For
our last day of Training Camp, we had our first experience with ATL,
or “ask the Lord,� ministry in Atlanta, Georgia. Each team prayed
about where in the city we felt like the Lord was leading us to
minister. This sort of listening to and following the voice of the
Lord was new to many of us, yet we took the challenge to try it. As
my team was praying about where to go, we had a variety of visions,
from run-down houses to the color yellow to an overpass and a
restaurant called The Varsity. When we got to Atlanta, we parked at
The Varsity and began walking around. One of our members had seen
some girls in yellow shirts and felt led to them. By the time we
parked and prayed for a few minutes, though, the girls were no where
to be found, so we prayed about which direction to go. We started
walking along the street, singing praises to dispel the darkness and
bring down the walls of Jericho before we even reached them. Just a
few minutes later, we saw the girls that had originally been spotted
and headed their direction. En route, we saw a couple of girls
dressed in dance performance attire and asked them what was going on.
They told us that there was a Caribbean festival taking place. We
walked in the direction of the festival, and as we approached, we
noticed that the chorus of the song being played said, “I’m
searching,� and on the sides of the trucks being used in the parade
were signs that read, “Welcome to Utopia.� Ironic? Chance? I
think not. We were encouraging one another and praying as we
approached. I felt let to pray for the women dressed so beautifully
yet seductively, that God would enlighten them to how beautiful they
truly were apart from this appearance, that they did not need to
dress in such a way to be desired and loved. I realized God was
allowing me to see them through His eyes. Then I began to ask God
what our role in this place was, how we could bring hope and life to
the area and people there. After a few minutes, we stopped at a spot
on the sidewalk where a few of the parade participants were gathered.
While a few of my teammates talked to a guy with dreadlocks selling
water, who spoke words of encouragement to us in walking as women of
God and prophesied over us the exact vision we had of bringing life
and living water to the world this coming year, I noticed a little
girl dressed in a yellow dress with a yellow sash across her
shoulder. I decided to walk the few steps between this precious
little girl and myself and talk to her. I asked her what her name
was, and she replied Leah. I asked her a few small-talk questions,
such as how old she was, to which she said six. I told her that she
looked like a princess, and her face beamed. Sometimes when I go to
share the Gospel with someone, due to either fear or the caution of
the Spirit, I get a hesitancy about saying anything about Christ.
However, other times I feel prompted to say something, and this was
definitely one of the latter. I asked her if she knew who Jesus was.
She said yes, He was God. I told her she was right, and she added
that He was also a Son. I said yes, He was the Son of God. Then I
asked her if she knew Him as her Savior. She shook her head. I asked
her if she would like to ask Him to be her Savior, and she said yes.
So I knelt down, took her hands, talked to her about the fact that
God loved her but that because we have done bad things, Jesus had to
come to make things right between us and God. She seemed to
understand, so I continued by leading her in the sinner’s prayer,
then told her she was now a princess forever! I asked her if she had
a Bible, and she said no. I didn’t have one on me, so I told her to
find one when she could and begin reading it. At that moment, her
mom, who had been standing nearby and watching us, came up and said
it was time to go so she could get on the float. She hoisted Leah up
on the back of one of the trucks, and I waved good-bye to her as we
walked away. I am now praying that the Lord would surround her with
other believers who can help her grow in her new faith, that the seed
planted within her would grow strong, and that she will become a
strong, beautiful woman of God, a leader in her community, and lead
others to Christ. Please join me in praying for her. I apologize for
this entry being so long and promise to conclude my recap of training
camp tomorrow!
