It was going to be a beautiful Saturday. God had me go to Commerce City, Colorado. He knew that there were going to be some gangs hanging out there today. When I arrived at the park, I could see Regi’s gang there and they were having a good time. A second gang showed up shortly. Their arrival started changing everything. They stopped what they were doing and began looking at each other. Gangs all have their territories and another gang will not be tolerated. It really looked like they were about ready to go at each other’s throats. I then asked, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”
There was a wide sidewalk down the middle the park so I decided I was going to drive my pickup on that sidewalk right down the middle of them. God has trained me well in what to do in this situation. I always get in trouble for doing this but no one was in sight to do anything about it. It is interesting when the pistols come out they all run away and they stay away until the gangs leave. They never act tough around the gangs. I have never received a ticket but I always get the same message, “Sonny, you need to get your pickup off the grass and park on the street.”
When my pickup came to a complete stop, I jumped out and started getting all the food and drinks out and putting them on my tailgate. Both gangs were caught off guard and they were surprised. They asked, “What are you doing man? We don’t get it!”
I then replied, “Are you guys about ready to fight?” They confirmed they were. I then said, “Let us have breakfast first before you fight.”
The gangs then exclaimed, “Are you kidding me? Who do you think you are?”
I said, “My name is Sonny.”
When I mentioned my name, the other gang leader exclaimed, “You’re that guy that witnesses to gangs about Jesus Christ. We just don’t want to hear any of that right now.”
I said, “Still, I did bring breakfast and the food is getting cold.”
They began to look over the food and said, “Breakfast burritos?” I confirmed I had those.
One kid then asked, “Do you have any cereal?”
I said, “Yes, I have Captain Crunch cereal which is my favorite.”
He then politely asked, “Could I have some?” and I confirmed that it would be great. I pulled the bowls out and the bottled milk. Then I reached for my box of Captain Crunch cereal. A lot of the guys went for the cereal over the burritos.
I then said, “God knew you were hungry and he sent me here to serve you guys and to tell you that Jesus Christ loves you.”
They couldn’t argue with me at this moment because they all had food in their mouths. I then read John 3:16 to them.
Some of them were beginning to get irritated and exclaimed, “Dude, would you just stop talking about Jesus!”
“No,” I replied, “I am not allowed to do that. I was sent for a specific purpose of telling you He loves you. That is the only reason why I am here. Jesus wants to show you that you have a new purpose in life. What you are doing now is not what God wants. He created you for His Glory and Kingdom, not for yours. God wants to bring healing to you and to your hearts.”
One gang member then said, “You know nothing about my heart.”
After he finished speaking, two young boys snuck up behind me. I found out their names were Isaiah and Lucas. They were both riding bicycles and pulling wagons. I looked at them and I was just about ready to tell them that they should leave right now.
I said to myself, “These boys don’t realize who these guys are. These are gangsters that I am with.” I then looked in the back of their wagon and noticed that they had literature in them. The boys then said, “We are here to pass these out. They tell you how much Jesus loves you. You guys all have parents and I know that they miss you.”
As they started handing them out they said, “Just read them anytime you want.” I looked at the pamphlet and on the front it said, “How to accept Jesus Christ?” They continued to hand the pamphlets out to every gang member. Each man took one. They immediately put them in their pockets. None of them read them right away.
Isaiah grabbed one of the pamphlets and opened it. He said, “I want to read one of the verses that is in the pamphlet.” He began reading John 3:16 to them. He read further and quoted Jeremiah 29:11 to the gangs. Lucas picked a pamphlet and read Matthew 6:33 to them.
These boys appeared to have come from nowhere. Now they are beginning to preach to both of these gangs. They started telling them how God wants them to go back to their families and to forgive their parents. They also said they should also ask for forgiveness for the things they have done. Isaiah finished up saying, “We both have warm beds and parents who love us. I know that your parents love you too. You should go back home because that is where God wants you to be. Not out here on the streets.”
Finally Regi said “We have had enough. You two boys, leave now.”
Regi’s right hand man said, “These boys are making lots of sense. Just like Sonny said, I bet our families do miss us. Our parents probably are crying for us every day because we are not there. I need to ask my parents for forgiveness because I was a jerk. I was mean to my parents. They were just trying to guide me the right way. I thought I had too many boundaries and too many rules so I decided to leave. Look at where I’m at right now. Maybe I should call them and talk to them.”
Lucas said, “You won’t regret it. Your dad and your mom both love you. You should call them. Let us pray for you before we leave.”
God told me to be quiet and just listen to these boys speak. Many times God tells me to just listen. Lucas started praying for him. He definitely was a praying machine. He continued praying for the gang’s salvation and that God would protect them. I was totally amazed on how the Holy Spirit was giving him insight into every gang member as he prayed over them. He would say things like “Your sister cries and prays over you every night.” These are things only the Holy Spirit would know. I followed each boy around not necessarily protecting them but to give them support as they prayed. After they finished praying for all the gangs, they prayed over me.
I asked Isaiah and Lucas if they were hungry. I then told them I had Captain Crunch cereal and pretty spicy breakfast burritos.
Lucas said, “I never had a homemade burrito before.”
Isaiah asked, “Do you have a Dr. Pepper?” I told him that I had one and he gladly took it from me.
I finally noticed that their parents were on the edge of the park using binoculars to watch over their sons. They were standing with four other couples. They were all praying over these two because God has called them to be out on the street handing out these pamphlets. They do this every weekend. The parents believe God wants their son’s to do this and they are going to take them wherever they need to go.
I watched the boys as they went back to the van. Their parents prayed over them. I saw one of the boys signaling to his mom and dad as he was pointing to his throat. He was chugging that Dr. Pepper trying to get the burning sensation of the burrito out of his throat.
Both gangs watched as the boys left. They then asked, “Are those boys with you?”
I replied, “No they are not. God brought them here today to show you who He is. Those boys were speaking life into you guys.”
One gang member said, “When he prayed for my step sister like he did, it pierced my heart.”
Another one said, “He prayed for my sister and told me that she was worried sick over me.”
They all began thinking about what each man was saying. They all reached for their phones and began calling home. In 30 to 40 minutes, cars began to show up. They were all family members coming to pick up their sons. Before they had a chance to leave, I said, “Do you want your names written in the Lamb’s book of life. Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow is never promised not even for me.” I then pointed towards the street and asked, “Did you guys notice that three other gangs have been driving around the park observing what has been going on. They did not do any drive-by shootings because God has been protecting you.”
Regi said, “I am tired of being a leader. I am always worried that we are going to get shot. If that would happen, I would not be able to see my mom and dad again. You are right. I am done.” He then looked at his men and said, “If you guys want to be gangsters go ahead but I am going home.”
He then picked up his phone and called his dad. He has not spoken with his dad in four years. As he spoke to his dad Regi began crying right away. He had his phone on speaker and I could hear his dad speak. He asked, “Are you crying Regi?”
Regi replied, “Dad forgive me for the things I did to you. I am sorry.”
His dad was so excited speaking to his son. He asked, “Where you at? We are coming for you.”
I could not count all the people that showed up. All kinds of family members were so grateful to be able to see their sons again. After all the gang members gave their hearts to Jesus Christ, the parents saw the change in their sons hearts. They wanted what their sons had and they were ready to give their hearts to Jesus Christ. Many of the sons brought their parents over to me to pray over them after they convinced there parents they needed to accept Jesus Christ. I prayed over them for their salvation. Everything that happened today was so beautiful. I was here at this park over 4 1/2 hours watching while God used his servants to bring the message of salvation to these gang members and their families.
Many of the families called me the next week and let me know that the boys are trying to get their GED’s, counseling and whatever they needed to do for their new life in Jesus Christ. I told them all to call me if they needed help. My job is to disciple them and to make sure they continue on their path of serving Jesus Christ. I’m not sure if those little boys realized how dangerous those gang members were but I am beginning to think that they did not see gang members. What they saw were broken hearts. And they truly must understand their calling and that God will protect them until their ministry is finished. God has been using other people to bring salvation to the gangs. It not only brings courage to them but it keeps me humble when they do my job for me.