Jesus, Rock of Life Ministries: 2014

2015 New Years Outreach in Downtown Miami

5:30 PM

I need a miracle

11:30 AM

Downtown Miami has become like a second home for us. With the year coming to an end, I took a moment to ponder on the incredible moments we've had there. God has blessed us with moments of tears, repentance, restoration, reconciliation and so much more. When I think of all the things God has done, I’m amazed. Monday nights can never be compared to another; they each are different and unique.

This Monday night we had the pleasure of having our sister Paz, give the word (Click here for a clip). It was powerful from the beginning to end. With her message being clear and short, it hit all the right areas that the people needed to hear. “Do you need a miracle?” she repeated throughout her preaching. We all agreed. We need a miracle. The word allowed for all of us to analyze the miracles we wanted to happen in our lives.

I need a Miracle
Personally, the ones I pray for could never come close to the miracles in the hearts of those without a home in downtown. Some of the prayers that they have is to be release from addiction of drugs, alcohol, prostitution, or to simply be reunited with their families once again. But one miracle that captivated me the most was the request of just simply being able to smile again, hug their families again, or to be in the midst of God’s joy.

As soon as the preaching ended, the prayers being made were powerful and full of hope. A circle was made around those that needed a miracle that instant. It was so pleasing to see the encouragement that Jesus poured out that night over all his people. We are all in constant need of God’s miracle, and he will never fall short to give us a good, pleasing and perfect will for our lives.

Sweet little desserts

Shortly after, the preparation to serve food commenced. Everyone formed a line and received a hearty “Cuban” style plate: Rice, beans and a delicious beef stew. Sweets are always distributed afterwards and between you and I, that's their favorite part of the meal. :) For those of us that have a home, we have the luxury of having a delicious baked good as we see fit. However, when you don't have much money in your pocket, most of the time you are left craving these sweet desserts. They all love it when they see boxes of cookies, pies, cakes and much more. We packed up and drove off away from the streets of Downtown Miami.

Each night keeps getting better and better, I see the love that Jesus keeps pouring out and the grace he has over our lives. Who would think, that on a Monday night people would be serving His beautiful kingdom out there? But that’s the God we praise, the one who puts that desire in each volunteer’s heart to go out and serve in body and spirit.

Final Prayers
I encourage you all reading this to take a second and pray for South Florida. Let's pray for all of these people who are struggling. Let's have a heart for others and really make an effort to show them the love of God. Jesus will always supply no matter what and He has continued to do so faithfully. God has a purpose and divine plan. We put our trust and hope in God, that one day Jesus will come and wipe away all the homelessness in this world.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4

God bless you always!

Outreach Missions

Jesus, A Humble Initiator

10:51 PM

Have you ever heard of a centurion? Simply put, it means a Roman captain. He was loyal and courageous, beginning as a soldier in the army and working his way up the ranks. There's a special passage in Matthew 8:5-13 MSG that mentions an encounter that a centurion had with Jesus:

“As Jesus entered Capernaum, a Roman captain came up in a panic and said, “Master, my servant is sick. He can’t walk. He’s in terrible pain.” Jesus said, “I’ll come and heal him.” "Oh, no,” said the captain. “I don’t want to put you to all that trouble. Just give the order and my servant will be fine. I’m a man who takes orders and gives orders. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes; to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Taken aback, Jesus said, “I’ve yet to come across this kind of simple trust in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know all about God and how he works."

Am I the only one who is kind of amazed that Jesus himself was amazed of this mans faith? I mean, Jesus, King of kings, Powerful Lord, well, he can do it all, more than we can even begin to imagine. Yet, Jesus was amazed and taken aback by this mans faith. He even pointed out that he had not come across such trust.

This past Monday, the message was centered on this passage. Pastor Gonzalo preached about how Jesus can heal every single one of our physical and emotional scars, if only we had faith. I believe this so much.

Pain only Jesus can heal

This past Monday night I met a lady whose name I won't reveal. She was much older and was new in the area. She asked me for some directions, which prompted a conversation that I will never forget.

She told me about how she had been abused since she was a little girl by her mother. When she got married, her husband abused her and broke her bones. All her life has been abuse. When I asked her about her family, she lied at first and denied having any, but just a few seconds later she looked down at the concrete floor and confessed that she did have family, but they didn't want anything to do with her and she didn't know why.

This completely broke my heart.

You know, I've been working with the homeless for about 7 years now and I've heard so many stories, but the reality is that they never get old and sometimes I encounter people that you can feel their pain a mile away. Her demeanor was sad, yet when she professed her faith in God and I would see a spark of joy in her again.

Break my heart for what breaks Yours

I have found that the longer I work with people who are in need, whether they are homeless or not, the more their need reaches my heart. It's like God puts more and more of his heart into yours. He's transforming it, giving you His eyes for others, and breaking your heart for what breaks His. All this while giving you strength to fulfill His mission.

I hope to see this lady this upcoming Monday again. I pray that God uses our team to reach her. May her heart be more susceptible to the healing and love of God like never before. I pray this for her and every individual on the streets. I pray for transformation, an increase of faith and trust in the Lord and that Jesus may just sweep His grace and love over the streets of Miami tonight.

Jesus, the humble initiator

There's so much to talk about when it comes to Matthew 8:3-15, but I wanted to point out one last thing. Jesus is such a servant. He was willing to visit the roman captains house while already knowing that he could heal his servant with just a snap of his fingers, and still he initially was going to go and seek this individual. Jesus continues to do this very same thing today. He goes to people. When requested to go to the home of the centurion, he is on his way. He’s a humble initiator. He is going out to serve. He is going out to help. He goes to preach, teach, cast out demons, and heal. God is looking for us because we’re lost, and He is not. Some of you don’t know it, but Jesus is looking for you. He is seeking you. He knows you. He loves you. He died for you. He’s pursuing you. He’s a humble initiator. He doesn’t owe us anything, but he pursues us in love.

Donations, Events

GO FUND ME CAMPAIGN!

10:30 AM

Outreach Missions, Weekly Update

Born of Water and the Spirit

3:07 PM

Donations, Events

Collecting Book Bags

11:56 AM

Donations, Events

Upcoming Outreach Events

4:32 PM

Outreach Missions, Weekly Update

God never fails us

2:55 PM

Outreach Missions, Weekly Update

Peace that surpasses all understanding

2:09 PM

Monday nights has to be one of our most anticipated days of the week. Not only are the nights filled with love and fellowship, but we get to serve Jesus and through this serving, we encounter Him. As volunteers began to arrive at our usual spot, the worship leaders set up the equipment. I love the sound of the melody coming from the piano; it prepares the environment for worship and enables everyone for worship. Worship is the time where we see people surrendering and having a time of peace. United as one body of Christ, it’s always privilege to be praising one true God together. As the worship ended, the word was spoken unto the crowd. The verse that captivated me the most was in Philippians 4:7

“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

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For believers, peace is only a step away. It just takes a minute of renewing our minds and focusing on Jesus. For the homeless, I see the struggle some of them face. I imagine that some ask themselves, how can I have peace when everything in my life is just the opposite?The beautiful truth is that God’s peace exceeds anything we can understand. God’s peace for our lives can’t be put into a bubble, it’s more than that. It’s a peace that once we capture it, we will want nothing else from it. It’s beautiful that this message was preached. This offered a moment for those there to really receive the wonders of Christ in their life.

As the preaching reached its end, everyone went to their serving stations and gathered all they needed. Plates of food quickly reached the hands of those in line for them to enjoy their hearty plate of food. We always have the occasion where some people kindly ask for a second plate of food to take for their friend in the close proximity.

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We serve such humble, kind, and respectful people. When people think of homeless, they can have a predestined opinion that they are uneducated, rude, addicts, and plain out different. And to us, that’s the biggest lie the enemy feeds us so we can push them aside. The people we serve at downtown are just like you and I; they have families, struggles, and a God who loves them very much! To us, the battle is never over, but one thing that is certain is that we have victory through Christ. We work hard for them to grasp the love that God has for them. No wonder it’s such a battle when the world rejects them and makes them believe that no one can accept them. So join us in prayer! May they be impacted with God’s love and everlasting peace. So till next Monday, come back for another blessed update! :)

Outreach Missions

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

2:09 PM

This past Monday the sun was out and the temperature was just perfect. The atmosphere this night was just full of God’s presence. The warm welcome and love of the Lord was felt immensely and the people of downtown praised and worshiped God in honor.

Tonight we saw how the word pierced through hearts. We read John 4:13-14, which speaks about a well known story: Jesus and the Samaritan woman. This story reveals something so powerful and it motivates new believers to put all their trust and troubles on God. This verse definitely broke chains on that street; planting that seed in them that God is their source of water. Even when there are days where nothing seems to fulfill their needs, He is everlasting. This is the beauty that is so captivating when we preach the gospel, that although the people of downtown may not have homes, or a meal to eat every day, he sustains us and fills us with life. Their full nourishment comes from the Lord, the fountain of all goodness.

With a line of about 60+ people, we all quickly arranged our serving tables and began to serve. Tonight was a hearty kind of night. Plates were served with delicious pasta and meat sauce. The appetizing plate was then followed by refreshing drinks and some beautiful green apples. Everyone seemed very pleased to see the addition of fruit in tonight’s menu. Some even grabbed extra apples to go! As the night was passing by, the last plates were served and quickly came for the most anticipated time in my opinion; Desserts! We had donuts, pies, sugar cookies, chocolate cookies, plenty of cheese danishes and much more! Tonight was packed with love and so much to give. The night continued with the donation of clothes where people quickly paced to see what they could receive.

The night was such a blessing and victory for Jesus! Hearts were reached and loved on, the thing that is the most important to this ministry. We couldn’t have asked for a better night and we all left full of God’s love and grace. We encourage you to join us in prayer like every other week for these people we reach. That God can remain in their hearts and be that everlasting fountain of water they so desperately need.

Outreach Missions, Weekly Update

Wrap me in Your Arms

2:10 PM

WRAP ME IN YOUR ARMS

This past Monday night was a rainy one. Thankfully, we were able to worship for what felt for about a minute. We sang a worship song called “Wrap Me in Your arms.” This song has been really touching the hearts of the people around me recently, including myself. It’s about embracing God and His love in your life. One of my favorite parts of outreach nights is when when we are worshiping God. Most of the time I am just playing away on the keys of the piano, but I love to open my eyes for a second and just see the love that is coming down in this place. From where I stand, I see hands lifted in adoration to the Lord. And even when they are not lifted, I see souls who are standing there watching and they don;t walk away because whether they know it or now, God has come to meet them on this street. (Luke 19:10)

Every Monday night when we arrive, there is a line of people that are expecting us. There are so many things that go on before we actually arrive. I love the beautiful fact that the Lord in just a second, can look down on all of us, including the outreach team, and call us Forgiven and Loved.

This is what this ministry is here for. We want to show the individual hearts of downtown Miami, that God’s doesn’t love you IF you do this or IF you do that. He loves you in your darkest moment. That exact moment when you feel your most disgusting and your most ashamed, He looks at us with so much affection, acceptance, and love! His love is unconditional.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” – Jeremiah 31:3

So as we’re singing, it starts to pour down on us! Half of the team quickly gathers the audio equipment, the other half moves across the street under the hotel roof, where most of the homeless have run to in order to find shelter. Despite the rain, it was such a joyous night! We prayed for the food and began to serve our hearty beef pasta with bread and drinks.

There is this sweet woman in Downtown that we love very much. Her name is Linda and it was her birthday! We sang Happy Birthday and Prayed over her life. She was so happy to receive a carrot cake for her birthday.

Outreach Missions

Go, For your Faith has healed you

2:10 PM

GO, FOR YOUR FAITH HAS HEALED YOU

Miami is a city well known for it’s high temperatures. This Monday night was no exception to that well known fact. It was hot and it was humid. As the temperature rose, crowds of people began to form. Can you imagine the thirst and discomfort that the people of downtown have to endure, especially on nights like this? As we began to prepare for our service, it was obvious that there was another warm sensation arising. It was from the sweet presence of God. It was special and there was an anointing in the air that could be felt.

Word of God

Tonights word was centered on sight. That’s right, sight. One of the most important senses we have. We learned a story about a blind man called Bartimaeus. He was a beggar who needed Jesus to help him so he called out to Him and became blessed (Read Full chapter):

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. ‘My Rabbi,’ the blind man said,’I want to see!’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go, for your faith has healed you.’ Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.” – Mark 10:51-52

In this story we see how the faith of a blind man led him to his healing. Many of us need this in our lives: to understand that God listens to us and cares for our well being. Jesus healed this man the same way that he can heal us today. And so our prayer is that the people of downtown will encounter Gods’ healing and have their sights on Him!

Our Prayer

This Monday was a night of joy! Many people accepted Jesus into their hearts!

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Serving Food

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After praying for the food, volunteers quickly assembled their work stations and began to serve. One of our most popular meals is the Chicken Alfredo Pasta. It’s a favorite to say the least! After grabbing a plate, people moved to the refreshments station. It was a hot night like previously mentioned, so most came back about 3 times for drinks.

Prayer requests:

Coming and serving here at downtown is just an ounce of the care that God has for his children there, we are so blessed and honored to have the capacity to come and be with them on such a hot night. We just see lives come together and be in the presence of God like he has intended for us.

We ask that you can join us to pray for our ministry and those who stay in the streets of downtown. That their hearts may be united with Gods, and that their lives can be transformed and cleansed. We rebuke all sickness and addiction in Jesus Name!

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2015 New Years Outreach in Downtown Miami

I need a miracle

Jesus, A Humble Initiator

Pain only Jesus can heal

Break my heart for what breaks Yours

Jesus, the humble initiator

GO FUND ME CAMPAIGN!

Born of Water and the Spirit

Collecting Book Bags

Upcoming Outreach Events

LATEST UPDATE:

God never fails us

Peace that surpasses all understanding

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

Wrap me in Your Arms

Go, For your Faith has healed you

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