7/2/07 (our opening night was 7/1/07) Wow… the MN Hopeline is up and running! A special thank you to Jerrell, Tim, Martha, Renae, Sandy, Jorge, Ryan and Doris (Monique and Abbey too!) for making the night awesome! We were able to take several calls; one memorable one was a twenty year-old girl struggling with cutting that Martha was able to talk to and pray with for forty minutes. Thank you Jesus! 7/9/07 Devon , 16 years old… Catherine, 17 years old… Ashton, 16 years old… Jasmine, 16 years old… Nichole, 16 years old… and Aaron, 16 years old. All six of these teenagers are in the Kingdom, making first time commitments to Jesus Christ last night at the Hopeline!! Can you imagine the party in heaven this morning! Thank you Jesus!!!!!!!! Please keep Aaron in your prayers. He called last night telling Vanessa about his addiction to weed and after several minutes gave his heart to the Lord. Please pray that Jesus will continue to set him free of his addiction. An incredible thank you to Martha, Renae, Tim, Vanessa and Doris who made last night memorable. Renae talked to a young lady considering abortion and was able to pray with her, Doris ministered to a young lady who is struggling with her relationship with her father who is getting ready to get out of jail… the stories are getting almost too many to tell. We look forward to seeing you at the Hopeline this coming Sunday night… same Bat Channel, same Bat time. 8:20pm, Sunday night at Cross Telecom. 7/16/07 Last night was a little brutal. A huge shout out to Doris, Renae and Jerrell for outstanding perseverance with some difficult situations… Alex struggling with homosexuality, Michael dealing with sexual abuse from ages 3- 14 and a girl who was consumed with self-mutilation. I am so thankful for a Jesus who is “ more than enough !” Martha had the privilege to pray with another young man who gave his heart to Jesus for the first time too!! 7/23/07 We finished our fourth week with the Twin Cities Hopeline last night… Renae took a call from Philip, age 19, who said she “wanted to live his life through Jesus Christ.” He was a cross dressing homosexual who, by the time Renae got to pray with him, said, and I quote, “I am going to hang up the high heels and call my father!” He and his dad had had a rough time growing up and he decided to call his dad and get things right! Remember? A Jesus who is MORE THAN ENOUGH! Doris had the privilege to pray with Carolina, age fourteen, to receive Jesus for the first time! So far, eight precious teenagers are in the Kingdom since the Twin Cities Hopeline inception! Thank you Jesus! 7/30/07 You know, I never ceased to be amazed at the power of God’s word… Last night, Sandy was talking to a young man, William, a marine who was struggling with a cigarette addiction among several other things. In the course of the conversation, he told her he was a druid, and that the only difference between druids and Christians was the fact we write stuff down about our faith and that they use herbal remedies as opposed to doctors. He claimed to know Jesus and read his Bible, but was struggling intensely with his thought life. Sandy read Philippians 4: 8 , “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things,” and II Corinthians 10:4,5 “ 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” to Him. It absolutely stopped him in his tracks. When Truth is revealed, all pretense must yield to it! Jorge ministered to Liz, an atheist, and by the end of the conversation, she was in tears… again, the power of the reality of Jesus reaching out to these young people who call the Hopeline… The Twin Cities Hopeline is nothing without you… it is simply a room with computers and phones. You contribution to the lives of these teenagers is what makes the Hopeline what it is. C.T. Studd, a missionary to China, India, and Africa once said, “Some people want to live within the sound of chapel bells, but I want to run a mission, a yard from the gates of hell.” Welcome to the mission… 8/6/07 As I was listening last night to a call Vanessa was taking from a 15 year-old girl who was pregnant, worrying about her mother going to court today (Monday) and being taken to jail where she would have to take care of her younger brothers, I couldn’t help but cry. The verses in Isaiah 61: 1 -3 state, “ The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek ; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted , to proclaim liberty to the captives , and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD , and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn ; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness ; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that HE might be glorified .” (NKJV) This is indeed the mandate of the Twin Cities Hopeline! Vanessa and Ryan had the great privilege to lead two young people to Jesus last night; Rebecca 14yrs. old and John, 19 yrs. old. Thank you Jesus! 8/13/07 Everyone had pretty much left for the night and I was packing up getting ready to leave. I put a call on the speaker phone for something to listen to and was suddenly listening to a Hopeline volunteer talking to a girl named Melissa who had just taken twenty ecstasy pills in attempt to take her life. I listened as the Hopeline volunteer pleaded with her for her information so he could send her help… she just found out she was pregnant, mom was in jail, dad was no where to be found and her only brother could care less if she lived or died. I was so impressed as this volunteer kept Melissa on the phone, talking to her, telling her how much her heavenly Father loved her and that he was greatly concerned for safety. Most of us would hear this story and feel almost a shiver of panic… “What if I was the one to take that call,” you might think. “What would I do? What would I say?” I like what Mark 13:11b says, “…do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit…” (NIV) We need to realize we are the lifeline for these young people… we are the instrument God will uses to rescue these kids. It is up to HIM to speak the right words to these kids; we just have to be willing and available. I recently read a quote that said, “The only way past fear is THROUGH it!” We constantly need to get over ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us. Please… for Melissa’s sake and all out there just like her… 8/20/07 Last night had to be one of the roughest nights we have had at the Twin Cities Hopeline… lots of prank calls and some really intense one… Renae took a call from a young lady whose parents were threatening a divorce and the only solution she could come up with in her 15 year-old mind was to get pregnant to try to keep her mom and dad together. She already had an eight month old baby… (This was the night Patty took the call from the young man who killed himself…) 8/27/07 It never ceases to amaze me… remember the movie Forrest Gump? Tom Hanks who played Forrest made a statement in the movie that speaks to each night of the Hopeline, “Life is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you are gonna get!” (Instead of “life,” insert “The Hopeline!”) The week prior was an unbelievably intense night… last night was awesome! Four people had their first night on the phones and did an OUTSTANDING job! Nathan was ministering to a young lady struggling with bulimia and was being monitored by my director (yes, MY boss) and even touched his heart! Nathan then had the great privilege after to lead Matt, an 18 year old young man to Jesus! Patti, Barb, Tonella and Nathan… great job! Renae ministered to a 22 year old young lady who had just returned from serving in Afghanistan… we need to keep our servicemen and women in our prayers as they are returning home and having a hard time returning to civilian life… 9/4/07 Each week following a Sunday night, I want to give each of you an update on what the Lord did through the ministry of the Hopeline. A HUGE shout out to Tonella, Heather, Nathan and Barb… the sacrifice you guys make with your time each week to be at the Hopeline is awesome… and three young people gave their lives to Jesus this past week because of you! Mickey Thompson, DMA’s IT guy was doing a routine check last Sunday night on the chat system. The Hopeline has just started a new “chat” feature where students can chat with hopecoaches… similar to what we do on the phones, except with a keyboard. ANYWAY, as Mickey was testing the chat system, he accidentally got connected to a young man who was overwhelmed with depression, who had just caused some self-injury to himself and was talking about ending it all. After chatting with this student for over an hour, he contacted me and asked if I would talk with him. I started chatting with this young man and asked I there was a phone number where I could cal him… turns out, his name is Josh (19 yrs old), he lives in Redwing, MN and is an awesome kid! We talked on the phone for awhile and found out he has a huge heart to minister to people… he grew up in a Christian home, loves Jesus, but just hit a wall that night because of a favorite uncle having a stroke and some friends had just been killed in a car accident. By the end of the phone call, we were laughing and he even expressed interest in looking into being a Hopeline volunteer! That Jesus guy! J 9/11/07 Shannon , 16 years old, Cassie, 22 years old and Kristy 19 years old… all three are in the Kingdom because people let the Lord use them last Sunday night at the Hopeline!! Ryan ministered to Kristy for almost an hour… single mom, two kids and horribly addicted to meth. She called telling Ryan she was sick of this lifestyle and gave her life to Jesus! Ryan then got her the name of a local church in her area as well as information on Teen Challenge. Thank you Jesus! I often wonder about the anxiety people have when they think about answering a Hopeline call… young people reaching out form the flames of substance abuse, broken homes, bad relationships and destructive behavior… our fear, those few moments of anxiety, are most definitely worth their freedom!!! A huge thank you again to those of you who make the Hopeline a reality each Sunday night! 9/17/07 Wow. Yeah, that pretty much sums up last night! Eric, 17 years old and Leann, 18 years old gave their hearts to Jesus for the first time last night! We have had the great privilege of seeing 18 young people come into the Kingdom since the Twin Cities Hopeline inception last July! THANK YOU JESUS ! A lot of solid ministry took place last night… a huge shout out to all 17 of you that showed up!! We had more people than workstations… (we have 12 set up, but we will have more this week!) a problem we will remedy in the weeks to come! J Our hope/goal is to have 30 – 40 Hopeline volunteers EACH Sunday night! TC Krew… nothing but love for ya! Hmmm… I’m thinking of a Star Wars character… uh… CHEWBACCA! J Yay Colleen and Rita! First night on the phones and you guys did an INCREDIBLE job! Brent also made his debut last night… you guys rock! Just a reminder that we must keep prayer at the forefront of the Hopeline… front and center. Without prayer, we are no more than another teen support hotline… with prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit we will see the captives set free from the bondages of the enemy! Remember to find your 5 personal people who will commit to pray for you each Sunday night you are at the call center. This week, I will outline our prayer strategy more and maybe have a surprise or two! That Jesus guy… yeah… He is pretty awesome! 9/24/07 Twenty-three. This number may not seem significant in itself… but the Twin Cities Hopeline has had the great privilege to lead twenty-three young people back to Jesus since we opened on July 1st. It would be so easy to look at this number and say to ourselves, “Yay us! Chalk ‘em up!” I think we do this too many times with our evangelistic outreaches today… just see this as a number. It is to easy to forget the fact that each one of these numbers represents a living, breathing person… like Brandi. 15 years old struggling with an eating disorder and Heather had the great privilege to lead her back to the lover of her soul. Or Lydia. 22 years old, living in shelter, faced with all kinds of problems, gave her heart to Jesus… then Pam took the steps to get her connected to a local church. Brandy, 15 years old, a preachers kid who had been in and out of juvenile detention, never truly embracing her father’s faith, wept as she read in her own Bible with Pam Psalms 139:1-18 and made Jesus her own. Derek, 15 who as Vanessa prayed with him for salvation said she literally felt the presence of Jesus fall on the phone conversation… and then Barb loved on Paige, 21 years old and was able to lead her in a sinner’s prayer. Five precious individuals last night at the Hopeline… twenty-three total… not just numbers, but people who have begun their relationship with Jesus. The Bible says in Luke 15:10, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents… ” We have MUCH to rejoice about! And you know what is so awesome? We GET to do this! J 10/1/07 As the Twin Cities Hopeline Manager, I am receiving some job related rewards that were completely unexpected. Rewards like watching Colleen as she spoke to Audrey, 14 years old from Minnesota, who has never heard about Jesus as her father was a hindu and left her at a young age. Colleen had the great privilege to share with Audrey about Jesus, lead her in a sinners prayer, welcome her into the Kingdom and get her some local church information… it just doesn’t get any better than that! Rewards like watching Rita, who was a little nervous when she first started taking calls, answering calls like an old pro! Rewards like watching Renae as she ministered to Sammy, a 24 year-old muslim from Pennsylvania and after being disconnected from the call, called him back and was able to lead him to the Lord! Sammy was very serious as he denounced the muslim faith and embraced Jesus for the first time! Rewards like watching my own mother lead Drew, a 17 year-old homosexual from Indiana to Jesus and Heather as she prayed with Kendra, a 16 year-old girl from Texas, to receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Not to mention Marissa, 13 years old from Indiana, Britney, 18 years old form Arkansas and Lauren, 24 years old from Pennsylvania… all in the Kingdom as of last night! Seeing the joy, the tears, watching Nathan jump up and down saying “Thank you Jesus;” pretty awesome job perks!!!! In all, 7 young people gave their lives to Jesus last night at the Twin Cities Hopeline! I am really starting to wonder who is getting more blessed… the kids that are calling or the incredible volunteers we have as they share the hope we have in Jesus… if you haven’t been out to the call center on a Sunday night in a while, you are missing a blessing! 10/8/07 The devil is a liar. As a matter of fact, the Bible says in John 8:44, “He was a murderer from the beginning; not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies…” (NIV) Think of the lies he tells these kids … “Drugs and alcohol are what everybody is doing, cutting will take away your pain, premarital sex equals love and suicide is an option when you can’t take it anymore.” Think of the lies he attacks our Hopeline volunteers with… “You don’t have anything to help these kids with, you really messed up on that last call, what do you know about helping today’s teenagers, it doesn’t matter if you show up at the Hopeline, ‘cuz you are worthless anyway.” Notice again what John 8:44 states, “…for there is NO TRUTH in him!” Catherine, 18 years old from TX had almost completely bought the lie of suicide last night. Nathan took the call and for twenty minutes, ministered to her, talked to her, cried with her and as a result, she through tears accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior! It was probably one of the most incredible calls I have listened to yet at the Twin Cities Hopeline. What if Nathan had listened to the lies of the enemy and decided he couldn’t come because he felt that he didn’t have anything to offer, or because he had a rough call, made a decision to not take calls anymore? He would have missed out on having Jesus use him to speak hope and life into a hurting eighteen year old… One of my favorite verses in the Bible is James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!” (NIV) Don’t buy the lies when they try to sneak up on you, resist them in the mighty name of Jesus! For Catherine’s sake… and Daniel. 19 years old from AR, and Damien, 19 years old from TX and Amber, 15 years old from FL… all in the Kingdom today because of Hopeline volunteers who loved them into the Kingdom. In all four more precious teenagers who accepted Jesus for the first time last night! Thank you Jesus! There are so many other stories that Patti could tell as well as Heather and Renae and Karen (who made her debut last night and did fantastic!) and Jorge and everybody else who were there last night… 10/15/07 “She had a potty-mouth, just mad at everything… then she accepted Jesus and she…just... changed!” I looked at Nathan as he shared this story with me last night, thanking Jesus in my heart, yet sad as just over his shoulder, there were five empty stations. We had twelve people total taking calls last night and I am UNBELIEVIBLY thankful for each and every one of those who came… yet there were five empty stations where people could have reached even more kids with Jesus… We had the great privilege of seeing 6 more precious teenagers accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior last Sunday night… Thank you Jesus! Not to mention all the other kids we were able to love on and pray with! Yet there were five empty stations… five more spots where God could have used five people for His Glory… (Please understand that I am completely aware of those of you who have contacted me and let me know of different situations when you are unable to attend. I am just making the point that we need more help…) “Can I really make a difference” Yes… you can. You can impact teenagers each week like Angel who last night tuned into Dawson’s show at a McDonald’s parking lot in Texas. Angel called the Hopeline to talk about a little brother who is hooked on meth and after about twenty minutes was in tears, giving his heart to Jesus for the first time! He then prayed with our volunteer for his little brother to be set free of his addiction. We can and are making an impact. Thank you Jesus!!! |
