Dearest Friends,
ZOMBIELAND
Last Wednesday, we did a show in a new place for us, Zombieland. It is also called the "Land of the Living Dead". Heroine rules Kensington Street and Somerset Street and it rules the lives of so many people who are addicted to this opiate. Everywhere you look, you see people in a drug stupor. You probably think that this is a strange place to take a puppet show, but in this nightmare, many children are trapped.
We set up in a park and we were honestly amazed at the crowd that God gave us. Ironically there was a building near the park which was painted with the words of John 3:16. We had a lot of children and adults. When we gave the invitation, many children and even some adults prayed with us. Praise God!
This is one of the worst places that I have ever seen! Most people choose never to go near this terrible place, but there are people there who live without hope. Only Jesus can change them from the inside out and give them the real hope that they so desperately crave. I loved being in this place because I saw God be very big. The entire team really enjoyed this show because they saw God do something unexpected. It was definitely the most broken place we have ever done a program.
A young man named Josiah helped us at this program. He was very moved because he said that he grew up in this same kind of place. He felt he was trapped and had no hope. Growing up, he had only one desire and that was to get out of the "hood". When people listened to this program, he said that he had hope for the place he grew up.
Please pray for the children and adults trapped in Zombieland. Please pray for deliverance and for the hope of Jesus to grow in their hearts. Please ask God to send other Christians to this terrible place so that the light shines constantly in this darkness.
MORE
Our last day in Philadelphia was so full and so wonderful that we felt especially blessed! At 8:30 in the morning we spoke to a group of teenagers that were attending a career preparatory schools called Vocatio. This was a great opportunity to speak about Jesus and how He could meet all of their needs. Kelsey, Leslie, and Drake all shared their testimonies and were effective in what they said.
Our last show was in a not nice park with no trees. It was hot and there was trash everywhere, but the children were very sweet. We had been in this place before, but we have never had such a big crowd, even lots of adults came. These children live in difficult places where the gospel is seldom heard. Please pray for them to trust Jesus with all their problems.
JOSHUA
We did a show on a sidewalk with a small group of children from a neighborhood feeding program. Nutrition is a big problem with children in the inner-city of Philadelphia. They seldom get fruits and vegetables, so the city has meals delivered.
A little boy named Joshua asked Jesus to rescue him at the puppet show. He was so thrilled with this decision to follow Jesus that he wanted to tell us what he had done. We gave Bibles to all of the children and many of the adults who came wanted Bibles for their grandchildren. Joshua was especially happy with his Bible and said, "I am never going to let go of it. I am going to take it to school with me." He held it in his arms like he was holding treasure. Please keep praying for Joshua to become the man that God wants him to be.
NEW YORK PRAYER REQUEST
We are in Ticonderoga, New York and we will be doing shows at two local churches tomorrow. Please pray for us and ask God to pour His Spirit on these programs.
In Jesus,
Linda for Leslie, Drake, Kelsey, Hannah, and Olivia