Gangs, drunks, and witches

Today we were working in Zone 1 with Pastor David. Today was a bit different as we worked in heavily ganged areas. In fact, the first place we went was a basketball court in the middle of a MS 13 controlled neighborhood. Naun, the national working with us, took extra precautions with the girls walking in the center and the guys surrounding us on the outside. When we arrived at the basketball court, gang members were all hanging out around the court, huddled in groups laughing and talking with the leader himself. Naun went up and asked the tattooed leader for permission to use the court to do a Castle program there. He said yes and even found us electricity to use.

Luckily, Castle has the respect of the gangs. They even let us use the barrel they had been using as a table in one of our skits. They played basketball and soccer with us and some brought their kids out to watch the program.

As the music started to blare through the neighborhood, children slowly started to come out and see what was happening. An obviously retarded teenager came out and I asked if he would like to play with us. He was so excited and said yes as he came running up. I asked his name. “Walter,” he replied. So I played with Walter until the start of the program. The gang members watched intently as we sang children songs and danced around all silly to carefully chosen songs that spoke about the love of God. We ended with a drama called “The Hammer” that said that each of us nailed Jesus to the cross through our sins and transgressions and we are all responsible for the death of God’s only son.

We asked all of those who wanted to accept Jesus as their only savior to come up and several kids rushed up, including Walter. My heart was overjoyed. Then I looked around because I always like to go up to the ones left behind to ask if I can pray for them for anything else. As I looked around, I saw over 30 gang members still sitting in their same spots. They didn’t budge. “Satan, I’m tired of the stronghold you have on them!” I thought to myself. Luckily, just as I was thinking that, I heard Naun start to preach and speak directly to those guys that were still sitting there. He spoke to them about how Jesus could heal their hurts, how they only had to ask and He would wash them clean. He spoke about how God was the Father to the fatherless. He decided to pray over the microphone for all those still sitting there and he said that anyone who wanted to accept Christ didn’t have to come forward if they were afraid of persecution. He also said they didn’t have to close their eyes. They only thing they needed to do was bow their heads, which several did. Only God knows how sincere they were, but I know that the Lord’s word does not come back in vain. I know seeds were planted and I pray that no matter how hard it may be, that those that were serious, would stand for God and that He would give them the strength change their lives and their family.

Later Naun told me that he told them they didn’t have to close their eyes because many times they don’t want to for fear of the opposite gang coming up while they are off their guard. He said they are always looking around and always on watch for police and gang members from the other side. What a sad life to live in fear when there is so much more to live for! Also, the woman that allowed us to use her electricity said she was a Christian, but she was also an alcoholic when Kristal, one of the other leaders, went to talk to her. Alcoholism is a huge problem because it’s the temporary solution to make people forget about their problems for a short while. What they don’t realize is that it creates so many more long lasting problems in the lives of their children and other family members. Also, many get addicted and are held in this stronghold for a lifetime as they know no other way to handle their problems.

We continued onto the second program where it was the dividing line for 18th Street Gang and MS 13. However, not many came out because the police were obviously present and stayed and watched the program. They said they wanted to come, but they couldn’t risk being seen by the police. Again, living in constant fear.

At the end of this program we had an intern start to vomit and she got seriously dehydrated so we went to get her some Gatorade and anti-nausea medicine. We did our last program after that and again were encountered with some strange happenings.

I took several girls to the bathroom and when I returned to the program to get caught up on what was going on, an older guy approached me and started to rub my arm while just saying “Cristo,” or Christ over and over again. As I looked at him, he had several earrings up his ears and a 4 inch long feather poking through the bottom of his ear. He was dressed in a half buttoned shirt and had a ton of necklaces on with skulls and other cultic stuff on them. He had a black cheap top hat on it with glitter and other decorations that looked like it was straight out of a Mardi Gras parade. I quickly moved away from him as I didn’t know what he was on or what he was capable of.

As a woman, you must always be on your guard, but even more so when you are on the streets of a foreign country. As I watched him, he started going around and touching people who walked by, including the heads of the babies that were being carried in their mother’s arms. I started to pray against the works of the enemy. No witch is going to send curses on little children while I’m watching.

While we started the program, our drunk witch danced and made all of the adults laugh at him. He included himself in our drama of “Querido Senor Jesus” or Dear Mr. Jesus. At the alter call, he came up and Josh and several other guys took him off to the side and he said he wanted to accept Jesus and he wanted to be prayed for about his alcoholism. He didn’t want to be a drunk anymore. They prayed for him and by the time he walked away, he looked much more sober and was more sound in mind. Praise God!

Continue to pray for the Walters that are unaccepted and surrounded by bad situations, the gang members who are hardened and feel there is no other way, and the alcoholics that find solace in liquor instead of Christ. He is the only one that can heal hearts, lead and guide, and comfort those that are in need.