05/24/2026
I spoke with Ben last year. I knew his dad while in CA. Like his dad, Ben loves God, people and our nation.
While NYPD may find the perpetrators of this heinous act, we all know they will go unpunished.
We all know if Ben was preaching socialism and death, the state might make a martyr out of him.
But this is Hochul’s and Mandami’s NYC. It doesn’t have to be.
The democrats have had control of NYS for too long.
Vote Conservative, vote row C.
God bless America, NYS, Wayne County. Please pray for Ben for a full recovery and safety in the future.
-Jennifer Williams, WCCP Vice Chair
Update from Makenzie - Thank you to everyone who prayed for Ben and reached out to help yesterday. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for your prayers, help, and genuine concern for Ben.
For a detailed account of what happened yesterday in NYC, be on the lookout for an official statement from our COO, Jonathan Yasuda, tomorrow morning.
Ben was assaulted and robbed in Washington Square Park yesterday. He was struck multiple times and one person ran off with his phone. Ben was taken by ambulance to the ER.
I was able to be on speaker phone last night while Ben was in the ER and the doctor diagnosed him with a concussion. The doctor told us that he hopes Ben’s concussion symptoms will be temporary but there is no guarantee. He also said that this concussion may worsen Ben’s existing TBI issues—our biggest fear.
For those of you who are not aware, ten years ago, Ben had a serious cycling accident that forever changed his life. The results of that injury were nerve damage to his eyes. He has extreme sensitivity to light and movement. He works very hard to keep minimize his symptoms. If you’ve been around him for any length of time you know that he keeps his sunglasses and eye masks close in addition to many other lifestyle changes. In addition to that injury, he also incurred a second brain injury in 2023 that has affected his blood pressure/autonomic nervous system.
I mention this so you know why I ask for your prayers. Additional concussions are a serious concern for Ben. Specifically, we ask you to pray for no further permanent damage in his brain.
I spoke with Ben this morning and although overall he feels good, he said he does have some blurry vision, pain in the neck, throat, and head.
We are currently working with law enforcement to retrieve Ben’s phone and track down the assailants. They currently have an arrest warrant for one of them and we think that Ben’s phone may have been deposited into an ecoATM.
We are so thankful for your prayers – please keep praying!
All of this aside, this week in the city has been rich in ministry and life change. Dozens of good conversations with people who are seeking truth. One man that changed his mind about abortion as he encountered the truth about life. Another person asked to meet up privately and hear more about the Gospel. There are many other stories that Ben will share in the days ahead of people who would likely never come to a church building but were encountered on the street where they were. Stay tuned.
Until then I leave you asking you to meditate on these passages today: Ephesians 6:10-20, “…For we wrestle not against flesh and blood…” and 2 Corinthians 4:1-9 and “we are…persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”
Onward for the Kingdom – Makenzie
UPDATE as I was writing this – the detective called and they were able to retrieve Ben’s phone from the ecoATM. He said it is extremely rare that a stolen phone is recovered. We are thankful as it has footage of Ben’s attack on it and will further aid the investigation.
