TESTIMONIES: How God is giving Life4homeless
Sunny meets an Angel
Over Memorial Day weekend 2017, our Executive Director Sunny Chae had a heart changing experience. She wanted to share her testimony with you:
God gave me the opportunity to share Jesus and meet and fellowship with a homeless brother for the first time this morning.
We are in San Pedro at the beach and found a great place yesterday. This morning very early, we arrived and set up our place for the day, right on the water. We did QT and prayed and then tried to make breakfast. Our travel burner wouldn't light and then a kind lifeguard came over to let us know we could not have fire in this area and recommended we move to another location. We walked over and found a spot near a fire pit and noticed a young man, alone, who seemed to be drunk.
After deciding to stay at our spot, I wanted to build a fire to prepare our meal. When I started the fire, no one was around except this boy, so I asked him if he would watch our fire and table. Then he asked me, "Do you have any food?" and I asked him, "Do you know God?" Do you believe in Jesus?" and he said yes. Then I knew that God had stopped our plans this morning so that I could feed this boy and spend time with one on one with a homeless person, my first time.
I gathered the food and returned back to the firepit. As I was preparing the meal, I asked him questions:
What is your name? Angel. Where are you from? Indonesia. Where is your family? I don't know Do you know GOD? Yes. Do you know Jesus? Yes. Do you believe Jesus is our savior? Yes.
As he ate, I asked him to share more about his life. He is 24 years old and came to the US at age 7. He has a younger sister but doesn't know where she is. His mother and sister were both repeatedly raped, his mother as many as 120 times and "I am one of those son", he said. He was mumbling and laughing as he told his story, as if he didn't want to remember. I asked him, "Do you live like this because you're hurt? Because you want to give up because of those hard feelings?" and he nodded. "Even though many people you trusted have let you down, whatever you have gone through, Jesus has been here and He loves you. He sent me to hear your story and serve you a wonderful breakfast."
Angel began to cry. I began to cry too.
Through our tears as he continued eating, a wonderful meal of bacon, steak and eggs, we talked about the bible and he began saying Amen. I also reminded him, "You believe in Jesus so you know in this life you may be homeless, but you know where you are going. Many people who live like you don't know where they are going, so you need to talk about God & Jesus to those people. Talking and sharing about God can start your healing for your wounded heart and your life will start to feel renewed the more you share with others." After he finished and our tears finally stopped, he told me he would go to the bathroom and wash up. He left and I didn't see him again.
주님이 내게 보내주신 #1 노숙자...엔젤
어제부터 돌아다니며 명단자리를 고른후 ....새벽부터 부지런히 도착 자리잡고 불을땐후 기쁜 마음으로 큐티하는중....라이프 가드가 들려서 하는말...."이곳에선 불을 땔수 없으니 더많은사람들이 도착하기전 불때는곳으로 이동을 추천...?" 불이냐.... 경치냐.... 고민하다
결국 불을 포기하고 버너를 꺼내켜보니 불통....결국 나무를 들고 건너편에서 불을핀후...누워있던 노숙자에게....
can you watch the fire?
했더니... 음식있어요? 하고 묻는다.
아~~~ 이사람을 먹이려고 나를이곳으로 부르셨다는것을 깨닳은후 텐트로 돌아와 음식들을준비.. 베이컨.. 계란 ...꽃등심..을 구워주며 물었다..
What is your name?angel..
Where are you from? Indonesia
Where is your family? I dont know
Do you know GOD?yes
Do you know Jesus? Yes
Do you believe Jesus is our savior? Yes
7살에 인도네지아에서 이민온 24살
엔젤은 여동생이 있다는걸 기억하지만어릴때 헤어졌다고했다...그는 어머니가 항상 남자들에게 강간당하는모습을 보며 자라왔으며 자신도 그중에 임신해서 태어난 사람이라말한다...엔젤....
네가 이런삶을 선택한건 세상사림들에게받은 상처때문이지???
그는 끄덕인다...그런데... 그런너를 주님이 사랑하셔서 십자가에 목박혀죽으시고 오늘도 나를통해 주님의사랑을 전해주길 원하셔......오늘아침 이 식사는 주님이 네게 전하는 사랑이야.
지금 네 환경이 노숙자이지만 그래고 너는 예수님을 알고 믿지만 네주위에 있는 많은노숙자들은 주님을 모르고 세상을 따나는 사람들 너도 많이 봤지? 너는그들에게 주님을 전해봐....그러면 .너의상처도 치료되고 새로운 삶이 시작될꺼야.
혼을 뺏긴듯이 복음을 전하는데...
그가 한없이 운다...
나도 같이울었다....
그리고 엔젤이...."화장실다녀올께요...
Over Memorial Day weekend 2017, our Executive Director Sunny Chae had a heart changing experience. She wanted to share her testimony with you:
God gave me the opportunity to share Jesus and meet and fellowship with a homeless brother for the first time this morning.
We are in San Pedro at the beach and found a great place yesterday. This morning very early, we arrived and set up our place for the day, right on the water. We did QT and prayed and then tried to make breakfast. Our travel burner wouldn't light and then a kind lifeguard came over to let us know we could not have fire in this area and recommended we move to another location. We walked over and found a spot near a fire pit and noticed a young man, alone, who seemed to be drunk.
After deciding to stay at our spot, I wanted to build a fire to prepare our meal. When I started the fire, no one was around except this boy, so I asked him if he would watch our fire and table. Then he asked me, "Do you have any food?" and I asked him, "Do you know God?" Do you believe in Jesus?" and he said yes. Then I knew that God had stopped our plans this morning so that I could feed this boy and spend time with one on one with a homeless person, my first time.
I gathered the food and returned back to the firepit. As I was preparing the meal, I asked him questions:
What is your name? Angel. Where are you from? Indonesia. Where is your family? I don't know Do you know GOD? Yes. Do you know Jesus? Yes. Do you believe Jesus is our savior? Yes.
As he ate, I asked him to share more about his life. He is 24 years old and came to the US at age 7. He has a younger sister but doesn't know where she is. His mother and sister were both repeatedly raped, his mother as many as 120 times and "I am one of those son", he said. He was mumbling and laughing as he told his story, as if he didn't want to remember. I asked him, "Do you live like this because you're hurt? Because you want to give up because of those hard feelings?" and he nodded. "Even though many people you trusted have let you down, whatever you have gone through, Jesus has been here and He loves you. He sent me to hear your story and serve you a wonderful breakfast."
Angel began to cry. I began to cry too.
Through our tears as he continued eating, a wonderful meal of bacon, steak and eggs, we talked about the bible and he began saying Amen. I also reminded him, "You believe in Jesus so you know in this life you may be homeless, but you know where you are going. Many people who live like you don't know where they are going, so you need to talk about God & Jesus to those people. Talking and sharing about God can start your healing for your wounded heart and your life will start to feel renewed the more you share with others." After he finished and our tears finally stopped, he told me he would go to the bathroom and wash up. He left and I didn't see him again.
주님이 내게 보내주신 #1 노숙자...엔젤
어제부터 돌아다니며 명단자리를 고른후 ....새벽부터 부지런히 도착 자리잡고 불을땐후 기쁜 마음으로 큐티하는중....라이프 가드가 들려서 하는말...."이곳에선 불을 땔수 없으니 더많은사람들이 도착하기전 불때는곳으로 이동을 추천...?" 불이냐.... 경치냐.... 고민하다
결국 불을 포기하고 버너를 꺼내켜보니 불통....결국 나무를 들고 건너편에서 불을핀후...누워있던 노숙자에게....
can you watch the fire?
했더니... 음식있어요? 하고 묻는다.
아~~~ 이사람을 먹이려고 나를이곳으로 부르셨다는것을 깨닳은후 텐트로 돌아와 음식들을준비.. 베이컨.. 계란 ...꽃등심..을 구워주며 물었다..
What is your name?angel..
Where are you from? Indonesia
Where is your family? I dont know
Do you know GOD?yes
Do you know Jesus? Yes
Do you believe Jesus is our savior? Yes
7살에 인도네지아에서 이민온 24살
엔젤은 여동생이 있다는걸 기억하지만어릴때 헤어졌다고했다...그는 어머니가 항상 남자들에게 강간당하는모습을 보며 자라왔으며 자신도 그중에 임신해서 태어난 사람이라말한다...엔젤....
네가 이런삶을 선택한건 세상사림들에게받은 상처때문이지???
그는 끄덕인다...그런데... 그런너를 주님이 사랑하셔서 십자가에 목박혀죽으시고 오늘도 나를통해 주님의사랑을 전해주길 원하셔......오늘아침 이 식사는 주님이 네게 전하는 사랑이야.
지금 네 환경이 노숙자이지만 그래고 너는 예수님을 알고 믿지만 네주위에 있는 많은노숙자들은 주님을 모르고 세상을 따나는 사람들 너도 많이 봤지? 너는그들에게 주님을 전해봐....그러면 .너의상처도 치료되고 새로운 삶이 시작될꺼야.
혼을 뺏긴듯이 복음을 전하는데...
그가 한없이 운다...
나도 같이울었다....
그리고 엔젤이...."화장실다녀올께요...
Tiara spreads love on the streets in New York
I would like to say that my heart for helping the homeless began when I was a little girl. As a girl I would always see my grandmother giving to the homeless. She would always say that she gave because it could be one of her children and she would want someone to give them if they needed. I have always took that to heart and when I grew up and started riding the subway I would always give and if I didn’t have it would upset me.
One day in particular I went into the subway as normal and I was standing at the edge of the track and this guy who has seen me on previous occasions said to me "Why do you come down here every day and stand so close to the tracks? There are crazy people out here that might push you. Stand back you will hear the train when it comes” and we started a conversation that would go on for weeks. I began to bring him food every day and started talking to him about attending church with me. He stated that he would love to go to church and I said that I would pick him up to go. That Sunday I debated and said that he probably wouldn’t be there so I went to church without getting him. When I saw him that Monday he was upset that I didn’t go and get him as he was waiting for me and I never showed up. I told him that I was truly sorry and that I would go get him the next week. Coworkers said that I was crazy to be picking up someone that I didn’t know. I stated that I believed that God has a plan.
I drove down to the place he was and he was standing outside waiting. I brought him to church and afterwards I brought him to my house with my family and ordered Chinese food for lunch and my mom cooked a big dinner and he had a really good meal for dinner. It broke my heart to have to drop him off back at the train station but I did it with a prayer. I began to continuously pray for him as I am a firm believer that we must not judge as we don’t know the situation and drugs and alcohol are not always the case sometimes it is just life happens. My mission at that time was to pray him through his situation. I had given him my number and told him to call me if he ever needed anything but suddenly I stopped seeing him at the station but continued to pray.
One day I received a call from an unknown number and it was him and he wanted to let me know that he got a job and he had a place to live. You can’t imagine the joy that I felt for him. This was when my heart for giving really went into gear.
Every year my church does a midnight run to NYC and we give out food and clothing and prayer to the homeless. I began to go out with them and during one of these trips, 5 of us decided that this was not enough and we needed to go out more often. We have been going out at the turn of seasons to be able to give items that are needed at that particular time. Our strategy is to see what is asked for the most and the next time we go out we make sure we have that as well. We are a small group and we know that to be able to maximize our efforts and to help more we have to enlist more people in the fight against homelessness.
This past Friday we went out to the streets of NYC and gave out shirts, cosmetics, food, drinks, and prayers. That night we set up a date to come back out and we now know that we need to bring jeans as that was one of the major items that was asked for. I am going to go over to the local good will and look at men and women pants so that we can try to start purchasing now so that we can have them in abundance for out next run. I always believe that if 1 person is brought to Christ through our efforts God will be glorified. I am in no way rich and have struggles of my own but I believe I am able to continue on because God sees my heart and He provides me so that I can help others. I once asked why God made me a giver because I always give and when I need there is never anyone to give to me. Well my minister said “Your prayer must be God you gave me the gift of giving please provide me with the things I need to be able to give and live.” I believe everyone has a gift and my gift is giving. I trust that God will always provide. God bless!
나는 어린 소녀 시절부터 노숙자 돕기 위한 내마음이 시작되었다고 생각합니다. 그시절 나는 언제나 할머니가 노숙자에게 무엇인가 주는 것을 보았습니다. 할머니는 언제나 그들이 우리가족일수도있기 때문에 나누어야 한다고 말했고, 필요한 이웃에게 주고 싶다고 말했습니다. 나는 언제나 그것을 가슴에 품고, 자랐으며 지하철을 타기 시작하면서 항상 그들에게 줄 것을 준비했고 내가 줄 것을 가지고 있지 않으면 지하철을 타면서 나의 부족함에 화을 냈습니다.
어느 날 평소와 같이 지하철을 타려고 지하철 선로 가장자리에 서있었습니다. 이전에 저를 보았던 한 남자는 저에게 "왜 당신은 매일 여기에 내려와 선로에 아주 가까이 서 있습니까? 당신을 밀어 버릴 수도 있는 미친 사람들이 많아요. 선로에 가까이 있지않아도 기차가 오면 소리가 들립니다. " 라고 말해주는 것을 계기로 우리는몇 주 동안 많은 이야기를 하게되었고 . 나는 매일 음식을 가져 오기 시작했으며, 그에게 예배에 참석하는 것에 대해 이야기을 했습니다. 그가 교회에 가고 싶다고 하여, 일요일에 교회에 데려가겠다고 했으나 약속한 일요일에 친구들과 그사람얘기를 하였더니 사람들이 거기에 그 사람이 없을 것이라고 하여 그를 데리러가지 않고 교회에 갔습니다. 내가 월요일에 그를 만났을 때 그가 기다리고 있었는데 약속을 지키지 않아 화가 났었다고 말하는 것을 듣게되었습니다. 정말로 미안하다고 사과하고, 다음 주에 꼭 데려 갈 것을 약속했습니다. 그러나 친구들은 내가 모르는 사람을 데려 오는 것이 바보 같은 일이라고 했으나 나는 하나님의 계획이 있을 것이라고 친구들에게 말했습니다.
어느날 그를 약속장소에서 차에 태워 우리 가족이 있는 집으로 초대했습니다. 점심으로 중국 음식을 주문하고, 저녁에는 어머니가 큰잔치을 마련해 주시고, 그는 저녁식사도 즐겁게 했습니다. 하지만 그를 전도할수없어 마음이 힘들어서 기도를 시작했습니다. 항상 그를 위해 기도했고 나는 신앙인으로 그의 사정도 모르고 함부로 판단하지 말아야 한다고 확실히 믿었습니다. 그리고 마약과 술이 아닌 다른이유로 삶에 어려운일이 일어날 수 도 있는 경우도 있습니다. 그 당시 나의 사명은 어떤 상황이던 그를 위해 기도하는 것이었습니다. 그에게 내 전화 번호를 주었고 그가 무엇인가를 필요로 한다면 나를 부르라고 말했습니다. 그러던 어느날 갑자기 지하철 역에서 그를 더 이상 볼 수 없게 되었으나 계속하여 그를 위해 기도했습니다.
그러던 어느날 나는 모르는 전화 번호로 전화를 받았습니다. 그 사람이었고 그가 직장을 잡았으며 살 거주지도 있다고 연락을 해 왔습니다. 나는 그에게 느낀 기쁨을 말로 할 수 없었습니다. 이 일은 내가 봉사하는 삶을 살도록 큰용기를 주는 동기가 되었습니다.
매년 우리 교회는 자정에 뉴욕시에서 노숙자들에게 음식과옷을 주고 그들을 위해 기도합니다. 교인들과 함께 봉사하기 시작했고, 이 행사는 5명이 하기에는 너무 부족하여 봉사자와 행사기간을 늘리기로 결심하였습니다. 또한 노숙자들에게 필요한 것이 무엇일까 찾기 시작했습니다. 우리의 계획은 무엇이 가장 노숙자들에게 필요한 것이고 다시 노숙자를 만날때에 필요한 것을 줄수 있도록 노력과 수고를 아끼지 않았습니다. 우리는 소규모 그룹이지만 노력을 극대화하여 노숙자 문제에 더 많은 사람들이 지원과 격려을 받아야 한다는 것을 알고 있습니다.지난 금요일 우리는 뉴욕의 거리로 나가서 셔츠, 화장품, 음식, 음료등을 주면서 기도를 나누었습니다. 그날 밤 우리는다시 봉사할 장소와 날짜를 정했고 청바지를 가져올 필요가 있음을 알았습니다. 청바지는 노숙자들이 요청한 주요 품목 중 하나였습니다. 우리는 지역의 유엔에가서 지원을 요청하였고 다행히 남자와 여자 바지등을 충분히 준비할 수 있게되었습니다. 우리는 언제나 사람들을 우리의 노력으로 그리스도께로 인도하면 하나님은 영화롭게 하실것이라고 믿습니다. 나는 부유하지 않으며 내자신도 열심히 노력 하지만 하나님께서 내 마음을 보시고 내가 다른 사람들을 도울 수 있도록 나를 이끌러주시기 때문에 계속할 수 있다고 믿습니다. 항상 하나님께서 내게 주신 사명에 대해 물었습니다. 사명을 포기하면 네가 필요로 할 때 절대로 너를 도와줄 사람이 하나도 없다고 하십니다 우리 목사님은 말씀하십니다 "당신의 기도를 하나님이 들으셔야 합니다. 저들에게 줄 수 있는 것들을 보내 주시옵소서." 나는 모든사람이 하나님께 기도할수있고 하나님이 주실것이고 내가 다른 사람들을 도울 수 있도록 해주실것을 믿습니다. 하나님의 축복이 함께 하시기를!
Shawn Testio
On June 21, 2017 at 6:30 AM, I went to walk my dogs at a nearby dog park in Downtown Los Angeles on 9th and Flower. As I was walking, I noticed a man sitting on the ground with a sign that said:
"Homeless and nothing to eat. Please help every little bit counts, God Bless and thank you"
I stopped and said, "Why are you here? You don't need to beg for food, why aren't you on Skid Row where you can get food without having to beg for it?"
Shawn said he had been kicked out of Skid Row because he was loaded (on drugs). Now that he was sober, he was hungry.
"Do you believe in God?", I asked. "Yes", he said.
"Do you know Jesus?", I asked. "No, I don't know who that is", he said.
"Who is your God?", I asked. "There are many Gods in the world", he said.
"No. There is only one God. God, the Father, His son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit."
I told him that he did drugs because he is empty and asked him why he never quit. "I've been trying to quit for 20 years", he said, "but but everyone gives up on me and they keep sending me to shelters instead of helping me get to rehab, so I just go back to getting loaded". I told him, "I've struggled too, but if you meet Jesus and really follow him, He will help you and you won't need these drugs anymore."
Shawn is from Ventura County, but the county kicked him out and told him to go to Skid Row 1 year ago. As an outsider, other homeless on Skid Row won't help him and he has no one to turn to. Shawn keeps getting kicked out of Skid Row because he is loaded, so I told him, "I'm going to introduce you to someone who has been on Skid Row for 7 years, so when you go back you will know someone who can watch out for you."
I didn't have any money on me, so I went home and prayed, to make sure this was God sending him. God gave me confirmation and I went back and gave him $10. Before I gave him the money, I made him look into my eyes and promise that he would not use this money for drugs. We prayed together and I told him, "See you tomorrow at 5:30".
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