Delivering the Message in NYC 9/11/2010

Report from Kristene O’Dell

The message was delivered in New York City on September 11, 2010.  This is the same message that was birthed in our hearts years ago when the Lord Himself began to deal with each of us that now serve in Operation Save America.  It was a response to this message that brought us out to the abortion mill in our local cities as we acknowledged that God’s children were being slaughtered and we as the Church were the ones responsible.  It was this message that taught us that God was looking for His people to storm the gates of hell and rescue those being led to death.  What is that message? – Repent!

Close to 50 saints came from around the country to call a wayward nation to repentance, and cry out to God for mercy.  On Friday evening, we held a prayer meeting that touched the very throne room of God and prepared our way for our public proclamation two blocks from Ground Zero.  Jesus got us going early the next morning.  As we began to sing softly on the subway, I noticed others beginning to witness to people who normally would be sleeping on their commute. 

Saturday 9/11Press Conference

As we arrived on the scene, we first walked down to the construction site where the towers had fallen.  We passed the steel beam in the shape of a cross that had been found at the site.  It now stands as a memorial.  We then headed to St Paul’s church.  I was struck by the grief that I saw in the hearts of my friends.  Their compassion was evident as I watched everyone take it all in.

The majority of us were wearing the red OSA T-shirts which opened up a large number of conversations from all over the spectrum.  We had a significant gathering of media for the press conference.  The police penned off our permit area and not all the press wanted to push their way into the crowd, so many of our people gave interviews on the outskirts of our outreach.  Rusty Thomas, Ante Pavkovic, and David Benham gave them heaven on the inside.  Members of the press kept asking if they could interview people wearing the red T-Shirts. “Jesus is the Standard” certainly went forth.

A Message To an Unrepentant Nation

As the sound system was turned up and the preaching went forth, the presence of the Lord began to fall.  Many different groups from all sides of the mosque issue were present and set up within the area.  At times, it was very reminiscent of being at the mill with pro-aborts.  Religious unity seemed to be a theme and several of these groups would mock and try to disrupt the preaching.  There were others who claimed to speak for Jesus as they openly cussed out American pastors and with much anger tore pages from the Quran.  Both extremes were present and can certainly cause confusion, but I believe that the Lord cut through the myriad of voices and for those who had eyes to see and ears to hear – there was a very clear clarion call.

Rusty, Ante, and David each lifted their voices with urgency and anguish over the sins of our nation.  They pleaded with everyone to understand that our national sins have reached heaven and if we want to see our nation restored, we must repent.  As Baby Malachi was held high, and Curtis blew the shofar, God’s Spirit began to move.  Most hardened their hearts with mocking and disbelief.  I heard one person say, “What does holding pictures of medical waste have to do with anything?”  But I also saw something else.  There were others who listened intently and took to heart what was being said.

One of the most significant moments for me was watching a member of the FDNY dressed in his uniform begin to shake his head in agreement as Rusty systematically laid out our problem in America.  Rusty began with what happens to nations when they shed innocent blood and then begin to parade their sin like Sodom.  When he got to the fact that now we attempt to place the God of the Universe on the same level as any other false god, the fireman was not only shaking his head, but his entire being was shaking in agreement.

Several hours into the outreach, with a countless amount of people lining the streets, we began to play the song “Lord Have Mercy” loudly through the sound system.  The men of God asked anyone that could to get on our knees and cry out to God in repentance asking the Lord to be merciful and to heal our land.  It was a very intense time of pressing into God’s presence and interceding for our nation.  Much of the events surrounding this time were lost to me as I found myself in tears with my face bowed down to the pavement.  At one point I did look up to see a young man wearing an “I love 911” T-shirt and a red clown nose on his face dancing through those that were praying.  As the police removed him, I began to pray for him.  He knows not who he is truly mocking.

I know of two different conversations with women who worked in the World Trade Center and ran out of the buildings as they were crashing down on that fateful day.  Miss Pat talked to one lady who said that she heard the Lord speak and guide her as she fled for her life through the blinding ash cloud.  She said she has been following Him ever since.  Mary Ellen Charis spoke to the other lady who also prayed to the Lord to save her as she ran out of the crashing towers.  We marveled at the fact that we spoke with two different women with similar stories and wondered how many more there were.  We also spoke with many police officers that had been on duty that day.  You could still see the pain in their faces.

A man from Uzbekistan joined us.  He had come to America to flee his Muslim family because he had become a Christian.  With very broken English, he tried to explain what he had gone through.  At one point, he held up his fingers in the shape of a gun and said, “My brother - pow, pow.”  I am not sure if that meant his brother was killed or if his brother was trying to kill him.  He seemed to just take in the presence of the Lord and was in disbelief that America was allowing Islam free reign.  We prayed for him as we were breaking down the sound system.

My last conversation was with a man who had a piece of literature in his hand and wanted to know if the man who wrote it was the same Flip Benham from the old Rescue days.  I assured him that there was only one Flip Benham (thank the Lord).  I had noticed this man holding Malachi at one point.  He told me that he used to be involved in Rescue and he wanted me to tell all the old rescuers, “Hello from Preacher.”  I asked him what his name was and he said, “Just Preacher.”

As we departed, we thanked the police for being so professional and went across the street to get something to eat.  More conversations were had, some with police officers. One man wanted one of our T-shirts, and Edwin Shanks had a lengthy conversation with a black American Muslim.  I know that the witnessing continued throughout the city as we went our separate ways.  Dave Lackey had a conversation with a Muslim family that evening at Coney Island.  Tom Raddell had another in the McDonalds near the subway station. 

Although, we know that many mocked or ignored, I take comfort in the responses that were evident.  The heart of this nation is hardened, but we should not grow weary in doing well.  Just as Elisha told King Joash in 2 Kings 13, we must keep striking the hard ground with the truth of God’s Word if we want to see the deliverance of the Lord.  

And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands   And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the LORD’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.” Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped  And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.”  2Kings 13:15-19

Last Message

Our trip ended with an encouraging message from Times Square Church the next morning.  The crux of the message from Pastor Conlon was that although the times we live in are dark and becoming even more so, we can have the joy of the Lord when we walk in full obedience in the place where He has called us. He also admonished us to not be “turned inward” with our own problems, but to be “out” on the streets “doing something.”  He asked us to get on our faces and pray that the Lord would mold our hearts according to His Word and not allow us to mold His Word according to our hearts.  Amen, Pastor Conlon and thank you!