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.
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