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!
