So Juvenile hall was a moving thing. I geared up to share my testimony, confident that the Holy Spirit would use and give me the message for those kids. When I got there, i found out that they didn't have time for my testimony at the service so i went up into the cell blocks again. Where the kids don't like being preached to, but rather in dialog with.
Kota (a dear Japanese brother) and I got dropped off into this section of cells where about 20 kids live. After signing in, it is up to us to see if the kids would like to join us. They were all in the TV room and as I approached I heard "I don't need no Jesus. Allah is my God." That was met with confirming comments and so I was like "who wants to talk about Jesus Christ, His cross and the Word of God." Rejected!! As we turned around there was this one kid behind us who came up and was like: "You want to talk about Jesus, yeah I want that. I'll join you." So for visit one we met Chaz. I call him a brother because when he arrived at the Audi home (for the second time in his young life), two weeks ago, he prayed to have Jesus come into his heart and change his life. Chaz is a two week old believer with no support around him! God entrusted this fledgeling new believer to our counsel.
The second visit we talked with Maurice, Terry, and Charles. The last two are going before the judge today (14th). They were claiming Christ too and we had a good talk about what Jesus meant when he said "Seek first the kingdom of God..." They were ready to get out of jail -they all are. But they needed the God they come to rely on in jail to go with them out there. They said it wasn't easy. So I promised that we'd be in prayer for their transition. I offered the notion that God is sovereign meaning that seeking Him first might look like waiting, and that's exactly what it is. Waiting on God change your life and lift you up from your circumstance. Saying no when you get the feeling of a bad choice coming on.
The story that blessed me richly was this Moody girl named Chrissy. She got up in front of the girl's service (30 girls) and shared her testimony. It was a testimony of thinking she was a Christian all her life until she finds no proof of Jesus inside of her as she starts selling drugs etc... The ways she spoke was very patient and intensional looking to get the girls on the same page. She wept and at the end admitted this: "I came to know the Lord less than a year ago and look at the change." I was just amazed at what God did there.
I was shocked. Ever witness a believer being used by God so obviously in one day, one moment? So encouraging, I was just all ears because God was busy doing something and using her. When Chrissy went up into the boy's cells. She went to the solitary confinement section where a white boy-athiest was teasing her, making catcalls, telling her she looked good and wanted her to talk to him. Chrissy's buddy that was with her said "if you think she looks good in the outside, you should hear what God has done inside her." So she shared her testimony for a second time. This kid was humbled, silenced and knew the changes that happened to her were bigger than her. So she asked him if he wanted to receive Jesus as savior in your heart and he said yes and they prayed. Chrissy witnessed a change of heart in him she said. Talk about intense right!!
Her round two was another boys cell block. The kid she was talking to was a believer and had been just so frustrated on the topic of answered prayer. He mentioned that at certain times in his life God answers his prayers and blesses so obviously. Being locked up felt like there was no answer to prayer. He mentioned that for the last month he'd been praying for the salvation of this guy in his section that hated Jesus and argued with him constantly. He told Chrissy that the last time they argued about Christianity, things got so bad he got put in solitary confinement. Then Chrissy asked: "Is he an athiest?" the kid said "yes." Chrissy then asked: "Is he white?" He said, "yes" and told her the athiest's name. And she just started weeping sweet tears and told him that the kid in solitary confinement just received Christ into his heart about an hour ago with her.
