HELP US MINISTER TO LA'S SKID ROW

“ I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” John 12:24-25

Occassionally the Lord will bring someone into your life that makes an impact on you without even setting out to do so. It is not as if they are seeking to be recognized or looking for the approval of man. They just seem to be "themselves" and who they are just touches the lives of all those that are fortunate enough to have been around them.

My friend, Craig Schuman, was one such man. I met Craig, a country boy from Abilene, Texas, in of all places - inner-city Philadelphia during an outreach that we hosted there in two years ago Memorial Day Weekend. We had spoken by telephone a number of times, but had not had the chance to meet face to face until then. It seemed as though we'd always known one another.

Following that outreach, we would sometimes speak by telephone 2-3 times each week; usually not for anything particular - just a conversation between two brothers in the Lord. Most times our conversation would find its way to a discusion about things that could be done to reach the "least of the least" with the Gospel (and some good old fashioned love and Texas hospitality in the process!)

Several of our conversations centered around going into economically and spiritually repressed areas and meeting physical needs (ie.. food, clothing, etc) while sharing with them the Good News of salvation in the process. He said, "Man, I got the trucks and the trailers! Let's do it!"

Unfortunately, time did not allow for all of our plans to materialize while Craig was with us. After a short and courageous battle with cancer - Craig went to be with the Lord Jesus on March 17th of this year. A kernel of wheat fell to the ground...

At his "homegoing" many people came forward to testify as to the impact that Craig had quietly made on their lives - from prisoners, to young people, to preachers of the Gospel like me, the investment of his life testified of a great harvest.

Like that kernel of wheat that falls in the field, the lives of those who know and truly serve God continue to produce fruit long after the stalks seem to wither away. The legacy of their passion resonates through their familes, their co-workers, and those that they so humbly took the time to invest something into.

Because of this investment in me - I felt lead to talk to Craig's wife, Jonya, about starting something that will see he and I's discussions become something more than just a distant memory. We are calling this the "Kernel of Wheat Project" and the first project will be just after the anniversary of our meeting in Philly back in 2009.

The premise behind this is to show that "normal" everyday believers can make a difference in this world by merely "doing as much as they can with as much as they have." Small investments when coupled with prayer, passion and persistence can have a genuine and eternity-impacting effect on the World.

On June 7th I will be leaving the City of New Orleans for a 2,000 mile (one way) trip to Los Angeles' infamous "Skid Row." This is the home to the nations largest homeless population (25,000 +) I will be taking with me: Men's clothing, shoes, socks, underwear and personal hygiene items and will be delivering them in honor and recognition of my dear brother in the Lord, Craid Schuman, to Pastor Patrick Ersig of the Jonah Project on Skid Row.

Pastor Patrick has been ministering to the broken and lost for several years and feeds and shares Jesus with thousands of men, women, and even children right in the midst of this spiritual battlefield.

Would you like to help with the "Kernel of Wheat Project" to LA's Skid Row? If you live along the I-10 corridor and would like to donate men's clothing items - I will schedule driving by and picking them up along the way (email me at raven@biggrace.com) or if you would prefer giving financially to purchase those items or to assist in the fuel costs, you can give securely only by going to PayPal.com and using raven@biggrace.com as the recipient (please not that your gift is for the Kernel of Wheat Project)

Thank you in advance for your love, prayers and support for this -- and thank the Lord Jesus that we can honor Him (and) the memory of one of His faithful servants as well!

Blessings,

Pastor Troy D. Bohn

Raven Ministries International, Inc

PO Box 2102

Kenner, LA 70063

(504) 202.0939

WEST COAST MEMORIAL DAY OUTREACH

UC Raven (West Coast) will be hosting a Memorial Day Weekend Outreach at the University of California, Santa Barbara May 27th - May 30th.

Joshua Rowden (Pastor Troy's son-in-law to be and a Senior at UCSB) will be serving as the outreach coordinator for this event. He can be contacted for more information at 707-327-6343

The host site will be: Shoreline Community Church: 935 San Andres Street, Santa Barbara, California 94101 >> bring your sleeping bags, air mattresses, personal hygiene items, etc.. The church will be providing us a place to sleep, shower, meet and UC Raven will be providing meals during this event.

UCSB islocated about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles and is situated right on the Pacific Coast. With nearly 20,000 undergraduate students on campus, this will be a prime location to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a generation deeply in need of an encounter with the Holy Spirit.

Joining Joshua and the UCSB team will be Raven West Coast director, Pastor Rudy Gonzalez and a team from Santa Rosa, California along with teams from Cal Poly, Berkely, San Francisco University and UC Davis among others.

The Outreach Schedule is tentatively set as follows:

Friday - Preaching and ministering on Del Playa (a very busy party street/area)

Saturday - (AM) Ministry to the Homeless at Plaza Del Mar park (afternoon) Ministry at Beach (PM) Ministry on Del Playa

A detailed (hour-by-hour) schedule is available by contacting Joshua at the number listed above.

Sunday we will have a special guest speaker with us: Pastor Patrick Ersig of LA's (Skid Row) Jonah Project:

Pastor Patrick Ersig was born in 1970 and has a wife and three children. Patrick was saved by the grace of God from a life of drugs, violence and alcohol. After surrendering his life to the Lord, Patrick always had a burden to help those who were in the same bondage that he had been held in for many years.

In the spring of 2005, the Lord called Pastor Patrick to mission work in the inner-city streets, parks and projects of Detroit, Michigan. Since then, Patrick, his wife Mary, and three children have been working with the homeless, gangs, prostitutes, drug addicts and drug dealers in some of the worst ghettos of America, including Cass Corridor in Detroit, MI and Skid Row in Los Angeles, CA. God has called us “to preach the gospel to the poor”.

He has sent us to "heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised" - Luke 4:18. Pastor Patrick and his family have answered this call and have taken the love of Jesus, the message of the Cross and the Good News of the Gospel to inner-city streets. As a result they have seen many precious souls come to repentance, devote their lives to Jesus, be freed from the bondage of drugs and addiction through the power, mercy, grace, love and glory of GOD!

After spending much of the spring of 2007 traveling the country and preaching at revival and street ministry conferences, the Lord called Pastor Patrick and his family to sell what they had in Detroit, MI and drive cross-country to Los Angeles, CA to minister to the lost and hurting souls of Skid Row.

Once in California Pastor Patrick began preaching on the streets of Skid Row, ministering to the residents there and began an open-air street church in Skid Row. For a year and a half Pastor Patrick and his family were feeding between 200 and 300 people a week, along with providing clothes for those in need along with the operation of Skid Row street church. Each Saturday and Sunday they would have live worship music and preaching prior to feeding the homeless.

Wednesday evenings Pastor Patrick be would on the streets, personally mentoring, discipling and doing Bible study with those we have met on the weekends. Lives were being touched and changed, and people were being baptized (in the back of a pickup truck!) Most importantly, Jesus Christ is being lifted up and the Gospel trumpeted right in the midst of the devils camp! Through the calling of God Pastor Patrick continued taking the message of the Cross, the Good news of the Gospel and the love of Jesus Christ to desperate and needy people of Skid Row!

JOIN US FOR RAVEN CANADA OUTREACH!

Raven Ministries International along with Raven Canada, will be hosting a Memorial Weekend Outreach in Ontario May 27th - 29th. The outreach will begin Friday Night at 7:00 PM at our Raven Training Center in Lindsay, Ontario with a coordinated youth event featuring the Little Brittain Community Church Worship Team with Pastor Troy D. Bohn, Founder/Director of Raven International, as the the keynote speaker.

Following the evenings scheduled events, the team will then take to the streets of Lindsay for a time of street ministry to this small town coping with record teen pregnancy rates and a serious drug and alcohol problem among the local youth.

The Training Center is located at 30 Logie Street in Lindsay. For more information on the Youth Service please contact: Ed & Wanda Baker (Raven Canada Directors) at 905.244.1373

Saturday's outreach will be held just to the south of Lindsay in Canada's largest city, Toronto. Toronto boasts a metro population of over 5 million people. This makes the Toronto Metro Area the seventh largest cosmopolitan area in North America - thus it deals with the same issues facing other major cities (drugs, gangs, poverty, etc..)

Our team will be departing Lindsay at 10:30 AM for ministry in Toronto's downtown area. We plan ministry to the homeless, youth, and various others places in the city. At 7:00 PM we will be hosting "Raven Street Church Toronto" on Yonge Street. Yonge Street once boasted being the "longest street in the world." It is a very diverse area with a very "Times Square" feel on the north end, with the south end toward Lake Ontario being a hot bed for crime, homosexuality and other vice.

We will depart Toronto by 12:00 midnight to return to our base camp in Lindsay.

On Sunday we will spend the day at the spectacular Niagra Falls. This area is not only amazing to behold due to the wonder of the falls - but it is also an incredible place to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the thousands of tourist flocking to this natural wonder.

We will depart Lindsay for the falls at 9:00 AM and will be flexible on our return back from Niagra Falls that evening.

Other Details:

We will be staying at the Raven Training Center Building - bring your cots, air mattresses, sleeping bags, and personal hygiene items. The weather at night will be cool - bring coats, jackets, hoodies. The daytime temperatures will typically be between 60-70 degrees.