“On Friday evenings the streets of Richmond (Surrey) are patrolled by Street Pastors who are constantly on the alert as to where they may be of assistance.
One evening a young woman was watching a group across the square where a fight was about to break out and realising a friend of hers was involved she went over hoping to intervene, meanwhile leaving her bag on the ground. On her return the bag was missing. Hearing this the Street Pastors offered their help and assuring her they would be praying for the safe return of her bag. Very soon after they recovered the bag, contents intact and it was returned to its grateful owner. Following this incident we would often hear of this young woman recounting what had happened and commending the word of Street Pastors.
There have been several answers to prayer involving lost items such as travel cards, purses, wallets and other items.
An area of constant concern is where fights break out with the potential for real harm. On one such occasion, outside one of the night-clubs two men were fighting with several others ready to join in. The Street Pastors spoke to the two men and the fight suddenly dispersed. On many occasions people have been moved to a place of safety.
The general public in the town are very encouraging and constantly express their feeling of safety having the Street Pastors patrol the streets.
No successful interventions would occur without the backing of prayer. From the moment the teams go out they are undergirded with prayer. Furthermore there is a Prayer Team back at the base being kept in contact by telephone as to any current situation on the streets which requires prayer.