Treasure Hunting Update - 5th Feb 2011

So, I've just got back from Hope Churches latest hunting session.

It was a much smaller group this time - just the three of us - but God's works well in three, doesn't He!

Time was a little limited as well for one team member, so we hit the streets quickly. I had written down 'Brokenness', and also that 'we'd need compassion'. So I was looking for lots of broken people, be they emotional hurts or physical.

Janna & Johan then got speaking to a homeless man. I hung back, watching for others and praying. Speaking three onto one would be too overwhelming. This was all around the 'Metro', another of our clues.

I tried to speak to two people in the mean time - one guy reading a book in the midst of a wet snow storm. I said to him the book must be really good to be standing outside reading it. He seemed less amused. End of conversation. Another guy with a strong limp walked past, maybe it was a broken leg. He didn't want to talk either when I caught up with him.

A lady selling phone SIM's, with a stick, did allow us to pray, though not over her, just as we were walking around.

Back to the homeless man. They spoke with him for about 10 minutes, maybe more. I learnt after the hunt that he clearly was emotionally - broken. He cried as Janna shared God's love with him. Janna even then prayed a prayer of repentance with him, which he prayed also. So praise God! Johan said though that he seemed less impressed to find out we were from a pentecostal style church....but that's over to God now.

Another guy would have nothing to do with us....smoking and drinking as he was....stating he was Christian because he was Russian and Orthordox...

While hanging around that area some more, clearly one old Russian lady had been watching me.....not really talking to me, she was walking off saying I was an American agent - eg a spy. I've been asked if we were terrorists before as well.

In response this time, though she wasn't going to listen to an American spy, whatever he had to say, I just said I'm not American.....funny how my first reaction was to state I wasn't American as to state I wasn't either a spy!

Janna recognised a lady in a food stand that she'd spoken to on a previous hunt - she now had a copy of a tract in Kazac, so was able to give it to her.

So God alone knows who we were and weren't to speak too. We didn't find our Slava's, or Paul's, or Lena or Fred or Clark. Maybe they walked past us. Maybe we were just in the wrong place.

I long for the day's when we have dozens of people going out on these times, not because they have to but because they get the chance to! I long for the days of seeing proper miracles happening through these teams, and people giving their lives totally to Jesus on the streets. I long to see future church planters found, worship leaders and pastors, found on the streets in our hunts and having their lives radically transformed through the power and life that is ONLY found in Jesus.

So 3 or 33 people, this is why we go out. We need to start somewhere. Better to start today while we are still learning, than in a tomorrow that will never come.

We go out next in 4 weeks - 5th March. Lord, I pray for a great crowd to join us then and that you would prepare now those people that we'll meet and speak to, those miracles that we will pray for and those souls that you will save.

Amen!