THE CAPITOL MALL AND DOWNTOWN HONOLULU

The Sign On The Newly Constructed Cross Says it All.

I was looking forward to walking the cross at the world renowned Waikiki Beach with YWAM staff members. But day two in Hawaii would be a solo cross walk at the Capitol Mall and downtown Honolulu. For reasons that are His alone, God always requires me to initially walk the cross at each capital alone. I don’t even ask Him why. I just obey His edit, although I do have some ideas as to why.

At 8:30 in the morning, YWAM’s Billy Kyllonen graciously helped me load up the 10-foot, 60-pound cross on the rack of his SUV and then drove me downtown and a few blocks from the Capitol building. We prayed that hearts would be open to the message of the Cross and then I headed toward the nearby huge and beautiful park, where several homeless people had erected tents.

I was surprised at the large number of homeless people living in Honolulu.

GOD’S GOT HIS PEOPLE EVERYWHERE—EVEN ON THE STREETS

Homeless But Not Help-less—Just A Bump In My Life.

Because I like to hoist the cross upright at strategic spots in each city and pray long and hard for the salvation and safety of the residents of the city, this huge park was the ideal area to do this. As I hoisted the cross upright, a man’s voice filled the air. “Wow! You’re praying for our city, aren’t you?! I turned to look.

Mike was homeless. But he also held down two part-time jobs, including working at a nearby church doing maintenance work. Saving up money to eventually get a place to live, he was a happy and gentle soul who offered me a bottle of water and food. “You want to pray with me for the people living in Honolulu?” I asked. “And the homeless, too, please!” Mike added. We prayed, then talked awhile about Hawaii, Jesus Christ and homelessness in Honolulu.

Mike considered the homeless his ministry as well. He shared that he was always praying with and taking to the homeless about God’s love for them. Truly, God’s got an army in Hawaii. Though some may not fit the description of what a Christian looks like, Mike and so many others I met during this cross walk were not afraid to share their faith in Jesus, even if life was being kinda rough on them right now.

A MEDICAL DOCTOR’S E-MAIL TO ME AFTER THE CROSS WALK

Honolulu Has A Large Population Of Homeless People.

After having a great conversation with Mike, I headed toward the Capitol Mall. The large number of tents scattered throughout the large park as well as throughout Honolulu’s huge Chinatown neighborhood that I noticed as we drove past on our way to downtown stayed on my mind. Later that day and after returning to the YWAM base, I received an e-mail from a Christian medical doctor I had spoken with as I walked the cross toward the Capitol building. This is part of his e-mail to me:

“Tom, it was a pleasure to meet you this morning. What an amazing effort you are putting forth for God’s Kingdom! Thank you for your efforts and your kindness! Will you pray for the homeless here in Honolulu? The cost of living here is extremely high so our homeless population consists of many people with mental health problems, addiction and substance abuse problems, but also many people who are actually working but cannot afford housing. It is not uncommon to see homeless men and women living in tents in the sidewalks brushing their teeth in the morning and  dressing for work.”

This compassionate M.D. and I would communicate several more times throughout my stay in Hawaii. His main emphasis was Matthew 25 and Jesus’ words to those who met and who would not meet the needs of hurting individuals, including the homeless.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR OUR ELECTED LEADERS

Praying Loud & Long At Hawaii’s State Capitol Building.

After walking several blocks, I reached the beautiful Capitol Mall. Hoisting the large cross upright, I began praying for Hawaii’s governor, lieutenant governor, two state senators and twenty-five state representatives, that each one would not only accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but that each one would follow His will concerning every decision they would make during their terms of office.

As is my custom, I pointed the cross North, then East, then West and then South (NEWS) as I prayed, asking the Lord of the Harvest to send forth His  Holy Spirit and Shekinah Glory throughout the entire state and reveal Himself strong to Hawaii’s 1.5 million souls. I also asked the God of glory to send forth the Spirit of Great Revival, Great Awakening and Great Godly Sorrow throughout the Aloha State—and to begin this great revival right here at ground zero!

As I finished praying, a young woman walked up to me, her face filled with great happiness and joy. “Thank you for praying for our state!” she shouted loud for all to hear. “I am a Christian and I praise God for what you are doing.” We spoke for several minutes, then I asked if she would join me in prayer as well. She prayed a powerful prayer to our Heavenly Father, that the people of Hawaii would accept Jesus as their Savior and that the elected leaders would also give their lives to the Lord. The presence of the LORD was very strong and I knew that God would, indeed, answer our prayers for the sake of the people of Hawaii—no matter how long it would take!

PRAYING FOR THE SAFETY OF HONOLULU’S THIN BLUE LINE

Praying At Honolulu’s Huge Downtown Police Station.

The power of God was quite evident as we prayed for Hawaii’s elected officials. After saying goodbye to this Spirit-filled believer, I walked the cross to the huge downtown police station, hoisted the cross upright and began praying for the safety of Honolulu’s and all of Hawaii’s Thin Blue Line, and that God would send forth His Thick Blue Line of angelic warriors to protect each and every city, county, state and federal police officer in Hawaii.

I prayed loud and long. After praying, I noticed a police officer standing to the side and just watching. He quickly greeted me. “Thank you for praying for our police officers!” He was a captain. He shared the many concerns and dangers facing the city’s police officers and asked me to keep on praying for them. Told him I would, and then asked if he would like to pray with me.
The captain smiled sheepishly and declined, explaining that, since he was on duty, the Chief might not like like it if he prayed publicly. I told him that I understood completely. He smiled. “But I do want you to know that I pray for our officers every day! And I want you to know how much we all appreciate you praying for our safety.”

After talking about God’s love and His desire to reach all the people of Hawaii, I shook his hand and started walking toward City Hall. There was no doubt in my mind that God was going to reveal Himself strong to each and every one of Honolulu’s police officers. The captain’s last words: “I am praying for revival among all my fellow officers! God bless you!” Loud enough for me to hear, but soft enough that he didn’t feel uncomfortable.

PRAYING HARD AND LONG FOR HAWAII’S UNBORN BABY HUMANS

This Young Man And I Prayed Long And Hard At The Planned Parenthood Building For An End To Abortion.

God led me to The Planned Parenthood building, so, of course, I was going to hoist the large cross upright and ask the living God to not only shut down this building and business, but to change the hearts of those who believe abortion on demand is an inalienable right. It is not! Praying long and loud, I sensed that someone was standing next to me, but kept praying any way. To my pleasant surprise,  I heard a male voice praying for God to shut down Planned Parenthood. I opened my eyes and saw a young man standing right next to me. “Please come over and hold onto the cross and keep praying,” I invited. He nodded, and his prayer was not only very powerful, but very intelligent and knowledgeable as to the abortion problem facing our nation.

After a long prayer, we talked for quite a while. Dalton (his true name) is a believer, and he saw me praying and decided to join in agreement. This young man shared that there were lots of fellow believers who were asking God to shut down all the abortion mills in Honolulu and Hawaii. He, too, was very thankful that I was praying for his city.
After a long and pleasant conversation, Dalton gave me a big hug and shared that he and his church would continue praying that abortion on demand would soon be outlawed throughout the nation. As I walked toward City Hall, I couldn’t help but rejoice in the fact that a brand new generation of young women and men were pro-life and that they were so willing to stand in the gap and pray for an end to the killing of unborn baby humans! Amen.

PRAYING FOR THE MAYOR AND ALL CITY EMPLOYEES

Praying For Honolulu’s Mayor And All City Employees.

After walking a few blocks from the abortion mill, I hoisted the large cross upright at the large City Hall building and began praying loud and long for Honolulu’s mayor, council members and all city employees. Without a doubt, everybody needs Jesus! Honolulu’s elected leaders, just like Hawaii’s elected state leaders, are very liberal.

Although this was the main entrance, there wasn’t any individuals around during the entire 15 minutes of prayer. After a long prayer for great revival and great awakening to break out throughout City Hall and the city as well, I decided to walk the main downtown street and toward the YWAM base several miles away. I always enjoy walking the main streets of each city I cross walk. It is on these streets that I get to meet local residents and the everyday people living in America’s everyday neighborhoods.
As I walked the cross along this very busy street, many people honked their car horns or shouted “Praise the Lord” as they passed by. As I talked with people along this route, the overwhelming majority were so happy that I was praying for their city and state. There are many believers in Honolulu, and they aren’t shy about their faith in Jesus. I knew that God was going to do a mighty work in Honolulu and throughout Hawaii. The joy I felt as I walked this main street compensated for the long four hour cross walk. I was also very thankful that Billy would soon be picking me up for the journey back to the YWAM base. Amen.
Next up: Waikiki Beach! The Solo Walk