A Story From Night Light International

We wanted to share a story from Night Light. We think this embodies what we feel called to as a church and as a ministry....

Music, Beer, and A Simple Prayer

"Thanks for letting me bring my beer into church, man!" The man looked around at us with misty eyes of gratitude thanking us as he left. This night was proving to be a confirmation of a vision God gave long time ago. Though I had never figured a bottle of beer as part of the equation, what took place was exactly what I had hoped for.

Years ago, God gave me a vision of a center in the red light area of Bangkok. Exactly what that would look like I didn't know but I had images and ideas. One of those images was a coffee shop with live music played by visiting musicians. The coffee shop would be a place where men visiting the area would be welcome. Yes, - the demand side. We have worked with the women for years and maintain that as our focus. However, we have also come to feel God's heart for the men who find themselves in the area and are often very broken, lonely, and trapped. Many have been burned by the church and turned away in bitterness. Many have failed in broken relationships and feel doomed to fail time and time again. Some are sex addicts who hate themselves but cannot see the way out. Others are on a journey seeking they don't know what, and hoping for an experience to give them some revelation of that which they seek. These men come from every nation, every language, and every religion. They are old, young, rich, poor, social elite and social outcast, dogmatically religious, embracing all religion, or in total rejection of all religion. Brokenness, loneliness, and despair are not picky and find their way into the hearts of all types of men. The vision I had was a coffee shop that would welcome these men and give them a place to be heard and to find hope.

God provided the building in the red light area last December. That in itself was a miracle and the first confirmation that this vision was not one I had made up in my imagination but close to God's heart and part of His agenda.

This past week a team of men from Michigan, Colorado, and Kansas, came to launch the remodeling and building improvements. They worked hard for several days and we began to see glimpses of the vision becoming reality. Their last night here we gathered in the empty room of the future coffee shop. Several on the team were professional musicians and that night, John, on the guitar and Ferl with an improvised drum set, sat facing the street and began to play. The open door was an invitation with no explanation. People walking by paused and did a double-take. A representation of the world walked by: foreign men with Thai prostitutes, European travelers, Uzbek and Russian streetwalkers, Middle Eastern businessmen, and Thai vendors who set down their heavy baskets and waved at us through the window.

The music was passionate, vibrant and yet soothing as it called out to the weary travelers. Many paused, but then went on their way - Until he came. He popped his head around the doorframe cautiously and we beckoned him in. "Can I bring my beer?" he asked. We nodded; the music continued. He entered and stood watching the musicians. As he listened, the music began to reach in beneath the hardened surface. His eyes were red from drinking but the expression in his face softened as he listened. Someone asked, "Where are you from?" He said, "It's not where I'm from but where I'm going that matters." He took a couple photos and then showed the picture of his 3 week old son on the back of his camera. John, the guitarist asked, "Can I pray for your son?" "Yeah, sure." John prayed for the baby and then for the baby's father. "Thanks." The man's eyes were wet and tender. He looked around at us all. "Thank you," he said again. He lingered a bit more and then as he turned to go, he said, "Thanks for letting me bring my beer into church."

What gave him the idea this was church? The music the guitarist played would steal any show. We all just sat around, some singing, some chatting, some dancing; mostly just watching the passers by, delighted at their reactions and enjoying the moment. We had no agenda other than to play music, to be present, and to welcome those who found their way in. The man came in with his beer and left feeling good like he had been in church. An open door and excellent music invited him; a listening ear welcomed him; a thoughtful prayer for his newborn son ministered to him. He came in just as he was; curious, cautious, and beer in hand. We may never know his story, why he was here, or where he was going. But, for that brief moment, we saw a glimpse of God's heart reaching out to this man and to all the men who will come in to the coffee shop in the future. "Come in for coffee; stay for church. Come as you are but don't leave the same."

Thank you for all the gestures that you show, large and small, that support and encourage us in our work. Whether it is buying jewelry, donating money or time, prayers in the night on our behalf, or spreading the word, we are grateful for your part. Sincerely,

Annie Dieselberg
NightLight

www.nightlightinternational.com

Demo?? Not Yet!!

Yeah, so we thought we were heading down for demo that Saturday. The guy ended up not signing off until last week. So, FINALLY, Devon headed down to the permit office to pick up the permit, only to find out someone in the office decided they didn't agree with the sign off. What?! So, now, we have to have a liscensed demo contractor and architect be a part of the process. We have to have liscensed plumbers and electricians sign off on sealing off any pipes or electric. Yeah, so we will keep putting one foot in front of the other.

A friend sent us Ezra 4:4. "Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building." Devon also had a dream about a month ago where we were all fighting against men, fist to fist trying to get to a white house. We weren't getting very far. We felt it meant we would be fighting against physical obsticals trying to get the House of Prayer built. Well, it couldn't be more true! Ugh! It's not easy, but we know without a doubt, we are supposed to keep walking through these doors and moving in obedience.

God is opening other doors for us in Brooklyn. We have met Pastor Vernon of the church right next to The Post. We will be getting together with him to find out what the needs are in this community. We have a team of 27 going down two days after Christmas to serve the community by cleaning, doing minor home repairs, painting and running a Christmas Art VBS for the kids. We are also praying for God to open up a location in Brooklyn for a Safe House of Hope, drop in center for victims of sex trafficking (prostitutes).

We are finishing up our paper work for filing for 501C3 status and praying that God brings together a strong Board of Directors for Circles Ministries that will help establish a strong foundation for this ministry to be built upon.

We have a few prayer requests:

*Pray for The Post, to be torn down and rebuilt the way that God intends.

*Please lift up our team that will be serving in Brooklyn from December 27-31. Pray for safety, for finances to come in and for there to be unity in the groups and with the other churches we will be serving alongside.

*Pray that God brings together the right members for the board for Circles Ministries.

*Pray for intercessors to come along who have a vision and a heart to be apart of birthing this House of Prayer.

If you'd like to make a donation towards the demo or towards the mission trip in December, email us at liquidluv@comcast.net and we will send you the details!

Finishing up the Demo!!

Well, looks like the time has come!
This Saturday at 8 am, we will be heading down to Brooklyn (3554 Helmstetter St. Brooklyn, MD) to tear down the rest of the building at The Post (community house of prayer). Devon applied for the demo permit last week and the inspector took one look at it and said, "Tear this thing down!"
There are three ways you can be involved (at this time!).
First,
We are looking for any able bodied volunteers who can come down and pitch in a hand on Saturday morning. We will be loading up dumpsters with all the debris. The site has to be completely cleared and cleaned up by the end of the day. We will provide the dumpsters, the debris, trash bags, lunch and good laughs....we just need you, and your gloves, work boots and willing spirits!
Second,
We do not have the money to rent the dumpsters. We are stepping out in faith that the Lord will provide all that is needed. If you are feeling lead to donate towards the dumpster (it will cost approximately $1,000 plus paying the local community guys who we are hiring to help approximately $300), let us know! We are not set up as a 501C3 yet, so unfortunately it will not be a tax deductible donation.
Third,
If you can't make it Saturday morning, will you take time to intercede for the day. We know without prayer, we can do nothing. We want prayer to be at the foundation of all we do! So, whether it's 10 min or two hours...would you consider praying for the demo. Pray for safety. Pray for relationships to be built. Pray that there is unity. Pray that the love of Jesus is poured out on all of those who come to pitch in. Pray that we are all sensitive to the Holy Spirit and what He wants to accomplish in Brooklyn.

As we've prayed about the tearing down and rebuilding of the house of prayer, God has repeatedly made one thing clear, He will gather people from all over Baltimore to pitch in with the process. Just like when the Jerusalem wall was rebuilt, different people groups built different sections of the wall...we feel He will do something similar in Brooklyn.
Some of you may or may not know, we are taking a team of two dozen down to Brooklyn the week after Christmas on a service/missions trip. God has opened up doors for us down there. We will be serving the immediate three blocks that surround The Post. We will be doing home repairs, painting, cleaning, gift giving, VBS and even hair cuts and bug extermination! As we have met the neighbors down there, friendships have quickly been built. We had one family invite our whole team down for a cookout. We were blown away by an invitation to come into this community. We believe there is much more authority to serve in a place where we have been invited! (There will be some additional volunteer opportunities for you to serve this week if you're interested! More info to come!)

Please pass this letter onto anyone you may think would be interested in helping!

Thanks for standing with us!
In His Service,
Devon and Kristin Potler
and the Safehouse crew!

Love Bombing

Love Bombing is a phrase we use to explain the process of making, serving and sharing a meal with folks we wouldn't normally. We have Love Bombed skateparks, impoverished neighborhoods, homeless and victims of sex trafficking (a more appropriate term for those caught in the prostitution business). It is something we are incredibly passionate about!
We challenge people that go with us to leave their agendas and five step plan to salvation speeches behind. We challenge them to listen...to serve...to ask questions and observe. Many of you know the famous quote by St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach the gospel everyday and if necessary, use words." We have all been humbled by what the Holy Spirit does when we let Him. How He unfolds conversations. How He softens the hearts of those we are feeding. How He shows His love through the act of service.
We had one man from our neighborhood join us one week to serve the skaters. His family had gone with us before, but he could not figure out what the heck we were doing going to a trashy skatepark to serve a bunch of punk kids food. He complained to his wife on the way there. As we set up the grill and began to collect trash and stuff it into bags, he wandered over to watch the boys skate. A couple of boys found their way next to him and began to pour out their life stories. He didn't ask questions...not his mojo. He listened. On the ride home he said to his wife, "I can't believe how desperate these boys were to have someone listen to them. I get why you guys go up there."
We've never preached a sermon to him or even told him about our faith...he hasn't asked. But, as we walk out our life in obedience to what Jesus has asked us to do, Jesus is doing it. Jesus is drawing men unto Him. Not us doing it...Him.
We are headed to Brooklyn (Baltimore) this Sunday to Love Bomb a bunch of folks near The Post, house of prayer. We will set up our grill, a table, food and invite people to share a meal with us. It's simple really. If you have a heart to see Baltimore changed through just loving people, and you're not really sure where to start, come join us! For more info email liquidluv@comcast.net. We'd love to have you!

Missions Bridge Count Down!

We are gearing up for Mission Bridge!

What is Mission Bridge? It is a 12-15 week course that prepares you heart for missions. For a more detailed description, visit http://missionbridge.org/4
Where is Mission Bridge? We will meet at St. Luke's Lutheran at 7000 Harford Rd. Parkville, MD 21234
When is Mission Bridge? Sundays from 2-4 and there are a number of additonal Saturday classes as well. We start the first week in September with an outreach day in Brooklyn, MD.
Who is Mission Bridge for? Anyone who wants to learn more about missions. Anyone who would like to go to Mexico Dec. 26-Jan. 2 on a week long missions trip. Families with children are welcome!
Is there a fee for Mission Bridge? Yes. There is a small fee of $75 per adult that includes a devotional CD, a t-shirt and book. (There will be an additional fee per kid $15 that includes their t-shirt and materials for their class.)
Do I have to go on the Mexico Trip in order to take the class? No. But, we promise if you do go, you will not be disappointed! It only enhances all that you've learned!
What's the fee for the Mexico Trip? We are still working out the details.

Our History Part III

So, last December, we bought a property in Brooklyn, MD. It had two houses...if you can call them that...on it. One was a glorified shack. We purchased it and dedicated it to the Lord as a House of Prayer for Baltimore. Devon went down to meet the tenants that lived there. He walked into a sex trafficking operation. There were five girls and one guy there. It was a bluster of activity. We were amazed! God walked us right into the heart of brokenness in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is one of the leading areas in Baltimore for sex trafficking.

We prayed about whether to let this man stay or not. We felt we should let him stay, while we raised the money to make the renovations. Getting to know him would give us access into the very community we wanted to bring the Kingdom.

Three days later, the house caught on fire. Hmmm...not totally surprising. We know and understand when you begin to bring the Kingdom of God into a dark place, the devil doesn't like it. So, a couple of weeks later, a crew of people went down and demolished and hauled away two thirds of the house. The rest of it still needs to be torn down. There is no foundation under the houses. We will lay a new foundation. We will rebuild.

We spent a day of intercession and prayer walking the neighborhood. God poured out so many words and promises. I'd like to be able to share them all, but it would take too long. I'll just share a few.

Two months before we bought the property, Irene was in Holland (we had not met her yet). She was woken up in the middle of the night. God told her there would be a house of prayer in Baltimore. We met her in January and she shared with us her vision. Isaiah 61:3 was given to two separate people. "...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." Tony went on to share a vision God gave him of the neighbors running to the house of prayer to get potatoes. They were digging them out of the ground. He said, "The fruit is right under the ground, under our feet...the fruit of what we and other prayer warriors before us have sown is right under you." Kaya was given a name for the House of Prayer. The Post. He said, like a post, it's planted in the ground like a stake and will not be moved. A post in war times, was a place of safety. A post is where messages are sent to and sent out of. The Post.

We shared with our group a desire to establish a house of prayer for the community, not just for believers. Tony shared a vision God gave him while he was in Kansas City at IHOP (International House of Prayer). He had a vision of establishing a community house of prayer where people could come for prayer, could come and pray...it would be an interaction of prayer in the community. So, The Post will be a CHOP (Community House of Prayer).

A missionary friend of ours was praying. She said, "What is the street name where The Post is located?" Helmstedder. She said, "Helmstedt was a village started as a missionary station begun by a benedictine monk. It was home of the University of Helmstedt...for a long time the largest university of protestant Germany. Also it was the border control that NATO countries had to pass through for a period of time. It was or is a large supplier of lignite type coal used to provide electricity...LIGHT...for lots of German homes." She went on to share the Ignatian Spirituality characteristics:

*a conviction to the value of the human person as created by God.

*the desire to find the voice of God in and through he ordinary events of the day.

*the understanding of oneself as an agent of change in the world.

*a commitment to a life of faith that is evidenced by a life of justice.

*outreach to members of society who are often marginalised or dispossessed.

Probably one of the most powerful things we found out was this. There was a huge ancient walnut tree in Brooklyn, nine feet in diameter, which stood in Acton's Park. In the early 1900's a band use to perch in the trees on a platform and perform. There was also a spring that ran under that tree. During times of drought, that spring never ran dry. People would walk from the surrounding areas to draw water from that spring. It was precious water. (Taken from "A History of Brooklyn-Curtis Bay" published in 1976.)

We don't have money to rebuild. But, we are moving forward one step at a time. We are starting monthly cookouts starting next month to begin to bring light into a dark place. We will try and obtain a demo permit for the final demo needed. We just received 60 cinder blocks...a good start to a foundation.

The Post is for Baltimore. We want it to be a place for churches, neighbors and people to come together. To call on the Holy Spirit to come and tear down those things that stand in the way of God's holy fire coming and consuming this city. Baltimore is desperate, broken and oppressed. The government is corrupt, the city schools in shambles, and the police department overworked. Teen pregnancy is high, heroin in full swing, sex trafficking picking up pace and violence out of control. I asked a homicide detective in Baltimore city if he had any hope for Baltimore. He thought and responded bleakly, "No."

Baltimore needs the sacrificial love and forgiveness of Jesus. Baltimore needs the power of the Holy Spirit. Baltimore needs the love of the Father. There is no other answer.

We will seek Him. We will send up incense and fragrant offerings. We will praise and worship. We will wait and know He will come and pour out His fire, holy fire, on our city!

Our History Part II

Four years ago, we began meeting on Sunday nights with a group of friends. At first it was just about getting together and sharing a meal. We enjoyed one another's company and just hung out. But, when the new year kicked in, the Lord began to speak. "Without a vision, the people perish." He spoke to us, "Call it what it is...this is church." We shared with our community what God was showing us. Some people moved on, but some hung out to begin this journey with us. We weren't really sure where it was going to take us.

The first year, God had us go through scripture and look at what church was meant to be...and what it's not. He began to point out how man has taken over to change church and make it fit into his lifestyle, his needs. It's easier to show up on a Sunday morning, receive and leave. Church was meant to be an invasion of our lives with our brothers and sisters. We are meant to rub shoulders, be in each others lives, get messy in life together. He showed us more about giftings and callings...how the church is not meant to be "run" by a single person. Jesus is the head...then the rest of us are obedient to to use our giftings and callings to edify the church. Yes, there is leadership...but, a leadership that sets direction, not dictates. It is everyone contributing that gets the ship moving. We wrestled through a lot of different church related topics...challenged one another and sought God. I know we are still learning, but that year seemed to be a class God was teaching.

That year He also spoke about Safe Houses. A couple of people had dreams and visions about having a safe house for people who didn't fit into main stream church. One person had a picture of wounded people coming in out of the storm for triage. That year we had a family experience...Kristin was home and the kids were outside playing. All of a sudden they ran in and started yelling there were police in the yard. Kristin looked out and the police signaled her back in. The next thing they knew, the police were yelling, "Where's your gun?!" It sounded like they were in the basement. It turns out two young teenagers had hidden under our front porch. When we looked outside, they were face down, with like 10 cops around, in our front yard. Someone praying for our family said, "I feel like God wants you to know your house is like a safe house. Even for those teenagers." Kristin had a dream later that year of a valley of small hills. It was at night and dotted on the hills were white fabric tents all lit up. She went into one and there was a family in there, safe and protected. They were all safe houses. So, in year two, we named our community, Safe House.

Year two, brought us missionary after missionary. We had visits from two families from Northern Ireland, a Ukrainian pastor who is a missionary in Turkey, a young family heading to London to establish a church, missionaries functioning here in Baltimore and others. That year, one of our worship guys, Jeff left for India. In India he met a young man named Rakesh. Rakesh was a Christian, but his family were not. His mom and dad were sick and their house was falling down. It was just a couple of months from monsoon season. Jeff came back and shared. God lead us to take up an offering. In two weeks, we had enough money come in, to competely rebuild Rakesh's house. Not wanting to just send money, we contacted friends of ours in India who are missionaries there. Vivek said, "Oh, my dad heads up habitat for humanity in this area. Send the money and we will go and oversee the construction." We were just a piece in the puzzle. God used Vivek and his family to build relationship with Rakesh and his family. Also that year, we had the privilege to serve refugees who are living here in our community. There was a need for winter clothes. We made calls, visited stores and dug through our closets. God really put on our group's heart a heart for the nations. After that year, we lost both our worship guys to missionary work.

Year three brought us a new baby! It was a year of rest. We took half a year off...maybe a bit more...and adjusted to our growing family. It was a year of showing us that there is a time to work and a time to rest...a time and season for everything.

When God began to roll out year four, He showed us it would be a year of reaching out. This year we began to make monthly dinners for a bunch of skaters in our neighborhood. We call it a Love Bomb. We have no agenda other than to feed these kids and love them...listen to their stories and meet them where they are. On Sundays, they're not in church, they're at the skatepark. Jesus met people in their homes, in their hoods...why as a church, do we expect everyone to become like us? To meet us where we are?

Jesus also began to break our hearts for those who are victims of sex trafficking. He began to open our eyes to the girls right in our neighborhood who were walking the streets daily. We began to see drug deals go down in front of our home. It was like He took our blinders off. Then God began to give a vision to Denene, a woman in our group, for a Safe House for these women to come to that would offer a recovery program. There are none here in Baltimore. We thought, "We should start somewhere." So, we began to pray for these women and to invite them to lunch once a month. A local church opened their doors for us to host the lunch and we are watching God move through unity in our neighborhood.

As we wrapped up last year, God began to whisper something again to our hearts. When we we got back from YWAM, Devon began to feel a tug to buy properties (which is wild, seeing as God moved him to start a home remodeling company). He said to the Lord, "The first property I buy, I will give it back to You as a house of prayer." God began to remind us of that promise...but, we'll save this for the last part of our history.

Our History Part I

We are going to take the next few posts to catch everyone up on what has been happening with Circles, Safe House and The Post.

Many of you have been following our life story for some time now. Some of you have walked with us through Jahva House days, when we owned a coffee shop and spent years building relationships with our employees and customers. God taught us so much about living a life that is missional through our actions and through the arts. We hosted live bands, had open mic nights and featured artists on all three floors of Jahva House. We were also part of a group called XScape that really operated like a house church for many years. We worshipped and prayed together. We did life together and we reached out to the Xers, especially at the coffee shop. We had a meeting on Sunday nights that was an open discussion on faith. At any given time we had wiccans, buddhists, muslims, christians and atheists in a room discussing their faith. It was an incredible time of growing in the art of listening, not judging and really letting our own faith be put to the fire. After we sold the coffee shop, God had us go into missions training with YWAM (Youth With a Mission). We took our family (6 of us at that time, there are now 7 of us) to Hawaii, China and the Philippines. There are so many things God did in our lives at that time...He gave us a heart for the nations, for loving the oppressed...He filled in cracks in our foundations, our value system...He gave us a way bigger picture of who He is...He taught us what it means to live by faith, to live in community...He taught us the beauty in our diversity...allowed us how to worship in different languages...He showed us what it means to serve our brothers...and He birthed in us a vision for Circles Ministries.

Kristin was in a lecture one day and God whispered the name Circles to her. A month or so later, Devon was in prayer and God gave him a vision of drops of water hitting a larger body of water. As the drops hit and the ripples went out, they began to overlap one another and invade each other. This was just the beginning of what has been a 6 year journey of listening, waiting and moving on what God wants Circles Ministries to be.

From YWAM, we went back and served at our home church for two more years. We lead the college ministry and took short term missions teams to South Africa, Ukraine and Philippines. God began to show us the type of leadership style He wanted us to adopt. He gave us a passion for serving others and helping them find their giftings, their passions and their calls. It is about serving one another so that we can all become what God has intended. It says in Ephesians 4:12-16 (paraphrased) "we have different giftings...when we operate in our calling it prepares God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built us...reaching unity...becoming mature...so we are no longer infants, tossed by the waves...we will grow up into Him, Christ. From Him the whole body will be joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work." It's when we ALL are walking out our callings and using our giftings, that the Body of Christ matures. Really, it's a leadership style we should all adopt. If we serve one another, encouraging our brothers and sisters to be all that Jesus called them to be...whole, well, healed, delivered, and restored...we get to grow into maturity as a body. Jesus designed His bride so that we need Him and we need one another.

But, four years ago, God had us leave our church and start Safe House...but, we'll save this story for part two.