Red Shirt. . .

Today was awesome, in its simplicity. 

Today we discussed the Simple Gospel. 

Laid out in FIVE scriptures.

#1 "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard."

 Romans 3:23

#2 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 6:23

#3 "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

Romans 5:8

#4 "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Romans 10:9

#5 "NOW you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living."

Romans 6:18 

Then we followed this teaching with preaching!! 

We stood and practiced preaching the gospel, the simple gospel! 

So good.

So so good.

Then i got this idea of us taking it a step further

and going down town.

For a TREASURE HUNT!!

So i talked with my outreach team,

 we decided that it would be the perfect thing to do today. 

So we each packed up three peanut butter& jelly sandwiches to give away, 

and prayed for piece of our treasure hunt, 

we had a three words/visions,

first of a soldier,

second of a blue truck,

and two of us got a guy in a red shirt, 

so we grabbed a trash bag for the walk, 

and headed out to clean and bless people in down town Kona. 

As we were walking and picking up trash I thought to myself, "eww cigarette butts, i don't want to pick up those" then I heard this question in my head, "Courtney, are cigarette butts trash?" 

I didn't even need to answer, 

i just bent down and picked them up. 

Within minutes one of my other teammates asked me, 

"Do we have to pick up cigarette butts?" 

I smiled and asked, 

"Are they trash?"

Aahahaha, 

God you are so stinking funny sometimes!! 

Then within a few seconds we came up on another teammate and they asked, 

"Are you picking up cigarette butts?" 

I just smiled at the first one who asked and said, 

"Are they trash?"

Aaahhhaaa the ways You work!! 

Then we continued on our journey downtown

 we came across a shopping cart, 

not just sitting but pushed 

on its side down a small hill covered in nastiness. 

I look at one of our teammates 

and ask him if he is going to go get it.

 And he did. 

SO now our team is caring trash bags,

 pushing a shopping cart,

 and looking for homeless people to feed, share the simple gospel with, not to mention the blue truck, red shirt, and soldier. 

(p.s. we kinda look like the homeless people now) 

:)

So as we are almost downtown we see a blue truck.

So we decided we need to stick a note on it.

This is what we wrote: 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

And we thanked Jesus and headed on our way!

We then split into two groups.

So we wouldn't be mobbing people with all seven of us!

Three of us headed off with the shopping cart 

looking for our puzzle pieces.

We came to a park/city center area.

One of my teammates asked if we should cross and go over there.

Another answered and we stayed where we were.

Then I felt like we were supposed to cross over as well.

So finally majority ruled.

And we crossed.

We start collecting trash and heading toward these people who are near the ocean.

As we get closer we cant tell if they are homeless or not and we don't want to offend them.

(then a thought comes in my head, "You have free food, how often are people offended by free food")

So we head over speaking like we know them saying, "Who wants a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?" 

Apparently they were hungry.

Cause they were willing to eat food from crazy young people they just met. 

Then a little closer to the ocean we see a few more people. 

So we start heading that way and saying hello and that we have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Turns out there was four people over there. 

Drugs were heavily involved with some of them. 

And they were all stoked as well about some free sandwiches. 

We sat with them and one of the individuals Peter, who was in his sixties, and looked eager to talk.

So I asked him where he was from.

And that was it.

The door was open and his story came flooding out.

He shared about anything that came to his mind.

As im sitting there listening to this guys life story 

while sitting next to a house that looks a bit sketchy 

by the half boarded up windows and doors

 and chicken wire everywhere 

and as the sun is beating down on my face 

and the ocean is crashing up against the shore 

as i sit with these new friends

 i get this strange sense 

that THIS, right here, right now, is Jesus. 

I believe He would have sat with 

the individual that not everyone wanted to sit with

and loved them just the same. 

 Drugs, alcohol, and smells. 

He doesn't care, he isn't picky. 

He just wants radical obedience

 to Him, because well He deserves it. 

To LoVe Christ with ALL our hearts, 

and to LoVe our neighbor as ourselves.

So now we get to the red shirt piece.

When we first walked up to these new friends the ONLY one who welcomed us was the guy in the dark RED shirt. 

At first i pushed this thought away, 

thinking this guy wasn't THE GUY, the one in the red shirt.

Because, well, his shirt wasn't the color red that I had pictured.

I know it's silly.

As we said our goodbyes to our friends, 

the guy in the red shirt gave us his beef jerky.

At first we tried to fight it, 

cause well, 

he is homeless 

and we live in abundance.

And he needs it more than we do.

But he insisted we take it with us. 

We thanked him and journeyed back. 

But for some reason I walked away a little disappointed 

that nobody was wearing that bright red shirt.

Then as we walked back to campus every other person we saw walking in and out of restaurants was wearing a bright red shirt.

And then it hit me.

So often I am focus on "the color" I want to see,

 instead of seeing "the color" that I need to see. 

The bright red shirt wasn't the one with the need.

So often i find myself focusing and helping 

where there really isn't a need

 so that I can feel like I did something. 

God,

 give me your eyes to see things like you do. 

Break this cycle

 and teach me to help meet real needs.

Dark red shirt needs. 

The kind I don't often see.

Refocus my eyes Lord. 

Amen.

As we were leaving the guy sitting next to Peter, 

Robert, who was probably in his seventies, 

 reached his arms out like he wanted a hug. 

So I bent down and gave him a hug

 and he whispered into my ear, 

"You're a princess" my heart melted. 

Literally God spoke to my heart through this man with no teeth. 

For the past few weeks I have been reading The Supernatural Ways of Royalty and learning that I need to fully understand what family I am adopted into in Gods kingdom to really grasp the authority I have in Jesus Christ. 

So learning i'm a princess these last few week has just be so sweet especially today.