What in the world happened last Wed night?!!

I realize that events/situations happen everyday around me that i am COMPLETELY unaware of. Things that are out of my sight/vision and events that i may see with my very own eyes but still do not fully comprehend what is going on.

As a born-again Christian, having the Holy Spirit living in me & guiding me, I have the One true God dwelling in ME! I am a human with a natural body who has God's Spirit in me, with God's Super Natural power, insight & strength.

The scripture speaks of  Spiritual battle happening daily, all around us:

Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."


We can't always SEE with our physical eyes, but many times i can see/feel the Spiritual battle.
(me sharing my testimony at an event in Santa Ana, close to the neighborhood where our Bible study is)

Last Wednesday evening Danny & I arrived at this street at dark, around 6:30pm. We have many people backing us up in prayer. Over a year of weekly ministry, friendship building/follow-up has taken place.This is the FIRST time in DECADES for this street to have a home church/Bible study!!! God, as always, gets the credit! Our Lives Worth Saving Gang Intervention team this year has really helped them out w/their physical needs & stayed well connected.

We spend almost 3 hours praying, catching up, fellowshipping, and planning for Wed 11/28/12, Wed evening. Our 1st official Bible study teaching. The whole family was excited to see us & very welcoming. Two other women from the apartment complex came & joined us. We had deep spiritual conversations & were sharing each other's testimonies & bond.The family who is graciously opening up their home to us is playing a HUGE part in the revival of this street & city. I know God will bless them tremendously.

At around 7:30pm a fight broke out outside & we heard yelling. After 30min the fight stopped, as we prayed in the apartment for peace, in Jesus name.

At around 9pm Danny & i leave & say goodnight to everyone. As we are walking down the driveway of the complex, we walk past 2 guys in their late 20s/early 30s standing there, right outside the apartment. We say "God bless you" as we pass by them. As we walked toward the parking lot, Danny turns around & says a sentence that still, a week later, still trips me out & shocks me "Those two guys were gang members, posting up outside for the  last 3 hours to guard us so that if anyone tried to mess with us or cause trouble, they'd be standing alert in front of the apartment."  My jaw instantly dropped. I was speechless for a moment. What??!!!!   Let me get this straight, i was unaware that for the last 3 hours we were in that apartment doing ministry, these 2 men, who are legit gang members & don't even know me, are watching our backs & guarding us out of respect for us. WOW! Now i am not happy that they are in a gang, but just to see God making peace with people who could easily be our enemies, is unheard of & frankly, a MIRACLE! This stuff doesn't just happen regularly. And i know that God had His guardian angels protecting us. Those 2 men were risking their lives for us, when  i don't even know if they know God or not. They were not young gangsters either, they were older experienced ones!!! But I believe God is already working on their hearts, "behind the scenes" & beyond what my natural eyes can see!

Proverbs 16:7 "When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him."

(i used to visualize angels as wimpy people with white wings, but now i believe my guardian angels are warriors!!)

Thank  you for your prayers. Every "little" thing is a BIG thing, if you know what i mean. Progress & revival is happening on this street in Santa Ana & in this city. Lives are being changed right in front of my very own eyes. The beautiful thing is seeing the father/husband of this household turn to the LORD & now he is trying to reach out to gang members who he knows & who still look up to him & respect him. He has INFLUENCE on this street & in this neighborhood. Despite the evilness that goes on here, God's will is being done!

Tomorrow night, Wed 11/28...  6:30pm-9pm, we are at it again!!! Soldiers on the frontline. The LORD will be victorious.

His Servant,
Para-Chaplain Michelle Smith

Update on Special Events with the Teens!!!

Hey there! It's been a very busy few months! On top of teaching weekly Bible studies, one on one visits, discipleship sessions,church services to incarcerated youth & weekend gang intervention on the streets w/Lives Worth Saving, I have helped out & attended several Special events the last month at different locations!

Hebrews 13:3 "Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."

Friday October 5th: we had our annual Retreat event at Youth Guidance Center in Santa Ana! A unique opportunity to eat pizza, play volleyball, have big group & small group discussions & activities with them for 5 straight hours!!!(we usually just get 1 hour) We had 21 young men & women participate. These teens are involved weekly in our Bible studies and church services. I had a chance to get to know some of the Probation Staff members also, they need LOVE too! I was reminded that even though our focus is the youth, God uses our words & actions to be His witness daily to the staff. They watch & hear everything that we do & say!The young men especially opened up to us more than usual that day, while they shared about their growing up experiences & their relationship (or lack of) with their parents/relatives & how it has positively or negatively affected them. Chaplain Rick did an excellent job at organizing this event & leading it.I helped lead the small group for the girls near the end & i shared about purity & how God views beauty VS what the world says beauty is. Shared parts of my painful testimony of eating disorders/depression/bad dating & relationship choices in the past & my journey to believe God thinks i'm beautiful & that i'm His masterpiece!

Psalm 139 says we are FEARFULLY & WONDERFULLY MADE!!!! RECEIVE IT & BELIEVE IT!

Saturday October 13th: Chaplain Rick Johnson & I went to the annual Hoopla Basketball Tournament event hosted by The Bible Church of Buena Park.(My favorite sport is basketball, i so wanted to play!!!!I used to play & coach for many years!)  It was a fun field  trip for 16 teen boys & Probation staff to leave their Youth Guidance Center & Joplin Youth Center facilities for several hours & play some good ol' ball outdoors & compete! 2 boys who were recently released showed up to join the rest of the boys to play also. Anytime we get a chance to spend time with the teens, i ALWAYS make sure they KNOW that God loves them, has a plan for them & has NOT GIVEN UP ON THEM! I always ask them if they want prayer & they rarely turn that down! So i prayed for them on the court sidelines, listened to their stories & struggles & shared verses of God's scripture w/them. It was great to high five them & cheer for them competing in something POSITIVE & see the teamwork between the players. We ate burgers with them & there was a guest speaker who shared the Gospel (guy in the middle of the pic!)

 

Friday October 26th: i attended the Graduation Ceremony at Youth Guidance Center (Drug Treatment Center for incarcerated teen boys and girls) It was my 1st graduation ceremony i have ever been to at a youth facility and it was so touching!! I was like a proud mama bear cheering for her teenagers! Several teenagers received their high school diplomas & gave incredible speeches. They were given a rose to walk into the audience & hand to the 1 person who inspired them/supported them. Tears ran down my face as i saw each teen locate their mentor/family member/teacher/supporter who meant the world to them, as both parties hugged & cried! Very emotional moment. There were also many teens who received their GEDs, which is still a huge accomplishment for them! After the ceremony i was able to meet a few of the teens' family members for the first time & let them know how proud i was of their son or daughter/grandson. Seeing them finish their schooling encouraged me & inspired me!!!! Against all their battles & obstacles they are facing, God gives them strength to do what many feel is impossible!!! I was honored to watch them all dressed up in suits, ties & dresses, walking proudly down the aisle with their heads up high, with bright hopes for their future!!!

 

Luke 1:37 "For NOTHING is impossible with God!"

 

As you can see, being a Para-Chaplain is NOT just a week day job! I never clock out! If i am not there physically at the 5 different Orange County facilities ministering with teens, i am in the neighborhoods of Santa Ana on the streets reaching out to gang members & their families, praying, fundraising, writing blogs(haha), preparing Bible study  or church service lessons, studying the Word, etc. I thank God everyday for this honor, privilege & huge blessing to even be a part of these troubled teens & their families.

 

THEY INSPIRE ME!

 

In order for me to continue this awesome ministry God has called me to fulltime, i am in need of your prayer  support and financial support! I depend on donations in order to pay for my living expenses/bills/gas  etc. If you feel led to give, the info is on the right side of this site! May His peace & love be felt today.As the holiday season is here, the youth have a very tough time being locked up & we have several more events coming up soon to minister to them during Nov and December. Please keep these events in prayers!

 

Para-Chaplain Michelle Smith aka Rebel for Jesus!!!!