
Dear praying friends,
I love love love LOVE Subway Ministry!
I remember when I first heard that OAC goes into the subways to evangelize, I was thinking, “Eww, it’s gross down there, and dark, and people aren’t friendly.”
After all these years I’ve learned I was wrong – big time!
Well, it is gross down there (thank God for hand sanitizer!), and sometimes dark. And every once in a while someone acts unfriendly.
But for the most part, Subway Evangelism is some of the most effective ministry we do all year!
God always seems to work so amazingly in the subway. And He seems to bring people from around the world to us.
I trust that, whether on the streets, or underground, at the beach, or in a housing complex, God will work wherever His Gospel is faithfully preached. And for that, I am grateful!
I want to keep you updated on some of the neat things God has down underground over the past few months. Very exciting stuff!
The subway definitely has fewer people riding it as a result of Covid. The lower numbers are obvious. Yet God still provides plenty of “Divine Appointments,” and for that we’re very thankful!!!
I’ll let the following photos do the explaining of some of what went on recently.

Do people actually stop and listen to our Open-Air Gospel Messages in the Subway? Yes they do. And they take Gospel Booklets, Bibles, DVDs, and stop to talk and pray. Hallelujah!!!

This is Isham, a very animated Muslim man who gave Chip and Miriam a lot of words without letting them speak much. Miriam is a former Muslim, and she tried to share with him how she learned that Muhammad is a false-prophet and that Jesus is the way, but Isham walked off. Get this, Isham literally moved a few feet away to make a drug deal right in front of us, and then he said to us, "gotta put money before God." Please pray for Isham to turn away from Islam and turn to Jesus.

This man got in my face (as you can see) and threatened to throw me down to the train tracks as a train was coming. He also told me he'd be back for me. The two officers on the right heard him but said their job is to make sure the trains run well, not protect people. Those same two officers tried to force me to leave because they said my ancestors put their people into slavery. They based this on my skin color. (I recorded a Facebook Live about this - see below.)

This is Daniel. He told Chris that he had "looked into Jesus" before, but has never put his faith in Christ. Daniel gladly received a copy of the Gospel of John. Chris exhorted him to read it and surrender to Jesus.Please pray that God saves this young man.

We love to see this. People reading our Gospel Booklets! And when this happens, it becomes SUPER EASY to start a conversation. You just sit next to them and say, "So what do you think about that?" And you're off!!!

After I preached an open-air message, this young man came forward to take a Gospel of John booklet from me. You can't go wrong giving away God's Word!!!

Jim is a new volunteer with our team, but he's already discovered the JOY of walking someone through the saving Gospel!

One of my Volunteers, Chip, came up with this idea... give food gift cards with a Gospel of John booklet to the MANY homeless people we see in the subways. My first time doing this was when I saw a grey-haired man sitting on the ground holding up a cup for donations. I approached him and said, "Hey, here's a $10 gift card for a hot meal or 2, and here's a copy of the most important book ever written." He stood right up and got emotional right in front of me. He said, "I'm gonna get a hot coffee. Thank you so much." I told him it was my pleasure." And then he said, "And I think I need this book (meaning the Gospel of John) even more to feed my soul." WOW WOW WOW!!!

You gotta love praying Grandparents! This is Patricia and she's not currently walking with Jesus. But she told Eric that her grandparents are true believers. Get this, a bit into the conversation and Patricia said she wanted to go to a good Bible Church and Eric was able to recommend one. Patricia was very excited. Another win for prayer. I have no doubt her grandparents have been praying for her!

Often I open up the Bible and give a mini sermon. Usually from Isaiah 55:6-7 "Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously." And then I explain the cross and empty tomb and people listen.

John was sharing the Gospel in the open air. People really do listen, and many come up for Booklets, DVDs, Bibles, and to talk and pray.

This man honestly had no idea where he'd spend Eternity, but he was willing to listen and talk to John about it. John asked him good questions to help him understand why faith and repentance in Christ is vital. I praise God for "Divine Appointments" like these!

Miriam has a fascinating testimony. She was raised in a Christian home in Uganda, but instead became a Muslim. Later she turned to Atheism. And finally God saved her and Miriam put her faith in Jesus Christ! She's been walking with Jesus for years and years and loves sharing her story. It resonates with A LOT of people!!!

This is Fredrick, a man who told me, "Jesus is a sham." I asked him, "What do you mean by that?" And he told me that Jesus took away his wife and kids and made him homeless. I expressed my sorrow and compassion for his losses. Interestingly, he kept pointing out women and saying "she wants me." I stuck to the Gospel and Jesus and ignored his many sexual comments about the women in the subway. Sometimes it's best to stick to the Gospel. Fredrick did take a copy of The Gospel of John and said he'd read it. Please pray for his healing and salvation.

This woman came up and took a Gospel Booklet from Miriam after listening to Miriam share her testimony in Christ.

This is Carlos. When I asked him if he ever thinks about where he'll spend eternity, he stopped and told me he thinks about that a lot. He opened up to me and told me about his Christian upbringing, and how he walked away from that. He wanted to know how he could know what's true. I explained to Carlos that the way to know what's true is to believe what God says in the Bible. I asked him if he had a Bible, and he said, "maybe somewhere at home." So I asked if he would accept one from me, and he said "yes" and was very appreciative. I explained the Gospel of grace and exhorted him to seek Jesus in the Scriptures every day. He thanked me and shook my hand. Let's pray that the Holy Spirit gives Carlos new life!

This billboard for a local high school made me think, "Hey, this is like salvation." Look at the highschool's slogan... "Believe, Belong, Become." That's what happens to us! We BELIEVE on the Lord. Then we BELONG to his family through adoption. Then we BECOME more like Christ through sanctification. I'm sure that's NOT what the highschool had in mind, but it made me chuckle.
Please pray for us and those we meet!
Regarding the Incident with the Racist Subway Officer and the threat on my life (there’s a photo about it above), please see this video that I recorded shortly after it happened…
Racist Subway Officer (and Threat on My Life):
To watch this video, either click on the video thumbnail above, or you can watch it directly on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/SuqNab8BuG8.
Jesus is STILL seeking and saving the Lost, and He’s still using you and me, and that’s exciting!
I pray that you’ll be as encouraged as we are!!!
We love you and thank God for you! Please contact us (603-244-6292) anytime with questions, concerns, or to let us know how we can pray for you!
Thank you so much for your prayers, financial support, and notes of encouragement, without which we would not be able to reach the Lost for Jesus Christ!
If you pray, donate, volunteer, or tell others about our ministry, then you are reaching people for Christ through us. Thank you for your commitment to this ministry!
Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think would be blessed by it!
All for Jesus,
Mark, Shelby, Vivienne, Juliana, Caleb, and Gabriella
Thanks for faithfully sharing Christ! Praying for God’s power and protection on you. It’s dumbfounding how blind people can be regarding racism in a different direction than is usually discussed.
Mark, Janet and I just listened to your video about the subway death threat and the racist “T” officer. What a timely reminder that this world is not our home, and that Christ’s work was to bring light to the darkness. Your faithfulness to spread the Good News is such an encouragement to us! We stand with you in prayer, that God’s glory and his love will flow through you into each of your divine subway appointments.