The Prodigal Son Goes Home for Thanksgiving
Saturday morning developed into a beautiful cloud free day for the early part of the day. Our team met at the Mac Donald's on Stanyon. Yes, the very same Mac Donald's in the news for raising the dollar menu prices by a quarter to drive off the homeless.
We divvied up the students into 2 teams. Our team consisted of Jason (Pastor of Lion’s Pride), myself, my wife Lisa, and my son Josh, with Katie (SSM), Rebekah (SSM), Laura (SSM), Colleen (SSM), Joanne (Bethel and Time is Precious ministries), Precka (ministry friend from Sweden with the SSM team).
We set out on the streets with our bags of sweaters, blankets, new socks, and some inidividually wrapped servings of cheese crackers. The runaways in the Haight are called the Lost Boys. They’re transient and always en route to somewhere. The Haight is like a railroad station for these young people. Most all are adventurers in spirit but in truth are running away from something back at home.
The Holy Spirit led us to one street corner on Haight St. We encountered some Lost Boys (which includes girls too). We handed out socks to these individuals and they graciously took the new clean socks and sat down and put them on. One girl didn’t have any socks at all. She took the socks my son Josh handed to her and she sat down and removed her shoes. Her feet were filthy. I couldn’t tell positively, but there looked like there was some fungus on the feet from being wet and poorly protected for so long. As the girl cleaned off her feet with the socks, before she put them on, I felt the Holy Spirit highlight her on my spirit. I started receiving that her name was Ellen or Elaine. I asked the young woman if her name was Elaine.
She looked up at me a bit puzzled. “Do I know you?”
I responded, “No. But I keep getting that your name is Elaine.”
The girl answers, “No. My name is Loki Lelana. My friends call me Lelany.”
Then I get the picture from the Holy Spirit that she is working in clay with her hands. I ask Lelany, “Do you sculpt?”
Now I have Lelany’s attention and she smiles at me. “How do you know that? I am a sculptor!”
I answered with, “God told me you sculpt and he loves what you make with your hands. You’re a creator.”
My son Josh stepped in on his ministry duties and prayed for Lelany’s puppy for supernatural protection from above.
As this conversation is going on, another gentlemen shows up on the scene and starts talking with Laura, Rebekah, Katie and Precka. He is about six feet tall, fairly handsome, but is looking physically and spiritually tired. The young man introduces himself as Aaron. So this is a conversation taking place outside the group I am ministering with. Aaron tells the Bethel SSM ladies that he is from Portland and he said he wants to go home for the holidays. He had run away from home about six weeks ago looking for freedom, but hated it and wanted to go home. The Bethel ministry team asked him if they could pray with him and he asked if they could pray for strength. Laura and Rebekah are praying for Aaron and for his family. According to Katie, she came in to pray with Laura and Rebekah when she saw Laura crying during the prayer ministry.
Partway through the prayer, one of the girls, it was either Rebekah or Laura, asked Aaron if he knew Jesus. He said he did and he was a Christian, but was afraid to tell people about it on the streets for fear that he would get hurt or made fun of. There is a strong presence of eastern religion on the streets in the Haight. The Bethel ladies prayed and prophesied over Aaron.
At this time, Lisa, Joanne, Jason and I were taking a step back letting the Bethel team minister on the streets. We weren’t involved in the prayer or what was going on. We just keep an eye out, because, hey, we’re on the streets!
The Holy Spirit highlighted Aaron to me. I looked at him and started to get a picture in my head of a woman with brown hair. And then I was given the impression it was his older sister. It wasn’t my thoughts so I treated it as a God download and waited for a good time to step in and ask Aaron. I didn’t want to interrupt the Bethel team because a lot of GOOD ministry was going on.
At the right time, I asked Aaron if he had an older sister with brown hair. I received the usual inquisitive yet a bit freaked out look from Aaron that the information was from God.
“Who are you?” he asked.
I introduced myself and it was at that point I found out his name was Aaron. Then he asked me, ”how are the kids?”. It took a second to process but he was inquiring about his sister’s kids. I responded, “I didn’t see the kids, I only get pictures.”
Then Rebekah answers, “I saw a boy and a girl. And they’re fine.”
Aaron is now looking at me and then back at Rebekah. A bit awkward moment of –what is going on.
I told Aaron, “The point is, God is showing you right now that you are on the spirit of your older sister and she is thinking about you right now!”
Aaron bolts over to me and embraces me with arms tightly around me and weeps. I return a strong fatherly embrace and hold Aaron in my arms for over a minute. The heavenly Father above was embracing his prodigal son. I whispered words of restoration in Aaron’s hear as the Father above held him tightly.
As the fatherly hug ended, Rebekah whispers in my ear that she felt she needed to pray for restoration for Aaron and his family. She led the prayer for this with Aaron and the Bethel team.
When the Bethel ministry team had finished this intense prayer session with Aaron he asked to borrow a phone. He wanted to call his mom. I believe it was Rebekah that lent him the iphone so he could call home. He got his mom’s voice mail.
Rebekah continued in prayer with Aaron and led him in prayers of forgiveness. Now what is cool here is that 15 minutes earlier I first met Rebekah and we were having a conversation she wanted to minister in deliverance. And here she is now, knee deep in deliverance prayer ministry. That’s how God works. Rebekah led Aaron in forgiveness prayer about some family situations. The ministry team mentioned his demeanor clearly changed after the bondage was lifted from him.
At this point, God placed on Aaron’s spirit it was time for the prodigal son to return home. As the Bethel team ministered some more, Katie felt it was time for Aaron to call his family. Without being prompted, Aaron decided it was time to call home. Rebekah handed Aaron her iphone and he called home. This time he got through. His mother answered and Aaron poured out his heart asking his mother for forgiveness. This was actually his foster mom. Aaron ran away several weeks ago to find his real dad in Florida but only made it as far as San Francisco. His pack with his own personal belongings were stolen along with his cell phone with his dad’s number in it.
As the restoration and healing with the phone call progressed, he told his mom he wanted to come home for Thanksgiving. His mother gave him his grandather’s number, he lived closer to San Francisco and could assist Aaron in getting home and possibly even come pick him up.
Aaron then called his grandfather, “Grandpa it’s me – i’m ok, i am so sorry. I am with some church people and they are helping me.” And the inner healing began with his grandfather.
When the phone call was finished, the conversation switched to prayer for physical healing. Rebekah asked Aaron if he had any physical pain that needed healing.
Aaron answered, “I have arthritis in my right leg from a car crash when I was a kid.”
The Bethel A-team of prayer went to work and prayed for him and he fell on his butt onto the pavement. So they sat him down and prayed for Aaron again.
Katie wanted to see the level of progress in their prayers for healing so she told Aaron to get up and walk to the trash can and as he did he started jumping up and down – saying, “ it’s better it’s better.”
Aaron was blown away by the healing power of the Holy Spirit.
Katie remembered him saying ‘ you guys are powerful... so am I aren’t I?....’
The ministry team answered, “it was Jesus and that God loved him.”
Jason of Lion’s Pride, told Aaron that, “you forgave your sister but God also forgave you all the things you had ever done wrong.”
From Katie’s recollection of this event, Aaron kept saying, “I have seen the light! I have seen the light!”
Rebecca, our deliverance minister in training, then said, “is there anyone else you need to forgive?”
He did have some more forgiveness to walk through and the ministry team prayed and forgave them all. Then they looked up tickets, according to Katie, they $30 shy of the goal. They gave him a map to the train station.
Joanne of Time is Precious ministries, then came over and spoke a prophetic word over Aaron. She had a picture of him working on a white car. At first, Aaron didn’t make the connection with the white car. But then he remembered that his brother does so she went further and said can you change oil and things like that – he said ‘oh yeah yeah’.
Joanne continued, “I think God is going to give you a job when you get back to Oregon – maybe something temporary.”
Aaron said, “Well I did want to be famous, but now I want to do what you guys do and talk to people on the streets.
One of the ministry team members added, “well you’re famous to God, that is the main thing”. He grinned, jumped around and pointed at the sky.
Joanne continued with her word and told him to stick to the map and not get distracted on the way and that people would give him the rest of the money because they will see that he is trustworthy and want to help him. She asked him if he believed this and she said well that is faith.
Aaron’s dad called part way thru all of this and Aaron thought his dad would be angry. Aaron answered the phone and said, “I am so sorry I ran away. I know I should have told you. I thought the streets would be easier. Tell Robbie i love him. I love you.“
Aaron gave us all another massive hug, was yelling to people walking past, “I AM GOING HOME! I AM GOING HOME! I AM NOT HOMELESS ANYMORE!!!
Aaron gave away his sleeping bag away to another homeless guy!
My son Josh, who has the gift of perpetual entertainment caught Aaron’s eye. He asked how old Josh was. Josh said he was ten. A nerve struck home with Aaron about Josh and his age.
Joanne was given a word of knowledge about something had happened to him when he was 10 (hence the sad look – she wasn’t there when he had asked that question) and that God had told her to tell him not to get distracted on his way to the station and to tell him what faith was.
The Bethel team had to leave and drive back to Redding. Rebekah received a call from Aaron’s grandpa on the way back and he was asking who we were and was thanking us for helping him. Later we realised that his family could pay for his ticket via credit card but his grandpa text and said his mom had bought the ticket, his grandpa would meet him half way - give him some sandwiches and his mom will pick him up the other end.
We received word that Aaron is now home with his family and is off the streets.
One of the things I really love about this day is that all these powerful words of knowledge occurred right across the street from a psychic shop. While I was giving word to Aaron I saw this big neon hand with the words psychic. Look at the white building behind us with the red awning. The tree branches block out most of the sign in the window (on the second story, left hand side). Isn’t it great how God can use situations like these and change lives forever?
–ALL FOR FREE!!!!!
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