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"I haven't smoked marijuana for 16 days. When I get anxious and stressed out I talk to God now and its really been helping. I realize that I want to be a good man." Those were the last words of a phone conversation that I had about 10 minutes before writing this newsletter. The young men who come for the prayer group are experiencing God's love and allowing Him to enter into their lives..... It's incredibly difficult for the teens in this neighborhood to trust. They have been traumatized early on and seen things that no one should see. All of my young people have seen people overdose on heroin and die right out in the street. They see people sticking needles in their necks and arms on a daily basis. My young people have seen gun fights and shootouts like something out of a movie multiple times throughout their short lives. They don't trust anyone and they don't feel safe anywhere. Just 2 days ago there was a knock on my front door.... One of our young people (just 16 years old) was outside with his bike. I invited him in out of the cold but he would not come. I said. "Are you afraid someone will steal your bike?" He explained that the reason he could not come in is because he was carrying a loaded gun. It is almost impossible for these boys to trust people they see nevertheless, the God whom they cannot see. Therein lies the mission of I Thirst Ministry.... To make God visible and to bring Jesus into each situation. Jesus who is trustworthy. Jesus who is faithful and true. Jesus who is yearning and thirsting to love them and heal the wounds of their souls. This is what we do here in Kensington. This is why we have the prayer groups so that they can lay down the weapons of war in exchange for Our Lady’s Rosary. This house is truly the house of the Lord. We have nuns downstairs and gangsters upstairs...... but all together with one voice we are giving glory to Jesus through Mary.
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