First Friday and a Happy Birthday

First Friday was AWESOME! So totally awesome! God is so AWESOME!

You have GOT to try to come down one First Friday and see what God does...it's amazing!

We had THREE souls birthed into the Kingdom! Whooooo-hooooo!!! How Great is Our God!!!

We got there and began with the usual, the band, the balloons, the signs, the praying, the cool t-shirts, and the atmosphere was super charged because of the Border Bash. That has something to do with football. Don't ask me...I'm a total girl. :)

Well, we got wind that "L's" birthday was this past week, so we had decided we were going to surprise him with a birthday cake on First Friday. But guess what he told us the previous Sunday? He said he was moving out of state! I about cried! I am not ready for L to move away! Waaaah!

Well, after talking to Sam, I found out he had told her something similar the Sunday before that...but a different state...in a totally different region. So BY FAITH, we bought him that Birthday cake anyway. I was so relieved, as well as pleasantly surprised when L showed up just a little after 7 p.m. I knew he was pulling our legs about moving. Well, at least I was sure hoping he was!

So I snag him and tell him to come over and look at this cake. He looks at it and says, "HEY! That cake has MY name on it!" hahaha

Well, he was overwhelmed. And we sung Happy Birthday to him. He got the first slice of cake, and I could tell that for the first time in years, he felt like he was part of a family.

And for the rest of the evening, every person that passed us by on the street that he knew, he told them about his birthday cake and that we sung Happy Birthday to him. It was an amazing thing to see God love on someone like that through a birthday cake. Later L told me that he has not had anyone get him a birthday cake or sing him happy birthday in THIRTY years! Thirty years! That's a long time. What a memory for L on this First Friday. And what an amazing breakthrough yet again, in the Spirit realm. God is good!

We also bring McDs hamburgers down-town with us to feed the many hungry homeless who are wandering around, as well as a cooler full of bottled water. Well, we had given L some food and water, but later in the evening he very politely and humbly asked for some more water. I told him he didn't have to ask....he could just go over to the cooler and get whatever he wanted out of it whenever he wanted. I said, "You're one of us." He smiled real big and said, "I know it." :) Super cool God!

Then about mid-way through the night, the worship band and the prayer team got together in a circle to pray. Since L had been with us the entire night, I invited him over to pray with us, he looked around trying to ignore us. So I said, "Don't act like you don't hear me...LOL!" Then he looked at me and said, "I think I'll just sit here and watch all this stuff so no one takes it while ya'll are praying." Well, that was just fine, the Holy Spirit is a gentleman, so I want to follow His leading and not be pushy. So we went to pray as a group and L did just as promised, he stood guard, and was happy to do it.

One of our other church members came by and hung out with us. He was so drunk. My heart was broken. I figured he had a drinking problem, it was just so sad for me to see him in that inebriated state, when I see him trying so hard on Sunday mornings to follow God. But we have to remember that the draw of alcohol is very strong, and we must never pass judgment against anyone for stumbling into sin. Instead, we just went over to him and loved on him all night long, continuing to give him food and drink and fellowship, and the love of God was released into him through our team. It's a God thing.

Frank prayed for him many times throughout the night. Then he did a curious thing. He asked for a balloon, like a child. A red one. I couldn't help but think that this is just how God wants us to come to Him, like a child. God cares for this man more than I do, His heart breaks more for this man than mine does, and I know God is working with him. I can't wait to see how it all turns out for him. It's going to be good!

Well, the rest of the night was just amazing. We had so many people stop by for prayer, and Jose had brought more people down with to increase the band. It was awesome. There were so many points in the night where you could just feel the presence of Holy Spirit so heavy. It was awesome. Right there on the streets of Augusta.

It's amazing what God will do through you when you make yourself available. How amazing is His love!