Street Ministry - Middlebury Street 7-21-9
I had a very good night last night talking and praying with people on Middlebury Street. I was by myself. It was a pleasant summers evening. Warm and a little humid, but surely not exceptional for the third week of July. Lots of people were out. As one neighborhood resident remarked, "The street has been very quiet. . .", and that is a good thing. Spent time talking with Ralph, the neighborhood observer. Most anytime during the daylight hours, Ralph can be seen sitting on his porch watching the world go by. He is retired. Sometimes I wave at him three or four times in a day as I travel up and down Middlebury Street in my car.
Spent quite a bit of time at David and Zoe's. David's health continues to deteriorate. His head is just covered with tumors. He has skin cancer behind one ear and now is having growths of some kind erupt beside his nose. . .the have tremendous financial needs. . . medicine and oxygen, diabetic supplies, etc. for David. . .very difficult times for them. He loves to come out and talk with me on his porch. If I'm not there on a Tuesday evening, his wife says he worries that something has happened to me. He often eats his dinner as I sit and chat with him.
I was able to speak and pray with numbers of people in the apartments. A common theme was requests for financial needs. There just aren't jobs available for people. After anointing and praying with one group of ladies, three young girls maybe 8 or 10 years old approached me. "What were you doing over there?", they asked. The saw our little circle of prayer in the entrance of one of the apartment buildings at Prairie and Middlebury Streets. I told them that we were praying, talking to God, asking Him for something. "Could we pray with you?", was their response. Seven more children quickly joined the first three. I put a little spot of my sweet smelling Rose of Sharon/olive oil mix on their hands. Had them smell it and explained to them how the oil was a symbol of the Spirit of God and how we should always desire to be covered by God's Spirit.
A couple of the little girls had no hesitation starting out praying, "GOD. . .", they loudly spoke, but quickly became unsure and kind of trailed off after that. I asked what things they might need in their lives that God might be able to provide. "Anyone in your family sick?", I asked. That struck a chord. Several spoke up of aunties, or grandparents, or in the case of one a pregnant mother who was having problems. So we spoke to God about these innocent and powerfully faith filled requests. . . maybe. . .more than maybe, quite likely the first prayers for most of these children. It was very very nice, holding hands and praying in our little sidewalk circle on a golden summers eve. . .
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