Cross Campus Ministries
Mardi Gras Outreach
February 19, 2008
Dear Church Family,
I wanted to write and thank you for praying for our trip to New Orleans. God was with us every step of the way, just like He promised. I also want to give you a report of what went on. Joe Toy, a friend and evangelist from Phila. asked me to go on this 
outreach the past few years, but I never really wanted to go because I knew what kind of atmosphere was there. Spiritual warfare is tough, but when drunkenness and lewd behavior are indulged, it makes reasoning with a man twice as tough. But this year I decided to go. Here is an account of our trip:
Wednesday -Joe and Ellis picked me up at 6:30am. Ellis had driven from the Bronx, N.Y. to Joe’s so he was in for a long day. We then picked up Frank in Silver Spring, Md. I was the Mardi Gras rookie, while these guys have been many times. This was Frank’s 28th year to work this event. We spent the night in Gatlinburg Tenn. in Frank’s son’s best friend’s vacation home over looking a lake and the Smoky Mts. It was a beautiful, just like you see in a log home magazine. If you’re interested it happens to be for sale ($950,000). Everyone had their own bedroom with a big flat screen TV. Suffering for Jesus!
Thursday-They made me get in the van and continue our trip in the morning.
We arrived in New Orleans at about 8:30pm. We stayed at Vieux Carre Baptist Church, which reminded me of the Son’Spot in Ocean City. It was set up to house mission teams and does street evangelism. Another friend of Joe’s met us there and was already in our room. Joe and I brought blow-up mattresses, Frank and Ellis snored together in the same bed, and George had the single bed. The roaches were much bigger than the ones in Ocean City.
Friday -We met with for breakfast with the rest of the men who would make up our team. Then we had a time of prayer and worship. The Scriptures the guy read were the same ones I had written down on a 3x5 card and placed in a book I brought
with me (Col.4:2-6), which fit our task perfectly. It is great to know you’re right where God wants you. We then hit the streets to pray at the street corners. We also handed out some tracts. I spoke with a guy named Frank; he said his mom would be glad he got the tract. I wept when he left as I thought of his lost condition, you could tell he was well off materially but he was clueless to the fact that he was bankrupt toward God.
We hit the streets twice in the evening. Joe and Frank have tall signs on polls with special belts with holsters to carry them with. The signs say things like “Jesus is the Only Way to God”, or ‘The Bible is True”, and some have verses. We stood in the middle of Bourbon Street with those signs, handed out thousands of tracts, and made Jesus an unavoidable issue. I can’t recall anything from the first time out that night. But when we took a break and went back out to a different section it was memorable. It was now after midnight in a wilder part of Bourbon St. The people on the balconies were throwing beads at us, most of them still in the bags. The debauchery that goes on at Mardi Gras is not shown on television. And these are not skid-row drunks, these people are your next door neighbors, and the local college student. And the number one comment was some form of profession of faith.
Saturday-We worked the parade, handed out a lot of tracts. I spoke with a Jewish man who had some of the normal objections but was open. He said he would like to believe there is a reward for the righteous after death, but that he saw no reason to believe. I was able by God’s help to destroy some of the lies that he held to. He left with a tract that I had for Jews, and a promise to read it. It was one of those encounters that you know was ordained. At night we hit Bourbon St. again and on this night I had one divine encounter after another. There was
David, who at 37 has HIV because he believed the lie (that what he felt could not be sin). I listened to his story, and then was able to speak God’s truth to him. He stopped arguing and I could sense the power of God’s word giving him some hope. Two other guys came up to me and one of them asked me about Psalms 1:3 and the tree with fruit. I told Jason that he was anything but that godly man of Psalms 1, but was the picture of the chaff. As I quoted it to him and implored him to turn from sin and get into God’s word, tears began to well-up in his eyes, and at that moment his friend pulled him away.
On two different occasions guys came up to Joe and I cussed us out in anger, then came back 30 minutes later and apologized.
Sunday-George, Ellis and I went to the I-10 over pass to minister to the homeless. Scores of people were living in tents, and some just had blankets. We took some food, and spoke with many of the hurting. I heard some tragic stories. Mike had his leg broke during the flood when a man-hole cover landed on his leg. We helped a guy named Ty get some clean clothes and take a shower back at the church. We also met to young ladies who are there ministering on a regular basis. A church van also pulled up and began to serve the people, praise the LORD. You know I don’t recall seeing the local atheist or the Moslems down there that day, just Jesus.
Monday-We went to the Jazz festival to hand out tracts. The guy named David I mentioned earlier was there and said hello. We had prayed for him that morning.
In the evening back on Bourbon St., I began to ask people who said they were a Christian, “Is this what Jesus meant when He said follow me”? I also was meditating on God’s promise to fill us with His Holy Spirit. My prayer life was very sensitive that week. I know that was God’s response to your prayers on my behalf. I also was impressed with the tender heart that Frank had for the lost. He is 72, and has preached all over the world, and when he prays for the lost the tears flow. God used him to show me my need for sowing in tears. Ellis was also a humble man of pray.
One night I spoke with a Mexican man who showed me a ministry I.D. The fear of God came on him as I prayed for him to leave the street. We are in great danger in this nation, we must pray that God rise up men who will preach the truth, and it is our only hope.
Tuesday-This was Fat Tuesday when the really strange come out. People dress in all types of bizarre costumes, and many try to pervert anything sacred they can think of. In the afternoon as we handed out tracts and marched with our banners a group dressed like nuns and priest came around us. Tracy was telling me what a good person she was an only did anything like this once a year. Why she thought I would think she went to work everyday or a PTA meeting dressed like a nun in hot pants was beyond me. Anyway, her friends were expecting a shouting match, but we had a good discussion. I shared God’s standard and pointed out the error of her ways. I think she came under conviction because her arguments began to dry up. Finally the priests drug her away.
I’m not sure which night it was, but late one night a man realize his sin against God and need for repentance. He came and stood between David Cobb (the leader of our group) and myself. He stood there for a while and David spoke with him. The man said for the first time he could really see what was going on around him and said he needed to be saved. Praise the LORD!
Here are couple of verses that God kept reminding me of to tell the people at Mardi Gras: “And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them”. Eph.5:11
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth”. I John1:6
“But ye shall receive power, after that the holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…”.Acts1:8
Wednesday-We pulled out at 6:30am and stayed at the nice cabin again.
Thursday-We dropped Frank off at 3pm and I was home by 4:30. I think Frank told stories for 18 of the 20 hour ride. It was a tiring mission physically, (when we got home everyone got sick but Joe) but it refreshed me spiritually. As much as I really wasn’t looking forward to it, I think I would do it again.
Prayer Request and Praise
Thanks for praying for my Father- His breathing is much improved- to God be the Glory.
Also thank you Jesus for helping my mother, as she went into the hospital the evening I left. She is ok (stayed one night) and will be going for more tests, for high blood pressure.
Please pray for the Miami spring break outreach. Whether the Liberty students go seems to be up in the air right now. March12th-22nd
Ocean City outreach the 2nd week of June to the high school seniors- pray that God will put the team together- We like to train in evangelism this week. If you’re interested let me know. and also pray for this semester on the college campuses. Pray that His unction be on me as I preach His word.
Most of all, pray for my prayer life and relationship with Him. Everything flows out of that.
In closing, know that you are in my prayers and that I in no way think of this as my ministry, we are laborers together with Him. Till the net is full, mark
Cross Campus Ministries, Inc.
50 Linton Run Rd.
Port Deposit, Md. 21904
443-350-4742
etomb1@juno.com
