HEARTS
FOR THE HARVEST Street Stories 3
Early last Spring, before the leaves were on the Maple trees in downtown Portland, we received an impression from our Lord Jesus concerning the street corner at SW Fifth & Morrison. He showed us a time when the sun would be filtering through the leaves and people would be waiting by the wall in front of the Federal Courthouse. Some would be listening to the preaching, others would be waiting for personal prayer, and some others would be seeking counsel. We believe that Jesus was showing us that we would not only be evangelizing, but would be shepherding many souls through personal prayer and counsel.
Now, as we write you this newsletter, we can truly say that much of this has been fulfilled. We are setting out tracts and Bibles on this wall and people are coming for prayer. Jesus forgives and He heals.
Karen’s Testimonies: The Lord gave me a vision of a river teeming with fish. I had a fishing pole and I was catching fish. I heard the word of the Lord say to me that He was going to divert the stream. I saw the stream change direction. The Lord said that He was going to take away my pole and give me a net. Here is an interpretation of the vision: The Lord has made me a fisher of men. He is diverting the stream and bringing the fish to me. The fish are the souls who are in my intercession and whom I hold in my heart. The net is a network of people. The knots in the net are three-fold cords that can not be easily broken. They form whenever two or three believers come together in His name. The lines going in between the knots are lines of relationships, prayer, and the commissioning of angels. The lines of intercession are so abundant that not a fish escapes. God sends other believers or even angels to keep them from breaking through the net. The Lord never loses one that is His.
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings of eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Teach me Lord. Teach me Lord to wait. God brings all things to remembrance. The Lord reminds us of His majesty, beauty, and His great power. He spoke all things into being by just a word. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. All things work together for the good for them that love Him and are called according to His purposes. All who came to Him were healed. We are wounded soldiers but we will not leave the fight because the Lord is healing us. We have gifts given to us by the Lord but more than anything else we have a great inheritance in Christ. By His blood we can have pure hearts and can come boldly to the throne of grace with our petitions. We have the ability to love and to be moved with compassion to pray for people. We can pray for people and they shall recover. We have the power to commission angels and people to do the work of the ministry. We have peace, joy, and confidence in our Lord. He never fails us nor forsakes us. He sustains us and holds all things together. He renews our minds. He quickens our mortal body. His joy is our strength. My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty. There is nothing my God cannot do.
We pass Kim and Nancy preaching the gospel and passing out tracts at Pioneer Square. As we arrive at 5th and Morrison, Marty is at the corner passing out tracts to some drug dealers. Duane is preaching the gospel on the corner. It blesses my soul to see Duane healed and restored and with boldness preaching the gospel on the street corner again. Marsha comes by. Her husband is going through radiation treatments for cancer. She is working nights at low wages to help her family make it financially. We have been praying for her and her husband. The Lord gives me words of encouragement and faith to help her to endure the trial. After she leaves I take my tracts across the street where the sun is shining. As I pass out tracts a young lady comes to me who I have known since she was a child. She is involved with a coffee house sponsored by a local church full of young people. They are taking teams of people out to the streets for prayer walks.
Ron begins to preach and I go back across the street. Money exchanges between two drug dealers. In an angry power play the second drug dealer tears the money up, throws it on the ground, and walks away. Ron and I pick up the pieces and give it to a disheveled man. Hopefully he can put the pieces together and turn it in for money. We discover he is a believer and he says he can use it because he has cancer. Ron and I pray for his healing and give him words of encouragement and faith. He takes some cartoon tracts that he has not read and leaves with joy in his heart. At the same time another woman comes up and wants us to pray for her and her daughter. Her daughter recently accepted Christ but ended up in scientology and in county jail. Ron begins to preach on the corner and a young man listens and waits patiently until he is finished. He asks him many questions. People are coming by and picking up cartoon tracts displayed along the wall next to a sign board that says, “Jesus forgives and heals. Do you know Him?” I see a man siting at the wall listening. I ask him if he knows Jesus. He says he is a preacher and has never heard a message like the one Ron is giving. He listens intently. Sharon comes by and gives us a note that says she feels God is asking her to write a book about street ministers including street testimonies. While she is leaving her name and address, Martha comes by and said that after we prayed for her she was healed of an issue of blood. We have been interceding for her and for her family for years. She asks us to pray for a friend who is verbally abused by her husband. It begins to rain heavily. I quickly give my telephone number to Martha so she can call me whenever she is in need. As we rush for shelter Sandra wants to say Hello and shake my hand…
On the next day, Marty and Paul were praying for a young woman. She was a believer who wanted to be set free from drugs. We interceded from a distance while they prayed for her. The presence of the Lord came upon her and she started to weep. After they prayed for her another believer came by. She was afflicted by a disease passed down through the genes. This disease afflicted female members of the family only. We broke the power of the generational curse upon her and her descendants. The Bible says we are no longer under the curse when we become believers. A group of young men with petitions to legalize marijuana came by. Ron told them that there were more important things in life to advocate than marijuana. I told them that there was pleasure in sin for a season then they would end up in captivity. That which you yield yourself to you become a servant to obey. The drug controls you. A brother in the Lord who got delivered from drugs and drug dealing said, “You’re right. I once was in captivity but now I am free!” Sitting on the ground was a young man waiting for his bus. He said he was from Thailand. I shared the gospel with him and prayed for him. I went back to Paul and Marty and we agreed in prayer for his soul.
A young boy of about ten came to Marty and asked him about the people of different nationalities. Marty told him that he was Irish and I was Japanese. I told him that every nation, tribe, and tongue shall be at the throne of grace. He asked about the poor who were suffering and dying. I asked him if he read the tract, “Somebody Loves Me.” He said that he had. I told him that our destiny is not this world. We are on our way to a better place which is Heaven. We are here in this world to rescue those who are perishing and lost. He asked about the bombing of Hiroshima. I asked him if he knew what fierce pride and judgment were and if he knew what the Japanese did to the Koreans. I told him that the Japanese forced the Koreans to deny their nationality, burned all their belongings, forced them to learn Japanese, and forced their women to become prostitutes. They did this to other countries. Their emperor exalted himself as God. The boy asked about all the murder and violence. I told him that God did not want robots. He gave man free will. Man chose to do wrong. That is why Jesus died on the cross. Jesus paid the price and took the judgment in our place that we might repent, be forgiven, and have another chance to do that which is right in God’s sight. The young boy started running toward his bus and said, “I have to go and catch my bus. Goodbye.”
As you can see by Karen’s street stories, we can experience many different encounters in a day. Our office is a street corner where some people see us as “street pastors.” No appointment is needed. We are available — and vulnerable — to whoever or whatever comes our way. We hope that our newsletter encourages you and is a blessing to your life. If you want to help us continue, then please remember us in your prayers and let us know with a short note and a gift when possible. We are supported by those who freely give to us so that we may freely give away our time and energy to those in need. May our Lord Jesus bless you in all that you put your hand to. We send you our love.
Ron & Karen Rohman
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