Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year with Operation P.R.A.Y. What an unusual beginning! California is facing over sixty fires, including two in the Inland Empire, home to many of our high schools. We were scheduled to start after Labor Day. However, most did not, due to unhealthy air quality from the smoke. For those schools that did start, the average temperature at 3pm was over 100 degrees!
Our prayer team at Don Lugo high school was certainly not deterred by the heat. Jim Vigneault had the great idea to fill a cooler with Gatorades and offer them to students as they walked by. This was an excellent way to introduce ourselves to the teenagers.
The next day Albert Alvarez and I implemented the idea at Chino Hills high school in 110 degree heat. It was interesting to see which students would take the free drink and which ones would not. Some starred long and hard at the cooler wondering if it was truly free, and if they could trust what they saw. Interestingly to say the least, thirty six brave, thirsty, sweaty kids enjoyed the best refreshing drink and heard, "God loves you!" The response was overwhelmingly positive; "we felt more blessed to be a blessing" as the saying goes!
This past week, the weather has started to cool and we're grateful! As we see new faces and they wonder who we are, it can take a few weeks for the kids to feel comfortable praying with us. Except for this one person. When we asked this young woman,"Can we pray for you today?", she immediately said, "Yes. My ex-boyfriend committed suicide yesterday."
It's hard to describe the flood of emotions we felt at that moment. This is where we relied on the Holy Spirit to take over; to use us in such a way to speak directly to her and pierce her heart with the love of Jesus. She needed Him and we became the vessels of God to deliver His comfort and peace that passes all human understanding.
This is why Operation P.R.A.Y. exists. She was THE one that needed Jesus that day. If only for her, we are there every week on the same day for one hour to bring God's Kingdom to earth.
We recently updated our promo video labeled, "It's Time to Do Something", and begins with words on a black screen that describe the condition and culture of our teens. Words like Suicide. (The second leading cause of teen deaths since 2020.) Depression. School shootings, (two in two days in our nation last week, and school just started!). Gender confusion. Isolation. Failing grades. Social media addiction. But, there are more words
we could have added like: cutting and self harm (I personally know three teens struggling with this!), porn, drug, and gaming addictions, abortion repercussions, and hormone therapy lies and misconceptions (from attempts to transgender.)
How bad does it have to get before Believers in Jesus Christ step in and help this generation? Our teens need YOU! If you can say, "Lord help them, in the name of Jesus", you qualify! It's that simple. Holy Spirit does the rest.
We need prayer teams of two at every public high school in America! Our website pages equip you to get started and get moving. One hour, one day a week to show this generation you care by sharing the love of Jesus with them. Sign up today and join the army!
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