Home Group and Soup

Tuesday night, I went to a home group meeting for Kowloon City Vineyard (Jackie Pullinger’s first church plant).  I really like these people.  Maybe half are students and young professionals.  The other half are full-time live-in volunteers with the St. Stephen’s Society.  The male volunteers live with the brothers who are seeking to recover from drug addiction.  The female volunteers live with girls whose families have been broken by drugs.

I sat beside one of the new British volunteers from the girls’ house.  As I asked her about daily life at her house, I felt strongly that I should “ask her about soup”.  Even though I know that Jackie Pullinger’s church/ministry community is very accustomed to the gifts of knowledge and wisdom, etc, I still felt very awkward saying, “Hey, God wants me to ask you about soup!”

Anyway, we talked.  After a little while, I found out that the girls’ house had eaten a very plain, tasteless rice and noodle soup for breakfast. All I knew to tell her was to receive with gratitude everything God provides, and that what He provided would be good.

We had this conversation right before dinner was delivered.  Incidentally, the host had ordered an array of pizza, ribs, chicken, rice, dumplings…and soup.  It was good! :)

Later, we were sharing stories of healing and miraculous provision.  Besides the miracles of instantaneous deliverance from drug addiction (which is what St. Stephen's is most known for), they have also seen physical healings, creative miracles for missing body parts, and the multiplication of food to feed the poor.

Jackie Pullinger, founder of St. Stephen's Society, author of Chasing the Dragon

Even though I haven’t volunteered with them, I am really a fan of St. Stephen’s Society, and for the volunteers from all over the world who are helping to bring Christ’s freedom and peace to drug addicts in Hong Kong.  After the meeting, I talked with one girl from Ireland, who said, “I think that St. Stephen’s [and the church network associated with it] is grasping a part of God that not many others in the Body of Christ do.”  At age 20, Jackie Pullinger arrived in Hong Kong, with a clear call from God, with no home support or contacts, and with 100 Hong Kong dollars. Now, decades later, she runs a network of churches and of drug rehab centers all over this region.  The people who work with her live with an expectation of healings, miraculous provision, and hearing directions from the Holy Spirit as a daily part of life.  Praise God for these people!

And, fyi, they can always use volunteers: http://www.ststephenssociety.com.