New Hope Church was experiencing the sweet presence of the Spirit as we worshiped. We had become accustomed to His presence in our midst. During this season at New Hope, each Sunday was truly unique. Our visitors were often indigents who wandered into the community center where we held service, often expecting a physical meal and or simply entered by way of curiosity. Our visitors were more often than not alcoholics, drug addicts, demon possessed, psychotics or poverty stricken men and women who wandered the streets aimlessly. This Sunday was no different. As we worshipped our King, I noticed a Latino man enter into service. I knew it was his first time, so I left the pulpit area to greet him in Jesus name. He was already surrounded by the brethren who glowed with the Messiah’s warmth. William Perez’s aroma was somewhere between a brewery and a sewer-the enemy of our souls had been working him over. William’s eyes were black and hollow as he collapsed into a chair. I returned to the pulpit as we stayed our focus on the Nazarene. The auditorium was electric as our Savior walked through the aisles. One of the Latino brothers had brought it to my attention that William had spent the morning on the train tracks, adjacent to the community center, waiting to end his life. He had scaled the fence and staggered into the church when he realized there was no Sunday train schedule. He was hoping to find a meal. At that time New Hope was about 50% Latino. William, like many others, was an immigrant from El Salvador who had come to the US looking for a better life, perhaps an escape from poverty. He had come upon ‘hard times’ and had no safety net to prevent his demise. Thus far in the service, there had been no words spoken from the pulpit, no exhortation, no explanation, no instruction, no teaching, no preaching. We were all worshiping. At times like this I always thought my words would ‘quench’ the Spirit. We continued to praise. The motley band of pilgrims all united under His banner. In the midst of this unity of bride and bridegroom I heard William begin to weep. His soul wept. He shook violently as he tried to control his body. God was saving William Perez before I was able to instruct him! William publically repented of his sins and received Jesus. God made all things new. That night William spent the night at our house. At 4am he was beginning to struggle. By 10am he was having evil visions. I checked William into a hospital where he recovered from the grip of alcoholism. William became a vital member of New Hope Church-bringing many lost to Christ. He later returned to El Salvador. 3 years later I received a phone call with him. The first piece of information he reported was that he was still walking with the Lord. The Lord had taken him off the tracks and into His everlasting embrace. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 |
