Stories from Hollywood - John

There are so many wonderful stories to tell of the wonderful things God revealed to us in Hollywood. What sets this story apart is that this didn't take place on one of our outreaches. This actually took place on one of our days off. It just goes to show that God doesn't take a day off, and that we don't need a huge outreach planned to do His good works.

This story begins on a beautiful Sunday morning. We had a bunch of sausage biscuits from McDonalds for breakfast. There were a lot left over, so I went with a couple of members from our team to streets. The streets were blocked off for a Farmer's Market. I loved the crisp, cool, California morning air. It was fun seeing all of the different stands at the Farmers Market. There were all kinds of foods, drinks, and even performers present. The beauty of the Hollywood area are all of the creative people. I was intrigued by a lady sitting behind a type writer. On her stand was a sign that signified her as a "Poem Store." She was willing to write a poem from any word given, and you name the price. I am amazed at all of the creative people God has placed in this world. Could you imagine what this world would look like if they all would use their gifts and talents for the Kingdom?

We turned the corner away from the Farmer's Market, and saw a few homeless that accepted our gifts. One in particular's name was John. He was a young man with blue glasses and a gray hat. He was very gracious for the biscuit. We asked if we could pray for him, and we did. He was so blessed by our kindness. He admitted to using drugs, and for just not caring. He was so impressed that we took the time to care for him, a man who didn't even care for himself. We had given John 2 biscuits, and because of our kindness, he was inspired to give his second biscuit to another man waiting at the bus stop.

This is what it is all about - giving hope to the hopeless.

Stories from Hollywood - Ruby

My mission trip to Hollywood was life changing. I don't know if I can ever adequately tell the tales of Hollywood, but every story is worth mentioning. I plan to take you along the journey that I took to Hollywood through stories...

The story actually begins months before I even placed a foot on the grounds of LA. The majority of our preparation for the trip was spent in the prayer room. I had visions and dreams leading up to the trip, and I knew that we were breaking ground for something amazing. One of the things that we prayed for was prophetic dreams. One of the prophetic dreams I had was of a young girl, very beautiful with long brown hair and sparkling blue eyes.

On the first day of our trip, we did a scavenger/ treasure hunt to learn our way around the city. My team took the subway to Pershing Square. While on the subway, I noticed a girl that looked strangely familiar; however, I quickly dismissed the thought of familiarity. Later that night, we took a prayer tour of the city, which ended with a walk down Hollywood Blvd. I noticed the same girl crouched against the wall to an abandoned building holding a homeless sign. I nudged a girl from our group who had been with me the whole day, and asked her if she remembered the girl from the subway. Nope, she never even noticed her. That night we were told to pay extra close attention to people we see multiple times - they just may be our divine appointments. At that moment, I was reminded of the girl. Later that night, after rummaging through my journal, I realized the reason this girl looked so familiar - she was the girl from my dream. After that, I began praying for her on a regular basis. I saw her another time on one of our outreaches, but I was unable to stop to talk to her. Finally, on a late night outreach, towards the end of our trip, I saw her again. This time, I was able to stop to talk. I found out her name was Ruby. I revealed to her my dream, and the word of hope God had given me for her. She introduced herself as Ruby, and she was a Christian. She and her family was from Australia, and due to unfortunate circumstances found themselves stranded on the streets of Hollywood. Her mother was uncomfortable by my presence. Ruby explained to her that I was a Christian, in which she abruptly replied, “That’s what they all say.” I handed her a track from the Oasis to show that I was a Christian, and to give the Oasis contact information. I invited Ruby and her younger sister to Club Zion. Ruby was familiar with the Oasis and Club Zion. While Ruby’s mom did not want me praying for them on the street, I promised Ruby I will continue to pray for her. I could see by the end of our conversation both Ruby and I were impacted by each other’s kindness. Unfortunately, I didn’t see Ruby again. I will never forget her bright blue eyes, overwhelmed by sadness, but gained a glimmer of hope by the end of our conversation.

If I had not prepared myself through prayer before the trip, and learned how to break out of my comfort zone by talking to people, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to talk to Ruby that night. Yes, my heart is forever changed by Ruby. This is just one of many examples of how God showed me how to break past my timidity to talk to people and show them the love of Jesus.

First Year Recap

I know we are a bit late in the game in setting this up, but here is a recap of the top 5 highlights from our first year (In no particular order):

# 1: Move In Week!

We officially moved to Dallas on August 12, 2013. By the end of the week we had our apartment looking like a home. The first week we had orientation, an Encounter retreat, and lots of settling in to do. Classes started the next week, and boy did we enjoy our classes. Our classes consisted of Biblical World View, Principles of Faith, Intercessory Prayer, and Foundations in

Creation Science. Along with our classes we had Chapel every morning at 8 am, Lectures in Practical Theology at 11 am everyday, in which we often heard from a guest speaker, and TNE every Tuesday Night - where we were blessed with guest speakers. We also quickly made some new friends, which made settling in that much easier.

#2: Children's Pastors Position: 

1. In September, we accepted positions at a small church as children's pastors. Our job was to set up a children's ministry at the church. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. We love ministering to children, and this gave us plenty of opportunities to do that.

# 3: Sights to See:

Visiting the Ft. Worth Zoo was one of our favorites sights to see. The baby animals were adorable, and the Texas Town was fun. Plus they had Blue Bell Ice Cream! We also enjoyed a field trip to the Creation Museum in Glen Rose, Texas.

 

 

#4: Events at the School:

Being a student at CFNI has it's advantages. Some include attending special events such as the Voice of Healing Conference with Heidi Baker, Resonate Conference, and Reformation Day - praying for Justice. We even had a visit from the prayer bus, where we got to pray for America!






#5: Worship:
CFNI is the perfect place to find time to worship. Whether it is in the prayer room on campus, in the chapel services, or simply a gathering of families in our apartment, I love having a time to corporately worship our Lord and Savior!