Student Scenarios

From Taylor Schultz:

On our prayer walk I talked to an 18 year old guy named Ryan. At first I didn't even bring up anything about Jesus; I just got to know him. After that he asked me if I had a "babygirl" which means girlfriend and I said no and asked him if he had a girlfriend. He told me no and that he likes his women like his candy. I like making analogies so I asked him what his favorite candy was. It was skittles. So then I asked him, "What if you have candy everyday for the rest of your life, won't you get sick of it?" He said, " *explicit* yeah!" I then said, "If candy is like women to you, pretty soon you're going to get sick of that lifestyle." I told him that women deserve to be treated with respect and not like an object. Though he was drunk, I could see in his eyes that something changed. The best part was that I could feel the Holy Spirit with me the whole time. God works in amazing ways so who knows what Ryan will do with his life. I'm just so thankful the Lord's plan was for me to go on this trip! I love you, family, and keep it real Rachel!

From Reina Wicklund:

My first week in DC/Baltimore has been...very "eventful." First of all, let me start by saying thank you so much for all of the prayer. I'm glad my day of teaching is over but I can say with a smile that it was an extremely profitable experience for me. Thanks, Wiltshire, for sticking it out with me through all the frustration and being an amazing teacher and role model. I can't even begin to explain how emotional this week has been for me. There has been anger, tears, heart-to-heart talks at midnight and more tears! But there is also the showing of unconditional love which I have really struggled with and taken to heart these past few days. It gives me so much joy to serve these kids in Baltimore. Thanks to all of you for your love, support and prayer. P.S. I guess I need to give a shout out to my fam or my mom will be disappointed...so I love you guys and I miss all of you so much.

From Wil Witters:
It's amazing how god can take what seems like a waste of $13 and turn it into an amazing story. Our first day at Union Station, Michael W., Scott F., and I purchased our very own bff (best friends forever) necklaces. But they were not any old necklaces. These were heart shaped and each had its own word on it. Live, Laugh, and Love. We thought long and hard on who should get which necklace. Reina decided that for us. Michael got live, Scott got laugh, and I got love. I'll never forget the crazy look I got from the cashier, and how stupid we all felt. We wore them everyday of the conference.
On Tuesday night we went on a prayer walk. But this prayer walk was different than any I'd ever been on. We carried signs that asked serious questions such as: "Are you sure?" or "Ready?" or "Need Prayer?" Most felt slightly uncomfortable walking down the rough streets of Baltimore with a sign that asked "Need prayer?" So our small band of six put it at our side at first. As we walked down the street we would greet people, but no more than a, "Hello, how are you?" But as we walked past a man sitting on his doorstep God moved. You see Donald has failing eyesight and that impairs his reading. But as we walked by, God allowed him to read our sign. We were about a block away when we heard Donald yelling for us to come back. When he reached us, he explained he saw the sign and needed some serious prayer. Donald told us that he had been born Baptist but he did not know much about religion now. When he was seven, he was the only person in his 14 person family to survive a car accident. He lived alone under a bridge and by age 50 has never experienced a real Christmas. He also revealed that he had cancer in both lungs and the doctors gave him til Christmas, ironic huh? The streets have been so hard on Donald. He has been stabbed 5 or 6 times and shot once. But all of the pale in comparison to what he said next. He told us that he has never been loved. He had no family, no friends, so he had no love. So, eventually after talking for a while we prayed with Donald. We prayed that God would open his eyes so he would know that God loves Donald. As we prayed I felt God speak to me in a way I have not seen in a while but it was something I'd been praying for. So when our prayer ended and everyone had hugged him, I unclasped my "love necklace" and gave it to him. As I handed him the necklace to Donald I explained to him why I was giving it to him. I want him to be reminded every time he look at it that God loves him and always will. He said thank you and we watched the tears well up in his eyes. He quickly walked away. I will never forget him. And I believe that those $13 were some of the best I've ever spent.

From Samuel Jenkins:
This past week has been one of the most physically, spiritually, and mentally demanding week of my life. Which could be either good or pathetic. God has taught me so many things that I will never forget. Seeing the living conditions of inner city Baltimore has made me so much more content with what I have. I wish I could stay here longer and continue serving the people.