A Miracle
Faith, Hector and Arne
Arne and I met Hector panhandling outside Starbucks in downtown Manhattan back in Jan 2018, which he continues to do as it is his only source of income. He used to drive huge trucks for a living and traveled all over the US. Unfortunately, due to a back injury several years ago, Hector is unable to walk easily and is pretty much confined to a wheelchair. He continues to do what he can to survive and he began drawing a year or so ago and trying to sell his pictures as he doesn't like to just ask for money. Even so, he barely makes enough.
For the majority of the time we've known Hector, he's been living in a shelter in the Lower East Side. However, about five months ago things became very unsettled and every time we saw Hector he would tearfully tell us of being mistreated and bullied by the shelter staff and other shelter residents. It is our normal practice to pray with Hector each visit, and when he shared this with us, we prayed very specifically that God would rescue Hector and put him in his own apartment. For two weeks, our visits and prayers followed the same theme.
When we saw Hector the third week he told us that two days prior he had moved into his own apartment! We were completely stunned. Apparently someone - he still doesn't know who - put his name into a housing lottery and he won it! A brand new studio apartment in a brand new apartment building on Roosevelt Island...concierge and all. He pulled out his keys and papers to prove it to us...and to himself, I think. It was an absolute miracle!! A direct and swift answer to our prayers and PROOF that God saw Hector. He said he piled all his belongings onto his wheelchair and got out of that shelter as fast as he could. A friend who buys him coffee each day gave him money to buy a blow-up bed when he heard what had happened and that was the only 'furniture' he had, besides his wheelchair.
About a month ago Hector told us that his bed seemed to have a slow leak as it was gradually losing air. Two days later he texted me to say that his bed had completely deflated. That just happened to be the same day that Bindia shared a bit with me about her and Cayce’s ministry. When I told her about Hector she went into super-woman mode and within a week they had rallied and gathered an entire apartment-full of furniture (including a brand new television) AND months worth of groceries for Hector as well as movers to get everything there. It was incredible. In the interim they even organised an air mattress for him until his real bed arrived.
Phil and Danny (Move For Justice)
To say Hector was overwhelmed is an understatement. After a lifetime of being disappointed or let down, it was not surprising that he was incredibly nervous and scared that something would go wrong. He found it almost impossible to just rest and receive. It all seemed too good to be true. Why would these people who don't even know him, be so kind to him?! It was such a blessing for Arne and I to be the messengers and also to be present when everything was delivered. Probably the sweetest moment was watching Hector read the cards that One Always Matter had sent with everything. He read them aloud, but when he got to the part that said that Jesus loved him and he was special, he broke down. It was very special.
Since this delivery took place, Hector has shared several times how happy and thankful he is for all that he's been given. He also asked for a Bible, which he received today. Please pray with us for Hector, that he would have a healing, life-changing encounter with Jesus, that the Spirit of God would come and fill him from head to toe with peace, joy and a revelation of who God says he is: His beloved son.
Faith M.