Street preacher trying to win souls for Christ

Daniella Smith is tiny in figure but she commands attention whenever she opens her mouth.

The 24-year-old has been preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in the streets since she was a teenager and her aim is to reach as many unsaved souls as possible, with a special emphasis being placed on the youth.

"A lot of us [young people] feel rejected at times," she said, vaguely referencing a 2021 incident in which she said she could have gone down a bad path as she felt broken and betrayed.

"I could have backslide, be in the madhouse, going from dance to dance and so on. But God helped me, so I am taking this opportunity to help those faced with a similar situation," she said.

Smith, a resident of Old Harbour, St Catherine, got baptised at age 12. She said she was recruited to attend Vere Technical High School as she was athletic, but her vision for ministry was overwhelming.

"It was challenging doing ministry on the street and attending school at the same time, and my interest was more focused on ministry. I was preaching on the street and there was just no balance with my schoolwork," she said.

Smith said that although both of her parents are Christians who supported her street preaching, they were concerned about her failing academics.

"I left school with only one subject but with the help of God, I went to Distinction College where I got another four subjects. I got the opportunity to travel to Caribbean islands to preach the undiluted gospel," she said.

At age 19, after travelling overseas for the first time, she returned with $75,000. Instead of spending the cash on herself, she purchased food items.

"It was the voice of God who told me to do it. I got the stuff and came home and myself and others cooked and feed the less fortunate. The ministry grow over the years and persons overseas contributed to it and now I don't only feed the less fortunate, but I provide back-to-school supplies for children in my community. I do an annual Christmas treat as well," she said.

The street preacher designs gowns for pastors and other church officials for a living, but the majority of her time is spent preaching or assisting the less fortunate. On her social media pages, which have thousands of followers, she shares testimonials from persons who claimed to have got their visas after Smith prayed and consecrated their passports.

"Whenever I go in the street, I have to get my mind prepared to meet and help people on a daily basis. I greet them as Christ would. I don't do nothing without Christ. On a daily basis people would come to me with their challenges and I will offer advice as God instruct me, and my heart is fulfilled whenever they come back and testify about the goodness of God," she said. The bubbly young woman has big plans for the year.

"I want to travel the world and preach and I want to help as many people as I can. I want to open a homeless shelter and hopefully to get married as well," Smith said.