RAVEN EAST COAST

CrossLife College & School of Urban Missions

2011-04-21T13:53:00.002-04:00

As many of you may already know, Lucy and I have recently moved to New Orleans, LA to fulfill the next phase of the Lord's call upon our lives. Being church planters and ministry development directors for RAVEN Ministry International, we are here to develop the next phase of the ministry in New Orleans.

With our passion being discipleship, leadership development, and urban missions, the Lord has called us to start CrossLife College & School of Urban Missions. The School of Urban Missions is a fully credited Bible College that is training men and women to proclaim Christ throughout the cities of our world.

While preparing for ministry at CrossLife College & School of Urban Missions, students will receive academic excellence, practical hands-on ministry and transformational mentorship. There are eight characteristics that make CrossLife College distinctive from other Bible colleges:

Involvement in the leading-edge Great Commission based ministry of RAVEN Ministries International, Inc.
Proven Leadership Reproduction and Facilitation
Mentoring through the investment of pioneers in urban missions, outreach evangelism, and ministry networking
Multi-faceted ministry development practicum in New Orleans
Pastoral, Evangelistic, College & Youth/Children internships
The O.A.K. Principle of Ministry - Opportunity, Accountability & Kingdom-mindedness
Major Outreaches in: Daytona Beach (FL), Toronto Ontario (Canada), Guadalajara (Mexico), San Francisco (CA)
Post-Educational ministry opportunities through our international network

Please pray for this new development and for the Lord's wisdom and direction. If you would like more information concerning the programs offered through CrossLife College & School of Urban Missions you may contact us at:

CrossLife College

PO Box 2102

Kenner, LA 70063

(985) 235-9839

OR
visit the main site

School of Urban Missions

OR
by eMail

Lucy Croghan - Cohort Advisor

Pastor Sam Croghan

CrossLife College

Contact us Today! Deadlines for enrollment and for Federal Financial aid are quickly approaching!

A New Level ... The RAVEN Amarillo Int'l Church & DISCIPLESHIP CENTER

2010-10-14T18:33:00.001-04:00

We have been in Amarillo, TX for six (6) months now, and Praise God! the Lord is doing some incredible things!

We are preparing to begin renovations on the Discipleship Center at the church. We will be installing showers, a laundry room, and walls for dorms to house the ministry interns we will be hosting. Lucy, Ma, Meg and I have already moved into the Discipleship Center in preparation for what the Lord is going to do. Three interns are already with us and another arrives in a couple weeks. Our initial plans include enough room to house our family and up to 12 interns.

These interns are young men and women who have been called to the ministry as pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets, apostles, and wives of such. They will be discipled through classroom teaching, local church administration, and hands-on application. We will be providing various types of intern opportunities, in the form of 3, 6, 9 and 12 month discipleship plans.

We will be providing discipleship training in the following areas:

* Introduction to Leadership Discipleship (Approx. 10 weeks)
* Word Discipleship (17 week in-depth study into the Word of God)
* Leadership (22 week in-depth study on what a leader is and what it is going to take to be one, within the Body of Christ)
* Pastoral Discipleship (Length TBD)
* Pastor’s Wives discipleship (Length TBD)

The beginning phase of construction has already begun, with much to accomplish. While many of the furnishings and the washer and dryer have already been donated, we are in need of materials and finances to make this new project successful. Below is an initial list of materials needed to complete the first phase of our construction:

* ~~73 ea. – 2x4x8’~~ (DONATED!)
* ~~12 ea. – 2x4x14’~~ (DONATED!)
* 25 ea. – 4x8x1/2” sheet rock
* Nails 12’s sinkers hand drivers
* Several boxes of drywall screws
* 6 tubes – liquid nails, small tubes
* 2 ea. – 1 peace shower stalls 36”-42” square
* 2 ea. – shower fixture sets
* Various sized PVC plumbing pipe & fittings (1/2”, ¾”, 2 ½”), other sizes may be needed as well
* Electrical Supplies (outlets, wire, switches, light fixtures, and fans for the bathrooms)

If anyone knows where we can get these supplies CHEAP, where we might go to get them donated, or if you would like to contribute toward us getting these supplies, please let me know. Or, if you would like, you can donate securely online through PayPal. [ LINK on RIGHT ]

Thank you all for helping this vision come to pass. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

God Bless you, in Jesus’ name. Amen!

OPERATION IMPACT

2010-05-31T15:50:00.006-04:00

Our Mision:

IN June 2010, the IMPACT BUS will leave out from the City of New Orleans with a team of ON FIRE college-aged young adults. These young people are SOLD OUT to JESUS CHRIST and ready to make an impact of this NATION! They will be ministering in Word, worship, drama, benevolence, and outreach in cities, neighborhoods and in local churches.

The IMPACT TEAM will be working with local churches to train and motivate the local body to make a greater impact for their schools, universities, jobs, families and cities.

Traveling across this country, they will be IMPACTING many states including:

Oklahoma, Texas, New Orleans, Louisiana, Misouri, Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina, Canada, And Others....

They will return to New Orleans in late August having spent three months in a relentless pursuit of the presence of the Lord and a desperate desire to see His Transforming power revealed to the lost and dying!

"Equip the saints for the work of the ministry..." (Eph 4:12)

"Always be ready with a defense to everyone who asks..." (1 Pet 3:15)

Testimonies:

"I finally made a decision. I decided to follow Christ 100%. . .
I was set free from every sin that I was a slave to.
That sounds like a supernatural God to me!"
Josh R. (age 20) Santa Barbara, CA

". . . Something about my life [had to change]. . .
I was set on fire by the Lord! I know who my Lord is. . .
I want to do His will and help others any way
that I can."
Jesse A (age 24) Port Orange, FL

"I grew up in Church. . . [in] time I didn't believe in God anymore. . .
[but] I praise God that He put certain people in my life. . .
I just have one thing to say [now], He is REAL!"
Meghan C. (age 18) TX

"I talked a good talk. . . And thought I was a true Christian. . .
And felt dead and stagnant. I finally allowed myself to lay
everything down at the foot of the Cross. . .
I have never been more free or had more joy in my life."
Brittany D. (age 19) LA

In over twenty years of ministry, there have been few things that I have been so excited and expectant about than Operation Impact and these young people who make up the team. Melanie and I want to give our complete endorsement and support for there efforts to reach the lost and impart into the Body of Christ this coming summer. These guys are the REAL DEAL and will "BRING IT". This is not some hyped-up youth ministry either. This group may just be in their late teens and early 20's - -but they have "cut their teeth" on front-line ministry and are ardent students of the the Word of God!

If you are a pastor or church leader - you would do well to schedule this group to come into your church this summer - - that is if you have time for a REVIVAL to break out!

Pastor Troy D. Bohn
Founder/Director - Raven Ministries International, Inc
(and) Free World Missions
(504)202-0939

Be sure to book this incredible group of young people for your church or ministry today!

RAVEN Amarillo Int'l Church Newsletter

2010-05-24T15:33:00.004-04:00

Check out our first newsletter at the following link.

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=4ca5fa0966&view=att&th=128b2c72ff2ad2d1&attid=0.1&disp=attd&realattid=f_g9er2xsb0&zw

RAVEN East Coast In Amarillo, TX At Last

2010-04-16T14:55:00.002-04:00

After a long trip across the Southern portion of our Nation, we finally made it to Amarillo, TX on Monday morning April 12th. We were welcomed by a large portion of the growing team.

It is now Friday the 16th and the newness still has not worn off yet, there is still a house full every night. We are excited to get started with the work the Lord has called us to here in Amarillo. We look forward to re-establishing relationships and refocusing the vision in this area. We are extremely humbled and honored by the call to establish this work in the place where RAVEN Ministries was birthed. We anticipate great things from the Lord this year.

If you are in the Amarillo area, and have questions or concerns about this work, please do not hesitate to call me at 717-965-7080 so we can arrange a time to get together and talk. Lucy and I would like to thank all of you, for your prayers and support.

Pastor Sam & Lucy Croghan
RAVEN Amarillo
RAVEN Amarillo International Church

Only 3 1/2 Weeks Away

2010-03-10T21:37:00.002-05:00

In only 3 1/2 weeks we will be headed for Amarillo, TX. The job ahead is much bigger than me. Without Jesus, it will not be successful. Please pray that the Lord will work in me, that my flesh will die, and His Spirit will live in me. May I decrease, so that He may increase in my life.

As we prepare to move, we survey all that needs to be done, and wonder how we will complete it all. Knowing all along, He will make it work for His glory. Only weeks away, and still needing the funds to move what little we have, but knowing He will provide. He is my everything, and I surrender my all to Him and Him alone. Lord lead me, strip me, fill me. Give me your wisdom and your strength. Amen!

NEW RAVEN GEAR!!!

2010-02-08T17:54:00.013-05:00

EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE AT MARDI GRAS!

No Orders -- First Come, First Serve
ALL proceeds go to RAVEN to pay for Mardi Gras costs

All items are resin over graphic - waterproof coating

RAVEN Glass Pendants

Large:
8 available // $20.00

7/8" x 1-7/8"
antiqued Tibetan silver bail
ball chain

Small:
6 available // $15.00
5/8" x 7/8" (scrabble tile size)
antiqued Tibetan silver bail
nickel-plated snake chain

RAVEN Dog Tags

Single-sided: 10 available // $15.00
2" x 1-1/8"
antiqued Tibetan silver bail
ball chain (various colors available)

Double-sided: 23 available // $20.00

2" x 1-3/16"
antiqued Tibetan silver bail
ball chain (various colors available)
various graphics on back

RAVEN Earrings

20 available // $10.00
5/8" x 7/8" (scrabble tile)
fish-hook earwires

What Can I Do?

2010-01-14T20:08:00.002-05:00

Several people have asked me lately, what can we do to help you with this new church plant in Amarillo, TX. Well, here is what we need help with right now...

Pray for the new work and for the workers who will be a part of it.
Pray for Lucy and I for wisdom as we disciple the team in Amarillo.
Pray that we will hear the voice of God in order that we will raise up the right leaders and elders.
Make a donation for... 1. traveling expenses
2. repairing a Fender Sound System we need to take with us
3. repairing an overhead projector we are taking with us
4. rental trailer to take with us to haul all our stuff
5. ink for printer (to make brochures, flyers, etc.)
6. other misc. office supplies
7. other misc. items/expenses

Since, people were asking, just wanted to let you all know what the needs are. Thank you for your concern, interest and help.

PS

WELL... IT'S OFFICIAL!

2010-01-11T09:10:00.003-05:00

It is now official! RAVEN East Coast is moving West for a while. The Lord has had this in the works for quite some time, but now it is finally coming to pass. Lucy, Meg and I will be heading to Amarillo, TX right after Easter to begin the process of planting a new RAVEN Ministries International Church.

This past year in Daytona Beach has been a year of growth for our family. We have faced many struggles (spiritually, financially, relationally & emotionally), however, God has been faithful through it all. We have taken the past year to reflect upon ourselves and allow the Lord to reveal things in us that needed to be fixed because they were broken. This past year has been a complete walk of faith for us, many times not knowing when or if we would be able to eat, when or if we would have a place to call home, and at times even struggled with whether we made the right choice in moving to Florida. But through it all the Lord continued to show His faithfulness. He continued to work in me to strip me of my old man, my old ways, my old thinking..He truly has brought me (& my family) through a year of REPENTANCE! It has been a very difficult year, but it has been the best year of my life. We have grown so much, we have matured in the faith, and now truly know what it means to walk by faith and not by sight!

The faith walk is not ending, it is just taking a different turn! We leave Florida to head to Amarillo, TX, with less then when we arrived (materially), but yet we leave with much more (spiritually). We are looking forward to this year of training, discipleship, hard work and miracles in the Lord. This is just the beginning of our journey and where we end up next, I do not know. But I do know, that when ever God calls, I will raise up my hand and say, "Here I am!"

All of you friends, family, acquaintances, please keep this new work in prayer this year. Many are going to be stepping out in faith this year and making commitments to this new work, and the Devil is not going to be happy! Pray for the workers, pray for the work, pray for the finances, and pray for our family! We thank you all for your love and support! Please check back later for updates and testimonies! Blessings in Jesus' name!

Pastor Sam & Lucy Croghan

What if YOU could help put 400 Warriors for Christ on the Mission Field?

2009-09-24T17:20:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends,

When we trust in Jesus and work together, we can do more than we could ever imagine! That is what we have found in nearly 20 years of taking the love of Christ and the message of the Cross to hurting people across this nation and beyond.

It was 2003 when our ministry changed, and our lives along with it! Having served a local church for nearly 14 years the Lord challenged us to move into a whole new dimension of faith. He began to show us that what had been im-possible through our best and most sincere efforts could now become Him-possible if we would only obey. So, we decided to obey, and we have seen God do some amazing things, and change thousands of lives ever since! The Jeans for Jesus Project is one of those “acts of obedience” that we believe is another means to impact many people for His Kingdom.

Our teams have taken emergency relief into areas decimated by natural disasters. We have impacted housing projects and have had Police officers say to us, “Thank you for coming to this area. You cannot know how big of an impact you have made.” Children, the elderly, and those living on the streets have also been greatly touched by the work of the ministry as the Body of Christ has banded together to help those in need. The Jeans for Jesus Project is another way to do even more!

HOW THE JEANS FOR JESUS PROJECT WORKS – from OUR end
We collect donated jeans from churches, civic groups, Sunday school classes, sports teams, schools, and even individuals, with a love offering in the pocket of each pair collected.

These jeans and offering then become a resource to minister to thousands of people through food, clothes, and the ministering of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our Conviction is that there are many people who are in desperate need—both physically and spiritually.

Our Passion is to touch those lives by whatever means necessary to show them that there is still hope.

Our Commitment is to “Do as much as we can with as much as we have” and as God brings the increase we will go further in reaching out to those who are the most desperate.

Our Vision is to use this as a resource to spread the message of Jesus.

HOW THE JEANS FOR JESUS PROJECT WORKS – from YOUR end

Coordinate and Promote a Jeans for Jesus Campaign within your Church, Youth or Senior Ministry or other organization - you can contact us for ideas on how to have the most success!

Recommend Jeans for Jesus to others you may know - together is how we make the biggest difference!

Become a Monthly Financial Supporter of the Ministry - when you “give” it allows us to keep “going” to the most needy!

Volunteer for one of our outreach teams - You will see for yourself what your investment is doing and you’ll see your life changed too!

Pray for us - that is what strengthens us, and carries us through the difficult times!

THIS TERM’S PROJECT WILL HAVE FOUR PRIMARY TARGET AREAS:
Jeans for the Homeless -- These are literally life-savers for many people living on the streets. We will be distributing jeans as well as other winter clothing in these primary areas:

“The Tenderloin” - San Francisco, CA
“Skid Row” - Los Angeles, CA
Housing Projects - Raleigh/Durham, NC
Housing Projects - New Orleans, LA
“Kennsington” - Philadelphia, PA
Kingston, Jamaica

Revolution Youth Training -- We are seeing a REVIVAL amongst the youth and college-aged across the country. We are now hosting special Youth Leadership Training Events designed to equip a new generation to take the Gospel into their campuses.

Mardi Gras Outreach 2010 -- Our annual outreach to the City of New Orleans has been blessed to see thousands of people come to the Lord Jesus over the years. We are expecting to put over 400 Urban Missionaries on the streets this coming February. This alone comes with a cost of nearly $25,000 - which is a small price to pay to see many come to Christ.

Raven Jamaica -- We are taking a street ministry team into Kingston in the Spring of 2010.

Remember, your help could have an EVERLASTING impact!

Many Blessings –
Pastor Troy D. Bohn
Founder and International Director
P.O. Box 1897
Daytona Beach, Florida 32115

Contact - PastorTroy@BigGrace.com

website(s) www.BigGrace.com (or)
www.ravenOutreach.Blogspot.com

NEW RAVEN GEAR!

2009-09-21T20:09:00.008-04:00

Orders are now being taken for the latest in RAVEN Gear!
The first to "fly" out...

The RAVEN Pendant

7/8" x 1-7/8" glass pendant / silver plated bail / 24" black ball chain

Pendants are made on demand and can be made TEAM SPECIFIC

$20.00 each // Portion of the cost is going to help pay for Mardi Gras 2010

Please place your orders via PayPal here:and include:

Team Name / # of pendants / mailing address

Pendants will be mailed as they are completed.
But, please be patient ... the process of completing the pendants is time consuming.

Faces of Those Touched By Jesus In Philly 2009

2009-06-06T13:03:00.020-04:00

Aaron was radically changed by the Gospel at Love Park. After hearing the Gospel he immediately began to minister the Gospel to his friends. When they wouldn't listen, he started going from park bench to park bench ministering to whoever would listen.

Bob is a Vietnam Vet who was a Republican judge during Philly's local elections. Lucy and I, as well as the local RAVEN Philly Team, spent 12 hours ministering at the polls. Bob realized for the first time that his Catholic background was not going to get him into heaven. We also prayed that Jesus would set him free from the nightmares that plagued him from his time in Vietnam.

When we met, William was confessing to be a "recovering addict." After our conversation he was confessing to be a born again believer healed and delivered by the stripes of Jesus.

Please pray for Sean. He has many things going on in his life right now. Lucy, Rick, Craig and I met Sean our first night out in Philly. Please pray for his deliverance and salvation.

Timothy has found himself on the streets after some unfortunate circumstances. He has a hard time turning everything over to Jesus because he is blinded by his circumstances. He did receive prayer and asked us to continue to pray for him.

Joe Weiss... one time professional hockey player, successful business man, and happily married man. Because of his drug and alcohol addiction he lost it all, and now lives in the "Devil's Belly," Kensington. We ministered to Joe many times over the four days we were on the streets. The last night however, Craig Schumann and I ministered to him and the Holy Spirit moved incredibly. Craig, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, finally got to the root of Joe's woes. Joe broke and began to cry. We prayed for Joe and he asked Craig and I not to forget him.

Lucy and I ministered to Gregory for quite a while. Gregory is a working addict. He works to supply his addiction. He was a very polite and gentle man. Lucy was really able to minister to him and hit home as she ministered the Truth of the Gospel. Gregory was supposed to come to church with us on Sunday and then go into a program, but was dragged down and swallowed up by the addiction he so badly wants to beat.

Graham is a young man who was listening in on a conversation Lucy and I were having with Joe above. The Gospel was hitting him and he was becoming convicted by what he was hearing, but at this time not enough to give it all up.

Donald is a deaf man we met our first night on the streets. He was not a drug addict, but he was consumed by his desire to drink alcohol in order to forget his problems. He works hard to provide for his family and he professes Jesus, but does not see anything wrong with drinking as long as he doesn't get drunk. After a short time, the Word pierced his heart and he began to weep. We prayed for Donald, and pray that he has decided to walk in righteousness for the One who gave His life for him.

Ponderosa Trailer Park

2009-04-18T16:01:00.004-04:00

Today we went into "Ponderosa Trailer Park." It was an incredible time of ministry.

First, we met Michael, a Baptist Deacon who is homebound due to a recent surgery and his car being broke down. He spoke of many who he had helped when they were in need, including family, but now that he was in need, they weren't there ... all he had was Jesus. I told him that he had all that he needed then. Amen! Jesus is all we need. We went and got Michael some chicken because he had no meat in his house (not even his brother would bring him any). Pray for Michael that he will have a quick recovery from his surgery. Hopefully, once he has recovered (next week says Michael), he will be coming to Sunday Service with us.

Next, I had an opportunity to speak with Billy. Please pray for Billy - the devil is having a hayday in Billy's mind. Billy is thoroughly convinced he is the reason for the "Twin Towers & the Pentagon" being hit with airplanes. He also believes in his mind that he is the sole cause of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The devil has convinced him that he is the one who provoked the Muslim extremists to do what they did. He even believes the "authorities" are after him. I had an opportunity to pray with Billy for the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to him, and he was much more peaceful after the prayer than he was before.

We met Kirk, who had given his life to the Lord years ago and wanted prayer that every day would be as beautiful as today was. We prayed for him and he thanked us for the prayer.

Then we met Eric, a young man that was very open to us speaking to him about the Lord. He told us he had given his life to the Lord years ago, but had drifted away and knew that he had to come back. I believe today was the beginning of his new journey with Jesus. He asked for prayer for a job. He lost his job when the real estate market bottomed out, so he is living with his parents right now. We also prayed for the Lord to continue to draw him back to the One who loves him the most.

Last, we met Russell. A drunken ex-Navy Seal. He drinks to try to forget his tours in Viet Nam and other places around the world where he served his country. He drinks to forget the 327 confirmed kills. He drinks to forget all the atrocities committed in the name of war. He began crying several times during our conversation about Jesus. He doesn't think he is worth forgiving because of the things that he had to do as a Seal. We also talked about his wife Laura, who is involved in Wicca. He would not let us pray for him, but he did thank us for coming to talk to him, and apologized for his rude behavior when we first arrived (he asked if we wanted to get shot). He did, however, invite us back to speak with him again at another time.

Jimmy, another park resident and our initial contact in this community. We have continued to minister to him over the course of several months. Jimmy says he loves Jesus, but the reality is he isn't willing to do anything beyond his comfort zone.

Please pray for all of the men and women we met today. Amen!

I Am A Dead Man!

2009-03-04T13:50:00.001-05:00

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?

Rom 6:2 Let it not be! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Rom 6:3 Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?

Rom 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father; even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Rom 6:5 For if we have been joined together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection;

Rom 6:6 knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be destroyed, that from now on we should not serve sin.

Rom 6:7 For he who died has been justified from sin.

Rom 6:8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

Rom 6:9 knowing that when Christ was raised from the dead, He dies no more; death no longer has dominion over Him.

Rom 6:10 For in that He died, He died to sin once; but in that He lives, He lives to God.

Rom 6:11 Likewise count yourselves also to be truly dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Rom 6:13 Do not yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but yield yourselves to God, as one alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace.

Rom 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under grace? Let it not be!

Rom 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to him whom you obey; whether it is of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness.

As a Christian I have come realize one thing so clearly in my walk with Christ. “I Am A Dead Man!” Each and every day as I read the Word, each and every day as I pray to the Lord, I realize my need to die to sin to die to worldly lusts, to die to self. The question is, how do I die to these things?

Everyday I have choices to make. When temptation comes, and sin lurks around the corner, I have to decide what I’m going to do. Am I going to give into the temptation, or am I going to resist, so the Devil will flee from me. The choice is not an easy one, for my flesh is weak and cries out to just give into the lustful desires. The flesh wants to take the easy road, make the easy choice.

So how do I overcome the flesh? Obedience! Obedience kills self will. Each time I am obedient to the Word of God, more of my self will dies with Christ. The more I am obedient to Christ the easier it is to be obedient the next time. Instead of being slaves to sin, we must become slaves to obedience. Obedience to the Word produces righteousness in our lives. That righteousness is what Jesus is looking for in the “church” He is returning for. Ephesians 5:26-27 says it this way, “ that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Obedience produces righteousness, and righteousness produces death, death to self. Only a dead man is empty of self, and therefore can be filled by the Holy Spirit for more acts of righteousness. Matthew 16:24 says, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow after Him. The only way to fully deny ourselves, is if we become dead men. As a result of my righteousness through obedience to God’s Word, “I Am A Dead Man!”

NO Compromise - Just Our Reasonable Service

2009-02-16T12:20:00.002-05:00

Lately, the Lord has had me in the book of Daniel. He has shown me how Daniel was a man of impact. He impacted the nation of Babylon and the king Nebuchadnezzer. Daniel was a man of influence. He had a way of influencing everyone around him. Daniel was a man of intelligence. The Lord had given himn the wisdom (God's wisdom, not the world's wisdom), to interpret dreams. Daniel was a man of integrity. He refused to follow the crowd, just because everyone else was. He decided to do things God's way regardless of the consequences. The Lord showed me that Daniel was able to be all of these things...

A man of impact.
A man of influence.
A man of intelligence.
And a man of integrity...

Because, he was a man of NO compromise. Daniel did not compromise for anything or anybody. He stood strong in his faith even in the midst of adversity, even in the midst of his circumstance, even in the midst of the storm. As born again Christians, we are to be men and women of NO compromise.

So, how do we become men and women of NO compromise? We must go to the place of NO compromise... the CROSS! The CROSS is the place of NO compromise. My God, My Jesus did not compromise at the CROSS. He gave everything for us at the CROSS, and at the CROSS we must give everything as well.

As Romans 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service."

To give everything for Jesus, to be men and women of NO compromise is just our "reasonable service."

Once we have made the choice to accept and follow Christ, we only have but one choice and that is to fulfill our "reasonable service."

Let's be living sacrifices together shall we. Blessings...

PS

Friday Night @ the Band Shell - 1/2/09

2009-01-03T11:59:00.003-05:00

We spent several hours down at the boardwalk ministering to a lot of young people. This is an area for the younger crowd to come and hang out. They skate board, listen to music, and just hang out. Last night however, they got a little more then they bargained for.

When we first arrived Pastor Scott, Little Troy and I confronted a group of young men sitting on the wall at the band shell. I began to talk to a 16 year old, almost 17, about Jesus. When asked if he goes to church he responded, “when I’m in the joint I go to church.” So we asked him about now that he was out. He said, “I don’t have time for all of that.” Dillon has been in and out of Juvie for several years now. This young man knows what he needs to do, but has many excuses why he won’t. I spent about 30 minutes taking away excuse after excuse, but he always had another excuse ready and waiting. He listened to everything I said very intently, he was not rude, just lost. I asked him if he thought his friends, his girlfriend, or even those fleeting moments of sexual pleasure his girlfriend gives him was worth going to Hell over. He said, “No way, but it just wasn’t his time.” He thanked me for my time, and assured me that what I said, had not fallen on deaf ears. I gave him my card and told him to call me sometime. I also told him he better make it his time before his time runs out and I started talking to another young man Dillon 16, who had asked to see my Bible.

Young Dillon was trying to tell me that what I was saying was wrong. He explained that every church has their own beliefs, so why should he believe ours. I explained to Dillon that I wasn’t telling him what some organization believed, I was telling and showing him what the Bible says. At 16, Dillon believed that he knew everything, but yet he couldn’t quote me one scripture even though he goes to Youth Group on Sundays and Wednesday nights. He told me, I play in the Youth Group Band, he knows what the truth is and what I was telling him wasn’t it. I told him that I thought it was funny that at sixteen he knew more about the Bible, that he couldn’t even quote one scripture from, then someone who has been studying it since he was in diapers. He said his youth pastor said he was good, so he is. I told him that being a part of a youth group, nor having his pastor tell him was good, gave him an open door to heaven, he had to repent and be obedient to what the Word of God said. He then left.

I then turned my attention to a young man that Pastor Scott and Little Troy had been talking to. His name was Joshua and he was 18. The young man confessed being a Muslim. I asked him if he was a Muslim, just because his parents were Muslim and he said yes. So we talked for awhile. He was very open to what we were saying, and he asked many questions and was willing to listen to our answers. He wanted to know why he should listen to us who were strangers, over his own parents. We told him not to listen to us and take our word for it, or his parents word for it, but to check it out himself. He said he had a Bible, so we directed him to read some passages, and told him to let God speak to him the truth he is seeking. He thanked us and then he left with our information, so he can contact us with any questions.

A little later, Lucy and Holly called me over to talk with James, who was 21. Lucy and Holly had been ministering to James for quite a while. I shared with James about my life and little did I know it at the time, but I was telling him about himself and his own life while sharing my own. After sharing my life, I spent the next 30 minutes through he Holy Spirit, confirming what they had already spoken to him. Although James was very attentive and open to the Gospel, he was very indecisive. I told James that if Satan could keep him on the fence of indecision, he had him right where he wanted him. I told him that by not making a decision, he already made one, and it wasn’t the right one. Even though he was not happy with his life as it was, he was not unhappy enough to make a change at this point. James and I exchanged numbers and I will be calling him to see how he is doing. Hopefully, we will be able to get him to come to our fellowship sometime soon.

It was great night and the Word went forth. We may not know the effect that we had on those young people tonight this side of eternity. But, I am believing that some will receive the Word that was spoken, and we will see them on the other side praising God beside us. Amen!

New Years on Seabreeze

2009-01-01T03:41:00.007-05:00

Happy New Year! Or is it???? For some tonight was the beginning of a new year in Christ, but for most, it was the beginning of a new year full of the same ole, same ole. Tonight Pastor Troy, Little Troy, Pastor Thomas, Lucy, Meg and I went out to Seabreeze to catch the New year revelers at there best, or should I say worst. We talked to so many tonight. All from different homes, different backgrounds, different states, different nationalities, all different completely except for one thing. Their stories. As different as they seemed to be, their stories were all the same. "I believe in Jesus." "It's New Years, we're just having a little fun, is there anything wrong with that?" And most, by the time our conversations were over, rejected the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible. They cursed the church and God for being so intolerant.

The two young men that stand out for me tonight were Joey and David. Joey leaves in 8 weeks to go to Afghanistan and David leaves in 8 days for his second tour in Iraq. David claimed to know Jesus, but doesn't read his Bible and doesn't serve our Lord. He said the only faith he has is in the soldier next to him, he is the one who will save him. Joey claims to be Jewish and says he reads his Bible daily (The Torah). So I asked him how he explains Psalm 22, Psalm 69, & Isaiah 53 and 54 which speak specifically of Jesus and how the Messiah would be rejected and nailed to a cross. Pastor Troy even took him to a scripture in Isaiah and showed him how it speaks of the Messiah... Jesus and his crucifixion. He even showed him how the Jews would reject the Messiah when he came and because of this rejection that they would be blinded for a time. But even with all this proof, even from the scriptures they as Jews also read, would not accept the truth.

I pray for both of these young men, that God would reveal the truth to both of them. I pray that they would accept the truth and repent and come to salvation so that their eternities are secure. I pray that the Lord's hedge of protection will be around them as they do their duty in protecting and fighting for this country and the freedom we all so willingly accept and take for granted. My prayer is that both of these young men will ake it home safely very soon. In Jesus' name. Amen!

PS

Friday Night Streets

2008-11-29T11:04:00.007-05:00

It has been a while since we blogged one of our outreaches. Trying to get in the swing of things after the move has been difficult, however, we are back on the saddle again.

Last night we went down to the "Band Shell" and the boardwalk to do some ministering. It didn't take long for us to be engaged in conversation by two men... Brian and Keith. Brian, once he found out what we were all about, initially did not want to hear what we had to say. Keith on the other hand was agreeing with everything we said. Until...

Somewhere during our conversation, something was said that struck Brian, and he became very attentive and very inquisitive, whereas Keith became very rude and no longer agreeable. Brian had given his entire life to working for the Coast Guard and saving people's lives. He saw what we were doing, and what we have done (our occupations), as much less important than what he had done. Pastor Don Dykes was able to minister to Brian, while Lucy and I kept Keith busy, so he would stop interrupting Pastor Don's conversation. We left the conversation with Keith still hostile, and Brian still not able to understand the difference between a physical salvation and a spiritual one, but he was very apologetic for his friend.

As we were walking along the boardwalk we were stopped by a group of young people, of which all but one claimed to be Christians. As we talked with them, one by one, the self proclaimed Christians began to walk away, but the unbeliever "Beka," stayed to listen. We gave her a lot to think about and left her our card so she could call us anytime with questions, or just to talk. As we were walking back to the truck to head over to Seabreeze to catch up with Mike and Little Troy, Pastor Don made a very insightful comment. He said, "Have you noticed tonight that every time we engaged someone and they called themselves Christians (those that supposedly have ears to hear), they did not want to hear what we had to say (2 Timothy 4), but those who did not claim Christ (those who did not have ears to hear), listened, talked, asked questions, and received the Word of God readily. The sad thing is that most of the church has been indoctrinated with so much false doctrine, they are not willing to listen to the real Word of God.

After catching up with Mike & Little Troy, we went back to the boardwalk because Seabreeze was dead. No one was out. Once we got back to the boardwalk, we ran into Shaw. Shaw is a 44 year old man who is hurting inside greatly. Back when he was getting ready to go to college, while he was at the top of his game, just when he got a scholarship to play for the Georgia Bulldogs, during one of his visits home to see family, a hit and run driver ended his football career. All of these years he has not been able to understand where God was during all of that. He couldn't understand how God could allow a good kid, a church kid, one who always helped other people, how God could allow his dreams to be stolen from him. All he kept talking about was his kids who, 3 out of 4 were on their way to being big sports stars in the college arena. He was trying to live his dream through his children and that was all that mattered to him.

At one moment he walked away in anger because the Word was beginning to pierce his heart and he didn't like it. Lucy was the only one he was willing to talk to after that. So she ministered to him, Pastor Don, Little Troy and I ministered to two young ladies who were with Shaw. Both of these young ladies claimed to be Christians. We offered to pray for them and Shaw. After the prayer, we found out that they were drinking, but when we had come up they were convicted and they poured out their drinks. The conviction of the Holy Spirit was all over them to the point that one of them could not even look us in the eye. Their conviction gave them a new outlook on their walk with Christ. We gave them our card and told them to call us anytime. Shaw left wanting to get together with us later to talk some more, when he hadn't been drinking. Pray that Shaw call us and that we have an opportunity to minister to him again. Amen!

Friday nights will be our night on the streets in Daytona, while other teams take care of different nights of the week. We are looking forward to all that God is going to do. Amen!

PS

It Was A God Night!

2008-07-24T22:29:00.004-04:00

It started this afternoon, when in addition to receiving some personal family blessings, Pastor Brandon from RAVEN Southwest (New Mexico) arrived to join us for our outreaches in Philly on Saturday, and Maple Street on Sunday. It is always a blessing to minister with PB, and East Coast has missed him tremendously, after he spent so much time with us last year.

We decided to get dinner before shopping for the outreaches, and the Holy Spirit began to move almost immediately at the restaurant. We ran into our ex-next door neighbor, who is now an Elvis impersonator. He followed us to our table to thank Lucy and I for ministering to him when he lived next door, and to let us know that God has moved in his life and he has been able to stop drinking--- it has been 7 months.

As we were enjoying dinner, the waitress came out and asked us if we were all family... we said, "sort of... We are all part of the family of Christ." She said she knew there was something "special" about us, and the next thing we knew she was bringing her daughter and son-in-law (the owners) over to see us. They are all supposed to come to our fellowship on Sunday, and Shirley, our waitress is supposed to come out on the streets with us. Tim, Shirley's son-in-law invited us to use his restaurant for services on Sunday mornings free of charge.

As we were all talking, Randy (our ex-next door neighbor) came back and asked if we would be willing to pray for a lady (Toni), who was suffering from migraine headaches. After we ate, she came back to our table and we talked a little and I asked her if she believed that Jesus could heal her. She said yes. So I asked her if she believed that Jesus would heal her, and she also said yes. We all laid hands on Toni and prayed for healing of migraines, and of degenerative disc disease in her neck. After we prayed, she said she could feel the pain leave her body. Toni also said she could feel the joy of the Lord all over her and us. We had a good old-fashioned prayer meeting in Little's Family Restaurant in Hanover. As we were leaving to shop for outreach, we got an ovation from those in the other area of the restaurant. We count it all as glory & praise for Jesus!

Most people would think shopping for outreach, pushing 4 carts, is very boring. However, we always have a good time, and are always able to share about JESUS and RAVEN. When we got to Walmart, we ran into a friend of George and Jayme's. Robert Curry, is a local restaurant owner, and by the time he went back to his own shopping he had given us money towards the food we were purchasing for our outreaches. After speaking with Robert, we went around the corner and Lucy was talking with a couple about a contact with H & S Bakery in Baltimore and how to go about getting bread donations for further outreaches.

God is so awesome! how He puts people in our path on such a consistent basis.

What a God night! WOW! He is so awesome. God is on the move in Hanover.

PS

RAVEN East Coast Ministers in Manchester, MD

2008-07-18T08:32:00.000-04:00

It went great!! We ministered until after dark, about 9:30 and I still had to call one lady, Karen back and talk some more. She is the lady that I met and preached to last year, Clara's daughter, who was drunk and belligerent to me, then we helped her with food. She was out when we drove by and it was definitely a Jesus thing: she cried as we talked----an awesome move of God.--(maybe more on that subject later-a tough one b/c she made me promise to not tell anyone-even though Jen was there, a witness. I had to tell her if there is anything ever dangerous or illegal I may have to tell someone-that almost sounds like an accusation to her and she gets a little upset at that.)

There were two other neighborhoods and we ministered at length to another woman and her daughter. So, as you know. God is awesome and awesome in this place. Amen! thanks again for your prayer. I hope Jen will go back again with me. She said it was such a blessing to her and she knows she needs to continue ministering to this one teen, Brandi, whose Mom I ministered to. And she promised Bibles to some other kids in the neighborhood.

Praise God!!

DD

Those Streets....

2008-07-09T07:25:00.008-04:00

It's been a while coming, but below is the latest Philly video. Eventually it will make it onto the main stickam player. For a while, however, I feel it needs to be separate and get its own space. Those that know me know I do not listen to secular music. However, I have not found a song that hits base quite as well. Please don't miss the title of the video or the few lines the song contains.

In Matthew 25, Christ speaks of our actions in regard to others, and how those actions relate to Him personally. As you watch and listen, consider how perfectly a secular song represents street life, and the state of the American church.

Lord, have mercy on us.
...L

The REVOLUTION Has Begun!

2008-06-26T19:13:00.005-04:00

A Message from RAVEN Ministries International Director,
Pastor Troy D. Bohn ...

===================================

REV-O-LU-TION n. a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, esp. one made suddenly and often accompanied by violence.

RAVENREVOLUTION’08

The Word of God declares in:

1 Timothy 4:12, “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Dearest Friends,

I must say that I am about as excited as I can be right now! In less than 24 hours the REVOLUTION will begin as young people from across the USA and Canada converge upon Daytona Beach, Florida for (9) days of a sudden and violent overthrow of their flesh and a time of training and empowering to do the Work of the Ministry.

Just a few months ago I was standing on the sidewalk outside of a popular nightclub sharing the Gospel. As I stood there hundreds of young people lined up and paid their cover charge to go into a place designed to rob them of everything that could be considered righteous and holy in their lives.

Watching them flow non-stop into this den of iniquity broke my heart and I asked myself, “Why are they going THERE when they could be out helping US?” It was as if the Lord took me to task on the question by answering, “Because they are waiting for someone to get a hold of them and train them for My work.”

I knew that He had just given me a mandate to reach out to and invest in a generation of young people who will rise as Spiritual Revolutionaries that will take the message of the Cross to their peers. Out of that we began making plans for our first RAVENREVOLUTION here in Daytona Beach.

Just as 1 Timothy 4:12 instructs this young minister on what type of example he should set, we are taking (9) solid days to lay the groundwork in the lives of these young people to also preach the Word of God in power and authority.

“in Speech…” we are going to teach them the Word of God so they will speak the Word of God.

“in Life…” we are going to teach them that serving Jesus in not just something that you do, but rather who you are every single day.

“in Love…” we are going to teach them the principles of Biblical love and how they should function according to this foundation.

“in Faith…” we are going to teach them the sole source of faith: The Word of God and how to live according to it.

“in Purity…” we are going to teach them that the consecrated, holy life is the only life that will be acceptable to the Lord Jesus on the Day of Judgment.

These (9) days will be filled with hours of prayer, studying the Word of God, worship, community outreach, street witnessing, listening to the voice of Jesus, and learning how to become a true servant of the Most High God.

In short, we are equipping a group of young people to do the EXACT SAME THINGS that we do—so that they can GO AND DO THEM NOW! They will be teaching, preaching, and walking in the super-natural power of the Holy Spirit.

Please pray for them over the next (9) days that they will be strengthened and encouraged in this journey into the high calling of God and that they will experience the presence, power and purpose of God in an unprecedented way.

I could really use your help. We are really doing this whole thing on FAITH! With everything that will be happening (outreaches, travel, meals, supplies, etc.) this is going to cost about $4,000 to put on. We have about ½ of that raised right now.

I have had young people call and say, “I really want to come and be a part of this, but I just do not have the money to pay.” I tell EVERYONE that calls, “You just come and we’ll believe the Lord Jesus for the resources to get it done!” MONEY will NEVER keep us from doing MINISTRY.

Would you like to get involved in raising up a generation to take the message of Jesus to the Nations? Would you like to see a group of young people preaching the Word of God without compromise and calling their peers to holiness before God in high school and college campuses?

Please consider investing in this work today. I have been so busy getting prepared that I have not really taken the time to worry about where the funds would come from to do it: God always supplies all of our needs.

You can sponsor one of these young people for a gift of $200 or you could help sponsor five of them for $1000 or you could just invest what you are able into helping us “equip them for the work of the ministry.”

Thank you in advance for standing with us for this generation!

Blessings,

Pastor Troy D. Bohn

Raven Ministries International, Inc.

P.O. Box 1897

Daytona Beach, Florida 32115

www.BigGrace.com

JESUS IS THE HOPE OF ALL NATIONS!

Click Here To Give Securely By Debit, Credit or Electronic Check

It Doesn't Mean Anything, It's Just My Bling...

2008-06-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

That was the response from Matthew, when Lucy asked him what the large Jesus in the shape of a cross meant that was hanging around his neck. Like MANY others, Matthew didn't even believe in God when we began to talk to him, he just wanted some "bling." But after about 30 minutes of showing him Scripture after Scripture that explained his situation, he broke and gave his life to the Lord and repented. After praying with him, he had only one question, "What am I supposed to tell my girlfriend, she's not a believer?"

I told him he needed to go home and tell her the truth about what God did in his life that night. I told him he needed to tell her how he felt and how happy he was. This was Sunday (May 25th). On Monday, as we were driving home from NY, I received a call from Matthew and his girlfriend Shelly. Shelly was very excited about what Matthew had shared with her and wanted to talk to me. She was excited about their new life together in Jesus. They asked if we could come back and mentor them and disciple them. We are making plans to make another visit to see them.

RAVEN East Coast Fellowship

2008-05-29T16:54:00.003-04:00

Our fellowship service will be back on the air this Sunday, June 1st at 10:00 a.m. EST. All are invited to join with us as we celebrate what the Lord has done. We will be having praise and worship, prayer and most importantly the Word! If you don't already have a fellowship of your own, or if your fellowship meets at a different time, come check us out. But remember, we aren't like any church you've ever been to. So come and have some fun with us, as we fellowship in the presence of our Almighty God.

See you Sunday!

PS

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH LAKELAND, FLORIDA...?

2008-05-13T13:50:00.005-04:00

RAVEN NATION Special Report

"The Florida Healing Revival"

RAVEN Ministries has received numerous questions over the past several weeks concerning what has been called “The Florida Healing Revival” or the “Great Florida Outpouring”. This “outpouring” started a few weeks back at Ignited Church in Lakeland, Florida and has continued non-stop ever since.

Tens of thousands of people have flocked to the Sunshine State to see and experienced what some involved in the revival as “the third wave” or “the winds of change.” GODTV (Europe) is broadcasting the two daily services and the event can also be followed via live webcast at 10:00 AM & 7:00 PM (Eastern).

Pastor Troy D. Bohn, the director of Raven Ministries International, and the host of the daily broadcast of the Raven Institute of Ministry & Biblical Studies will host a 90 minute look at this revival, those involved, and the Biblical response to this move which is spreading like wildfire.

Pastor Troy will be joined by both in-studio guests and by others via live web-stream.

You can join the discussion by going to www.BigGrace.com and then click on RAVEN TV (or just click here). The program will air LIVE from 8:30 – 10:00 PM (Eastern) and the audio portion will be available for free download from our site afterwards.

Email your friends and family and tell them to join in for this investigative look into what many see as the most miraculous move of the Spirit since Pentecost.

You will not want to miss it!

Blessings to You,

BACK IN YORK AGAIN...

2008-05-12T16:08:00.002-04:00

We have been in Philly, and moving Pastor George and Jayme, so it has been several weeks since we did local outreach. Because of our schedule, we wanted to hit our usual areas at least once before the end of the month.

Our first stop was "the swamp." It had been about 4 or 5 weeks since we've had the opportunity to be here, so we did expect some change ... and these neighborhoods are ever-changing. That alone seems to be the constant. People are always moving in, moving over, or moving out. While in many ways this seemed like a rough neighborhood when we first started ministering here, in the short time we've been gone, things have escalated. Yes, there has been some positive change (one major drug dealer has been removed, and one drug house has been shut down), but not without a cost to other residents. Police are there more frequently, but not on patrols, as everyone would hope. The latest trend seems to be "mob" violence, often for nothing but a misinterpreted look. And surprisingly, these "mobs" can be families...

Then it's onto Maple Street. A couple times we've felt it was time to pull-back from the area, but it seems only for a season. Upon arriving yesterday, there were new faces added to the familiar, but also quite a few missing. Because of ministering in other areas, when we're not there for any length of time, we feel somewhat out of touch. The Lord does provide, however, and this time in the form of a familiar face. A couple of the team walked across the street to an alley, rounded the corner and saw Luis. When Luis saw me, he threw his hands up and came right over wanting to know where we had been. He said that over the last several weeks many had asked where the RAVENS had gone... worried that we had left and were never coming back. Luis told me he was so glad to see that we were back and that their neighborhood was our neighborhood. He said that we had made such a difference in their neighborhood and that they definitely saw a difference, for the worse, in the short time we were gone. He made me promise that we would stop by and see him when we were in the neighborhood, and that the RAVENS were welcome in his home anytime.

Crazy as it sounds, not everyone is open to the word “free” no matter what is being given away. There was a grandmother who was pushing a stroller with the most precious little 2 year old girl in it, and had the cutest little 3 year old boy in tow. The children were obviously well taken care of, and had nice, clean clothes on. She didn’t want to stop for bread when one of the team called to her, but then thought better of it. Later we grabbed a couple trays and started down one of the alleys. We again saw the woman as she was heading someplace, still with both children, and they were both eating the rolls we had given them. When she saw us, she asked if we would give her more for the little ones. Just looking at them, eating those plain, dry rolls, with nothing on them… there isn’t too much we wouldn’t have given her for them if we could have.

Just when we thought we had done all that we could in this neighborhood, God showed us that our work has just begun.

We had the opportunity to minister to many today. A few specifics include:

Angel, a pregnant woman who was on the ground being kicked in the stomach by a neighbor. The prayer was for her and her husband to get enough money to move out of the Swamp, for a healthy pregnancy and birth, and God's protection on them.

Baby Xavier, who was born with a double cleft lip, a deformed nose, one eye and a deformed ear. He is having reconstructive facial and lip surgery on Tues. One of many surgeries, some of which have to wait until he is a couple years older.

Robert, a man from Puerto Rico who was a cutter.

And so many others struggling with addictions and life in general.

Apart from Christ, it would be difficult to say we had a great day… there is so much pain and suffering in these folks’ lives … mostly seen reflected in the lives of the children. Yet, at the same time, for those who know Jesus, there is a hope that shines through. And… in the faces of most of the children, there is still a brightness in their eyes, even if only for the brief time we’re there playing with or loving on them. For many, they still believe there is life past “the swamp,” or a way out of “the jungle.” Hopefully, by our presence, we will have showed them there are people that care, and a God who is bigger than everything else.

As a team, it was a great day for us… things were looking back to normal as Pastor George made his first appearance on the streets since his stroke 2 months ago. The Lord is good. George may have been moving much more slowly, and wasn’t able to hoist bread trays, but the Lord does restore and we’re believing for a TOTAL restoration for George.

THE DAY WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR...

2008-05-03T23:46:00.001-04:00

On Friday, May 2nd, less than 5 weeks after a severe stroke, George walks out of rehab ... moose in hand.

George is still undergoing antibiotic therapy until Wednesday, and will then begin out-patient physical therapy. He and Jayme will be living with us until further notice. Please feel free to call or e-mail them, and by all means, please continue to pray for George's complete restoration.

DETAILS & VIDEO OF GEORGE'S PROGRESS

2008-04-23T22:13:00.003-04:00

It has been a while since we've updated on Pastor George's progress. The difference is incredible even day-to-day at times. Below is a video taken this past Friday evening. Some of the best, most natural moments I miss because I don't have the camera going. But when I pull the camera out, he starts cutting-up ... usually with the stuffed moose Meg gave him.

George is doing both speech and physical therapy. He realized after getting to the rehab that he really didn't have feeling on his left side, but was instead able to do certain things just because he knew how to and could see his arm and leg, or could see people touching that side of his body. Sam visited him today and was told by George that he actually is regaining feeling on his left side.

As of last Friday, George had walked around the outside of the building without being assisted. Now the therapist has him "leading" the walks for other patients, who have a hard time keeping up with him. He goes up and down stairs, several times a session - not sure what he's up to, but as of Sunday he had gone up and down many times, totaling about 40 steps. Part of his physical therapy also includes riding a bike, which he does for an hour at a time, and walking backwards and sideways (crossing leg-over-leg) while bouncing a ball. George also receives mild shock therapy to his face, and can now smile on both sides, not just the right.

From what we can tell, he is really making the staff work for their pay ... he doesn't want to stop when the session ends, and even smiles through the shock therapy on his face. When asked why he doesn't want to rest when his session is over, he tells them there will be plenty of time to rest when he gets home, now its time to work.

Thanks to everyone who has asked, visited, and prayed for George and Jayme. They appreciate it more than you can imagine.

Blessings!
...L

DELIGHTING IN THE LORD and HIS BLESSINGS

2008-04-21T07:16:00.000-04:00

Scripture tells us to delight ourselves in the Lord, and He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). Too often people see this verse as an opportunity to ask for self, and then wonder why they don't get what they ask for. BUT, when we delight in the things the Lord delights in, and ask in accordance with HIS desires and will, the blessings come. Amen!

We haven't had the chance to have it "detailed" with the RAVEN logos & information, but here is the trailer we were blessed to be able to purchase. 12'x6'x6-1/2 tall, with interior lighting. We took the last weekend in March to drive to Indiana to pick it up, for considerably less than what we would have paid to purchase it here. We were, and continue to be blessed by someone's heart for the Lord's work. Thank you! and Thank You Jesus!

And here it is loaded down with bread trays Saturday morning ... also donated. While it wasn't fully packed, we have estimated it can hold 168 bread trays, for a minimum of 1,680 loaves of bread. And what a blessing the trailer was already... because of the downpours we had yesterday, we were unable to do outreach. If it weren't for the trailer being enclosed, all the bread would have gone to waste. The Lord is good and knows what we need. Amen!

Oprah Exposed!

2008-04-19T06:04:00.002-04:00

So many people in America look to Oprah as someone they admire, someone they look up to. Sad to say, many of them are Christians. If you are a Christian, and you have been part of the Oprah fan club, after seeing what she has to say about your first love, prayerfully you will change your mind. Come back to your first love. Stand up for Jesus.

PS

GEORGE UPDATE ...

2008-04-16T21:44:00.007-04:00

George has been moved to an in-patient rehab center in York. Yippee! Tomorrow (Thursday), he will start an intense course of physical therapy. While we don't yet know his expected length of stay in rehab, George has every intention of being well enough to go to the New York outreach at the end of next month. I do believe he will. :0)

No video this time, but Sam did get a picture...

Keep praying folks! You can see the results!
...L

PRAYING For PASTOR GEORGE...

2008-04-14T16:37:00.005-04:00

....pray for each other, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:16 (CJB)

Unfortunately, George's move to a rehab has been delayed, at least until Wednesday. They have a room for him at a York (PA) facility, but his blood has to thin from 2.2 to 2.5 in order for him to be released. George was not happy to hear he was going to have to wait another day to leave the hospital (he sent Jayme home with EVERYTHING yesterday, expecting to be released today).

That was disappointing. However, what he heard next had him in tears....

The doctor told him that when he got the chance, he wanted to show George all the scans that were done on him. According to the doctor, it was "a miracle." The doctor stated that he's never had anyone that suffered a stroke as severe as George's that DIDN'T have to have his skull opened or didn't die. Hallelujah! The LORD is good, and according to George, "HE's got the plan." Amen.

Keep praying folks. Our God is still better at His job than any mortal doctor...

...L

BRIEF UPDATE ON PASTOR GEORGE

2008-04-13T08:58:00.002-04:00

It had been a couple days since we were able to see Pastor George. When we finally did, we were greeted by his back ... as he was walking back to his hospital bed! Talk about a time for praise!

George is progressing very well. He is scheduled to be moved to a rehab on Monday. We'll keep you updated. Thanks for all your prayers on George & Jayme's behalf.

"DON'T KEEP YOUR KIDS HOME ..."

2008-04-08T16:55:00.004-04:00

This was posted on a friend's site:

Okay...here’s the deal. Long story short, a bunch of homosexual activists have proclaimed a "Day of Silence" on April 25. The premise is that participating schools will allow students who support the gay/lesbian agenda to remain silent throughout the day, and to hand out pamphlets explaining why they’ve taken this one-day vow of silence.

The American Family Association among other ministries are encouraging Christian parents to keep their kids home that day so their kids "don’t have to go through" that. I’m telling you...SEND ’EM!! I usually support the AFA in their activism, but I really think they’re wrong about this one. Why?

This is the perfect opportunity for our kids to communicate their faith and to speak God’s Word concerning the homosexual agenda. Think about it. The reason there’s no prayer in schools is because Christians sat back and let it happen. The reason all Judeo-Christian symbols are being taken down from public buildings is because we, God’s people, were silent. Now, homosexual advocates are staging a protest in which, for once, they’re going to be quiet, and the Christian community is being encouraged to run and hide?? So, what’s happening is that they came out of the closet, and Christians are going into it. I understand that we need to shield our kids from the ills of our culture. I am a former homeschool mom, but when our kids are given a perfect opportunity to voice the Word of the Lord, and you tell them just to stay home, it not only sets a bad example, but it’s also unbibilical!

We are to be BOLD with our witness, not run and hide in the face of opposition. That’s what you’re teaching your children to do when you pull them out of school that day. You teach them that our God is not all-powerful and that they are powerless as well against this kind of evil. Yes, they would still have to face the "unsilenced" activists the next day, but so would they if their parents pulled them out of school because of it. The only difference being that the kids who didn’t show up at school and take a stand for God would be seen as cowards.

There are only a handful of schools in Louisiana participating in this event, but I have MySpace friends from all over. Again, I encourage you to send your kids to school that day. Arm them with the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6). When these silent activists approach your son or daughter and hand him or her a pamphlet, your kid responds in kind with a gospel tract and a prayer. People involved in the homosexual lifestyle need to know that God loves them and that He did NOT create them that way. They’ve been deceived. They don’t need our judgment, but they do need us to reach out to them and to "speak the truth in love."

We are to be in the world, but not of it. However, we MUST be careful not to be OF the world, but not IN it. Fear is OF the world. (2 Tim. 1:7)

JAMYE OF INDIANA

"I've Got A New Video Coming Out..."

2008-04-07T13:09:00.006-04:00

...was what George said to Pastor Troy on the phone Sunday afternoon.

So, without delay, Pastor George's "new video..."

Incredible! The entire time, almost immediately upon regaining consciousness, George has had his whits about him, knew Who his source was, and clung to HIM without reservation. Hallelujah!

Saturday afternoon they took George off oxygen, and he was feeding himself. He obviously still has some weakness on his left side, but is progressing well. Last night, after we left, they moved George to a room that did not have all the high-tech equipment he needed upon his arrival - he was healing well enough that he could go without certain emergency precautions.

And if that wasn't enough... I received a phone call from Jayme a little while ago with an even better update...

George was sitting-up in a chair (and very excited about it!), and was in the process of being transferred out of the Medical ICU, to the neuro-floor, where he will receive therapy. If you've spent any time with him up to this point, you know George sees this as a step closer to the front door and freedom. He's not too far off on that, actually. Jayme also told me that soon, depending on his progress on the neuro-floor, he will be allowed to transfer to an in-patient physical rehabilitation facility closer to home.

Can I get a WooooHoooo! and Praise the Lord on that one?!

...L

Saturday Ministry in York, PA

2008-04-07T11:37:00.003-04:00

This Saturday was a little different than any other Saturday on the streets of York. Pastor George & Jayme Moyle were not with us. I didn't see Pastor George walking down the street with bread trays overflowing in hand. I didn't see Pastor George praying with a young drug dealer. I didn't see Jayme making all over the little babies. I didn't see Jayme hugging and loving on the young mothers. Pastor George and Jayme were missed greatly. They are an invaluable part of the East Coast Team and we can't wait 'til they are back on the streets with us again soon. And soon it will be! Praise God!

We did, however, hand out food and minister in their absence. It was myself (Pastor Sam), Lucy, Meg, and sister Kathie. We had opportunity to minister and pray for many. We led all to Jesus and continue to pray that the Lord changes their hearts to receive the Truth of God's Word. Please pray for...

Web - a young man God led me to talk to in the "Swamp." I began to minister to him as he came to get bread. As I brought the Truth of God's Word to him, he began to tear up. When asked what was going on, he just said, "I'm alright." As I continued to minister to him, he got very unsettled. He could not look me in the eye, he kept swallowing really hard, and continued to have tears well up in his eyes. Web never did tell me what was going on, but he did let me pray for him and then he left.
Mike - a 50-something man who was raised in the church but has fallen away. He said he was tired of the hypocrisy of the church, and I told him that I was also. That's why we were out on the streets with the people instead of inside a nice, comfortable, and expensive church building. We talked for a while and he decided it was time to get back to church and to a relationship with Jesus. I gave him my card and he said he would tune-in sometime on Sunday mornings.
Freddie - a 30-something young man who had just spent 6 months in prison for a domestic dispute. He was angry, because he had been thrown in prison for not paying child support, due to not having a job. He said he had lost his job and was looking for another, but because he had gone several months w/o paying support his child's mother filed against him. Now that he has spent time in prison, no one will consider him for a job making any kind of money to pay child support and survive himself. If he doesn't get a job soon, he will be sent back to prison for violation of probation. Freddie knew what Lucy and I had told him was true, but his anger would not let him surrender. He did let me pray for him though, and I asked the Lord to soften his heart so he could receive. I later found out from Lucy that she had just had about the same conversation and prayer with him before I did.
Jackie - a 30-something woman we have been ministering to on Maple Street for a while. She also was raised in the church, but has been living in a back-slidden state for many years. She uses her circumstances as an excuse, but she knows what she needs to do. She is drawn to us every time we go to Maple Street, but each time the conviction gets to be too much she ends up literally running and hiding in her house until we leave. Please pray for her deliverance and salvation.
Sonny - Jackie's boyfriend. Sonny met Jackie in church, but got caught up in her lifestyle and has now been living in a back-slidden state for several years. He too, knows what he needs to do, but hasn't done it. We talked for a long while, and I told him that he needed to be the man God had called him to be and set the right example for Jackie, and by his doing so would lead her back to Christ. I prayed for him also, and asked God to convict him and bring him to repentance, so he would surrender all and be an example for the residents of Maple Street.

We didn't have an opportunity to minister to many on Saturday, but I believe that of the one's who heard the Word, the Lord is doing a mighty work in them, and we will soon see the changes of revival in their lives. Amen!

UPDATE ON PASTOR GEORGE

2008-04-05T08:15:00.003-04:00

Sorry for not posting last night ... didn't get in from the hospital until late and had to be up at 4am ...

The Lord is good!
George is progressing well. Some of the improvements include:

Sitting up, looking around the room;
Recognizes almost everyone he knows, although his sense of time is a little off, as far as when the last time he saw someone ;
Able to hold his own cup to drink;
Eating semi-solids (mashed potatoes, peaches, applesauce). Trying to keep it simple because he still has a bit of issue with swallowing;
Moving his left arm & leg on request, and has more control over his foot;
Left eye is opening better; and
staying awake for longer periods of time.

He's thinking pretty clearly, and doing a lot of wishful thinking ... wanted Sam to pick him up for outreach today. Not sure if he's able to control his facial muscles too well yet or if it's just his dry sense of humor, but it's hilarious to watch him crack jokes and then be the only one not laughing.

They've taken George off the anti-inflammatory medication and put him back on a blood-thinner. Because he wouldn't allow too thorough a testing when he first arrived at the hospital, they believe there is still a clot somewhere. Until they know for sure, they will be monitoring him closely. Now that he's thinking more clearly, he will most likely allow them to do whatever tests they feel are necessary to assess his situation. If everything goes as planned, he will be starting physical therapy on Monday, and will be transferred out of ICU.

I'll continue to update as we get information.
Thank you for all your prayers -- we appreciate them, and so does George.

Blessings ...
...L (&S)

In His Own Words...

2008-04-03T05:36:00.006-04:00

This video was taken last night at the hospital. George is progressing well. The difference between the two days is incredible!

He still doesn't have full feeling and full control of his left side, but it's getting better. While he's not outright laughing, he's joking, and complaining... his biggest complaint that he can't get any rest, and that he can't get out of bed - Jayme had to cover the bathroom "patients only" sign because he kept seeing it and thinking, "hey, I'm a patient." He was wiggling both his ears for us.

The neurologist came in while we were there, and George started to walk HER through the exam, answering questions she was going to ask, going through the motions before she even asked him to.

His CT Scan revealed that he had a smaller stroke maybe 3 weeks prior, but just didn't know it.

Keep lifting him in prayer!

Blessings.....L

UPDATE ON PASTOR GEORGE...

2008-04-02T09:13:00.002-04:00

The Lord is so good!

Just heard from George's son, who spent the night at the hospital.

Apparently George had a very active night. He was moving around all night - his arms and legs - regaining more and more feeling on his left side. He kept kicking and wanting to get out of bed. The droop is almost completely gone from his face, and he has been asking for his glasses. His speech is getting better and more understandable. He is currently having a CT Scan done, but the doctors are now believing that surgery will not be necessary. Praise the Lord!

Keep praying folks! All to HIS glory!!!

...L

Details and Update on Pastor George

2008-04-01T23:12:00.003-04:00

First, for anyone we forgot to call, please accept our sincere apologies... there were so many phone calls that needed to be made, and we don't have all your current phone numbers.

For those of you who don't know, I'm going to do as brief a summary as possible....

Pastor George suffered a stroke on Sunday afternoon. Jayme drove him to the hospital (without letting him know where they were going). After doing an initial evaluation, they decided to fly him to University of Maryland.

By the time we left him early Monday morning (5:30am), they were still running tests, and trying to evaluate his situation.

By the time we left Monday evening (around 9pm), he seemed stable, was regaining movement on his left side, and was just waiting for the follow-up MRI, which they put-off until Tuesday a.m. Things were looking very good.

Somewhere between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, he was starting to get more restless, and combative. They started to get suspicious that there was something wrong.

By the time they got him down for the MRI Tuesday morning, he was so combative, they couldn't do the test or anything else. They sedated him, and were finally able to perform a CT scan, which showed his brain had started to swell, and probably accounted for his overall attitude change.

Here's where the situation and information started to change quickly. By mid-morning, they had decided on several options on treating this. By the time I started to head-out to meet Sam to go to the hospital, they had decided on operating to relieve the pressure - which was the "last-ditch" most serious option given, having told the family that they had a small window in which to perform the surgery, and that without it he had no chance. This was roughly noon.

By the time we arrived at the hospital (approx. 2pm) the doctors again switched gears, and decided to treat the swelling with medication, hoping it would fix itself. He received the medication, and shortly thereafter, we started to notice a difference. His speech, while still garbled, was getting clear enough that certain words could be made-out. He was again able to lift his left leg, and eventually his left arm by early evening. Additionally, he was opening his eyes a lot more, and was picky on who he responded to. Also... he kept trying to convince anyone that came near him that they needed to help him get out of bed and/or the hospital.

It was around this time that the neuro-surgeon came in to do his evaluation. Between what we told him, and how George responded to him, he decided they should just continue to treat George with medication, at least for a couple days (which is the window of time they deal with this particular issue in stroke patients). The surgeon said they would keep an eye on George, and evaluate as they went, but he didn't feel they were going to have to do surgery. Praise the Lord!

Jayme is holding-up well.
George is running a low-grade fever, but is feisty and tries to escape every chance he gets. As a matter of fact, they had to tie him down so he wouldn't get out of bed, pull his tubes out, or hurt himself. The man just wants "out." "Out," "leave," and other words he associates with being out of the hospital can't be mentioned because he tries to act on them. So, he's there mentally, as far as that goes, but in other respects, it's almost like someone being trapped behind a sheet and trying to physically fight the person on the other side of it, if that makes sense.... like he's trying to fight his way out, which, if you think about it, he IS.

There you have it.
Please continue to pray for George, Jayme, and their family. We'll keep everyone updated as to what's going on, and while we would love to call everyone individually, it just doesn't make a lot of sense to do so (there are SO MANY of you!). So, probably the best way to update is through this blog, as well as on MySpace. Please check back often.

Blessings to you all!
...L (& S)

The Most Unlikely Of People...

2008-03-17T22:57:00.008-04:00

“What are you doing?” asked the driver, as he leaned his arm out the window.

“We’re feeding folks, and praying for them.” It was actually kind of obvious.

“Why don’t you go find some homeless, or someone who really needs help?” He asked, as his passenger seemed to get a little fidgety.

“These folks need help.” Was all I could get out before he responded.

“They don’t need help. They’re f------- junkies.”

Even though I didn’t let on, I have to say, the conversation rattled me. This was our 4th time on the corner of Kensington & Somerset - 5th if you count that we went both afternoon and evening last month. We’re accustomed to hearing and seeing all kinds of things, from all kinds of people. Some of “society’s worst & most dangerous” are some of the dearest people I know once they stand in the shadow of the Cross. But what rattled me was that instead of coming from one of “society’s worst,” this was coming from “one of Philly’s finest.” A policeman. A POLICE MAN. There was more to the exchange, and the officer in the passenger seat looked rather uncomfortable, but took my side, stating that he believed me when the lead officer started to insinuate that we were on the take… Absolutely incredible!

For some reason, it has fallen to me, each time, to deal with the police. Every other time, they’ve chuckled, shook their heads, even rushed off when asked about their own relationship with Jesus, but never would I have expected what happened next. Right before they pulled away, I put my hand on the driver’s arm and assured him we’d be o.k. As he looked down at my hand, what I didn't expect was his expression … it was a look filled with anger, disgust, and such hatred, that it really shook me.

What happened to this man that he lacked even one speck of kindness? Was he abused as a child? I’ve known quite a few folks that were. Was his mother a prostitute and he ridiculed because of it? I’ve met a couple of those as well. Did his brother die of an overdose? My first boyfriend did. Was he jumped and beaten? I was … because I was the only white kid on the bus. What made this man become a public servant, in this city, when the last thing he wanted was to serve this particular group of people? And, if he felt that way about me … us… the “good guys,” what must he think and feel about those we’ve come to minister to?

Granted, my first thoughts weren’t very kind. Not “bad,” just not kind. However, in hindsight, what I didn’t expect … of all the people to feel compassion for, why him? He surely wasn’t kind - didn’t even try to pretend to NOT care. In fact, just the opposite. He seemed to care too much that they were still alive, and that WE cared. I suppose I felt compassion toward him because of all the people there… the dealers…. the users… the prostitutes… the homeless we were there to minister to… he was the ONLY one that didn’t know he was just as lost as the “junkies” he looked down on. Just as dirty. Just as vile. Just as wretched. Just as lost.

Just as I was.
But then...

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind, but now I see

And therein lies the reality of it…

There is no one quite as lost as a blind man that thinks he isn’t.

...L

p.s. Please pray for those who represent law enforcement in this country. For their compassion, their mercy, and their salvation.

Signs and Wonders Follow Those Who Believe

2008-02-27T17:17:00.004-05:00

Saturday Outreach in Northern Philly

Joining in prayer at the corner of Kensington & Somerset

This weekend in Philly was absolutely incredible. We arrived at the corner of Kensington & Somerset at approximately 1:30 PM. From the time we arrived, until the time we left at 4:30, we were busy. It seemed that every time we finished ministering to one person, we turned around and there was someone else to minister to. For three hours the Lord healed, delivered, and brought salvation to many.

As soon as we got out of the vehicle there was a man walking by that I stopped and asked if I could pray for him. Even as Mark told me about his addiction to heroine, I began to tell Mark about the saving Grace and healing power of God. Mark had not had a fix since the day before and did not have any money to get one. He was on his way to steal from one of the local dealers. As I was ministering to him, Mark stopped me and told me that just the day before, his brother told him the same things. God was calling out to this man. I ministered a while longer then Mark left, saying he would be back. When he returned, Mark brought a 31 year old woman named Nikki with him. While Nikki spoke with other team members, Mark and I continued our conversation, he surrendered his life to Jesus, and we prayed that he would be delivered from his addiction. When he left us a few hours later, he was confident he was free, with the help of Jesus.

After being ministered to by several team members, and spending several hours with us, Nikki left in worse shape than when she arrived. At that point, she refused to surrender, and she refused our help. She did however, say that she would be calling Pastor Frank today (Monday Feb. 25th) to talk about getting help. On our way home, we received a call from a woman that said Nikki was asking us to come back to take her to the hospital so she could detox. Because we had already left Philly, and the hospital was mere blocks from where they stood, Lucy asked the woman to walk Nikki over to the E.R. The woman hung-up without saying a word. Yet, yesterday (Tuesday) at 1:00 a.m. I received a call from this woman that Nikki did, in fact, go to get detoxed. Praise God! We will be checking with Pastor Frank to verify whether she followed-up with him as she had promised.

A young girl named Michelle came to me saying she wanted to receive Jesus, as many others were doing all around her. She prayed and asked Jesus to forgive her, and asked Him to come in to her life and change her. It is often a chain-reaction ... one person sheds chains of bondage, and others' reactions are that they want the same for themselves. Oh, the Power of God is so awesome!

Pastor Troy was busy also.

While he was ministering to one man (Ed), leading him to Jesus and praying for him to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, another man (Robert) was standing by waiting patiently. After he was finished with the first man, the second man told him he needed to talk to him. He told Pastor Troy he had been listening to him minister and confessed he needed what he had. He stated that until then, he had already made a plan to end his own life. When he received his check the first week in March, he was going to go buy a gun and blow his brains out. But since he heard what Pastor Troy was saying, he realized what he really needed was Jesus. This man gave his life to the Lord, was delivered of a heroine addiction and was Baptized in the Holy Ghost while on his knees in Kensington.

Pastor Troy, Robert
& Ed

Pastor Troy, Luis, Marta,
Luis, Jr.

The power of God did not stop.

PT stopped an older woman (Marta) to talk to her, but she said she needed to go deliver food to someone and said she would come back. Most do not come back, but she did. And as she crossed the street to where Pastor Troy was, she began to weep. PT held her and prayed for her. She too, received Jesus into her life and also received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. While he was praying for her, and she was praying in tongues, a man began to cross the street with his son. This man (Luis) used a crutch because he had fallen on the subway -- he could not even bend his leg, and couldn't walk without pain. PT and Marta began to pray for this man, and in just a few minutes, this man was healed, saved and Baptized in the Holy Ghost as well. When he began to walk without pain and without his crutch, he gave it to PT saying, “I won’t be needing this any more.”

Another testimony, that many would miss, is the fact that as soon as one person was prayed for and delivered, PT would have that person help pray for the next, and that person pray for the next, and so on. And so much for needing years of discipleship and formal training before being ready to minister to someone the life-changing message of the Cross...

The Lord moved like this all afternoon. Many were prayed for, healed, delivered, and led to Jesus. We spent time in Center City and the Underground as well, and the Lord continued to move ... with many miraculous signs and wonders following those who believe.

This young lady with P.T. and Jayme is living in "the Underground." Her family threw her out into the street. This evening was a divine appointment for her, as she now has a new "Daddy"

A highlight for the East Coast team was Andrade. We previously reported after last month's outreach in Philly that he had gone to church the next day and gave his heart to the Lord. Since then, Andrade has been attending church and is being discipled by Pastor Frank. It was a joy to see him on our arrival at the Mission, and even more so when he co-labored with us, helping bring souls into the Kingdom. Many times throughout the day he was called upon to help translate, pray and minister. He even had the opportunity to pray for someone in Spanish for the first time. The Lord is truly doing a work in Andrade, because he has a willing heart.

After leaving the Underground, we made another stop at Kensington & Somerset. We were all amazed at how vacant the corner was. Pastor Frank told us that usually at that time of night the corner was filled with activity… Prostitutes, dealers, addicts and homeless are normally all over that corner. Not this night, the Holy Spirit had taken over the corner.

We did go across the street to a Chinese restaurant named the “Lord’s Favor.” It didn’t have any… the Lord’s Favor that is. We ministered to a 22 year old man by the name of Greg. He told us that he used to follow the Lord, but had fallen away. He said he wasn’t living right and wanted to come back, but he needed to clean up his act first. I told him that wasn’t the way it worked, and that if he waited until he was "right" to come to God, he would never come. He was told that he needed to come back to the Lord, and Jesus would make him right. He told us he never had anyone ever tell him that. We prayed and he was led back to the Lord.

It was at this point that the police made their second attempt to inform us where we were (Holy Ground at that particular point...). Yet again, they had the opportunity to be confronted by Lucy. She asked if they were serving the Lord and whether or not they were going to heaven. One stated he was going to be reincarnated, preferably as an eagle, and the other stuttered and stammered a bit, without really giving an answer. When they were told Jesus was Lord, and that they needed to make a choice, they departed rather quickly. Unfortunately, that was the wrong choice. Hopefully, they will make the right choice before it is too late -- especially in their line of work. On a normal basis, our team offers to pray for police officers. Just as often, we are turned down.

Outside the Chinese restaurant, another man we ministered to wasn’t so receptive. When confronted with his sin, he began to manifest and yell that we didn’t know what we were talking about. He crossed the street, and got hit with the same conviction from other members of the team. He went away, hollering and screaming about how none of us knew what we were talking about.

After getting some Chinese food, we headed back to the Mission to fellowship and praise God for what He had done all day.

We are planning another trip into Philly on March 15th, and ALL are welcome to attend. Please let us know if you are interested.

God Bless,
PS

=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

.. Some Random Team Pics ..

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Sat., Feb. 23rd, 2008

2008-02-14T00:13:00.000-05:00

HERE WE GO AGAIN…. YES!!!

RAVEN East Coast will again be partnering with Pastor Frank Vega of Inner City Missions (Philadelphia, PA) in reaching the lost and hurting of Philly. All are welcome to participate.

Because of the day’s schedule, our departure times are a little different…. we will be leaving Hanover at 6:00 a.m., and passing through York at 6:30 a.m., to be in Philly by 9:00 a.m.

Our return times have been approx. 2:00 a.m. the next morning (Sunday). While we may have an earlier arrival time, the departure will remain the same … as the Holy Spirit leads.

ICM will be making us lunch!

Because there is such a high interest in this outreach, transportation/seating is limited, and we need to know A.S.A.P. if you need a ride. While there is the possibility of having a second van, its availability has not yet been confirmed. So seating is 1^st come-1^st serve.

If you have questions or would like to join us, again, please let us know A.S.A.P.

E-mail: Pastor Sam / Lucy

Philly, Philly, Philly! (January 12, 2008)

2008-01-31T15:54:00.000-05:00

While the group thought our first trip to Philly was awesome, and outreach there couldn't get any better, this time we were absolutely blown away!

We started in Kensington again - the #1 hot-spot in Philly for drugs, dealing, prostitution, murder, and gang activity. It seemed the area was busier, louder, dirtier, and more oppressed than the first time we ministered there. However... this type of situation is ripe for God to show-up and move mightily. The Holy Spirit worked greatly through everyone who went. We saw many make decisions for Jesus, but we also saw many who were so bound by the devil, that they couldn't (wouldn't) let go. We spent a few very exciting hours on that corner, even seeing some we had ministered to on our previous trip.

Leaving Kensington, we returned to the Mission for a little down-time with a hot cup of coffee, and then we were back out the door. Ministering in Center City ... where the "working homeless" gather ..., we were again struck by how clean and well-mannered these folks were.

The highlight of the night was when we went to the underground. The last time in Philly, I had to stay with the van and could not go down with the rest of the group. This time Pastor Frank and I parked in an unloading zone, and off we went. When we finally got underground, Lucy introduced us to two men who had approached her on street-level. They saw her bags of food and huge duffel bag of cold-weather gear and asked about it. She began ministering to them and after a short while decided they needed to meet us. As we began to minister the Gospel to them, their stories came out...

One man, Andretti, had gotten out of jail just two days prior. After spending 31 years behind bars, he was very down on himself, explaining how he knew who Jesus was, knew He died to wash away his sins, but he just couldn't give it all that over to Him. Because what he had done was so bad and he didn't deserve to go to heaven, he couldn't forgive himself. Andretti then began to tell us the story of how, 31 years ago, seven of his friends had raped, sodomized and killed his twin sister. These young men took pictures of what they did and gave them to Andretti. Andretti took the pictures to the police and to the judge, but unfortunately, no one would prosecute these men. Andretti then told me that he decided to take things into his own hands, and killed all seven to avenge his sister's death. Andretti said, "you see, I know there is a God. I was on death row, and they commuted my sentence to life without parole. They then commuted that sentence and gave me 15 to 31 years, and now after 31 years I am free." We told him he was not truly free, but still held captive by his unforgiveness of himself. He told us he would think about what we had said, but right then he could not let go.

Talmedge was another hard case. He told us how for six years he was a professional football player. Then a year ago, his life fell apart when he came home one day to find his wife in bed with another man. Talmedge lost it and had been on the streets ever since. He ran into Andretti the day Andretti got out of prison and they decided to hang-out. Talmedge kept trying to get Andretti to go “underground” where it was warmer than the streets, and safer than the shelters, but he just couldn’t do it. Even though his situation was not as “dramatic” as Andretti’s, and didn’t seem like there was anything that needed “forgiving,” Talmedge wasn’t ready either to give it up to God.

Before leaving, Pastor Frank asked if he could pick them both up for church the next day and they agreed. On Sunday evening Pastor Frank called to let me know that both Andretti and his friend Talmedge had given their lives to Jesus. So it was truly by divine intervention that they were on the street outside the subway when our crew was unloading. We praise God for that, or we may never have met them and they may never have given their lives to Jesus! Pastor Frank is meeting with them twice a week now, and is working on getting them someplace more stable to live. Heaven isn’t the only place where there is rejoicing over these two children of God!

We can't wait until we go back, and have decided we will be traveling there at least once a month to help get RAVEN Philly off the ground. Our next scheduled visit is on Saturday, February 23rd, and all are encouraged to attend.

...P.S.

Who Do YOU Follow?

2008-01-24T10:05:00.000-05:00

Listen & Find Out ...

FINAL DETAILS - Long Island Outreach Saturday

2008-01-24T09:52:00.000-05:00

LONG ISLAND, NY
SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2008

RAVEN Long Island & RAVEN East Coast will again be partnering to reach the lost and hurting of Long Island, NY. All are welcome to participate. We will be feeding and ministering throughout the day.

If you are available that day, and would like to help, please let us know IMMEDIATELY. We will be driving up in a large van, and there are still a couple seats available.

We will be leaving the Hanover, PA area at 6:00 a.m. Saturday.

If you have any questions, would like to participate, or need a ride, PLEASE LET US KNOW A.S.A.P.

Also, if you would like to help financially, to cover cost of gas, tolls, and provisions for those we're ministering to, please click on the "donate" link to the right. All donations are tax-deductible and secure.

E-mail: Pastor Sam / Lucy

Friday Night Streets, York, PA (January 9, 2008)

2008-01-18T18:50:00.000-05:00

Last Friday night, the team was blessed to have Pastor Terry Shuff, Director of RAVEN Daytona Beach, join us for the weekend's ministry. In addition to Pastor Terry and myself, the team consisted of Pastors George and Donna, Lucy, Meg, and Chad and Kevin, from a local Mennonite congregation.

Our first area was the square in York, PA.

We set-up on the corner in the Square of downtown York. We were just up the street from one of York's main hangouts, "The Hardware Bar," which let us catch them coming and going. Many refused to engage us as we called out to them, and many yelled out colorful slurs. But a few stopped, a few listened, and a few cried out to Jesus.

Pastors George and Donna had the opportunity to speak with Joe. He and a friend were on their way to The Hardware Bar when they were stopped. While Lucy spoke briefly with his friend, George and Donna confronted Joe about some issues in his life. Joe had just gotten out of jail, and wanted to see his girl at the Hardware Bar... and to get drunk. At one point he had been saved, and had even read the Bible while in jail, but had started slipping back into some of his old habits. Donna hit him with Galatians 5, that no drunkard shall get into heaven. After hearing this, Joe decided getting drunk was not such a great idea. However, he still felt he needed to go the bar, where his friend had already gone to, and where his girlfriend was. Before leaving George and Donna prayed for Joe, for strength to be a good witness to his friends.

There are two who really come to mind for me...

First there was Jay. As soon as I saw him come around the corner I heard God say, "you need to talk to him." Right away, I could tell he was bothered by something. I asked if he was O.K., and he said he wasn't. He told me how his girlfriend had just gotten locked-up for "no reason," and he wanted to know why God did that to her. I told him that it wasn't God who did that to her, but sin, and that as a result of his girlfriend's sin, or someone else's, she had gotten locked-up. We talked for a while and he told me how he went to church and how he loved God, yet he was living in sin with his girlfriend. Obviously, I had to show him in the Word where it says fornicators will not enter into the Kingdom of God. He broke down crying, asking God to forgive him and change him because he wanted to be saved and go to heaven.

Next was a man Pastor Terry started talking to, then asked me to come over and join them. This man's name was Wayne. When asked, Wayne told Pastor Terry, "you probably won't believe this, because of all the piercings and all, but I am serving God 100%." After a few questions, and a little probing, we found that he left out the fact that he was living in sin with his girlfriend. He also kept talking about 3 kids that he had with this girl. Later we found out that his girlfriend did not carry any of the three children to full-term. Wayne said his girlfriend was mad at God for taking their three kids. We explained to Wayne that God didn't take his three kids, sin took them. We also continued to explain that there was no way he could be serving God 100%, if he was living in sin with his girlfriend, and that if he wanted to serve Jesus 100%, he needed to repent, stop living in sin and follow Jesus' Word. Wayne cried out for God to forgive him and change him. He told God he wanted to give him everything, and that he wanted to serve him completely. We prayed for him as he left, and prayed that his girlfriend would understand the change in him. Oh, to be a fly on his wall when he got home!

There were many more we encountered, which was amazing considering the temperature was hovering at around 45 degrees that evening. There was the Catholic boy who didn't necessarily believe in heaven or hell; the woman who said she believed, but wasn't Christian, and was with a Muslim; the guy who said he was a believer but wouldn't talk about God; and many others. Some knew their need but wouldn't surrender, others only felt they needed to be left alone (in their sin). As many different stories as people, but yet all with the same story ... desperation to fill a void they can't name or understand. So sad...

While we realize the gravity of the work -- a person's eternity in heaven or hell -- the group always manages to cut-up and have a good time. How can we not...? We have a joy and happiness that doesn't come from our circumstance, but from the Lord...

Pastor George feeling right at-home, and surveying the land ... on George Street

Chad & Kevin. Kevin considers him and his family "ghetto Mennonites." When asked what this meant, he replied, "most Mennonites live in the country. We prefer the city." Praise God for his "Ghetto Mennonite" children, who prefer to live in their mission field.

Meg & Lucy, muggin' for the camera

Because we were heading to Philly in the morning, we started for home around midnight, thanking the Lord for the Awesome time we had in Him.

PS

Shooting in "The Jungle" - UPDATED

2008-01-09T15:53:00.000-05:00

Sam and I were scheduled to be in this neighborhood this evening to meet with a couple. The husband called and told Sam he couldn't make it because of his work schedule. He also mentioned a shooting, and that police and reporters were crawling all over this neighborhood. Below is the most recent article I could find on the incident. While we don't know everyone's name in this neighborhood, we do know many of these folks by their faces.

Unfortunately, the details are few. We were told by our friend that apparently the gun was in the trash bin outside his house (right where we had a Holy Ghost party Saturday evening). A couple weeks ago there was a drive-by in this neighborhood, right before we arrived. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but residents told us the police didn't even show to investigate. Gotta wonder if this one could have been avoided if they had.

Please pray!

==============================================

POLICE SEARCH FOR SHOOTING SUSPECTS
By MIKE HOOVER and TED CZECH / Daily Record/Sunday News
Article Last Updated: 01/09/2008 11:33:24 PM EST

11:27 PM

Jan 9, 2008 — York City Police detectives searched city streets Wednesday night for three people wanted for the shooting death of a 25-year-old man shot earlier in the day.

Eugene Howard “Pug” Rainey, 26, and his brother, George David “Toot” Rainey, 23, both of York, were charged late Wednesday night with criminal homicide, York City Police Detective First Class Jeff Spence said.

Spence said detectives were working to identify a third person they believed also played a role in the death of Dion Williams, 25, of York.

Spence said Williams was shot while sitting in the front passenger seat of a green station wagon parked in the first block of Carlin Avenue, off the first block of East Maple Street.

“These guys pulled up, one of them got out, walked right up to the window ... shot from close range,” Spence said.

Spence said Wednesday night detectives were still investigating if the Rainey brothers and the third suspect knew Williams prior to the shooting.

After the shooting, the station wagon's female driver, who Spence described as a friend of Williams', drove him to York Hospital.

About 12:20 p.m., the driver ran into the hospital's emergency room, and told workers someone had been shot, said Barry Sparks, hospital spokesman.

Hospital workers then called police, who began their investigation.

Williams was taken to the operating room, where surgeons worked to save his life. They pronounced him dead at 2:05 p.m., York County Deputy Coroner Claude Stabley said.

York Hospital went into lockdown after Williams was dropped off, its security officers allowing only patients and family members access to the emergency room, Sparks said.

The shooting also triggered three city schools to go into lockdown and then schedule an early dismissal, school district officials said.

An autopsy on Williams' body - to determine the cause and manner of death - is scheduled for this morning, Stabley said.

Recounting the Blessings

2008-01-07T21:56:00.000-05:00

January 1, 2008… the 1^st day of a new year has already come and gone!

Just one year ago, RAVEN East Coast joined with other RAVEN teams nationwide, to usher in the New Year with a seven-day period of prayer & fasting… just as we did this year. And as we begin the New Year, we wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on God’s blessings in 2007. While 2006 saw the birth of RAVEN East Coast, with all the trials and storms that can accompany a work for God, we couldn’t wait to see what wonderful things God had in store for us in the New Year.

JANUARY

Although the storms started during the fast for some on the East Coast team, God just as quickly started working on behalf of the ministry itself. While meeting with a friend (Pastor Don Wolabaugh, Harvest Chapel in Abbottstown, PA), I had the opportunity to meet Mike & Susan Hoke from Harvest Chapel. They were sorting bread. It was because of this first meeting that we were introduced to Pastors Jack and Deb Dressler of Healing House Ministries in Newport, PA. These two meetings proved to be divine appointments. As a result, our weekly food distribution in the York, PA area was birthed.

Just weeks after meeting the Hokes and Dresslers, we started a weekly food distribution to Fireside, an area where we had first ministered back in September 2006.

FEBRUARY in New Orleans…. at Mardi Gras. The place where EVERY true, God-fearing Christian should be … to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ. RAVEN International’s yearly outreach to the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, is the highlight of the entire RAVEN team. One hundred twenty-five (125) missionaries from across the United States and Canada gathered for a short five days, and made an eternal impact for the Kingdom. From diverse backgrounds and walks of life, this crew came together and worked like a well-oiled machine. In many respects, to witness and experience the team was one of the greatest parts of the outreach. To see it function in such a Spirit-led unity made it difficult to differentiate between the veterans and the first-timers. The Spirit moved mightily among the team members each and every day. In five days, over 350 people made decisions for Jesus Christ.

Mardi Gras 2007 was an experience some of the team did not expect. After participating in MG2006, I went with certain expectations, all of which went unmet. Instead of constantly ministering to the lost, I found myself, in many cases, encouraging new folks who had never been to Mardi Gras before. I was also able to see my just-turned 15 year-old daughter, Meghan, blossom as a street evangelist. She has such a heart for the lost, and has no fear. She keeps both her mom and me on our toes.

Lucy and I had opportunity to minister to many, a few of which stand out... Michael, a homosexual young man, listened intently to every word we spoke but wouldn’t accept Jesus, while his friend wanted to do nothing but argue. There were also two Navy attorneys who couldn’t understand why God allowed little children to be molested, but did realized their own need for Jesus. Praise the Lord!

Pastor George had his own “Kodak moment.” While at the intersection of Bourbon & St. Pete, the team was in the path of a pagan parade. We could actually smell the participants before we saw them … the smell of death and rotting flesh. It was like nothing we had ever experienced. Because we didn’t want any of the team injured as they ministered, those not ministering blocked for those who were standing or kneeling in prayer there at the intersection. Inevitably, those in the parade attempted to push through and became very belligerent to the team. At one point, one of those in the parade began to manifest and came over others, fists flying at Pastor George, breaking and twisting his glasses, punching him in the face. Pastor George’s response…? “I love you. Jesus loves you. I love you.” After the incident, all pieces to his glasses were retrieved, reassembled, and Pastor George didn’t have a mark on him. The testimony here … While the one individual was trying to hurt Pastor George, on account of his witness, others in the parade were asking the attacker, “what’s wrong with you?” We saw it. They saw it. However, it wasn’t what was “wrong,” but what was “right.” Christ in him, that’s what everyone saw.

Regardless of which RAVEN you spoke with, and regardless of whether the revelers accepted salvation or not, our hearts broke for all of them.

MARCH was back to ministry as usual, if there ever really is such a thing. It was during March that Lucy and I, and RAVEN East Coast, had the blessing of hanging-out and ministering with Pastor Brandon Romero. Pastor Brandon is the Director of RAVEN Southwest, based out of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. While we had spent a little time with Pastor Brandon during the last two Mardi Gras outreaches, and the 2006 RAVEN Gathering in Amarillo, it was not nearly enough time to get to know this man of God Pastor Troy spoke so highly of.

On his first visit to East Coast, we took the opportunity and returned to the area known as “The Jungle,” where we had first ministered in September 2006. It was an interesting visit, to say the least… two days before Pastor Brandon arrived, we had 70 degrees and sunny skies. Then came Friday, and a foot of snow, which held him up in Delaware until Saturday morning. But, being the radical Jesus Freak that he is, PB arrived as soon as he could get through. So, while being temporarily based in Delaware for his secular job during the week, Pastor Brandon would, for months to come, visit RAVEN East Coast on the weekends. On many occasions, no sooner would he walk in the door and drop his bag, than we were right back out the door for ministry. Praise and thank God for this brother in the Lord!

APRILgave us somewhat of a break in the cold weather, and with it, the opportunity to continue building relationships in the areas of Fireside and Maple Street (“The Jungle”).

MAY

Memorial Day weekend in New York. This was East Coast’s first opportunity to attend RAVEN Ministries’ Boot Camp in the Big Apple. Joining me from East Coast was also Meghan, and Pastors George Moyle and Donna Dickmyer. It was a powerful time in the Lord. The mornings were early, the days were long, the nights were late, but the Spirit was strong. From Ground Zero to Staten Island, from the Empire State Building to Times Square, people were being touched by Jesus. From apostate Jews to tarot card readers, from the ferry riders to the street walkers, everyone heard the Gospel. Different state - different people - different experience. Same Jesus. He came to “seek and save that which was lost,” and many lost sheep found their way into the fold that weekend. Over 100 people made decisions for Christ. This outreach truly proved to be a memorial to the power of the Cross.

Additionally, East Coast was blessed with a 5^th wheel R.V. from a couple who we barely know. The Lord does incredible things, in ways we don’t expect.

JUNEwas an incredibly crazy-busy month. Not only did we as a church body move to a new facility (and as a result the RAVEN East Coast team), with the great weather came opportunity for RAVEN East Coast to host its own “Evangelism Boot Camp.” We partnered with eight different churches and RAVEN Teams from all over the US and Canada to make this first Boot Camp a complete success. On Friday night we ministered in Fells Point, MD, one of Baltimore City’s prime party spots. We were joined by youth from Harvest Chapel in Abbottstown, PA, and members of Eagle Christian Ministries in York, PA. Many who had previously said they “didn’t know what to say,” walked away with praise reports and couldn’t stop talking.

While we kept to our usual Saturday food distribution in Fireside and on Maple Street, after the distribution we had a community cookout in Fireside. We gave out approximately 200 hamburgers, and 300 hot dogs. Everyone had a great time. In the evening we had the first of many church services at the community center, with 52 in attendance that evening. At the service, one particular young lady got saved. After the service, she was baptized in water … the next day she led her first person to Jesus … and two days later she was baptized in the Holy Ghost with evidence of speaking in other tongues. God is so good!

On Sunday, we had service at River of Life, while an advance team went into E. Maple Street to set up for a community church service and cookout scheduled for the afternoon. After service, the remaining team headed to E. Maple Street all full of the Holy Ghost and ready to see some miracles. And that is exactly what we saw! In this neighborhood they call “The Jungle,” we had upwards of three hundred people come out for our service and cookout. Pastor Troy challenged the neighborhood to stand up for Jesus. Many came forward to receive Jesus, His healing, and the baptism.

While it is only our reasonable service to our Lord, and barely scratching the surface, after this incredible weekend of ministry we felt a sense of accomplishment for the Kingdom of God ... forty-three people made decisions for Christ, many were healed and two were baptized in the Holy Ghost. What else seemed like an incredible accomplishment was the unity and cooperation between existing churches, which further helped to break down those man-made denominational barriers so many are afraid to cross.

It was mid-JULY when we first received an e-mail from Pastor Peter Smith of New Beginning Church International in Gaithersburg, MD. He had come across a ministry informational packet RAVEN East Coast sent out almost a year prior and decided to give us a call to help his church with a planned outreach. When someone calls for help, we don’t ask too many questions. If someone is led to call us, it is like God calling. If possible, we go. Fortunately, even though the outreach was just a couple weeks away, the Team was available, and we partnered with NBCI for the first time.

We spent the weekend in Gaithersburg, arriving Friday evening. This was a very different atmosphere than we were accustomed to ministering in. Instead of boarded-up houses, drug addicts, dealers, and the homeless, we ministered in the other extreme. These folks lacked for nothing … except Jesus!

Because their team was not prepared for what we had come to town to do, we went out alone on Friday night to a local hangout. This area had several bars and nightclubs along a lake. We hung out by the main thoroughfare between party spots. All evening we ministered to some very well-to-do young people. The teenagers were driving cars as expensive as some of the team member’s houses. Needless to say, we were all out of our comfort zone, but Jesus wasn’t. His Word transcends all time, all situations, and all financial barriers. His Word is truth no matter who you are and no matter how much you have. His Word says, “God is no respecter of persons,” nor should we be. We preached the Gospel endlessly until about 3 AM. Four young men dedicated their lives to Jesus that night, and many more heard the Truth, but refused to receive. In their eyes, they didn’t need anything else.

On Saturday, we spent most of the day ministering in shopping centers. Many we ministered to were hard-hearted, as their money was more important than Jesus. They “had all they needed,” they said. Wow, so sad! NBCI had a concert that evening for all who were ministered to on the streets. Only a few showed that we had met, but several from NBCI were in attendance, and many were touched by the Word of God. So a new partnership had begun.

AUGUST began with our family traveling to Daytona Beach, FL., to visit with Pastor Troy and Melanie, and the Hills and their families. It was a fantastic time of rest and vision-casting. We were blessed to have Josh, our 19 year old son join us on this trip. Time was spent with PT pouring into us spiritually, and sharing his vision for RAVEN Ministries International.

Because of the strong team we’ve been blessed with, even while we were away, RAVEN East Coast continued to hit the streets, ministering in neighborhoods previously worked. It was during August that we found ourselves led by God out of Fireside, and into an area of York, PA called “The Swamp.” This area is a very rough, crime-ridden area, with many murders occurring on the very streets we minister. As we began to minister in this area, the Lord started doing wonderful things. We’ve lead several in the neighborhood to Jesus. I even had opportunity to preach inside one of the crack houses in the neighborhood - by invitation, no less, to a packed house. We’ve also been blessed to get to know Sister Barbara. Sister Barbara holds church services in her side yard when weather allows. She has been praying and ministering in this neighborhood for years. Praise God she is no longer alone.

As is the case when you’ve proven to the Lord you are willing to do what He asks, He gives more… As a result of the outreach we did with NBCI in July, we made a contact that got RAVEN invited to 365 Church. In late August, after church one Sunday, we headed for Martinsburg, WV to help with a “Back-To-School” carnival. RAVEN East Coast manned the prayer tent. We had an awesome time praying and ministering to all kinds of people. One lady had been abused by her husband, and had just had him arrested for beating her. She was looking for answers and for peace of mind. She was introduced to Jesus, our Prince of Peace, who has all the answers. Another lady had raised her own children and was now raising her daughters' daughters, and wanted prayer for strength. There was yet another lady who agreed with everything we said, and then in the next breath, disagreed with us and herself. There are people the world over that need Jesus for EVERYTHING, but just don’t get it – their minds are clouded.

SEPTEMBER can be such a beautiful month, weather-wise, and even more so for street ministry. The team continued to minister in our usual neighborhoods, doing what we could to spread the Gospel. Additionally, we tried to hit the streets at other times during the month, hitting the town hotspots, whatever the town happened to be.

September also took me to Elkhart, Indiana to minister with RAVEN Midwest. While in Elkhart I was blessed to join in the celebration of Pastor Terry & Eileen’s move to Daytona Beach, FL. It was a wonderful time in the Lord. Additionally, on Sunday I preached at The Potter’s House, in South Bend, Indiana. The Holy Spirit moved mightily, starting with Leigh Prath’s worship and ending with the entire church coming to the altar for ministry at the end of the service. Many received deliverance and encouragement. Thank you Jesus!

OCTOBER is now the month all RAVENs gather in one place for the purpose of catching-up, and generally encouraging and ministering to each other. The 2^nd Annual RAVEN Gathering was held in Daytona Beach, Florida, and was an awesome weekend of fellowship with like-minded, like-spirited warriors for Christ, who are also in the trenches all around this country and in Canada, getting the job done. As is the norm, RAVENs will not gather without taking the Bread of Life out to the lost. On Saturday evening we went to the boardwalk at the beach and ministered for several hours, as the waves crashed just 100 feet away. Several came to the Lord Jesus Christ, and it was during this time of ministry, that we met Rusty for the first time. Many of you know him from the RAVEN Nation Broadcasts on Tuesday nights. It is also at the RAVEN Gathering that RAVEN Ministries International ordains ministers. In order to be ordained, these men must already be functioning as ministers of the Gospel, and as RAVEN leaders. This year, in addition to three other men, I had the honor of being formally ordained as a minister and elder of RAVEN Ministries.

At the end of October, we were able to return to Gaithersburg, MD, and minister with Pastor Smith and New Beginnings Church International. This time we were asked to do some teaching before hitting the streets. It was a Spirit-filled time in the Lord. At around noon we went to the local mall for food, and never left. We spent 2 ½ hours ministering at the entrance to the mall. Everyone from NBCI was awesome, and ministered like they had done it all their lives. In 2 ½ hours 14 people made decisions for Christ.

NOVEMBER

God is just so incredible! He knows our needs, and He’s so good at working things out. Not only have we had the privilege of using a friend’s trailer to haul the food we deliver weekly, but God has also connected our team with others who have donated time, resources, finances. Most recently, a prayer we’ve had for over a year was answered. A family we met at Harvest Chapel, was leaving the country as missionaries and had no need of their 2^nd vehicle, and called us to see if we could use it … “it” being a 15-passenger van! Thank You Lord! And thanks to RAVEN Deb, it was delivered to our door from Florida, where it was being stored. We received the blessing of the van, and the blessing of a visit from our sister! That's double-portion!

At one point in the Fall, East Coast was presented with the opportunity to broadcast RAVEN Nation LIVE from Studio “C.” That’s our home. While I appreciated Pastor Troy for all he did before this experience, broadcasting from here gave us ALL a new appreciation for what he does. And while you could easily see this was an amateur effort, it did afford us the chance to meet Joey Basta from Long Island, NY. Joey “just happened” to be surfing the net the night we broadcasted from Hanover. He e-mailed, asking if we would be willing to go to Long Island, NY to do an outreach. We said, YES!

So, on Saturday, November 10^th, after much communication via e-mail and the phone, we finally met Joey Basta, and his friend Pastor John. We went into Hempstead, a very depressed neighborhood on Long Island. We had 13 people on our team that weekend including Gideon (who we met at our Boot Camp outreach on E. Maple Street), and Pastors Jack and Deb Dressler (our bread suppliers). We had food for 250 people, as well as winter clothing and blankets for many, donated by many of you who are reading this now. We were on the streets feeding people and ministering from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., and saw 30 people make decisions for Christ on Long Island. Within weeks of our outreach in Long Island, NY, RAVEN Long Island was birthed, with Joey Basta as the Director.

In a most incredible way, God connects people and orchestrates things… On the way home from Long Island, Pastor Deb Dressler mentioned that she knew a Pastor in Philly that loved doing outreach. She asked if we would like to go to Philly to help him. We said, YES!

DECEMBER

Pastor Deb contacted Pastor Frank Vega of Inner City Missions and offered RAVEN East Coast, if he were interested. He said, YES! So on Saturday, December 8^th we went to Philly. Also joining us were Pastor John, and Joey Basta of RAVEN Long Island. We took food for 250 people and winter coats for anyone who was in need. Upon arriving in Philly we met Pastor Frank for the first time, but it was like we had known each other all our lives. Our hearts, spirits, and vision meshed. We spent all day ministering in the streets at Kensington, Center City and the “Underground.” The Lord performed many miracles that day. Many received Jesus, many were healed and delivered.

The most impacting moment of the day was when we met Louie. Louie was an illegal alien from Nicaragua. We were preparing to leave Kensington, when Louie approached us very humbly. You could tell he was really in need. He simply asked for some food and a coat. We had just given out the last of both. You could see that he had been weeping, but very politely, he said thank you anyway and began to leave. Lucy asked if there was anything we could do to help, so… what else could we do? We took Louie back to the Mission with us. There we saw to it that he received food, and a warm winter coat. The entire time he was with us he would not stop crying. He kept saying “thank you,” over and over again, “thank you.” While at the Mission, Pastor John had an opportunity to minister to him in Spanish, and led him to the Lord as we rejoiced. He continued to cry the entire 2 hours he was with us. After a rest, some food and prayer, Pastor Frank and I took Louie back to where he was staying in the woods. Louie had very little … a cooler, a few chairs, and a grill, but Louie would not go to a Christian shelter, because he was afraid someone would steal these things from him. They were all he had until this night. Now he had Jesus. There was certainly a true transformation in his life. He kept telling us that his heart had been broken and that he was truly changed, thanks to Jesus! Amen! It was a blessed, full day of ministry.

Before leaving, Pastor Frank said he wanted to share with us. He told us that he knew, without even having to pray about it, that Inner City Missions had to partner with RAVEN East Coast. He said he knew without a doubt that it was God’s will for there to be a RAVEN Philly. He also shared about his desire to take RAVEN to Liberia, Africa, where he has a network of approximately 50-60 churches that would love to have RAVEN and what RAVEN stands for in their churches. East Coast, along with representatives from other RAVEN teams, is already scheduled to return to Philly at the end of the week and then again in February and March.

..........

This "Recounting" is actually being amended from its original version, which was finished a couple weeks ago. After all, who are we to put a period where God has put a comma?

As is often the case in many ministries, the leader wears more than one hat, and often heads more than one ministry. While Lucy and I are the directors of RAVEN East Coast, I am also Senior Pastor of a church we planted about 4 years ago. Through circumstances, the church was indebted to its former landlord for a debt incurred by people who no longer attend the church. It looked to be a debt that was going to take years to pay-off. We had forgotten something the Lord spoke to us 12 months prior….

Don’t you love it in Scripture when you read, “Then God…”?

Just when everyone thought the year couldn’t end any better, the Lord took Lucy and me back to a word He gave us during the fast at the beginning of 2007. That word was “jubilee.” Scripturally, in the year of jubilee, lands were returned to their rightful owners, slaves were freed, and debts were cancelled. While not sure how this applied, we stood on this word from the Lord. And, as we were reviewing the year in its last days, we marveled at what the Lord had done for the ministry, and for us personally. Unfortunately, even with all the other blessings, there was no “jubilee,” so to speak.

Then God!

Literally, during the 11^th hour on December 31^st, I received a call from someone who asked to meet with me for the purpose of helping with the above-mentioned debt. When I arrived, the check was already written. Not only did this person “help” with the debt, it was totally eliminated! The church was free! January 1, 2008 … the beginning of our year of jubilee! Such a JESUS thing to do!

..........

We as a ministry, and I personally, want to thank all of you who have helped … through your time, resources (buildings, churches, vans, trailers, etc.), prayer. You have touched countless lives through your love and sacrifices. There will be people in heaven because you saw fit to invest in RAVEN East Coast, and those it helps. Literally, we are eternally grateful!

We would also like to thank our RAVEN family. For your prayers and support, and especially those of you who have taken time away from your own teams to help build ours. We are so blessed to be part of the same family. You guys are the bomb!

All praise reports and thanks aside, with a New Year also come new responsibilities, new opportunities, more lives to touch. We pray that while the Lord blesses you, you continue to see fit to bless others; as the Lord pours into you, that you continue to pour into others as well. There is much work to do, but few workers, and little time. None of us is promised tomorrow. If you would like to help in any area -- time, resources, finances, prayer -- it would be very appreciated. If you have questions, your own prayer requests, ministry needs, etc., please let us know. As servants of Christ, it is our job to serve in any way we can.

May the Lord bless you in this New Year.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:33

In HIS Service….
Sam Croghan, Director
RAVEN East Coast

Hold On!

2008-01-01T10:05:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! I pray that this new year will open new doors for each and everyone of you. I pray that all of your prayers are answered.

I just wanted to come to you this first day of 2008 and say, HOLD ON! This year, will be one filled with many tests and trials, but for those who hold on, they will receive the blessings of our Lord. How do I know this? Because, His Word is TRUE!

At the beginning of last year, during our time of prayer and fasting, the Lord spoke to Lucy and I and told us that 2007 would be our year of Jubilee. In the Old Testament, the year of Jubilee, meant that all debts would be forgotten, paid in full, there would be freedom. As the year progressed, we saw God move in great and wonderful ways. In 2007, we were a part of having thousands of souls names written in the Lambs Book of Life.

In 2007, we experienced financial blessings personally; from my new job, to all of the financial gifts we received from many of you. We experienced blessings in our ministry; from seeing our territory grow, to the ministry van that was donated to RAVEN East Coast. And, we experienced personal spiritual growth, with God opening our eyes to great revelation from His Word. But, all year long there loomed this burden, that we thought would never disappear. And just when we thought God was not going to come through. Just when we thought that the promise of God (the year of Jubilee), was just a fleshly desire. God moved! So HOLD ON!

As many of you know, the church we Pastor was experiencing financial struggles. At the beginning of 2007, we owed our Landlord over $10,000 and the balance was growing every month. Finally, in June our Landlords let us out of the last 7 months of a three year lease. At that time, we owed back rent of over $13,000. The rest of the year we struggled to pay rent at the library where we were now worshiping, while also trying to pay down our back rent. As we worked to pay down our debt, we slowly began to wonder whether the year of Jubilee was just a dream.

We had come to the conclusion that, we did not hear God correctly at the beginning of 2007, and had resigned ourselves to the fact that we would continue to struggle while trying to pay off our church debt. We thought, maybe God is trying to teach us something. Until... Monday morning, December 31st at approximately 10 AM, I received a phone call from someone who wishes to remain anonymous. This person proceeded to explain to me (something they had already talked to Lucy about), that they were considering helping us pay off part of our debt. They said that they were considering paying off 50% of what we will still owed to help us get closer to being debt free. WOW, what a blessing!

They continued! They said, as they were talking to God about this donation God said to them, "Why are you being so cheap? You have the money to pay all of their debt. Besides, it's my money, not your anyway." That's when they called me, and told me to meet them at 2PM. They told me to bring the pay off amount with me when I came to pick up the check. When I got there to pick up the check, they asked me how much we owed. We owed $7,100. They proceeded to give me a check and told me that the Lord had already told them how much to give. They wrote a check for $7,135. That's a God thing! He is an on time God. He reminded me of His promise... the year of Jubilee. Even though we had given up on His promise, He was faithful.

Hold on in 2008! Even though it may seem like your struggle will never end. Even though it may seem like, God's promise will never come to pass. Hold on! He is an on time God. He is faithful, He is God! He will ALWAYS come through, even when we don't. Amen!

God bless you all! And may the Lord prosper you in every area of your life this new year. HOLD ON! The time has come. The time is now! HOLD ON!

Pastor Sam

A Message From RAVEN Director, Pastor Troy Bohn

2007-12-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

Concerning Fasting & Prayer for 2008

Dear Raven Leaders & Friends of Jesus,

I wanted to send this email out to invite and encourage you to join with us in a season of fasting and prayer before the Lord Jesus in preparation for 2008. I believe that the things that we will face in this coming year will demand a consecrated heart towards the presence and holiness of God and a dedicated mind in regards to being diligent in the Word of God.

As a ministry we are scheduling a period of fasting and prayer to commence at 12:00 AM on January 1st (That would be midnight on Monday the 31st) and will conclude at 12:00 AM on January 8th (That would be midnight on the 7th). This is a period of (7) full days of consecration before the Lord Jesus. Melanie and I have actually already begun the fast and will continue for a full (14) days--- we are in desperate pursuit of Jesus like never before and feel the need to make this commitment to Jesus to end 2007 and to begin 2008.

Many times the word "fasting" is met with resistance from our "Old Nature." The flesh often bristles at anything that would demand its submission to the Spirit man--this is why it is so very important to make the time to seek the face of the Lord Jesus to a greater degree during these set-aside-times of consecration. Paul the Apostle said in:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

This time of prayer and fasting will DEMAND discipline--but the reward for discipline is always breakthrough.

When Melanie and I fast, we typically go on a "non-solid" food fast that consists of water, diluted juices, and broths. I "personally" believe that this most represent the Biblical fast and have seen this type of fast yield some of the most incredible results. (But) I encourage you to choose the type of fast that you feel the Spirit leading you in (not the flesh leading you in), while considering what type of sacrifice that you want to make to yield the degree of breakthrough that you are seeking.

Remember: "The measurement that you choose to measure out is the same measurement that will be measured back to you." (Mt. 7:2, Mk. 4:24, Lk. 6:38)

This is one area in which YOU are given the vehicle in which your promise is carries back to you. I suggest "pressing deeper and climbing higher and standing firmer" than you ever have before. You are going to need it in 2008.

I do want to say this and I say so very soberly: There are some of you that will refuse to pay the price in 2008 and will neglect the demands and sacrifices that God is calling you to (and I am not just talking about this season of fasting--this is just a very small part of it) and you will reap the consequences of this refusal. The Holy Spirit has been speaking emphatically to me in the past few months that this is the most critical hour in which we have lived. This coming year is going to present issues and obstacles that without the mind of Christ and the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit operating in your heart life never before---you will fall.

I believe that God is giving us the "heads up" so that we can make preparations. Amos 3:7 says, "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."There will be some that head the call and there will be others who will once again make excuses and take God's warning with a grain of salt.

Matt 25:1-13 says,

"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."

I plead with you to harken unto the voice of the Lord in this late hour and respond to His voice. With the incredible opposition that is coming there is even a greater opportunity--but it will require faithfulness, humility, and holiness.

HERE IS WHAT I AM ASKING FROM YOU:

Let me know if you are committed to this time of prayer and fasting by emailing me at PastorTroy@BigGrace.com
Let me know specific areas that you need God to move in your family, your ministry, and in your personal life. **Do not send me prayer requests for others at this time---I am asking about YOU.

Also-- I believe that there is about to be one of the greatest outpourings of the Holy Spirit that this Nation has seen---and this is going to be the "real deal"--not some "showy", manipulative, weirdness---but rather a bona-fide, unmistakable, HOLINESS-BASED, power-filled impartation upon His Body. I believe that we are going to see what the Word said we would see:

Mark 16:15-20 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."

Also consider this:

1 Cor 12:31 "But earnestly desire the best gifts....".

1 Cor 14:12 "Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church."

I believe that God wants to empower His Church in this critical hour like never before and this is going to be seen as those who earnestly seek Him will see the manifest presence of God moving miraculously in and through their lives. I believe that we are going to see miracle healings like never before. I believe that words of wisdom and words of knowledge will accompany your witness to people--that the Holy Spirit will "read their mail to you" and that tongues and interpretation of tongues and prophecy will be seen in unprecedented proportions.

My question for you as we are praying--- What "gift" is it that you are earnestly desiring the Holy Spirit to measure out in your life to make you more effective in edifying the Body and reaching the lost?

1 Cor 12:8-10 "for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues."

Email me these things as I stand with you in faith believing for God's outpouring on your life like never before.

***Our weekly RAVEN NATION program will be on MONDAY NIGHT this week instead of Tuesday. This will be a special "watch night" service that will begin at 9:00 PM and last until Midnight (The New Year). We will be having special worship and intercessory prayer and a time for the Word as well. **If the Holy Spirit is dropping something in your spirit that you want to share--then write it down and email it to me. If you have SKYPE, it may be that we can put you on LIVE so that you can share it directly.

***I will also be posting times that we will be having LIVE intercessory prayer during the fast as well. If you are set up to BROADCAST through Stickam---let me know and we may have you host a prayer time as well using my log-in.

I love you all and look forward to seeing Jesus move in all of our lives so that we can impact others for His Glory!

Blessings,

Pastor Troy D. Bohn
Raven Ministries International, Inc.
P.O. Box 1897
Daytona Beach, Florida 32115
(386) 682-4141
www.BigGrace.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS From RAVEN East Coast

2007-12-25T10:52:00.001-05:00

The Greatest Gift Received

Is Never The One
Found Under The Tree
But The ONE Hung
ON The Tree

RAVEN Goes To Philly

2007-12-14T12:19:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday (December, 8^th), RAVEN was in Philadelphia, PA to do an outreach to the homeless and destitute. This outreach was organized by Healing House Ministries (Pastors Jack and Deb Dressler), and included RAVEN East Coast, and newly formed RAVEN Long Island (NY).

Leaving Hanover at 7:30 AM, we swung through York to pick up some of the team, and headed for the Turnpike where we met Pastors Jack and Deb at a rest stop along the way. We arrived in Philly at 12:30, and joined Joey Basta and Pastor John from RAVEN Long Island who were already there. It was at this time, that I had the opportunity to meet Pastor Frank Vega for the first time. It was like we had known each other all our lives. This meeting was much like when we first met Pastor Troy - there was a Holy Ghost connection.

Pastor Frank had planned for our team to minister in some of Philly's hot spots. First we went to a corner well known for heroine, prostitution and broken lives. When we arrived on location, the first thing we saw were used syringes all over the ground. The reality of the situation was overwhelming. These people were all lost, and in their minds, had no HOPE. The God-reality was that Jesus had sent us there to bring them HOPE … HIM! The entire team jumped-in and began to minister and hand-out food. A few of the stories are below…

LINDA and her husband had just moved to Philly and didn’t have enough money to get their heat or telephone turned on, so they had come out to get some blankets and winter jackets to keep warm. It did not take long to realize Linda had been drinking, so I confronted her about it. She told me she had accepted Jesus long ago, but that her husband was hooked on cocaine and did not treat her very well, so she needed something to get away. I told her straight up, “no excuses!” and how I had been a drug addict and alcoholic, and about how badly I had treated my family. BUT, Praise GOD, since I found Jesus, I no longer used my situations as an excuse. Her husband tried telling me he had a great relationship with Jesus because he used to be a junior deacon in his church, and still read his Bible and prays. I told him to stop lying to himself -- that Jesus knew his heart and knew that his drug addiction was more important to him than He was. I told him that he couldn't keep living based on his past church relationship, and that he had to repent and start living a now relationship with Jesus. Both Linda and her husband rededicated their lives back to Jesus, and were put in touch with Pastor Frank.

JC was from California and had just lost his wife and 3 year old daughter in a house fire. A so-called friend had asked him to come to Philly to get away for a while, and then stranded him there. He had no money and no way of getting back, because shortly after he arrived he was mugged. Unfortunately, his family in California was unwilling to help him due to his past. And to top it off, he showed me a wound he received two days earlier from a man who stabbed him with a needle, and said, “Welcome to the world of HIV.” In the few months since he arrived in Philly, JC had gone back to his heroine past. As a matter of fact, during our conversation, he left to go to the bathroom to get his fix, and when he returned, he was strung-out again. During this time, I tried to convince him that none of this was God's fault, but he was too strung out after his bathroom trip for us to continue the conversation. JC wanted to go back home and get clean, so I put him in touch with Pastor Frank. Pastor Frank is going to help him get back to Cali and also is going to set him up in a Teen Challenge recovery program there.

CHARLES was 51 and from Baltimore, MD, and had come up to get cold weather gear. He was raised in church, and had a praying momma who kept after him about his life. According to Charles, he didn’t do drugs, and he had a relationship with Jesus, but he didn’t see what his alcohol use was doing to him. Lucy spent about 30 minutes ministering to Charles, but then when he said he recognized me, she called me over to speak with him. Charles claimed I had ministered Jesus to him in Baltimore. Although I did not recognize him, I told him it was a God-appointed time …if God had put us together twice, He was trying to tell him something. The conviction was too much so Charles walked away. As he was walking down the street, I told him that if he thought it interesting we had met twice, he better watch out because God was going to have us meet a third time, so he better get right.

NICKY was ministered to by the group as a whole. When he walked up, he was hooked on heroine and heading down the road of self-destruction and death. In no time at all, Nicky was radically delivered from heroine addiction, and dedicated his life to Jesus on the spot! Thanks to Pastor Frank, Nicky was also entered into a recovery program not far from Pastor Frank's ministry. It was definitely one of those “suddenly God” moments.

LOUIE walked up as we were getting ready to leave. A Hispanic man, Louie approached us hungry and cold. We had already run out of coats, blankets, and food, but because we were headed back to the Mission to load up again, we took him with us. As a rule, we try not to judge on appearances, so we weren’t sure of Louie’s situation. We didn’t know if he looked the way he did because he was homeless or just had the type of job that resulted in his condition. As it turned out, he was homeless. From the moment we told him we would help, he began to weep, and kept weeping for approximately two hours. When we got back to the Mission, everyone took turns ministering to Louie, and Pastor John from Long Island led him to Jesus in Spanish. Louie was very grateful for all we had done to help him - he just kept weeping and saying thank you. He said his “heart was broken,” and that he had been truly changed because of the love of Jesus, and the love we had shown him! Hallelujah!

Because we were gearing-up for the second phase of the outreach, Pastor Frank and I took Louie back to where he was staying in the woods. He had a few chairs, a cooler and a grill. It was because of these things that he would not go into a Christian shelter for the night. Although he was secluded from everyone, he was afraid someone would find and steal from him while he was gone. Most of us don’t think too much about a couple cheap chairs or a grill and cooler disappearing out of our yards – at most, it’s a nuisance and inconvenience to have to replace the items. For Louie, these were all his worldly possessions … his home. Now that Pastor Frank knew about Louie, he was going to check-up on him.

After we dropped Louie off, we loaded-up the vans with coats, sleeping rolls, and food, and headed to Center City, where we met up with 2-3 dozen homeless men. They were not the typical homeless you would picture. Many of these men have full time jobs, but because they only make minimum wage, they cannot afford a lot of the necessities of life (i.e., coats, gloves, food, etc.). They were very appreciative and very polite. And, in true God-style, the most unlikely of individuals had their needs taken care of. For example, just when we thought we didn’t have a 3x coat, one shows-up where it wasn’t before. Also, the network Pastor Frank has is amazing … all he had to do was make a call and someone showed-up with new socks to hand-out. The Lord is good!

While almost all the homeless in Center City were men, there were a couple women. One in particular came up for a coat. We found out she was not only homeless, but 4 months pregnant as well. Jayme Moyle had the opportunity to minister to her, and as Jayme laid hands on her belly and prayed, the baby started jumping. Jayme said it reminded her of when John the Baptist leapt in Elizabeth's womb.

The next stop for the team was “The Underground,” an underground mall, and series of tunnels connected to the subway system. While a few of us had to stay on the main street with the vans, the rest of the team took bags of food with them to feed as many as they could find. Because it is often safer than sleeping in an established shelter, there are many that take shelter down there to escape the elements. Sometimes you see them huddled in a corner by themselves; other times they will gather with others for safety. We saw them sitting, or laying on cardboard, or right on the cold floor. Either way, they’re still homeless and in need. A hard concept to grasp is that even though it’s a public facility, in essence, when we’re walking through the halls, we’re walking through their living space … their bedrooms.

As soon as the team arrived down below, Lucy saw a man approach and begin digging in a trash can to look for someone else’s “leftovers.” He eagerly and gratefully accepted the bag of food she offered, as did everyone the team ran into. Some accepted prayer, others wanted to talk to have that simple human contact that many of us take for granted because we’re part of “normal” society. Pastor Frank had the opportunity to lead part of the team into a large, open area where several homeless were living. These folks are usually looked down on, and have a difficult time functioning in society because they may be dirty, or smell, or because they’re dressed funny and carrying all their belongings in bags. They just don’t “fit.” So, for someone to actually take an interest in them as human is incredible to them. For this reason, Pastor Frank was invited back to preach there each week. For some, this will be their only opportunity to attend “church,” as many wouldn’t dare enter a “real church” for fear of being kicked-out due to their physical appearance and condition.

After the underground, we did some sight-seeing (in the dark), running up the famous “Rocky steps.” We also had some real Philly cheese steak subs for dinner, and fellowshipped before heading home at 11:00 PM. It was a long, but wonderful day of ministry. There was a unity of purpose that is so lacking in the “church” today. AND…. , before we left, Pastor Frank wanted to say a few words to everyone. As he spoke, he told us that he knew God wanted Inner City Mission and RAVEN to partner. He said there HAS to be a RAVEN Philly! He wants to start it there and in Liberia, Africa, where he planted three (3) churches, and has connections to a network of MANY other churches.

Wow, what God can do if we are just willing!!!

Don't forget to check-out the new video we made about the outreach above on the Stickam player! There are many more pictures of the outreach team, and some video clips included in it.

Blessings.... P.S.

No Condemnation...

2007-11-29T11:35:00.000-05:00

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Many of us know Romans 8:1 very well. Or do we? We certainly know the first part, because we quote it all the time… “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…” And we put much emphasis on the word no. Somehow though, we forget about the second part of the scripture, when the first part is predicated upon the second part. In other words, without the second part, the first part doesn’t happen.

This is the scripture many we meet on the streets use to justify their sinful lifestyles. They believe that since they prayed a “prayer of salvation,” that all is good. They think they can do whatever they want to, without any consequences for their actions. They don’t seem to realize that in order for the no condemnation thing to work, they must be walking in “the spirit,” and not “in the flesh.”

So what is walking in the flesh? Desiring the things of this world more than the things of the Kingdom. Scripture tells us, to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Though we must live in the world, we must not lust after the things of the world. We must walk according to the Spirit in order to receive no condemnation.

If we think we can squeak by, if we think we can bend His rules, if we think we can do things our way, if we think we can follow our own path and still receive no condemnation, we are only fooling ourselves. God already knows the outcome! All we are going to hear is no! No, you had your chance! No, you walked in the flesh, not in the Spirit! No, your time has expired. No, you have no more chances! No, I never knew you!

Choose this day, whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we are going to serve the Lord!

Time is running out, you are not promised tomorrow or even the next five minutes. Walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. When in the Spirit, you will always be ready!

The Blessings Of Being A Blessing

2007-11-27T12:06:00.000-05:00

God knows how to rock our world & bless our socks off!

And it seems the more we serve Him, the more we have to be thankful for ... not just material blessings (which are incredible, to say the least), but also in the form of seeing lives changed, in friendships made, family ties strengthened, and the sheer joy that comes from knowing Him more each day.

Our Thanksgiving weekend started with our son, Josh coming home early in the week. For those that don't know, Josh is a 2nd year student in an intense discipleship program, as well as the interning youth pastor for a church on the eastern shore of Maryland. Quite a plate-full for anyone! With one exception over the summer, we have not had the opportunity to do any ministry with Josh for over 15 months, as his schedule has not allowed it. This holiday was turning out to the be same, where we first thought we would only see him for a few hours on Thanksgiving Day. Even a few hours would have been nice, since we didn't see him last Thanksgiving at all. But, thank the Lord, that changed and we were blessed with almost an entire week to spend with Josh.

Then, with Friday came a special delivery. The first was RAVEN Deb, from Daytona Beach. What a blessing this sister in the Lord is! Just to be around her, you know you've been in the presence of Jesus. But that blessing didn't stop there ... RAVEN Deb drove up from Daytona Beach to deliver the answer to a long-standing prayer ... our new ministry van. The Eichelberger family, a missionary family from Abbottstown, PA, donated their Ford E350 Econoline 15-passenger van to RAVEN East Coast. The Eichelberger's left to be missionaries for 2 years in Nassau, Bahamas. Thank you Eichelberger family for thinking of us, your van will be used to touch many lives for Jesus. AND thank you Deb for being such a blessing in so many ways!

Saturday morning, Pastor George and I got up early (5:30 AM) to pick up our trailer and a van from Harvest Chapel so we could go get the food we would be passing out. On the trip to Harrisburg we got a call from Pastor Deb of Healing House Ministries. She told us that Holsum Bakery had just called to let her know they had an abundance of freshly baked bread for us to take. When we arrived at the bakery, we were blown away at the abundance. We loaded our trailer with 560 loaves of fresh white and multi-grain bread - we loaded Harvest Chapel's van with 400 loaves of fresh white and multi-grain bread - we then drove to Pastor Deb's house because she had more goodies for us. When we got to Pastor Deb's we walked in to half a 2-car garage full of food. We had approximately 36 bread crates of specialty breads and rolls, as well as, approximately 2 dozen trash bags full (approximately 50 lbs. or more each) of different kinds of breads and rolls from Wegman's Bakery. We also picked-up cases of Hummus, bags of potatoes, a case of salad, 4 bread crates full of different kinds of sweets, as well as, other kinds of non perishable foods. Wow, what a blessing!

A family in "The Swamp" receiving food

After loading up, we headed back to Hanover to pick everyone up for the outreach. We arrived in "The Swamp" at 1 PM. We ministered to many about Jesus. I shared Jesus with Alice, Alice's sister, and Tammy for approximately an hour. None of which were ready to turn it all over to Jesus. But this day, they would hear the truth and would now be responsible for it. The rest of the team also were busy "about their Father's business," giving out food, preaching the Word, and generally just loving on people.

Next we went to "The Promised Land."

We had an incredible time ministering to the kids once again. They are so precious, and it is such a joy to speak with them, and literally watch them grow. For some of our team, this would be the 5th time in this neighborhood in 8 days ... we had spent a couple days bringing coats and other cold-weather gear to these children, and then done some one-on-one counseling with others. The relationships we've developed with the people here have just continued to grow since we first put our feet on this street 14 months ago. Even RAVEN Deb, who lived in California when we met her, and has since moved to Florida, had the opportunity to revisit with those she had previously met.

By the end of the day, we talked to many, preached to some, declared the truth to all, and prayed for as many as would let us. All in all, it was a great day in the Lord! To serve Him, is to Love Him. And, while we don't do it to be blessed, after all, it IS only our reasonable service which we do, God does bless us! Abundantly! In ways only He can!

Wow, what a Mighty God we serve!

PS

Christmas... Christmas Time Is (almost) Here...

2007-11-24T23:05:00.000-05:00

Time for laughter, time for cheer...

Unfortunately, not for everyone.

This time of year comes and goes for many without a single thought of where we would be without Jesus. Honestly, without Jesus, many of us would be in jail or worse, dead. Each year more and more people are becoming bankrupt … financially, morally, and spiritually. For many, this is a very difficult time of year. For many, if they don’t receive help during the holiday season, they don’t make it much past the holiday season.

For this reason, RAVEN East Coast is participating in two separate ministry opportunities to help those less fortunate.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8TH

RAVEN East Coast will be ministering to the homeless and morally destitute in Philadelphia, PA. We will be teaming with Pastors Jack & Deb Dressler of Healing House Ministries (Harrisburg), and with Pastor Frank Vega of Inner City Missions of Philadelphia, to minister to North Philly and its surrounding neighborhood. We will be on the streets to reach those who are described as “unreachable” and “impossible,” including the homeless, prostitutes, drug addicts, and the children in those areas.

We have been asked by Inner City Mission to help supply some of the items that will be needed. These include winter coats, hats, gloves, boots, scarves, and blankets. Additionally, because the outreach location is quite a distance from our base of operations, there is also a need for the finances for gas in order to make this trip, and this outreach a reality.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15TH

RAVEN East Coast will again be teaming with the Southeast Community Alliance in York, PA to minister at their annual "Christmas in York" event to reach out to the needy residents of the city of York. We will be serving Christmas dinner to approximately 1500 people, and handing out gifts for the parents to give to their children on Christmas morning. Some of you know what it was like as a child to see your friends receive gifts at Christmas, and you didn't. Many of the families we will be ministering to cannot afford to give their children gifts for Christmas. I know it isn't about the gift, but it IS about the LOVE behind the gift. All food is being provided by local businesses for this outreach. Unfortunately, the toys are not. We need to help provide toys for ALL parents who attend this outreach. Last year God provided more than enough, so that we could also bless some of the workers that were struggling financially. We believe God is going to provide in abundance once again this year.

We ask that all toys/gifts provided be new, not used. They can be either dropped off at our location, or a donation can be made to purchase the gift. Additionally, the gifts do not have to be expensive, just given with LOVE.

I know this time of year is tight, but most of who we will be ministering to, have nothing at all. The Word says, "Give and it will be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing." This doesn't necessarily mean physical blessings. However, God's blessings ARE like none other. Just recently, one of the men who was with us in New York said he felt like he got blessed more than those he was blessing. Scripture does say, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Please prayerfully consider making a donation of some kind.

Please let us know if you are willing to help with either or both of these outreaches. E-mail or call us to let us know what you will be willing to do. Remember all gifts and monetary donations are completely tax deductible, and can be made securely by clicking on the “make a donation” button on the right.

Thank you in advance for all of your help. And, remember to be blessed this Christmas Season, be a blessing to someone else.

Blessings to YOU,

PS, RAVEN East Coast

Go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Mark 16:15

Long Island Homeless Outreach

2007-11-16T19:48:00.000-05:00

WOW! about covers it.

God is so awesome and it is such a blast to serve Him! We prayed all week that He would give us the Harvester's Anointing, and He did! With an expectancy, come Friday, we went to Long Island prepared to share the Gospel.

The weekend did not happen without a hitch. Friday night we were late getting to York to pick-up Gideon, late getting to Harrisburg to pick-up Pastors Jack and Deb, and then late getting to Long Island because we got lost in Manhattan. We knew it was going to be an awesome outreach when we had to go through a cross-town tunnel on empty in bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go traffic. When we finally made it to a gas station, we actually filled the tank with one more gallon than it was supposed to hold. It was very God.

What was not of God was the traffic in Manhattan. We now know why they call it the city that never sleeps (they never slow down either ... for anyone ... even at 1:00 a.m!).

Not only did we share the Gospel in word, we also shared it in action. RAVEN East Coast put out a request for winter clothing, and we were not disappointed. In addition to the many individuals who donated items, a local hotel donated bedspreads, and one local church held a coat drive for us, and let us use their van. There were bags of clothes in three rooms, with only a narrow path to walk from one room to the other. Thank the Lord for Scotty, Donna, and the Moyles, who helped Pastor Sam, Lucy, and Meg sort and bag all the donations Thursday evening (between laugh-attacks). Then, Lucy and Meg awoke Friday morning to find half a dozen bags of clothing on the porch, and before they could bring them in, two more people made large deliveries.

What an abundance! In fact, while we had hoped the trailer a friend loaned us would be enough, we had to rent a 6'x12' u-Haul. Good thing we did ... when we picked-up Pastors Jack and Deb Dressler (Healing House Ministries) in Harrisburg, they had a van FULL of food from their ministry ... breads, fruit, drinks, snacks, and sandwiches.

After a good night's rest (4 hours) our team of 11 woke bright and early to meet Joey Basta. Joey is such a wonderful brother in the Lord. He has a heart for the lost, and a passion to reach them. Our hearts meshed right away.

Having finished breakfast at the hotel, we left for Hempstead, which is a depressed neighborhood on Long Island. We set-up in the parking lot of the bus station. Many on the team worked to bag bagels with butter and jelly for our "breakfast crowd" who were looking for something to go with the 5 gallon thermos of coffee we set-up. Bags with other items were also made. These included sandwiches, crackers, candy, cupcakes, food bars, bagels, muffins, cough drops, fruit drinks, loaves of bread, apples, etc.

Approximately 200-250 people were fed on Saturday, and bags and bags of winter jackets, socks, hats, gloves, scarfs, sweatshirts, sweaters, and blankets were given away. Pastor Deb Dressler spent almost all day sorting, loading, gathering, organizing, and digging through the contents of the trailer. She had an incredible handle on what there was, where it was to be found, and what needed to be done.

Usually those who work "inside" during an outreach don't get to see the way the Lord blesses those on the receiving end. However, Pastor Deb did have the opportunity to witness one instance where a man who received food didn't even get 10 feet away when he quickly sat down, opened his bag, and with great gratitude, started eating his sandwich. He didn't complain because it wasn't the kind he wanted, or because we didn't "get the order right," as we might do when in a restaurant. He was hungry and appreciative, and Pastor Deb felt blessed herself to see him blessed by so little.

It was the same situation with the clothes and blankets. While there were a few people who were pushy and picky, the majority were very grateful to get something warm to wear. And in true God fashion, just when we thought we had given out the last jacket, Pastor Deb would pull out another bag of coats, or another individual coat, and it usually fit the recipient perfectly. In one case, a man thought he was going to be left without a much needed coat, and started to turn away disappointed. Pastor Deb saw this, asked him not to leave, telling him she had a coat with his name on it. Because we serve a big God, no one was surprised when the coat she handed him fit perfectly. The look on his face was priceless, and more than worth our time or any discomfort we may have felt that day.

While Deb was in the trailer (sometimes joined by Meg and Lucy), everyone else was outside ministering -- either lending a hand to get what the folks needed, or holding them back so those working in the trailer wouldn't be mobbed. We could see the underlying desperation some of the people had, which in most cases explained their actions and reactions to what was going on. In the end, regardless of their physical, financial, or emotional situations, what they ALL really needed was JESUS!

At one point, Pastors Sam and George went to scout-out the area. As they were walking around the neighborhood heading back to the truck, they walked past an alley where a lady was walking. Her name was Delise. Delise was dealing with some very difficult family issues and asked for prayer. As they prayed, the Holy Spirit ministered to Delise and encouraged her, as did Sam and George, to go tell someone what the Lord had done for her. She shared that the Lord had prompted her to talk to someone about the Gospel. She had not done it yet, but now felt she could go minister to that individual and was heading there to do so. George and Sam knew right then that the Lord was going to do some wonderful things in Long Island that day.

We ministered and prayed with so many.

There was Shirley who stopped as she walked across the parking lot. As Pastors Jack and Sam prayed, she cried as the Lord broke her.

There was Joe, who came seeking freedom from his heroine addiction and found true freedom, as well as salvation. Amen!

Many of the people hung around for long periods of time, having no place else to go. One such man was Sidney. He knew he had things in his life that were wrong, but just couldn't give them up and didn't understand why. While Gideon was speaking with him, Pastor Sam got his Bible and showed Sidney in John 3:16-20 how God loves the world and died for everyone in it, but man, rather than love the light of Christ loves the darkness of his own sin. As they spoke, Pastor Sam shared with Sidney exactly how he felt, and then showed him in the Word what it said about his situation. He got excited because he had no idea that what Pastor Sam was showing him was in the Bible. Sidney broke before Gideon and Sam, and more importantly, before the Lord, and gave his life to Him.

Scotty had the chance to minister to Reggie. Reggie was a young man in pain, who shared how whenever there was to be a loss in his family, he would have a vision or dream about it. Scotty shared the story of Joseph and his visions, and how God used him to work in the lives of others. As Scotty continued to minister to him, he encouraged Reggie to repent and ask Jesus to help with the pain. Reggie began to weep, stating he didn't know if he could. Scotty prayed with him, and led him in the sinner's prayer. Reggie left free, and free to serve the Lord.

Carmen, an older lady who lives on very little each month from Social Security, has many medical issues, to include scoliosis, and a stomach disorder. We prayed for her for healing of them all. Because Carmen had no money, but needed her blood pressure medicine filled, Jayme and Pastor Sam took her to the pharmacy and had her prescription filled. She cried and praised God the entire way back to the bus terminal.

As we have often found, there is always an opportunity to minister to Hispanics. Unfortunately, due to the language barrier, we usually walk away just telling them that God loves them. Not this weekend, thanks to Pastor John (a friend of Joey Basta). Not only did Pastor John translate for us as we shared the Gospel, he also ministered to many himself and many received Jesus! Dios de bendiga!

At one point, Pastor Donna walked over to a neighborhood eatery with Shirley Roelecke, where she had the opportunity to minister to some Hispanics. While many of them claimed to be saved, she encouraged them to read the Word daily and share the Gospel message. One of the bus drivers Donna ministered to claimed to know Jesus but refused to talk "politics or religion." While the driver didn't want to talk, he was with a friend who shone with the joy of Jesus. Donna encouraged him to minister to the driver.

There was also an opportunity to minister to a few Muslims. Some were open and discussed Jesus rationally, while others were very radical and hard-hearted. Hard-hearted or not, they did received the gift of physical food that Jesus sent us to give. Little did they know we had prayed over the food before we handed it out! Praise God!

Gideon, Jayme Moyle, and Shirley Roelecke had the opportunity to minister to many during the day, encouraging them with Scripture and praying. Gideon also blessed us with music ... he brought his djembe to praise the Lord on. Many enjoyed listening to the sound, and a few even danced to the beat.

Meg, who usually is overrun with kids at any outreach, went the other direction this time. She was taken with Miguel. Thanks to Pastor John, we were able to communicate with him. Miguel was an elderly Hispanic man who came to us at the end of the night in only a cotton button-down, over a t-shirt. He was cold, and looked to be in pain ... his hands were disfigured from arthritis. By the time he left, not only did he have food, he was wearing the very last jacket we had, a scarf (Meg's), and a pair of warm gloves that conformed to his twisted fingers. He was so thankful for everything, he was glowing! He did say one thing that needed no translation.... "Hallelujah!"

Before leaving Long Island, Pastors George and Donna took some food to Herman, a man who "lives" at the bus station. Herman walks with a cane and has been homeless for five years. He cried as George shared the salvation message with him, and gave him a coat, hat and food. Herman said no one had ever done anything like that for him before.

Pastor Jack was in the mix all day, praying for and ministering to all he came into contact with. On a weekly basis, Pastors Jack and Deb provide RAVEN East Coast with the enormous amount of bread and other food items we distribute in some of York City's worst neighborhoods. It was such a blessing to have them work "in the field" with us.

It was an incredible time of fellowship and ministry. Everyone helped wherever there was a need, and for a group of people coming from "different directions," there was a unity that could only be when God's hand is present. So many were ministered to it is hard to remember them all. Fortunately, Joey and Pastor John were there to take their names and any phone numbers so they can help disciple them in their new walk with Jesus. All in all, there were around 30 people who made decisions for Jesus. Hallelujah!

East Coast wants to thank all those who helped with donations (of any kind), and Pastors Jack and Deb for joining us in ministering to "the least of these," the lost and hurting, whom the Father loves very much. Jack and Deb were truly a blessing, not only to those they ministered to, but to the team as well.

Blessings ...
The East Coast Crew

Americans Go Hungry!

2007-11-16T16:42:00.000-05:00

article shared by melanie bohn (pastor troy's wife)
Over 35 million Americans faced hunger in 2006: USDA By Christopher Doering / Wed Nov 14, 4:23 PM ET

The U.S. government said the number of Americans who went hungry in 2006 was held in check at 35 million people from the prior year, but food advocacy groups said on Wednesday more needs to be done.The U.S. Agriculture Department said a total of 12.65 million households were "food insecure," or 10.9 percent of U.S. homes, up from 12.59 million a year ago.The USDA defines food insecurity - its metric for measuring hunger - as having difficulty acquiring enough food for the household throughout the year."It looks very stable from this year to last year," said Mark Nord, who co-authored the annual report for USDA's Economic Research Service.

Overall, 35.52 million people, including 12.63 million children, went hungry compared with 35.13 million in 2005. The survey was conducted in December 2006 and represented 294 million people, an increase of 2.5 million from 2005.Food advocacy groups said the figures showed the United States was not doing enough to combat hunger, and feared conditions could worsen."As costs for food, energy, and housing continue to rise and wages stagnate or decline, households are finding themselves increasingly strapped," said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center. "This may mean even worse numbers in 2007."Very low food security was most prevalent in households with children headed by a single woman -- 10.3 percent in 2006, USDA said.

Food stamps and other public nutrition programs account for about 60 percent of the USDA's spending. Funding for the department's 15 nutrition assistance programs has risen 70 percent since 2001 to $59 billion in 2006, and 20 percent of all Americans are impacted by the programs each year.Some 27 million people are enrolled in the food stamp program alone, which helps poor Americans buy food. USDA has estimated 65 percent of eligible people participate in the program, up from 54 percent in 2001."We have more work to do," said Kate Houston, USDA's deputy undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. "We can't say that everybody that is eligible for our programs is participating."(Reporting by Christopher Doering; editing by Jim Marshall)

I'll Bring The Dogs, You Bring The Onions...

2007-11-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

Like most weekends, our crew headed off to the "swamp" with a trailer of bread items to give away. But this past Saturday, we also had purchased food for a neighborhood cookout we had planned.

We set-up the grill and tables in the open-air lot that Sister Barb uses as a church. We started to cook the dogs, heat the beans, and to just love on the dozens of kids that came to check us out. We also gave out sodas and ice cream to go with the lunch, and the kids got caramel or candied apples. The lady in the house next to the lot cut-up some onions for the hot dogs and brought them out to us. She then stayed to eat, and eventually some other adults joined our cookout as well.

We "delivered" to a few folks that couldn't make it to our location for one reason or another. By the end of the afternoon, everyone was well fed and took some bread items home. We even had enough left over to hit Maple Street before calling it a night.

At one point. Sam and I walked around some side-streets in the neighborhood, knocking on doors, letting people know about the cookout. For me, it was nice to meet some of the people I normally only see from a distance (I drive the truck every week and shuffle and load bread trays). I did have the opportunity to meet one lady in particular whose family had already started to develop a relationship with Sam and Meg. After chatting with her a little, Miriam not only volunteered to tutor me in Spanish, but also asked that we call her whenever our plans are to go into a heavily Hispanic-speaking neighborhood, as she would LOVE to be our translator. Praise God! One of our biggest barriers is that of language -- none of us really speak Spanish well enough to get past the formalities and that the bread is free. Oh... Sam and Meg DO know how to tell folks that God loves them, and Donna knows a little of the language. Miriam will be an incredible blessing to us!

Sister Barb wasn't able to join us for the cookout, but was immediately brought up to date by the neighborhood when she arrived home. Apparently, up to this point, they just thought we were crazy for being there. Now, well... they still think we're crazy, but we've managed to open that door just a little more. Can't wait to see their expressions the first time there's a foot of snow on the ground and they hear a knock on the door, and someone on the outside say, "RAVEN Ministries..." Then they'll know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we're freaks ... Jesus freaks that care about them, and where they'll be spending eternity.

Blessings everyone!
...L

Wally World - It IS A Saving Place...

2007-11-02T21:13:00.000-04:00

Tonight we went to Wal-Mart to pick up food for tomorrow's outreach. George & Jayme Moyle came over and off to Wally-World we went. As soon as we got there a man saw our sweat shirts and asked George what RAVEN was all about. He spoke with him for a while as Jayme and I loaded the cart for the outreach.

As Jayme and I started to the front of the store we met George and Brian. I spoke with Brian for a while about the state of the Church today. As we were talking, he told me about a homeless lady he was helping. As we talked with Brian, Shirley (the homeless lady) showed up. Brian introduced me and the ministering began. After about ten minutes or so, Shirley gave her life to Jesus and repented for all of her sins, Hallelujah!

By the time George, Meg & I made it to the front of the store, Jayme and Lucy had ministered to the cashier, and then we all met another family on our way out. Some of these may be joining us for outreach. Brian will be going out with us tomorrow to "The Swamp." RAVEN East Coast is on the GO and on the GROW!

Blessings .... P.S.

Weekend to Remember...

2007-10-30T19:30:00.000-04:00

This past weekend of ministry with New Beginnings Church International in Gaithersburg, Md is a weekend to remember. We started Saturday morning with a time of teaching at the Hilton Hotel. The RAVEN East Coast Team had several hours to share with the members of New Beginnings Church. We had an incredible time of ministry and prayer together.

At about noon we finally went out to the local mall and went fishing in the parking lot near the entrance to the food court. After 2 1/2 hours of boldly preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ the team had led 14 people to the Lord.

Pastor Peter Smith, his wife Sharon, Minister Lloyd and his wife Lorna, and Kerine from New Beginnings were awesome. They went out fearlessly and ministered with much compassion.

I had the opportunity to minister to a man from Guiana, Africa who was visiting the US for a two week vacation. I noticed that he was sitting very quietly alone, looking very melancholy. I approached him and asked him if he was o.k. He said he was dealing with some things! I asked if he knew Jesus and he said he did, but had some things in his life that would not honor Him. I explained to him that he had a choice to let it all go. We talked for another ten minutes or so and we prayed and he asked Jesus to forgive him and to give him strength to stand strong for Him.

Rosenberg was a young man from El Salvador. He was a Catholic but never Knew Jesus on a personal basis. Lucy and I prayed for him and he accepted Jesus into his heart and asked for Jesus to make Himself real to him.

Then there was Anthony, who had just gotten out of prison for drug possession and sales. Anthony was also addicted to heroine. He was wearing a cross around his neck so I asked him what it meant to him. He told me it stood for Jesus. He said that Jesus would be the one to accept him in heaven if he was a good person. He said he needed to work hard helping others so he could get into heaven, if Jesus thought he was good enough. I told Anthony that he had been lied to, and that there was nothing he could do to earn his way into heaven -- if there was something he could do to earn his way into heaven Jesus would not have had to die on the cross. I explained to him that Jesus had to die on the cross, because it was the only way any of us could get into heaven. I then asked him if he wanted to give his life to the One who died for him? I asked him if he was ready to live his life for him in thanks for what He did for him, not as a way to get to heaven. He said yes, asked Jesus to forgive him and prayed for strength. Awesome!

The other memorable moment this past weekend for me was the two Italian guys who threatened me bodily harm if I kept following them through the parking lot. The big one was wearing a cross, and when I approached him he stuck it inside his shirt. All because I called him a preacher? I told him he could hide the cross, but he couldn't hide from Jesus, He saw all. That's when I got threatened. HA HA!

Like I said, it was a weekend to remember! Check back later for some articles about the weekend from other members of the Team.

Love all ya'all.

PS

GAITHERSBURG THIS WEEKEND!!!!

2007-10-24T00:08:00.000-04:00

RAVEN East Coast has been invited back by New Beginnings Church International in Gaithersburg, MD to help them with an outreach this weekend. For all those available to join us, we will be leaving Hanover approx. 6:00 a.m. (arriving approx. 8:00 a.m.) and plan on returning roughly 6:00 p.m. In the alternative, you can meet us on location at 8:00 a.m.

Meeting at:

Hilton Hotel
620 Perry Parkway
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
301-942-0690

Return time is tentative and dependent on your transportation to the location.

All are invited to help!

MARATHON for SOULS

2007-10-23T21:48:00.000-04:00

With a beautiful day, and a team of about 9, RAVEN East Coast completed the Marathon for Souls in just a couple hours.

Not only did we have the chance to raise funds for urban missionaries to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, we had the opportunity to minister to those we came across.

Pastor Sam, leading the way .... leadership can be lonely... LOL!

We set-up shop at one end of the park, right on the edge of the loop, and made ourselves seen throughout the park, walking around several ongoing sporting events, kids on bikes and skateboards, joggers, dog-walkers, and the likes.

Everyone went at their own pace, often crossing paths -- and getting lots of looks from folks in what is known as "RAVEN territory," with the Baltimore Raven's training camp just miles away.

After we finished, we continued the morning with a cookout on location.

Our "grill master" Scotty

Even Lilly had the opportunity to walk a couple miles, and then to run the bases. Unfortunately, because she couldn't actually lead anyone to the Lord, Lilly's miles didn't count. Even so, she was one tired pup by the end of the morning!

A Different Kind of Life & Death Situation

2007-10-17T16:24:00.000-04:00

So, here we are, just a few days away from the "Marathon for Souls."

For those of you who don't know what that is... its a marathon in which each RAVEN team will be walking and/or running a cumulative 26 miles (per team) to raise money to pay registration fees for 200 urban missionaries to attend the annual Mardi Gras outreach in February. Many of these missionaries will already be sacrificing just to get to New Orleans. RAVEN Ministries believes they shouldn't have to pay to do the work the Father has called them to. By raising enough funds to cover their housing, food, and local transportation, all they have to do is show-up.

ADDITIONALLY, counted into each registration fee is money that will go toward filling a semi with food. On Saturday of the Mardi Gras outreach, the team will be going into one of the local housing projects for an all day outreach -- we'll minister the Word to the residents, but we will also help fill the very real need for physical food these folks have. There are quite a few of us hoping it will again be the Iberville Housing Project. Check out the video above to see the RAVEN outreach there during this past year's Mardi Gras.

The Marathon for Souls is similar in structure to that of other organizations that hold marathons. However, there is one BIG difference ... with this marathon, we're not just talking about people's health. We're talking about their eternities. All the other marathons are important, but this one could make a difference in someone's eternal life. Definitely a different kind of life & death situation.

If you have not yet donated to this cause, we ask you to consider it now, while you're reading this. You can donate securely via the PayPal button in the right column. As a whole, RAVEN Ministries will be walking and/or running a total of 26,000 miles Saturday, in an effort to raise $26,000. Every dollar helps us reach that goal.

Also, if you would like to join us for the marathon, we could still use more walkers -- the more walkers, the fewer miles we each have to walk. Also, we need grillers, and mile-counters, and generally people to encourage the team during the marathon. If that's something you would like to do, please drop us an e-mail to let us know. The East Coast team will be doing the marathon at Cape Horn Park, in Manchester, Maryland, starting at 9:00 a.m. And, if you've ever spent time with any of the RAVEN teams, you KNOW it's a good time waiting to happen.

Blessings, and thank you!
...L

Friday Night Lights...

2007-10-15T21:43:00.000-04:00

This past Friday night there were at least five lights out in York, PA. Our team of five went into the Square in the center of York to preach the Good News to all who were out. The first person I had a chance to minister to was Leroy. Leroy is a born again Christian who has been diagnosed with heart disease. I asked Leroy if I could pray for him to receive a healing and he agreed. We prayed and he left feeling much better and believing for his healing.

Next, brother George ministered to a homeless man named Michael. Michael also is saved, but wanted prayer for his situation. George prayed for Michael and invited him to join us on Saturday as we handed out food in the "Swamp." Michael showed up right on time, and ministered with us for several hours in the "Swamp" and on East Maple Street.

Next was an older gentleman who was walking very slowly up the road with a cane. I stopped him and asked him if he knew Jesus. He said that he had been saved many years ago, but was unsure of God's power in his life. I asked him if he believed if Jesus could heal him, and he replied that he didn't know. I told him that was o.k. because I had enough faith for both of us and began to pray for him for his healing. I told him Jesus was going to make himself real to him through his healing. After we prayed in the middle of Main Street in downtown York, this man almost skipped across the street.

A few minutes later we crossed the street so I could minister to a young Hispanic man by the name of Amelio (Not pictured here because our photographer was busy with another man and his dog). Amelio did not know Jesus, and was dealing with some tough issues at home. I asked him why he had not trusted in Jesus because he had the answer to every question he would ever have. He said it was because he was so busy dealing with his issues. I explained to him that Jesus said that, "those who are weary and heavy burdened," if they "come to Him, He will give them rest." I asked him if he wanted rest. He said yes! I told him that if he confessed that Jesus was Lord, and he believed that He died on the cross for the forgiveness of all sin, and if he would repent of his sin, that the Word of God says that he would be saved. Amelio confessed and repented. A new brother in the Lord. A new light shining in the darkness. And their numbers grew daily!

Hallelujah! Glory to God!

Who Pushes You?

2007-10-10T10:32:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we had our annual RAVEN Gathering, where RAVENs from all around the US and Canada came together to be refueled for Jesus. While we were there, PT talked about how the youth on the RAVEN Team inspire him and hold him accountable because they are on Fire for Jesus and are not afraid to GO! This is so true for myself as well. Especially when it comes to my son and daughter. These two give me a run for my money (so to speak).

Josh is 19 and rippin' it up for Jesus on a daily basis. Not only is he a full time student, he is a discipleship student in Baltimore and has now taken on a Youth Pastor position at a church on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And with all that going on he still gets out on the streets to preach the Gospel. With this example, how can I or anyone else use lack of time as an excuse? Josh... you push me, you encourage me, you hold me accountable... not by your words but by your actions. Thank you, and I LOVE you! (Check out Josh's blog at www.shadonin.blogspot.com)

Then there is Meg. Oh, Meg! She is 15 and full of the Holy Ghost! She has no fear. She keeps me on my toes. It doesn't matter if you are 6 or 60, 3 ft. tall or 7 ft. tall, if you don't know Jesus, she is gonna get ya! I've seen her grab an older guy at so he couldn't walk away without her praying for him. I've seen her get in the face of drug dealers and gang bangers in York, PA letting them know they need to get right with Jesus! I've seen her minister to single moms, grandmothers, alcoholics, drug addicts, jail birds, homosexuals, homeless, and the sick without batting an eye. Her passion and compassion for the lost is incredible to say the least. She is 15 (young according to the worlds standards), a female (not supposed to be in those kinds of areas), 115 lbs. soaking wringing wet (smaller than most she ministers to), but it doesn't stop her. What is your excuse?

Jesus took away all of our excuses on the cross at Calvary. My kids, the kids on the RAVEN Team, they understand that! When are the adults who call themselves Christians, the ones sitting in the pews on Sunday morning, thinking they are fulfilling their responsibility... when are they going to get it??? I get it, and when I start to lose the "God Perspective," all I have to do is look at one of my kids and I get it back.

I hope you have someone in your life that pushes you to do things you wouldn't normally do. If not a child... a friend. If not a friend... a co-worker. If not a co-worker... an acquaintance. But find someone who drives you to do what you wouldn't normally do.

Romans 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

Serving God, is just your reasonable service. If you won't do it on your own, find someone who will encourage you, push you, make you if necessary GO and fulfill your reasonable service.

Josh, Meg, I LOVE you so much. If I had to choose a hero here on Earth... you two would be my hero's.

PS... (Dad)