Fellowship Memphis

“I’m so tired of this mess! I can’t wait till I die!” My eyes welled up in tears as I heard these words from a teenage girl. Her sister cried when she realized how her decisions made her feel. “I didn’t mean to affect my sister like that, to make her wanna die!” This happened on the day we hold Bible study at MAM’s Hamilton Community Center.

Just the night before I was telling my roommate how I wanted to share the gospel with my girls. “I want to share it again, and again, and again until they get it.” The Lord was already ahead of me! Moments before Bible study that day the assistant director came to me, “Z, your girls are outside fighting!” I rushed out the door and was greeted by yelling and obscenities. “Dear God! My girls, who call themselves sisters, are trying to fight each other!” As they yelled at each other tears rushed down their face and pain filled their eyes. They possessed a strange ironic ambition that said, “I love you so much, and I’m going to hurt you with everything in me.” Girls were boeing up to defend each other yet crying because they didn’t want to fight each other. It kept rising until the police came out from the high school. It was shameful; it was hurtful; it was just what the doctor ordered. This was the perfect ingredient for the gospel.

I pulled aside the one who started it all, she was obviously hurting deep inside. I laid out 1 John 1 & 2 and Romans 5:8. I shared with her the heart of Christ, who loves her and died for her even though she offended Him far greater than the girls she wanted to hurt. I had to magnify her sin which she’d belittled, in order to magnify His grace which she hadn’t considered. I thought, “As angry as she is Lord, I’ll know if you’re moving on her heart if she desires to reconcile with her friends.” I teared up again listening to my beautiful princess and the other young ladies apologize and open their hearts to each other as they cried with godly sorrow.  We later laid on mats on the floor for Bible study, and my ladies asked me for their own personal Bibles at the end of the day.

No matter how drastic the situation seems, God is at work and in control. The power is in the gospel, so I celebrate this one victory in the battle for Hamilton.

If you would like to get involved, join Fellowship Downtown for a prayer walk at Hamilton (1363 East Person Ave, 38106) on Sunday, February 20 at 3pm.