Thursday, October 8, 2026

We stopped just in front of the California Square 1 Apartment Complex that we've been to several times in the past couple of years. This area was chosen since we needed to visit Catherine G prior to her baptism on Sunday. Catherine is an 80-year old woman who my wife, Pam, spoke to earlier in the year during soul winning. She's from Mississippi originally and is a very sweet woman. We are excited for her baptism this Sunday.

When we pulled up to the address, I knew it would be a good day of soul winning as there were people out all over the place. We prayed in my Dad's vehicle before we got out. The day didn't start out too well for winning souls to Christ, though. The first few people didn't want to hear anything. I remember a woman in a wheelchair that my Dad went to immediately just outside her apartment. She doesn't ever want to hear anything from us and wants nothing to do with a church. I saw a woman down the street on the corner of Garland and 17th St. I went straight over to her. She was nice at first. I asked what she believes it takes to get to heaven. She told me it was her good life that she lives. I asked her if she believes the Bible. She said, "Yes, I do." But she doesn't. She was very adamant that her good life is what gets her to heaven. I corrected her several times nicely and she didn't like it. Then I got more into the warning mode, and she especially didn't like that. She told me the conversation was over. I told her goodbye and walked away after one last warning. She said, "Well, I'll give you all a call if I want to come to church" as I walked away.

I then headed back to where we parked and notice a man in the parking lot of the California Square apartments on the South Side of Garland Ave. I walked through a broken area in the fence and started a conversation with him. He was a nice man. He told me that he changed his life and that's why he would be going to heaven. I told him the truth from the Bible and was very straight forward with him. He got a little squirmy on me, and I could tell he didn't like that I was telling him that Jesus alone saves and it's not us changing something in our life. He agreed with me at times, but kept trying to get rid of me. I gave him some warnings as the conversation came to an end.

As I was walking away from that man, I noticed a man in a wheelchair towards the front door of the large apartment complex building. He had a box of doughnuts in his hand that he was clinging on to tightly. He was a nice man. This man named Tom D received the Gospel but it wasn't the easiest of Gospel presentations. I went through things a few times because he was not answering correctly towards the end of the presentation. I thought he was getting it because of his answers as I was going through the Gospel. I asked him towards the end what he would tell a good friend of his what they had to do to get to heaven. He said I would tell them they must live a good life. I looked at him sternly and I asked, "Now, at any point during this entire time I've been talking to you did I tell you that the Bible says you must live a good life to get to heaven?" He said no you didn't. I said the Bible never once says you must live a good life to get to heaven. I went back over sin with him, the penalty for sin, we deserve hell, and more. I asked him who saves him and gets him to heaven. He said Jesus. I told how simple the Gospel is, and how easy it is to get to heaven since Jesus did all the work and paid for the free gift of eternal life. I got to the end of the presentation again and I asked him if he did something horrible, such as murdering someone, after he has already believed and received eternal life, would he go to heaven or hell. He said he would go straight to hell if he did that. I asked him why. He said because you can't do that and get to heaven. I spoke of king David and king Saul. I went back through things again. I asked him about Jesus dying for his sins. How many sins did he pay for? He told me Jesus paid for all sins. I told him again that Jesus paid for all his sins no matter how big or small they happen to be. He finally understood, but I asked him if he believes this. He told me that he does believe IN Jesus now to save him and not his own life and his own actions. Thank God. He prayed with me, and I took down his information. He told me how he goes to a Pentecostal church down the road. I asked him if they have ever told him how to get to heaven. He said no. I told him to think about if that's a good church then. I didn't seem to change his mind much about church, but maybe he will think about it. He did ask me to speak to a woman that runs the apartment complex to see if we could come have church inside there for people. The people within this apartment complex do need to have church! There was a murder within that apartment complex not too long ago (February 12, 2026 - A 38-year old man named Jashuan Brown died of multiple gunshot wounds).

After that, Pam, Robert, and I went to visit Catherine at her home. I went over the Gospel with her since she is getting baptized on Sunday. She told me she was not 100% sure at the beginning of the conversation. We go over the Gospel with people many times. We do so in church. We do so out of church. We want people to truly understand, believe, and remember the Gospel. We want people to be able to share the Gospel with others. We explain it simply that Jesus alone is "THE" Savior of the world. Catherine believed and prayed with me thanking Jesus for saving her. I asked her if she is now 100% sure. She said, "Yes, I am." She knows she's going to heaven all because of Jesus Christ. We talked with her for a while. She's excited about getting baptized on Sunday.

Catherine was so excited about her baptism that she wanted us to tell her neighbor Daryl that Pam gave the Gospel to earlier in the year. He has visited church, but he doesn't seem very interested in church. So we went over and visited Daryl. He's a nice man. He invited us in. We told him about Catherine's baptism. He says he is coming on Sunday. Some of the other team also talked with a young woman named Laquisha B that I gave the Gospel to on 12/14/2024. She has moved around the city to different locations, and I have happened upon her many different times. She told me once that it's amazing I keep knocking on her door or finding her and God must want her at church. But she still has not visited once. She asked where I was, and told our team to tell me she remembers John 3:16. Laquisha has been shot before in her arm by her own family member (purposely). I pray that Laquisha will come this Sunday and stick with us, but it's going to be a long shot. There's nothing too hard for the Lord, though. I hope she is convinced to come to church soon and to stay away from the evil in the area.

I then started looking for more people to speak to about the Gospel. We didn't have much time left (about 15 minutes) so we went walking down 17th St to the North. We found no one. On the way back to the car, a man pulled up in a vehicle (perfect timing) and got out. I started talking to him. His name is Juan H. He received the Gospel very well. He was happy. He had tears in his eyes that came running down his face during the Gospel presentation. He's probably in his mid 20's. I am praying for Juan now. He actually pulled up to the same home with that lady that got angry with me at the beginning of soul winning that told me her good life would get her to heaven. I gave Juan the Gospel standing almost in the same spot that I spoke with that woman earlier (right on the corner of 17th and Garland Ave). I am glad Juan knows he's going to heaven now. He got all the questions right the first time! He understood and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope he keeps the Gospel in memory, begins coming to church, gets baptized, and continues in the faith. I did speak to him about getting baptized, and I told him to think about it and let me know if he would like to get baptized. I explained the important of getting baptized to him.

After I spoke with Juan, it was time to get back to church. The rest of us hopped in the van that Pam drove to the location after picking up my daughter from work and headed back to church to have dinner before the 7 pm service. We filled up the baptismal and had a great time at church. After church, we decorated for our 2-year church anniversary on Sunday. I was very tired at the end of the day! All glory and thanks to our Almighty God in heaven.