Dear Friends,

“Hail Satan!!!” Over and over again, the camp across the trail from us yelled in unison, glorifying the prince of this world. But instead of seeming sinister, their “worship” sounded silly and futile in comparison to the truth proclaimed in our camp. We knew there was no real power in their words, so we did our best simply to respond with the love God would show them. During our first few nights at the Gathering, people from this camp, called “Menace to Sobriety,” came over in the middle of the night with threats and intimidation—throwing cigarette lighters in our firepit causing minor explosions, saying they would burn down our camp, and generally trying to spook us. As we continued to respond in kindness, something changed. The day after a few others and I stayed up all night making sure they didn’t destroy our campsite in a drunken rage, two of them came over independently and apologized, saying that they “had our back” and that anyone who gave us trouble was not welcome at their camp. Menace to Sobriety became good friends of ours, and God did amazing things among them, using people from the Jesus Kitchen to demonstrate God’s merciful love to people who have rarely felt it, even among the Rainbow Gathering where they were unwanted despite the philosophy that “all are accepted.” This is only one of the many amazing stories I have from this year. I’ve tried to choose a selection of things that might interest you and provide brief stories below. There are prayer requests at the end, as usual.

One of the original Rainbows (name withheld out of respect for privacy) is well known throughout the Gathering. One evening, we held a worship time with the other Christian kitchens in the main meadow. While things like the “Angel Walk—a human love tunnel” (where people walk through two lines of people who touch them and tell them they are “loved”) went on behind us, we lifted up the name of Jesus. And then inexplicably, this Rainbow elder came over, entered the center of the circle, and began to hold up a peace sign. We had been singing, “Pour out your love, oh Lord, on your people,” but we changed the lyrics to, “Pour out your love oh Lord, on [his name],” laid hands on him, and prayed for him. He stayed for the rest of our worship time as people continued to pray and speak with him. He said he had never felt more loved at a Rainbow Gathering. Praise God! Who knows what spiritual impact was had as he stood surrounded by believers worshiping the true God!

Each night at the Gathering, we have a brief worship service. This year, our pastor Mark decided to concentrate on the fruit of the Spirit, so that each night we had a message on a different fruit. Huge dorks that we are, we also decided to have that be the “Fruit of the Spirit of the Day,” which we would try to embody within the camp. We even hung a sign right next to our serving station to let others know what the “fruit du jour” was. I was blessed and excited that Mark asked me if I wanted to speak on one of the fruit at a service, so I prayed about it and chose goodness. I spoke about the fact that, as Jesus said, “No one is good but God alone,” and that at the Gathering, there is such a focus on “being good people,” but no consensus on what goodness is. Therefore, I concluded, we must look to Jesus, who is God incarnate, to determine what is good. And as his Spirit moves through us, we get the amazing privilege of being like God, who alone is truly good! I was especially encouraged by the fact that three people I had met and spoken with previously actually came back for that evening’s service and heard the message!

Every night, the Jesus Kitchen brings a pot of free Bibles to pass out at the dinner circle, in addition to several pots of food. This is one of my favorite things to do. This year, the attitudes we encountered seemed more aggressive than in the past. In addition to the usual taunts and mockery (“What flavor are those Bibles?” “Free Bibbles! He’s in jail again?!” “Are they chocolate covered Bibles?” “I can’t eat that!”), to which we respond as lightheartedly as possible (“Man doesn’t live by bread alone, right?” “It’s food for your soul, brother!” “They’re seasoned with the Spirit!”), we were also regularly cornered regarding issues of the formation of the canon and legitimacy of Scripture, and at times angrily attacked with accusations and arguments. I have to wonder if the level of hostility was related to the fact that there was also more hunger for the Bibles than ever before. We gave away dozens and dozens of them, including a number that were eagerly requested by young children. Pray for God to accomplish his purposes in the lives of those who received Bibles so that his word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11)!

Prayer requests:
-Please pray for all the people we met during the Gathering. There are so many stories that I cannot even begin to tell. I personally spoke with many, many people about God and believe that God is working in all their hearts. Please pray for the seeds to grow, for lies to be dispelled, and for their hearts to open and receive the Gospel. I would love to be able to share more of these stories with you, so if you would like to receive a weekly e-mail with prayer requests for people we met at the Gathering, please send me a note at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , and I will add you to the list. Please especially pray for a number of people (God knows who they are) I believe need to get connected with our church here in Minneapolis. }
-In my last newsletter, I mentioned that three people had been killed on the West Bank in recent months. It turns out that two of those may have been rumors or people who were shot but not killed. However, shortly after sending the letter, another person was stabbed to death. Both of the confirmed murders have taken place within a block from the house I will be moving into in September, and other violence is on the rise in that corner of the neighborhood. I feel it is no accident that we are moving to the center of these horrible tragedies. I will have more to share in coming months about our efforts to get out into the community and make a difference, but for now, please pray that bringing God's presence and light into a dark and desperate place will change this trend and set people free! Pray for God to have mercy on this place. The death must stop. (And, of course, please do pray for God's protection for us. We can't do much in the community if we are killed ourselves!)
-We also still need a couple more roommates to fill the house we are moving into. Please pray that God would bring them!
-Please continue to pray for God to provide financially for me when I leave my job in November. This is less than four months away, so the time is short. Please pray for me to make good connections with groups who might be interested in having me speak and share the vision I have for new ministries on the West Bank.

Thank you so much!

Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong!
Molly S. Waggoner
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www.blog.myspace.com/mollysidera

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