my fellow Photo Storytelling students trekking down to a beautiful overlook spot for some photography practice time
I have loved our local ministry times so far. Once a week, we go do either a Homes of Hope family follow-up or street evangelism. I have enjoyed all our ministry times but I was surprised to find that I love doing street evangelism!
For street evangelism, we go to the Christian community center called Hope Zone in Tijuana’s red light district. Throughout the week, our YWAM San Diego/Baja staff have different ministry events and fellowship times for the Mexican people in that neighborhood. Some days are for families with kids, some are for youth, and some are for everyone.
Every other week, I’ve gotten to go to Hope Zone with a group of students and staff to pray and prepare to go out to the streets for ministry.
Here are some highlights from local ministry:
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
My very first time going out, my small evangelism group met a homeless man named Pablo. He had had a hard life and was facing lots of problems, including a mangled arm from a car accident which made it hard for him to find work.
While we were talking to him and listening to his story, he mentioned something about being born a month early which led to having health problems as a baby. I felt led to read him Psalm 139:13-16 (in Spanish!) which talks about David being knit together in his mother’s womb. I was able to encourage Pablo that God created him wonderfully and intentionally, even with the fact that he was born a month early, and that God had a good plan for his life.
We gave Pablo a Spanish Bible and prayed for him before he went on his way. I could tell he was encouraged by our interaction, and I was encouraged too.
Mary and Martha
Another cool time was meeting a homeless woman named Martha in the park and doing my best to share the story of Mary and Martha with her in Spanish. She actually understood me! Thankfully, one of my Mexican group members came over a few minutes later so I could pray for her in English while he translated my words into Spanish.
The Blessing of Obedience
One more highlight: that same day doing evangelism in the park, I was walking with my partner, asking the Lord who else we should talk to.
As we walked down a path lined with park benches, one of the few people sitting on the benches caught my eye. It was a Mexican woman, maybe in her 30s, who looked very somber, almost angry. I wasn’t sure if I should talk to her, so I didn’t say anything to my partner and we just kept going.
When we had passed the line of park benches though, I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me to go back and ask her how she was doing, because behind her anger I had noticed a hint of sadness, too. So I told my partner and we walked back and I asked her how she was doing in Spanish. As soon as I said “hola, como estás”, words, just started spilling out of her.
I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me...
I’m not sure of all the exact details because she only spoke Spanish, but this is the gist of what I gathered and what our translator who showed up later told me:
The woman (named Rosio) told us how she had come to Tijuana to do a house cleaning job, but then the person who hired her ended up not showing up. She had been banking on getting that money for transportation home and food for her kids, so now she didn’t know what to do, which was why she was sitting on the park bench. She also told us how her 4-year-old son had died three months ago.
At this point, Rosio started to cry.
At this point, Rosio started to cry. She was hurting, and I’m so glad I listened to the Holy Spirit’s nudge to go talk to her. My partner and I (and later our translator) were able to encourage her and pray for her and give her a Bible for herself and a kids Bible for her daughter who was still alive. We told Rosio that God loved her and would take care of her, even if it didn’t seem like it now. We only had a $1 bill to give her but we prayed that God would multiply it somehow. I also gave her a bracelet that a friend had given me a few days before and told her it would remind her that God was taking care of her. Rosio accepted everything with gratitude and tears. It seemed like she knew Jesus and had just not been walking with him recently but wanted to come back to him. My heart went out to her and I thought of all the times when God has sent someone to encourage me when I’ve felt discouraged and far from God.
My heart went out to her and I thought of all the times when God has sent someone to encourage me...
I don’t know what happened with Rosio because it was time to go back to base after that, but I do trust that God took care of her that day. I’m grateful, too, that I got to be a part of it.
