Location 3, Week 3: S Cooper St & W Pleasant Ridge Rd, Arlington, TX

"Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."  

- Joshua 1:9

Time:   4:40 - 6:40 pm

Main Happenings:

1)  A guy in a van was driving slowly up Cooper and handed me a loaf of banana bread AS he was passing by saying, "Amen brother!  We're supporting you!" Something to that effect.

2)  A couple of girls passed me by to the stoplight, read my sign, I responded with something (I can't remember exactly) and they said, "We're Muslim."

3)  Waves and thumbs up; but no honks this time as I remember.

Sign Held:

Banana Bread!

A van was stopped at the stoplight facing me, passing by on Cooper.  As he was slowly passing by, a man handed me a loaf of banana bread out the window with some papers and said something like, "Amen brother!  We're supporting you!"  My wife and I had some later that night.  It was great bread!  The papers he handed me was "There are answers to your heroin addiction and other addictions... Jesus is the way out!"  Something or another.  They weren't tracts, but invitations for something.

A couple of girls passed on by, waiting at the crosswalk to cross Cooper where I was.  As they passed by they wanted to read my sign.  After they read it, they kept on walking, and I said something, but can't remember what, like, "Do you believe?"  And they said, "We're Muslim."  Maybe I should have opened my mouth to say something about Jesus, but I didn't.  I'm not exactly sure what I would say... but I did not take the above Joshua 1:9 verse to heart.  I was not strong nor took good courage.  But I pray to the Lord that I would be filled with that courage if the situation arises.  

Other than that, mostly dead out there.  I don't even remember any honks.  But, I did notice a lot of people reading the sign, and then ignore it... look the other way quickly.  I also noticed kids in the car straining their necks trying to read it, since they were shorter.  So I held my sign up further!  Hey you never know what Romans 6:23 could do to a child further in his life.  Is this not written in Scripture?

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." - John 14:26

Could it be that years down the road, later in his life, God will suddenly bring that Scripture verse to remembrance?   Nobody knows for certain.  

"I hope the sign causes a disagreement, dispute, or quarrel."

I also can't help but wonder what happens inside a car when there is a man and a woman; let's say a boyfriend and girlfriend who are both reading that sign silently to themselves.  Because I definitely see it: through the front windshield I can see them both reading it.  Do they discuss it after?  Does it cause uncomfortableness in the car? (awkward, nervous, strained... haha)  Now of course we all pray that it will.  For what saith the Scripture?  "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household," in Matthew 10:34-36.  

So when Jesus says, "set a man at variance against..." it basically means "Jesus came to cause a disagreement, dispute, or quarrel."  Meaning: that if one person in the household believes on the Lord Jesus Christ to get saved, that will cause an instant division in the household.  The family member being kicked out, disowned, or whatever else... YEAH THE GOOD STUFF!!   So I certainly hope that my Romans 6:23 sign brings a division between the couple inside their car.  HEY!  The Lord Jesus says in the same chapter, verse 37: "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worth of me." 

Location 3, Week 2: S Cooper St & W Pleasant Ridge Rd, Arlington, TX

"I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation."  

- Psalm 40:9-10

Time:   2:30 - 5:30 pm

Main Happenings:

1)  Within the first 10 minutes a VW Beetle stopped at the stoplight and a couple of girls gave me $10 to support what I was doing.
2)  Honks, waves, thumbs up.
3)  Drive by shoutings:  "Good Job" and some people screaming at me, but it was just noise to me.
4)  A guy, out of nowhere, approached behind me and gave me a cold bottle of water.
5)  A girl was honking at me while stopped at the light on S Cooper.  I get many honks, so I waved back and thought nothing of it.  But she ended up parking somewhere and ran up to introduce herself.

Sign Held:

The LORD provided: The first monetary contribution!

The Lord provides things when you least expect it.  During the first 10 minutes of being there today, this VW Beetle stops at the stop light where I was at, the window rolls down, and it was a couple of girls that wanted to give me money, to support what I was doing!  It was $10!  At first I was taken aback because I have never been offered money before.  But they said, "Here... this is to get something later on while you're standing out here, like a drink, or something to eat."  

Now this is amazing to me, because I had given extra tithe this week to an ex-pastor of Cuba (who incidentally is featured in the modern Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs), who really needed help during his move to Texas.  Anyways, with the extra tithe that I gave, I got it back!  

I asked them if they were believers, they said yes.  Then I asked them where they go to church, since my wife and I are looking for a place to go.  They both went to different churches, but the driver suggested that we try the church that she goes to, Harvest Church in Fort Worth, at 620 N Chandler Dr.  I gave them one of my tracts I had in my pocket... And right after I didn't know why I did that... they both were saved!  Oh well.  It was just a spur of the moment thing. 

Sometime later a girl was honking at me from in her van while waiting at the light at S Cooper to turn onto W Pleasant Ridge.  As I get many honks, I wave back, thought nothing of it.  Then a few minutes later this girl comes running at me from out of nowhere to say hi and introduce herself.  She said she was the girl honking!  So we start talking and she was happy that I was holding the sign.  She was telling me some of her background and how she was saved and everything else.  She stayed there a good 20 minutes... a happy, excited type girl.  She ended up saying she was blessed by seeing my sign holding.  And actually, she almost got run over when she ran back to meet the person she was meeting.  She left with, "Ok!  See ya!" And she suddenly turns to run across the crosswalk, without looking at all, and at that moment a car moves forward at the green light... it's a near miss of hitting her!

Sometime after this episode, a young guy came out of nowhere, and when I turned around, this humble, gracious kid offers me a bottle of water and runs off to where he was parked.  It was frosty cold!  It was the perfect thing I needed because I hadn't had any water for hours and I was starting to get thirsty with dry throat!

Those were the major happenings.  

A few drive by shoutings of "Good job!" and other screaming, and what not.  One of them scared me half to death because I was facing the other direction when I heard this piercing scream at me from this car or truck as they drove by at 45 mph.  And then the usual honks, thumbs up, waves and head nods in my direction.  And once again I swear I see people taking my picture with their cell phones.

That's all for today.