Bleeding heroin addicts on the back porch
Yesterday afternoon. I came outside of the church and saw a woman on my back porch with a huge gash on her head. She had taken two bags of heroin and fallen over onto the cement while she was walking and stumbled to the church for help. As I wiped the blood off of her face I realized it was the same woman my grandfather did the same thing for 5 years ago after she had gotten beat up. That day five years ago was my first day in Newark, and it was through this woman “S” that my heart was changed and I saw that I was no different than her, that I needed the same savior to the same extent, that all of us are addicted to the worst addiction there is… We are all addicted to ourselves and every other addiction flows out of that. This time it was me wiping the blood off of her face instead of my grandfather. I prayed silently as I worked, and Kimberly handed me disinfectant. My heart was reminded anew why we are here, why God has brought us to Newark and why He has allowed Safe Haven to exist and grow. My mind raced to the 150 kids and teens God has brought to us to shepherd and love, to teach and develop,,, would one of them be sitting here like “S”, bleeding from what they thought was their only source of pleasure, their only purpose for living… would their lives follow this same path?
Tonight we have our first major fund raising event, an event that we have been planning for awhile, an event I have put far too much hope in. While sitting their ministering to “S” things once again came into perspective in a fresh way. All week long I worried so much about ticket sales, about whether we could raise the money we need to keep our quickly growing program afloat and meeting the many needs. Yes, I worried about the needs, but behind it all my heart was so scared of failing, so scared of not pulling off an event that made me and the orgnization I run look good. Why? Why am I so prone to desire praise of others, to be in control, so addicted to success. “S” reminded me once again how truly mixed my heart really is, how all of us have motives that are far from pure, even when we are doing good things. “S” reminded me again of not the “what” of Safe Haven, but the “why.” God used a bleeding heroine addict that couldn’t stop crying to re-center my heart on why we MUST REACH THSE KIDS. Why we need to show them the love of Christ and His unyielding commitment to break the generational curses holding them so tightly. My heart is full tonight with great hope. Hope that the power of the Gospel, the light of unchanging truth, will pierce the darkness of my community and raise up a new generation of men and women eager to live and spend their lives for the Glory of God and the joy of others…
Please pray for us tonight, for David Tyree as he shares and talks about the need to reach these precious kids. Pray that God will help us raise the $15,000 we need for our after class progam and that His protection will be over every one for the kids He brings to Safe Haven.
Pray for all of our staff and volunteers, that God will encourage them tonight and that they will feel that their hard work, the pouring out of themselves, is not in vain.
Pray or “S”, that this will be the last time she has to come here in that condition, that she will become an agent of healing for others…
May His Kingdom come,
Danny
P.S If you are unable to come but would like to sponsor someone from our community that can’t afford to pay $25/ticket please do. Send me an email telling me how many people you want to sponsor and click here to donate or send a check to 483 Ferry street, newark NJ, 07105
Below is the link to the event.
