Update

Testimonies:
The last few weeks have been amazing. Here are a few brief testimonies:
1) A few weeks ago a guy caught my attention because he was making loud comments about the "South winning" in response to the cross. By the end of the conversation, we were both on our knees in the middle of Del Playa, in front of the girl he was in a fornicating relationship with, and he prayed to get right with the Lord. He will be moving here in January and sounds enthusiastic about doing ministry.
2) The same night, a freshman girl was on her way home and I stopped her to tell her about Jesus, she ended up convicted and prayed to get right with the Lord. She might be attending our Bible studies.
3) Two weeks ago, an atheist approached the cross and told Daniel "You have one minute". The "atheist" walked home with Daniel's Bible in his hand, crying and praising the God that he came to believe in on Del Playa.

The Team:
As of now, our team consists of myself (Joshua), Kyle, Daniel, Phillip, Paul, and Joe. Many others have gotten involved, but as of now these are the names of those who are consistantly on the streets.

Ministry Opportunities:
We basically have two ministries currently happening for those interested:

Del Playa Street Church: On Friday and Saturday nights, anywhere from 5-15 believers gather on Del Playa with a big cross and sometimes a speaker and open air preach and witness. Amazing opportunity to learn how to witness. We meet at my house 6679 Abrego before going out, times are inconsistant, so call me (7073276343), Daniel (8057294023), or Paul (8054554242) if you are interested.

Storke Plaza Pulpit: On Wednesday's at about 1:45 PM, I open air preach on the stairs in front of Storke Plaza. Kyle stands by to witness to those who approach. Interestingly, the past two times I've preached, as soon as I'm done Kyle's managed to spot somebody with a hurt leg, and he's prayed for them each time. So it's a good spot to hear the Word, preach the Word, or receive some healing.

Our Needs:
1) Prayer
2) More laborers (The harvest is PLENTIFUL!), God wants availability, not ability
3) Literature (Bibles, Gospel Tracts, Gospels)
4) Homeless Kits

Upcoming:
1) Halloween Outreach: The entire Raven Westcoast team (coming from LA, Santa Rosa, Berkely, SLO, Davis) will be in Isla Vista for Saturday night (October 31). Lodging is provided by Daniel's church. Please join us, you will learn A LOT just by being around these folks!
2) Bible Study: Most likely next Thursday we will start a Bible study at my house. Stay posted for details.
3) Homeless Outreach: We don't have a set date, but our team has been talking about packing our bags with food and clothes and spending a day seeking the least of these (Matthew 25:40).
4) Skid Row Outreach?: SLO and SB might unite and head down south. It's still in the air, pray that we attain knowledge of God's will on this one.

How can YOU get involved? BY GOING

September 11th 2010

On the anniversary of 9/11, we were not protesting Islam or burning Korans, we were lifting up the name of Jesus. At 11:00, Logan, Ben and myself headed to Del Playa. This time we brought “John the Baptist”, and a camera (videos and pictures will be posted on Facebook and our website). We decided that instead of worshipping we wanted to step up the intensity and open air preach while holding up a wooden cross. Three people would have been a small group. One would have had to hold the cross, another would have had to hold up the speaker, while a third preached. We would’ve had few to witness to those reeled in by the audible word and the cross, and if people tried to persecute the preacher we would have had no one to help the preacher out. On the walk to AGO (the Christian frat that allows us to bring their wooden cross to the Del Playa), we were talking about how the Lord will meet our every need. As we approached AGO , we looked down the street and noticed a big wooden cross moving in the direction of Del Playa. It was the AGO cross! We followed it and realized that three guys were carrying it to Del Playa. Instantly our numbers doubled and their numbers doubled. Groups of three became a group of six. God provides every need doesn’t He? Philip, Paul, and Daniel were the names of the three men (good names). As we talked to the three, we found out that they weren’t part of AGO as I expected, they were simply a couple of local Christians who want to reach out. I eventually found out that the reason Daniel brings the cross to Del Playa is because last year Jose invited him out one night while I was gone and Daniel caught the vision. Jose’s obedience to hit the streets alone has raised up another who is willing to lead others to the harvest field. That’s fruit. When he reached Del Playa we turned on “John the Baptist” and the Word collided with Del Playa. Some people cried, some got angry, some shook our hands, some pushed us, the reactions were all over the board, but the time has come for Isla Vista to encounter the Gospel and take it or leave it. Many were witnessed to and prayed for. Lift up Paul, Daniel, and Philip in prayer, their obedience pays off, they were a HUGE encouragement to Logan, Ben and myself. We have videos of Logan preaching and some pictures of the scene. A few people want to stay in contact, said they’d be looking for us on the street in following weekends because they want to hear more. The night didn’t end until after 4:00 AM, too many people were hungry for the Word. I was told by one individual, that last weekend they noticed Daniel and his crew on Del Playa for four hours on a Friday night holding up a cross. He didn’t even talk to them but he realized there must to something real to what they are preaching because of how bold, zealous, and dedicated they are. Jesus told us to GO, obedience pays off!!! We never know the impact we are making! Join us on Fridays and Saturdays. We need preachers, teachers, worshippers, people who can witness, people who can pray, people to video and take pictures, people to hold up the cross, there’s a place for everyone, the body is hurting because so many of its parts are sitting inside and not following the head (Christ).

September 10th 2010

This was the first night doing ministry in Del Playa Drive since last school year. It was a long summer for all of us. Ben truly found the Lord in mid July, and has been on fire ever since. Logan went through some up’s and down’s and some trials but now he’s dedicated once again to seeing souls restored. I spent the summer traveling the country preaching with Operation Impact www.operationimpact.info. Kyle spent the summer in Santa Barbara seeing the Lord move and catching a vision for how he wants to serve Jesus full time. The four of us headed out to Del Playa at about 11:30. We brought “John the Baptist” (A wireless mic and speaker to make some noise on party streets) and Logan’s guitar. When we got to Del Playa it wasn’t too crowded and there wasn’t a lot of noise, so “John the Baptist” wasn’t necessary. Logan started playing worship with his guitar while Ian and his brother Brendan showed up with a drum and joined Logan in worship. People flocked to the praise and worship and many were witnessed too. A lot of people from the Jesus Burger house came out to see what was going on and a few of them witnessed. It’s good to have Christians getting involved in reaching Del Playa. My pastor, mentor, and soon to be father-in-law Troy Bohn has said “We reach the multitude with the multitude”. In Matthew 9:36 Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw the multitudes and he prayed that the Lord of the harvest would send WORKERS into the fields. Immanuel (God among us) prayed that more of us would hit the harvest fields. God’s answered enough of our prayers now we’re given an opportunity to answer his prayer if we just GO. Kyle brought out a “Free prayer” sign and that attracted people like chum in a pond of fish. By the end many seeds were planted and a lot of people received prayer. Keep praying for us and if you are a Christian living in Santa Barbara don’t miss out, get to Del Playa with us! GOSPEL starts with GO.