About Me

Friday, March 2, 2012

Newark: A Light in the Darkness


It’s Friday morning and the official start to my spring break. The first load of laundry is in and I will soon be packing up for NEWARK, NJ! I’m so very stoked to be spending my break serving the Lord beside some pretty amazing people. The ministry at Trinity Church in Newark, called Safe Haven, is dedicated to serving the Lord in the midst of darkness that envelops the broken areas of the city. They strive to make right what has been broken. Safe Haven lifts up the teens in the community to be leaders, setting examples for the younger children who most face physical, sexual, and verbal abuse in their homes.

I was struck by this darkness when I went last year. When we first arrived, we took a walk around the block. I felt safe with the men around me, but if I did not have a male close to me, the streets would be terrifying. Garbage lines the streets, people stand at every corner, and strange sounds fill the air. I had never experienced anything like that in the United States. It is a scary place, but the people at Trinity are there to be planters in this barren city, to sow what God has called them to sow, and to hopefully grow people that will continue to sprout and spread throughout Newark.

Safe Haven has faced tragedy in the past year. A child was killed, a teen was stabbed, and the laborers are limited. A person that does not have faith in Christ would find Newark a hopeless, beyond repair place. But to those of us who pray continually for revival trust that the Lord is present despite the tragedies. Let us not just pray for revival in Newark, but also in our own hearts. We are broken and only He can revive our hearts.

Safe Haven is a light in the darkness and we can see that the Holy Spirit is filling the city. God is working and healing the defeated. Please pray for the Spiritual warfare going on there and for protection for the team and the people of Newark.

If I don't get a chance to update on the trip, I will give you all the run down next week. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." [2 Chronicles 7:14]