Hitchhikers

Does anybody pick up hitchhikers regularly? It seems that I pick one or two up a month atleast. I've had people ranging from drunkards to even a retired pastor before. I understand the dangers associated with it, but I like to put feet to faith, or maybe I'm a fool :LOL: Normally, I can use the situation to atleast ask them if they have anything I can pray for. A few guys were too intoxicated for that, but the rest normally spoke up about something they needed.

Anybody else pick up hitchhikers for a ministry opportunity? I think it is perfectly okay if you don't, I probably wouldn't pick up most of the guys I do if I had a family and kids, or if I was a woman.
 
Brother klub, that sounds like part of your ministry....and i will be praying ps 91 over you! If i wern't a woman i probably would pray about doing that too. I agree it's a good ministry tool if one is called to do it.
Blessings of peace to you
 
Oh..no never done that although do pick up people to,take to church in my car, and also last sunday took japanese homestay around my city sightseeing. Id never met her before but she was staying with my friend and her daughter...she didnt have a car. so we all piled into my funcargo and had a good time.

Yes God can take your car if you offer it to him and use it as a way to show Jesus love. I dont have those fish stickers on my car but put sheep ones instead.
 
I guess you could call my widowed friend a hitchiker as she waits outside her house so can pick her up. And other carless friends. Some give me money for petrol although I never ask. Its fun taking people out and having company. I mean a waste of a car if you just go alone.
 
Does anybody pick up hitchhikers regularly? It seems that I pick one or two up a month atleast. I've had people ranging from drunkards to even a retired pastor before. I understand the dangers associated with it, but I like to put feet to faith, or maybe I'm a fool :LOL: Normally, I can use the situation to atleast ask them if they have anything I can pray for. A few guys were too intoxicated for that, but the rest normally spoke up about something they needed.

Anybody else pick up hitchhikers for a ministry opportunity? I think it is perfectly okay if you don't, I probably wouldn't pick up most of the guys I do if I had a family and kids, or if I was a woman.
There is no right or wrong for this. If someone is afraid of doing this based out of fear of the potential dangers, then they are not doing anything wrong..
But I am happy for you! That the Lord is moving in your heart and using you in a special way..
 
well you need discernment..I myself wouldn't pick up random people off the motorway just too risky but if they arranged it with me beforehand that's ok. If a hitcher needed to go to hospital or get back home cos stranded then sure.

Had a friend who actually rang the police for a ride home as felt in a dangerous situation..but she never made it as the police didn't come. They totally dismissed her. Taxi went to wrong address instead. If those ppl where she was had kindly offered her a ride home even though was dark and lived bout 40 minutes away...she would still be alive.
 
I guess this would be a better question to ask..
As Christians we have gifts that are to be used to further God's kingdom. We each have ministry opportunities that are different and somewhat unique to us. I'd like to hear about where other members ministries are.
 
Oh. Sorry I thought the topic was hitch hiking so was really thinking along those lines.
Well everything we do in kindness is a ministry to others thats what I believe anyway.

This is just an example of what I do in and outside of church though...
Ushering or welcoming, making morning tea, finding books for others and organising the church library, donating to food basket which goes out to the needy, helping with community meals, encouraging others to read the bible, delivering out tracts round the neighbourhood letterboxes, giving others rides, praying for people that ask for prayer over the phone, writing on this forum...hanging out with people that are lonely, talking to them, giving hugs....going shopping with my mum cos she doesnt drive, visiting those sick in hospital, donating things I no longer need to the salvation army...helping others find a job or encouraging them to do things they enjoy, sending goodies in shoeboxes for operation christmas child, gardening and sharing produce etc etc.

Im sure we all do different things under the umbrella of ministry.
 
Btw i dont mean to boast all the above are just little things do each day as a blessing to others. Sometimes i stay home watch tv too lol. Or dvds. To keep out of trouble. But a ministry with that is going to someone whos lonely and watch funny movies with them. Or shouting someone to the movies who hardly ever goes out.
 
Anybody else pick up hitchhikers for a ministry opportunity?
Yes. And it is good to witness to them and to preach Christ. Only recently I picked up a Chinese lady (here in Australia) who had reasonable English sufficient to have a conversation. Where this occurred is in a rural area named The Barossa Valley - a famous wine making area in South Australia.
She asked me what wine do you drink? And I told her that I do not drink any alcohol whatsoever. She was stunned that I lived in this famous wine producing region and yet did not drink wine.
I asked her [May] if she had ever heard of a 'born again' Christian? And away we went. After about 20 minutes of driving I pulled over to the side of the road, and grabbed a couple of printed out testimonies from saints as to their conversion by the Holy Spirit (and their miracles).
She said in Chinese English "I want to come to your church, where is it?" And to date she has come to three meetings.
And how's this for the hand of the Lord on her. The second weekend, on the Saturday, it just so happened that a Chinese couple from our fellowship in Xian were having their Australian wedding for the benefit of their Australian brothers and sisters. So May was able to quizz this couple about salvation and being born again in Mandarin Chinese. When the Lord calls you, He makes a way!!!! ;)
 
That reminds me in terms of witnessing or evangelising..telling people the gospel who havent heard..I know of a church that is in the inner city next to the uni campus, they offer free lunch and witness to international students, praying they do well in exams, have english language classes, offer hospitality and homestays to students..invite them to meals.
Heaps of people get drawn to this church and ask about christianity and who is Jesus?
Many get saved and become part of the church.
 
I remember there was one old guy in church, with the Lord now, who was a bus driver.
so he picked up passengers all the time as was his job, and Im sure just the way he was kind to others and did his job so reliably that was a witness. In later years after his wife died he did go to church on regular basis and always spoke to me.

I think if you are a bus or taxi driver, wow, you meet people everyday. You can pray for them all the time while driving the bus or taxi.
 
If I'm a taxi driver, does that count?

...OK, I'm not a taxi driver, but I used to want to be when I was in high school and was obsessed with both the movie Taxi Driver and the show Taxi. I wanted to be Judd Hirsch.
 
Does anybody pick up hitchhikers regularly? It seems that I pick one or two up a month atleast. I've had people ranging from drunkards to even a retired pastor before. I understand the dangers associated with it, but I like to put feet to faith, or maybe I'm a fool :LOL: Normally, I can use the situation to atleast ask them if they have anything I can pray for. A few guys were too intoxicated for that, but the rest normally spoke up about something they needed.

Anybody else pick up hitchhikers for a ministry opportunity? I think it is perfectly okay if you don't, I probably wouldn't pick up most of the guys I do if I had a family and kids, or if I was a woman.

I'm not sure we would do these days.

I don't think we've ever done it for an opportunity to speak to others but one can still be a "Good Samaritan"?

I don't have a full drivers licence but when my mother and I have been in the car (possibly with either of us driving, I can't remember), we have picked up passengers. These have included "strays" looking and seeming lost along the road.

On the personal level, I don't think I have ever really felt fear in the what may they do to me physically sense. Yes, there has been a "looks a bit dubious" conversation but I can't remember that stopping me or my mother although perhaps we do worry more as we get older.

My main fear stems from once spending 30 hrs in a cell accused of rape. Not from giving someone a lift but from just walking home - she got jail btw - when the truth came out a) it was proved she was with someone else, and b) she admitted she had made a claim of being attacked as she felt her parents were not giving her enough attention. It does make you a bit more unwilling to do anything or go anywhere without witnesses.

OK, that in itself is not directly relevant to the pair of us in a car and it would be fair to point out that we have picked up hitch hikers since then. It's that the climate seems to me to have changed. Much of this I agree with, eg. I do believe happenings whether they be Jimmy Saville or even within the church do need exposing and addressing but I do also feel there is the air of a"witch hunt" around, at least in the UK.

It would, I fear, need a braver or more saintly person than me to be willing to expose myself to that risk at the moment.
 
Yes. And it is good to witness to them and to preach Christ. Only recently I picked up a Chinese lady (here in Australia) who had reasonable English sufficient to have a conversation. Where this occurred is in a rural area named The Barossa Valley - a famous wine making area in South Australia.
She asked me what wine do you drink? And I told her that I do not drink any alcohol whatsoever. She was stunned that I lived in this famous wine producing region and yet did not drink wine.
I asked her [May] if she had ever heard of a 'born again' Christian? And away we went. After about 20 minutes of driving I pulled over to the side of the road, and grabbed a couple of printed out testimonies from saints as to their conversion by the Holy Spirit (and their miracles).
She said in Chinese English "I want to come to your church, where is it?" And to date she has come to three meetings.
And how's this for the hand of the Lord on her. The second weekend, on the Saturday, it just so happened that a Chinese couple from our fellowship in Xian were having their Australian wedding for the benefit of their Australian brothers and sisters. So May was able to quizz this couple about salvation and being born again in Mandarin Chinese. When the Lord calls you, He makes a way!!!! ;)
Being a born again Christian, I love good wine just like Jesus and the apostles did. I only wish I could make wine as good as Jesus did.
I also brew my own beer which is thoroughly refreshing.
 
Years ago, I was on a drive of several hundred miles for my business. As I left a petrol station on the motorway I sped past a hitch hiker on the slip road. As usual I asked the Holy Spirit and received an urgent response in my spirit. I braked and rapidly reversed to pick him up.
I started a general conversation about where he was going, but at the same time asking the Holy Spirit for an opening.

The man was about 30 years old and was traveling to see his mother. His parents had divorced when he was a child and he barely knew his mother because one of a large family, he alone had been removed by his father to live with him and largely kept separate from the family.
He was now heading back to try and reconcile the relationship and was obviously hurting. He then said, "My father must really have hated us to take me away like that."

At that point, the Holy Spirit prompted my spirit, and I simply asked, "But what do you think your Father in Heaven thinks about you."
He immediately broke down in tears. Over the next hour or so I was able to draw him close to the love of the Lord. We reached a point where our ways were due to part so I stopped at a large service area and took him in for a bite to eat.
As we ate I led him in a commitment of his life to the Lord again with much tears of joy.
He then started to repeat again and again, "this was meant to be, this was really meant to be....."
After I got him to slow down and explain, this is what he said.
"I stood on that slip road waiting for ages, and then I said, ' God if you are real, get me a lift'."
God answered his prayer and more!

It really speaks to me of the importance of listening and being led by the Holy Spirit at all times.
 
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