God WANTED him...

From the April 2010 Blog Archives

About a month ago, one of the guys I feed lunch to on Wednesdays came to a revival service with me. He is 18 and I will call him Victor. I was already taking two of the teen girls and he happened to be at their house when I picked them up. I invited him to come, but right away he said no. I usually leave it at that if people say no. But, I just kept asking him and I knew it was the Holy Spirit through me compelling him to come. He gave many excuses, but finally said, "You know what, I'm gonna go, it must be really important because you keep asking me."

As I spoke to him, the girls were helping me encourage him to come. They told me that one of the main reasons he wanted to stay in the neighborhood that night was so he could sell drugs. They climbed into my car and as I pulled away it was another one of those "in shock" moments. I couldn't believe he actually came. You see, these guys who come on Wednesdays, the majority of them wouldn't want to blow their tough cover by getting in a car with me. I understood that, so jokingly, I told him, "You can duck in the back seat if you want to." He said, "No, it doesn't bother me to ride with you Rachel."

We got our seats and the church was full of FREEDOM and the Presence of God. This is why I believe these young people were drawn to come to the services with me. They had never seen church like this before, there was dancing, shouting and people passionately worshiping God, holding nothing back. Even though this was foreign to them, they loved it and took it all in. They are surrounded by bondage every day, but in this place was the FREEDOM of Heaven. They knew something was different and they liked it.

There was an alter call given for people who wanted freedom from a wounded heart. Victor gladly raised his hand. I went up to the front with him and the minister noticed him and called one of his young people on the team to minister to him. This other young man had tattoos all over his arms just like Victor and noticed they both had a tattoo which represented the same thing. So this brought an instant connection. The young man on the team also used to sell drugs and was addicted to them. He lived a life on the streets as well.

While Victor was being prayed for, I went back to the girls and asked them if they were sure they didn't want to go up for prayer. They both said no. But, when Victor came back he said, "Man, this is for real. That guy who prayed for me, he was for real. It was good." About a minute later, the girls turned to me and said, "We want to get prayer too." After they heard what Victor said, it changed their hearts.

Further into the service, the minister felt led to do another alter call for those with any other bondage in their lives. All three of the kids went up again. :) I just sat back in awe enjoying every minute of watching God draw them and capture their hearts. Everyone there loved on them and made them feel welcomed. On the way home we stopped at McDonalds.

The next night, the young man on the ministry team approached me and said the leader of the ministry wanted to take Victor into their discipleship program. They have a program for young adults who need to get off the streets and who are serious about giving their life to Jesus. The majority of the ministry team is made up of young people who have been delivered from some form of addiction or perversion.

I went back home to track down Victor to tell him of this good news. He took it all in, but was very torn. You see, his life and family are these streets, so he had a lot to think about in this decision. His mother died a year ago and he doesn't know who his father is. He stays with a friend here in John DeShields, but it's not a permanent place. He has only been out of jail for 6 months, having been in jail two times previously. And he currently had two warrants out for his arrest. I told him to think about it and then I would come find him in a few days to see what he wanted to do. I so desperately wanted him to go.

A few days later, I found him and noticed that he seemed upset about something. I asked him over and over what was wrong and he didn't want to tell me at first, but he finally did. He told me that he had just bought a used car and someone stole the stereo. I asked him if he planned on retaliating. He said, "I'm not gonna lie to you, but yes I do." I pleaded with him to not ruin his life even further. I shared with him how obvious it is that God is pursuing him. The people at the ministry want him in their program, even though they were going to have to do a lot of work to get him in because of his criminal past. I had been chasing him down and I told him that this isn't us, but it's God pursuing him through us, because HE WANTED HIM. He said he would think about it some more.

Three days later I found out that he went to jail for shooting at some people, thankfully they didn't get hit. I called every jail I knew of and the law enforcement contacts I have, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I believe he was in jail under a different name than the one he had given me. As the weeks went by, I prayed that God would get a hold of him and cause him to remember the encounter he had with God.

Just yesterday, I saw him back in the neighborhood hanging out with the same crowd. I'm guessing he was bailed out, but I haven't talked to him yet. I'm just waiting for God's timing. I don't know what will happen next with Victor because he definitely has a record. But I know this... God met him that night at the revival and I believe that He is going to continue chasing after him, letting him know that He wants him.

Most recent update on Victor as of November 8, 2012
Victor went back into jail for over a year. I finally found out what prison he went to and we began writing each other back and forth. I would encourage him about his relationship with God and I could tell that he was struggling. He has been through so much pain in his life that he was probably just numb to God. We kept writing and he began reading his Bible and getting connected with a Bible study and a job at the prison. At one point I stopped getting letters from him and I wondered if everything was OK.

Then on April 13, 2011, I had a knock on my door. It was Victor, his girlfriend and his baby. He stopped by to tell me he was out of prison and to thank me for everything. He looked really good and like he had gained some weight. We all stood in a circle and prayed for their future and that God would continue to chase after him. Today I saw fruit of the lunch ministry that we do on Wednesdays! It just blessed me to see his face. I think I felt like the father of the prodigal son. :) We also talked about him staying out of trouble and doing something productive with his time. I told him that I didn't want to get anymore letters from jail and that he better not do anything else to go back there.

He smiled. We exchanged phone numbers and began to corresponded periodically through text. But over a few months, his number must have changed and I lost contact with him. I think about him often and wonder how he's doing. I have asked God to some how let him find me again or for me to find him. Please be praying with me for his success. I'm looking forward to seeing what God has been doing in his life.