Multiple times a week we are on the streets of Paterson telling people that there is hope, and hope’s name is Jesus. Every time we’re there, God also reminds us that we are in over our heads, and the results are God’s, not ours. We encounter individuals who have been beaten, raped, sexually molested, prostituted, imprisoned, neglected, abused, homeless, seen family members brutally murdered, experienced food insecurity, and the list goes on. One individual, “B” told us she changed her name to Emotion, because “B” had seen too much. So much hurt. No hope. And barely 20 years old.
Thankfully, God is the one in control, he loves us unconditionally, and because of Him, there is hope! There is no situation that is too big for our God. Please pray for “B” and all the lost out there to accept the freedom that is only found through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
When I was five years-old I lost my father. But I would still say that I had a fairly normal life. Everything was pretty normal until I hit high school when everything began to spiral out of control. My family moved to Hawthorne and it wasn’t too much longer that I started to use heroin. I began using to hide from myself and cover up the pain I was starting to feel. I thought I would be fine and that my family was always going to support me, until that one day, after six years of drug abuse and all the craziness that comes with it, I got kicked out. I went right to the streets of Paterson and it got a bit rough living out there. The only good thing that came out of getting kicked out was that I met Tim and his team. With every passing day, I became a bigger and bigger mess, but ran into Tim more and more around Paterson. Every time we would meet, he would pray for me and let me know that there were options, but I kept telling him that I wasn’t ready. After about a year-and-a-half, I finally went to Tim for help and he did not hesitate to help me. So, On March 13, I told Tim that I wanted to go to a Christian program and that next morning they had me in detox. On March 18, Tim and David picked me up to take me from detox and drove me out to Ohio to start a discipleship program. The minute I got to the house in Ohio, a different feeling came over me and I knew I was in the right place. It wasn’t easy in the beginning, but I knew my recovery was only going to work with God. Before God, I tried everything else, but now I realized how I needed God in my life. I feel his love like no other and recognize the abundance of grace he has poured out on me. I love the plan God has for my life and it’s even bigger than I expected. I now know that there is only one way to live and that is with Jesus Christ.
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