his spiritual journey. He shared that he spent time in the church as a young man, but that he had wandered far away from God many years ago. After
Jackson
made a reference to mankind being created in the image of God, I asked him why he believed God created us. He responded by answering “so that we could be with Him one day in Heaven.” I then asked him if he believed that a person could know that they were going to Heaven and if so, how they could have that confidence. At this point,
Jackson
’s answers quickly turned away from the Bible that he had been quoting and focused in much more upon man’s accomplishments here on earth to secure eternity in Heaven. I then asked him if I could share what the Bible says about how a person can know that they were going to heaven and gave him the gospel message. By God’s grace he was extremely attentive and seemed to drink in every word that I shared. After sharing it with him, I asked if he believed what I shared and was willing to stop trusting in what he could do to get to heaven and was willing to trust in what Christ had accomplished for him on his behalf to save him.
Jackson
responded with a very clear YES and we then bowed together in prayer as I thanked God for allowing our paths to cross and interceded for him while standing on opposite sides of a cyclone fence in the midst of a very dimly lit area.
Believe it or not, this entire conversation took place in less than 10 minutes and was very straightforward and to the point.
Jackson
made a choice not to return to the
Mission
with us and I realize that I may never see him again. However, my hope and prayer is that God truly used what transpired during those 10 minutes to change this man’s life eternally. Only God knows for certain if that is the case and it would be just like Him to pour out His grace upon a man like
Jackson
that confessed to openly running from him for years. Please remember to pray for
Jackson
and ask the Lord to complete what He appears to have started in him last night (Phil 1:6).
In His service,
Ron Johnson
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Fri, May 19th
Last night’s C-CARE event turned out to be a very memorable evening as
a volunteer
and I had the opportunity to minister to almost 10 people. We visited several people living under a bridge in West Oakland, just south of
Jack
London
Village
. Our hearts went out to two men that we had never seen before named Robert and
Santiago
. Both were intoxicated to some degree, but coherent enough to talk with us. Robert even admitted to having prayed on several occasions that God would send someone to help him. However, he just was not ready to return with us last night. The more that we spoke with him and encouraged him to come, the more he wept and shut down even though he was convinced that he needed to make a change.
Santiago on the other hand, spoke very broken English and didn’t pay much attention to us at first until another volunteer and Sergeant Yoell finally got him to open up a little bit and he began to weep uncontrollably and wail like a child. He was overwhelmed by the fact that we cared enough to come under a bridge to look for him and hugged us repeatedly thanking us for the food and gospel literature that we offered. Unfortunately, he refused to make a move even though we repeatedly offered our help and encouraged both of them that they could get a new start at the mission.
For some reason, I probably felt more aware of how in bondage to sin and the effects of alcohol that these men were and how desperate their condition was than with anyone I had encountered in recent memory. They were certain that they needed help and had even asked God to bring it to them, but still refused in the end to let go of a bottle and their pride in order to receive it. Our time together ended in prayer as we joined arms in a circle and asked God to deliver them and bring them to a place where they could get the help that they need.
Later, we encountered a couple and a man living in a tent, in a field, behind some empty warehouses and approached them with caution since they had a fairly mean looking dog. Sergeant Yoell kept one hand on his gun as the dog approached and told the owner repeatedly to get his dog. To our dismay, the man would not come out of the tent (our assumption at first was that he may have been handicapped and unable to walk). However, after the dog finally returned to his owner and we began to talk to the people, we realized that the man did not want to leave his tent because he was too drunk to even stand up without falling. He was somewhat hostile and unreceptive at first and repeated that he did not want any of our resources. However, he and the others later softened up a little bit after they realized that they weren’t going to be forced to leave. In fact, they were truly excited when I explained that we had some “self-heating” meals that we could give to them. I teased them a little and said that I didn’t know if I could do that since they were technically considered a “resource.” The people eventually expressed their gratitude for our help and accepted the gospel literature and welcomed our prayer even though they were too drunk to have much of an intelligent conversation with. The sad truth is that they wanted to remain where they were and didn’t want to change anything.
Please pray that the Lord might use the relationships that we built last night and the love that was offered in his name to make a difference in the lives of these individuals in the future.
In His service,
Ron Johnson
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