God Uses The Unlikely
“Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed. And, they recognize that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
As a victim of molestation and a teenage runaway, Kathryn Fuson (middle) entered into a life of drugs, alcohol, and prostitution. Her life on the streets seared her conscience and sensitivity to hope and change. So much so, she allowed herself to be pimped and abused. For her, that was the reality that engulfed her and the reality she accepted. She equated abuse with love, sex with acceptance, and alcohol and drugs as the agents to soothe the pains of her reality.
After spending more than a decade devoted to the streets, Kathryn would find a ray of hope in her life, a young African-American, seminary couple ministering on the streets of New Orleans. “Five years ago, when I met pastor Troy and his wife (far left), I wanted nothing to do with God, or Jesus, or church, or anything affiliated.” Kathryn got intrigued by the love and fellowship of Church Without Walls. “They just kept coming to me. They would not leave me alone.”
So, Kathryn decided to attend a weekly CWOW service. “I was drawn by the message of Jesus Christ, and I came forward for prayer. Something happened to me that day. I could not stay comfortable in the street life any more.” Consistently, she began to attend the weekly services and Bible studies. “I admit I was a piece of work, but pastor Troy and pastor Lawrence never gave up on me.” Needless to say, she is walking closer with Jesus than ever before. Her mission is to speak hope into the lives of women trapped in the same struggles.
Surely, Kathryn’s life is not free of struggles of the past. But, God has used her in his service. Through CWOW, she has hit the streets in the same fashion in which she was set free. For example, Ricklyn (far right) was an alcoholic for over twenty years and severely abused by a long time boyfriend. She also accepted the reality of hopelessness that engulfed her homelessness, addiction, and abuse. While street witnessing with CWOW, Kathryn approached a sobbing Ricklyn sitting on the sidewalk. They began to talk. Kathryn gave her testimony and the message of hope in Christ that she received. Ricklyn was moved by the message and decided to leave the streets. She is now in a transformation center that CWOW assists. Above all, she is on the road to a deeper relationship with Christ. And, we had the privilege of seeing her get baptized on July 28, 2013. Now, Kathryn and Ricklyn are both walking in the new reality that has engulfed them, and it is the reality they accept. I (pastor Troy) had been ministering and trying to get Ricklyn to surrender and come to the transformation center for months before Kathryn’s encounter with her. Wow!! GOD USES THE UNLIKELY. There are over 6700 homeless men and women in New Orleans and Ricklyn and Kathryn are no longer one of them.
Hello Pastor Troy,
I met you at the Super Service Challenge photo thing at the Convention Center. I have been following you
on Facebook and I love the work that I see CWOW is doing. I also work in the French Quarter for the Red tour busses so I see a lot of the homeless population as well. I’d love to get involved with CWOW in any way that I can!
God Bless,
Rachel C.