Pasadena update #2

December 30, 2011

It is work day #2 and we arrived at the Rose Palace at 8:00 and got to work right away.  Some were in the flower tents cutting and placing them in vials and putting them in flats.  Others were taking plastic off bunches of flowers for others to use.  People inside were cutting potatoes in half and letting them sit outside to dry to put on the float for cobblestone roads.  Others bunched baby’s breath for snow on the HGTV evergreen trees.  We were able to spend time to observe other floats place flowers along with brussel sprouts, squash, exotic flowers, coffee beans and many other organic products.  We met the Lutheran Hour speaker, Pastor Seltz and had time to talk and take pictures.  He will be on the float.

  We have handed out Jesus bracelets to share our faith with others.  There has been a lot of good times and lots of laughter and hugs.  It has been an amazing trip so far and we are so excited to be here.  After we got done working our shift we got to visit Hollywood’s finest and see the star’s prints at Grauman Theater.  It was a great experience and had a good opportunity to witness our faith.  We feel very blessed to be here and cannot wait to see what the remainder of our time here will include.  God Bless.

 Lynette, Chelsie, Kayla and Sadie Heetland

PS:  Tomorrow we have the honor of decorating during the prejudging of the Lutheran Hour and Home and Garden floats.  It is a ‘work in progress’ judging. The only downside is that we have to leave the motel at 6:00 AM. The final judging will be at 7:00 AM on Sunday in the Rose Palace. 

#1 Pasadena update

December 29, 2011

Hi and greetings from sunny California,                         

 On Wednesday we flew from Des Moines to Denver and then to Los Angeles.  After claiming our luggage, and every piece made it just fine, we headed for Enterprise where we picked up our 5 vehicles.  From there we drove to El Segundo to our California home.  Everyone settled in, ate the delicious dinner prepared by the hotel, and most went to Ralph’s grocery store for supplies they might need this week. Many of us sat outside near the pool to visit and share late in the afternoon just because it is the end of December and it was warm enough to just wear our petal pusher sweatshirts. We did it just because we could!   We know Iowa is also having warm weather, but it’s much nicer here.  The smell of freshly mowed green grass greeted us as we arrived at the hotel.  Seems like summer and we love it!

 Later that evening we sorted all the items we had brought from the churches in Iowa to get ready for our time to help serve the homeless on Jan. 3^rd.  We had piles of toothpaste, wash clothes, combs, school supplies, tooth brushes, deodorant, soap, lotion, etc. all around the room.  What a beehive of activity.  The pastor and his wife, Gerald and Kimberley who work with the homeless on Skid Row, came to meet us at the hotel and to share about their mission work. 

 This morning we ate a great breakfast at the Residence Inn in El Segundo where we are staying.   Then we were off on Freeways 105 and 110 with our five vehicles and drove to the Rose Bowl building where floats are being constructed.   We saw hundreds of fellow Petal Pushers as we arrived and hundreds more other volunteers. Many were high school age, all waiting to enter the building and begin work on decorating the floats.  Petal Pushers are volunteers who donate their time and talents to help spread the love of Jesus by decorating the Lutheran Hour and other floats that will head down Colorado Blvd on January 2^nd this year because the parade is never held on Sunday.

 We decorate not only the Lutheran Hour float, which most of you know is the ONLY Christian float in the Rose Parade, but we decorate others as well.  That donated time is credited to the Lutheran Hour float which helps pay for the expenses of the Lutheran float.  Pretty cool deal. Someone had a great idea on that!!!!  This is the 61^st year of proclaiming Jesus to the world by way of the float in the Rose Parade.

 Some of our group worked for hours on scaffolding putting silver leaf on the Bank of America float while the rest of us worked to get the silver leaf ready by removing leaves from the stems, trimming them, and putting glue on the backs of each one.  I would hate to guess how many thousand leaves we prepped that were glued to the float!  It is a huge float so watch for it in the parade.  Hopefully they will mention the silver leaf that covers so much of it and see what a great job our team did with it.   The best channels to watch the parade will be HGTV and RFDTV because they usually show the entire parade.  Some network channels conveniently decide that it is a great time to go to commercial when the only Christian float is heading toward them down Colorado Blvd.

 We worked hard from 8 to 3 and had a great time interacting and visiting with others who are working on this float with us. Most of us took breaks to visit the flower tent where there are truck loads of flowers waiting to be placed on the floats.  It is indeed a sight to behold!   When our shift ended, we trained the next shift and left for the day only to drive in rush hour traffic back to our hotel in El Segundo. We were almost back when Ellie decided to take everyone to the ocean for a short time.  Unfortunately, fog had moved in and it wasn’t so pleasant as we had wanted, but the young among us took off shoes and socks and were in the ocean, just to be able to say they did it.  By this time it was getting dark so hundreds of flash photos were taken with girls jumping on the beach when waves hit.  A good time was had by all even if it was for only a few minutes.

 Back at the hotel, we had a few minutes before supper was served.  The room was filled with laughter and frivolity from our group as we waited.  It was so much fun to see everyone have a good time.  Later we met in the meeting room the hotel graciously lets us use while we are here and we had some fun activities, shared ‘pows and wows’ about our day, and absolutely laughed our wheels off again!!  This group is such a fun loving bunch.  Everyone is bonding and connecting as a team.  Ellie closed with devotions on the theme “Life”.

 Now most are sleeping so I will attempt that as well.  5:30 wake up comes early here in California.  That is even before the sun comes up!!  Tomorrow we will work in the other building where floats are being created, the Rose Palace.  This is the building where the Lutheran Hour Float is being decorated so hopefully some of us may get to work on that during our shift tomorrow. The weather man is promising another day in the mid 70’s and sunny all the while we are here.  No rain on the parade this year!

 So, I am signing off after two days of this IOWAY mission trip.  Time to sleep for we have big jobs tomorrow.  Not only will we be decorating floats, but Ellie has challenged us to all take a number of witness bracelets on our arm tomorrow and witness to people and have them all given away before we return to the hotel tomorrow night.

Good night from the western edge of the continent!!
Lynn Menz

Photos from the Journey

SKID ROW!

What a day!!!! Saturday, July 10 was a day that will be remembered for a lifetime by our team. We left the hotel wondering what we would see, what we would experience and how it would affect us. Our caravan of four mini vans made its way into the inner city of Los Angeles to an area called Skid Row. It is an area where 8,000 – 9,000 homeless people live. Some live in shelters and most live on the street. We joined Gerald and Kimberley Fortier who go once a month to minister, feed and cloth people on Skid Row. We met in a fenced-in parking lot of the Union Rescue Mission on San Julian Street.

The day started with a circle prayer by all the volunteers. Then Gerald and Kimberley had a church service. Our IOWAY team sang a few songs. The Skid Row ‘guests’ were offered a Bible. We distributed the ones we ‘marked’ to guide the person through the Bible to learn of Jesus love.

After the service, the people were given a substantial meal. IOWAY provided 200 bananas, 200 bottles of water and $250 for the purchase of the broasted chicken. The $250 was a generous gift from the adult Bible Class at Immanuel Lutheran Church at Schleswig.



After the service, each person was given an opportunity to pick out clothes that they needed and we distributed health kits. Then they opened the gate and let ten at a time come into the area for food, clothing and health kits. The people were so very grateful for what they received. As I work with the homeless I continue to hear the term, “new homeless”, referring to the many individuals and families who recently lost their jobs and find themselves homeless. We met people who ‘had it all’—the house, cars, boat, job, etc and they lost everything when they lost their job.



Some of you reading this may expect that we saw lots of drunks and drug addicts. We did not. I am sure there are many on the streets, but we met basically people like you and me who are in need of help. The thing that broke my heart was seeing the families. Many parents were trying to keep their family together. In some cases the parents have a job but the job does not pay enough to support their family.



We worked with David, a man who has a heart for the homeless. He works to find jobs for the homeless. He shared with me that he is currently working with a homeless Mom with six children and with three homeless teens to find jobs for them. I personally met the teens. It is sad to hear stories about the homeless but it takes on a new meaning when you meet, pray with and hug the homeless teens.



When we returned to the hotel, we spent two hours as a group discussing our experiences of the day. It is hard to put emotions into words, but I think the following will give you a good understanding of the experiences as expressed by members of our IOWAY team. Ellie Menz



1. The day made me feel guilty for all of the things that I am blessed with. I have a place to call home and I can afford clothes and food. I’m only seventeen and I have a job. There are so many adults with much more experience and a better education than me and can’t get a job! I have so many things that I don’t even need when I could have used that money for something much more important for someone who is in need. It also made me sad to see all of the people and how hungry they were and how they had to wait for hours just to get a decent meal. I was amazed at how appreciative they were to just get some clothes and maybe a pair of shoes. I felt sad that so many had to be turned away because we ran out of food. Also, that many of the people can’t help that they are homeless, and have just fallen on hard times. Angela Jolly, Norwalk



2. Even though lots of clothes were donated to the people on Skid Row on Saturday, large women’s sizes (18-22W sizes) are hard to find. A large woman came up looking for size 20 & 22. Through God’s mercy, I picked up one of the many bags and guess what size was in that bag? All the clothes in that bag were size 18 to 22. Doris Nahnsen, Schleswig



3. I was assigned to work at the gate allowing people to come in and out. I was cursed at and heard many depressing things, but I was astonished to see and hear how hungry people were. People were so hungry that they were crying, cursing, swearing, and even fighting over just the concept of hunger/food. After awhile, I saw a woman vomit on the street. It was probably from malnutrition, drinking or some disease, but within minutes people were swarming the puddle of vomit. They were so hungry they’d eat anything. In this case, they were eating her vomit, picking out the chunks. After seeing that, I wonder why the Government is paying millions of dollars on pointless, stupid little things, and not on buying food to feed the homeless and poor. If we could afford one or two meals a day for them, we could change their lives! Cody Clausen, Schleswig



4. A biker from the ‘Sons of God’ motorcycle club who were volunteers, like us, told me a story. He told me that when he was about forty five he got into drugs. But at fifty, he went into a church that he was walking past because he heard beautiful singing. He heard the sermon. He liked it so he came the second week and liked it so he kept coming and he said that he keeps learning more. Andrew Reeve Glenwood



5. A. I met a man who had 3 small children. They live in a mission for right now. He asked me if I

could find a pair of pants for his 2 year old because he only had one pair of pants.



B. I was helping a little girl find clothes for her and her sister. I asked her if she needed underwear and she said, “what’s underwear?”



C. I met a man who asked me if I could find size 9 ½ shoes for him. I went to find some, but there were no men’s shoes in his size. There were many who needed shoes and they went so quickly, so many did not get any.



D. I helped a man find clothes for church because he wanted to look nice for church! I also found a suit for a man who wanted one for a job interview. Colleen Petzenhauser, Lake City



6. Today it was a very different day from all others. Today I saw the world with different eyes. Seeing all those people waiting for a plate of food was sad but also made me see that I am very blessed to have a plate of food on the table every day. Also, now I see that I am so blessed to have a place to sleep and to have a family. Claudia Perez-Garcia, Denison



7. As we were holding a church service for anyone who wanted to go, I went over to the gate where people entered. As we were sitting there, a little boy and his sister came to the gate. I started talking to them and the little girl was teaching me a patty cake game. It was really interesting and I’ve never done it before but it was really fun connecting with the kids that way. It was really sad though to think these little kids live on the streets and I get to go to this nice hotel at the end of the day. It’s hard to get over a feeling like that. Jessica Overturf, Norwalk



8. Towards the end of the time at Skid Row there were people coming in to get clothes. The food was gone at this point. I was just standing by the gate with Mac and saw a guy in a wheelchair passing by on the other side of the fence, so I started talking to him and he asked me what I was doing. I told him we were on a mission trip.

During our devotional time at the hotel, we have been watching ‘Answers in Genesis’ and we learned this thing where you ask people about their faith through certain questions trying to get them thinking about it. The questions include: 1) What do you mean by that? 2) How do you know that’s true? 3) What difference does what you’re saying make in your life? 4) What if you’re wrong? I felt as though he was asking me these questions and it totally took me by surprise because I’ve never been asked that stuff before. He was asking me what God has done for me and I was saying He gave me my family and friends and he wouldn’t accept my answers so then I said something about how God gave me my mom and my life and the fact that she didn’t abort me. Something with that answer he liked and he accepted that. I was happy to witness to him and told him God Bless You and thank you and then he went on his way. Jessica Overturf, Norwalk.



8. When we got there it was full of people, but the lady that got my attention was a Hispanic who lives at the mission. She has three kids, 2 boys and 1 girl,15 years old. She told me she couldn’t get all the clothes she wanted because they have a limit on how many clothes they can have and she asked me if I could ask everyone to pray for her so she could get a home.



The other thing that almost made me cry was when a van drove by on the street giving out food and all the people started running and some left their kids on the sidewalk. I felt really bad.



9. I think this was the most eye opening experience that I have ever had. You just don’t see things like what I saw today anywhere in the Midwest. I just saw so many disturbing things today, but I also think at points I was the most excited person there. Payton Kalambakidis, Glenwood



10. Many people who have heard of Skid Row only remember the violence or bad things that have happened there. Most people that will read this story will have a different view on what we can do to change the lives of others. Today I met many people that used to be just like us and some that used to have it all. Now those people are struggling for anything they can get their hands on. They had many material possessions until the economy or family members took everything from them. We all take everyday things in life for granted. Back in Iowa we all get meals three times a day every day, but in Skid Row some people go for a couple days without a meal. Also, in the morning we get to decide what clothes we get to wear for the day, while people in Skid Row wear the same clothes for weeks at a time. When there are any mission groups that go to Skid Row, the people there rejoice, because they finally get new clothes and food and health care supplies. In Iowa we have houses that we own and live in. In Skid Row people are lucky if they get apartments or a shopping cart full of all their possessions. Sometimes we don’t like the way our house looks or we think that we need a better this or that, but we don’t. There are people in Skid Row that would be blessed to live in a home like you or I do. Almost all of the people that are out in Skid Row are extremely thankful whenever missionaries or anyone who comes to Skid Row to hand out life’s necessities to them.

Whenever we go through our daily lives we don’t usually think about how good we have it. We all have plenty of food for our self each and every day. There are people that are starving right now throughout the world. We all have plenty of social contact with our family and friends. We don’t think about how much we as a country depend on money in today’s lifestyle, but these people in Skid Row can only dream about money and many other things that aren’t available to them. We don’t have to worry about where we are going to sleep at night or what clothes we need. We don’t think about what we can do to help others that can’t help themselves. If we all could save just five dollars a week that would add up to $260 a year that you alone can give. I know that five dollars isn’t that much to save each week. With the $260, you could buy clothing, food and health care supplies for missions to poor areas around the world or even in our own country. Also, with the $260 you could just keep it for yourself and spend it on something you will eventually throw away or use once and that’s it. Many people that will read this story will forget a lot of things that we can do to help. If you can only remember one thing from this story please remember that every little bit can help many people. Many people don’t know how little can change a person’s life. A little smile or even a hello could completely change a person. We as a country should stand up together for a better American dream for the Skid Row area.

Derek Rothe, Schleswig



11. What do you think of when you hear the words “Skid Row?” Violence, drugs, murder. . . . well you are right. But would you ever guess that these homeless people are just like you and me? Really, some have a job and work every day. Some can afford to pay for food and hygiene stuff, but they can’t afford a house for their family. These guys are called the new homeless. Yes, there are the homeless that we think of. But most of these people try to get a job and I saw that their spirits are so high. It just blows your mind. It is almost sad because their spirits are pretty much higher than our own. How can that be? They have more to look forward to in their lives. One thing that I have gained from this is, to always keep my spirit high. No matter what happens to you, put bad things in the past and forget about it. Always look forward because you can change the future to be better. So if you have had troubles, forget about them and keep looking forward because there is always something better. Michael Rothe, Schleswig



12. One of the bikers in the ‘Sons of God’ bike group told us about his life before Christ. He said that he was in drugs and alcohol and just bad stuff like that. He said that one day during a drug deal in front of a church he heard a lady singing, so he decided to go in and take a look. When he got in he heard the pastor preaching and decided to go back the next week. That was eleven years ago and he has been to that church every Sunday since that day. Now he is a great servant of God. He feared at first that God wouldn’t love him because of his past. But, the pastor told him God sees through that and always loves you. He does anything he feels God has in mind for him. He helps at Skid Row every time they do their devotion/service meal. He is an amazing man to turn his faith to the Lord. Adam Nahnsen, Schleswig



13. A. Lavelle was a guy Suzan got to know who came to get clothes. When he came in, I started to help him pick out clothes. Well as time went on I kept seeing him picking out clothes so when he was ready to leave I walked up to him and started talking with him. I gave him my “ABLAZE” bracelet. I explained what it stood for. He was so happy that he hugged me and said I was blessed by God and he wanted me to come back next year and see him.



B. A family came in with two little kids, so I started helping them pick out clothes. I held up clothes and the boy’s eyes got really big because he was so happy to have new clothes. So he and I started to mess around and have fun. And the touching part was he actually got some of my old clothes that I had donated. Kodi Hawthorne, Lake City



14. My story still needs to be determined if it is true or not but it could happen. My story is about an old lady I visited with who used to have a great life with a lot of money and a huge house. She said her family was mean and took it all from her. She then had to move onto the streets. While living on the streets she got a $20,000 lottery ticket and won the $20,000 ticket but the cashier lied and said it wasn’t a winner and took the ticket and cashed the money for herself. So she said she is still trying but nothing but bad has happened to her for a long time. Baker Cambridge, Glenwood



15. We were sitting by the gate waiting for the distribution to begin and these two little kids came up and started talking to us. We let them in and started playing with them and they taught us some games. When it was time for them to go and they didn’t want to leave. Anonymous



16. There was this guy named Murphy and he comes every month. He saw Gerald and yelled, “Gerald, Gerald I want you to meet my son: Gerald. He loves the Lord too!!” Anonymous



17. I felt sorry for a little girl who was the last person and she didn’t get a chance to eat. We were out of food. I was helping a lady get some clothes for her and her daughter and also for her friend. There was another lady and I was helping her get some baby clothes and she was happy to get clothes and she thanked me for helping her and she was talking to me about her story.

Sonia Reeve, Glenwood



18. Lavelle was sitting on the ground next to the gate. He was a middle aged black man who had just finished going through the tables of donated clothes. He was gently folding each of his new treasures and placing them in his newly acquired suitcase that had come from Iowa. I went over and asked if I could sit and help him pack his suitcase. He said sure. I sat down next to him and started a conversation about where he was from. He stated that he was originally from Indiana and then moved to Phoenix 21 years ago. He became homeless about 8 years ago. He lost his job, moved to the streets and after not being able to get another job, he started working at a mission shelter and volunteering all his time. He was homeless off and on. He moved from Phoenix to LA because of all the violence in the inner city that he experienced in Phoenix. He has been in LA since 2007 and he volunteers at the nearby shelter. He has a small room at the shelter. He attends church. He then told me that he recently won a contest. The prize is a house, car, boat and TV. He said the paperwork is in process. I had a hard time believing him at that point seeing how pleased he was with the second hand clothes he just picked out.

A lady on the other side of the fence started cussing and calling out names. Lavelle said, “Ignore her, the demons have her tongue!”

I helped Lavelle zip up the suitcase. He stood up and put his arms around me and gave me a hug. He said, “Thank you. God bless you. It was a blessing to meet you.” He was optimistic, even with his situation. Whether or not his story about winning a house was true, he had hope for himself and was a servant to others. I gave him the heart medallion that I had been carrying in my pocket all week. I explained how he had touched my heart by taking the time to share his story with me. Suzan Reeve, Glenwood



THANK YOU for taking the time to ‘experience’ Skid Row with our IOWAY team as we shared our thoughts.

THANK YOU for your prayers. It was an amazing trip. It was a life changing and faith building trip for our team.



God bless you as you serve Him by serving others.

Serving God By Serving Others! Skid Row

(Passing out Bibles during the street serve.)

(George with multiple members of the IOWAY team.)

Today, we worked at Skid Row, also known as the Projects.  We had a street church service, served lunch, and distributed clothes.  We met many interesting people with many unique situations.  One incredible story was from a man named George who is Sudanese. Sudan is a rough country that has been in a religious civil war for many years. The northern half believes that there should only be a Muslim religion and has been fighting with the southern Christian half. When he was four, he watched as his mother, father, and uncle were killed for believing in God by the Muslim military. He and most of the other children ran into the bush to survive and they stuck together for the next nine years, but many of the other children were killed by animals such as lions in the wilderness.

By thirteen, he was traveling from country to country by himself. At seventeen, the United States paid for him to come to our country and he was adopted by a family in Philadelphia. He attended a community college in Delaware and moved to Australia in 2006 and stayed there until 2007. There George joined the Salvation Army and the community sent him to Los Angeles because he did not want to return to Pennsylvania. He is now located in the Salvation Army community in L.A. and has been there for three years. He plans on returning to Sudan in the future and starting a church. When asked if he has any fear of returning, he replied, “Why fear death? This is just flesh. No one is alive without the Lord.”

Serving God By Serving Others!

Following are reports from the IOWAY team on July 7, 2010. They have been ‘on assignment’ for the past ten days.



Adam Nahnsen, Immanuel, Schleswig:

Overall, the trip is an eye opener. We see how the people live and they want to know how we live. Some people know some things about God and we are able to teach them more about the Bible. It’s a good feeling as a Christian to know we are doing our part to help spread God’s Word.



Paul Nahnsen, Immanuel, Schleswig:

One person asked how congested the freeways are in Iowa. My response: “ Well, on the gravel roads near Schleswig, I might meet a couple cars” : ) Their response is shock and a question, “What’s a gravel road?” This is my second year on this trip and I thought I knew what to expect. The churches are in the same places and for the most part, the people are the same, but again, this year had a whole new set of surprises. Different responsibilities, different team members, different lessons/themes, and different events. Key word is DIFFERENT but the same outcome. My eyes are opened to the problems of this country and becoming closer to the Lord because of them. I have more respect for the people who actually stand up for what they believe, and I need to take action more. My eyes have also been opened to know that I have not appreciated my family or the blessings that I actually have.

Andrew Reeve, Trinity, Glenwood:

I have enjoyed going on this trip. The first reason I’ve enjoyed this is because I have met a lot of new people who love Jesus. Also, I have enjoyed going to a new place that I’ve never been to before. The main thing I enjoy is to help people learn about God and His Word. The people here enjoy it a lot that we are here.



Kodi Hawthorne, Pilgrim, Lake City:

The trip means a lot to me because it really has opened my eyes to the advantages we have in Iowa compared to what we see people have here. We take for granted our food, clothes, cars, toys and money. This trip has changed me a lot by making me appreciate what I have compared to what I could have. I really recommend that people go on this trip.



Paula Jolly, Shepherd of the Valley, West Des Moines:

It is great to see so many young people from our district who are interested in sharing themselves and serving others. They want to tell others about the faith we have in Jesus. Watching the kids who come to VBS really ‘get’ the lessons and think through and discuss what they have learned. They are not just parroting back what we said. They understand it and it makes sense to them—the light goes on in their brains.



Michael Rothe, Immanuel, Schleswig

This trip has made me more aware of what is going on in our country. It is amazing how badly we need to focus on our country to help us get back into the ways of God. We do a great job in other countries proclaiming God, but I feel that when it comes to your country, we just freeze and can’t get the Word out. Also, this trip has made me aware of the fact that there is always someone in the world who has it worse than we do.



Sonia Reeve, Trinity, Glenwood:

I really enjoy being on this trip. This is my first mission trip and am loving it. Faith Lutheran Church where I am working, has a lot of work for us. It is joyful to see all the people who are helping. This week we are teaching VBS. There are a lot of kids who are coming and they are enjoying it. Some of the kids who come each night are homeless. They still come to learn about God.

Claudia Perez, Zion Hispanic Lutheran Church, Denison:

This trip has changed my life more than I expected it to. It has made my faith stronger. Also, it makes me appreciate everything I have—family, home and friends.



Angela Jolly, Shepherd of the Valley, West Des Moines:

This trip means a lot to me because it took me out of my little bubble that I was in and showed me a whole different world. It makes me appreciate all the wonderful gifts that I have been blessed with. It feels great to know that the things that we are doing are changing many people’s lives for the better. Most of all, it has brought me closer to God.



Colleen Petzenhauser, Pilgrim, Lake City:

Wow, where am I as of today? I have grown deeper in my faith through this experience in many ways. Some of it is because I have gained a new appreciation for the ‘little things’ that I take for granted each day. This came as I saw a prostitute going through the garbage at the church. She was scraping the cheese off the pizza box that we had pizza from the day before. I am now very thankful for the food I eat each day.

My next awakening came when my daughter helped do CPR on a 9 month old who was having a seizure. I am thankful that she was in the right place at the right time and with the right training to help keep the baby alive!

Another awakening came today while teaching Bible School to middle school/high school students. We were talking about angels who told the shepherds of Jesus’ birth. (Something that I have heard hundreds of times). I asked them when we usually hear this story and there was silence. Not one of the 12 students said Christmas. Finally one said, “Easter.” Then another said, “No, Easter is the resurrection.” I am thankful for being raised in a Christian home! I am also thankful that we are all here, teaching these kids about Jesus.

The last awakening I had was also today in Bible School. We were talking about ways to be heroes for Jesus and one of our High School students talked about starting in little ways, like smiling at people who don’t like you and just to say HI! I didn’t think much of it until he said that that is what another of our students did to him when he used to bully him. Finally, his kindness made him stop and realize that this kid was really nice and they are now friends. I am thankful that this young man was so open! What a great role model for other students on how to be a hero for God!



Mac Juergensen, Holy Trinity, Farnhamville:

Since this is my third year on the IOWAY team, I thought I knew what was going on. That is 100% not true! Every year is so different. A person does not know what to expect. There are new people, new kids, and a lot of new experiences. This year at Christ Lutheran Church, we have a 2 year old student and just the fact that her parents wanted her to start learning about Jesus so young is great. It is interesting too that the parents came two years ago to LA from the Philippines. They were Lutherans there and the mother said when they got to LA she looked through the yellow pages for a local Lutheran church and have been happy members at Christ.

I don’t know what else to say..um…it’s been another amazing experience.

Adriana Mendoza, Zion Hispanic Lutheran, Denison:

At first, I did not believe that there were a lot of homeless, but when I got here, I saw people with shopping carts where they keep their stuff.

The kids we are teaching are really nice. There is a girl that heard the alarm of a fire truck and she asked me if the police were coming. I told her no. In my opinion, I think she has had contact with the police before.



Derek Rothe, Immanuel, Schleswig:

This trip has been an eye opener for everyone. The trip is a great way for us to reach out and help others strengthen their faith along with strengthening our own. This trip really makes us appreciate what we have. Also, we really get to see what God wants to do for us. Anyone reading this should encourage youth in your community to go out to work for God.



Jessica Overturf, Shepherd of the Valley, West Des Moines:

The benefits of going on this mission trip are really hard to put into words. It is just incredible! You get to meet so many amazing people who feel the same about God as you do, and then spread the word to many others. The people are wonderful. This is my fourth year on the trip. I appreciate what everyone has done for me to let me to be able to go on this trip. I would love to keep coming back for many years but I want to let others enjoy the great experiences that I’ve had. I want to especially thank my new home church, Shepherd of the Valley, for supporting me. Thank you very much.



Cody Clausen, Immanuel, Schleswig:

I’ve enjoyed this trip because it has been so life changing for me. Each day I enjoy being with a 6 year old boy named Daniel. He is homeless and lives with 8 or 9 others and one woman who act as a Mom. They lived in a hotel lobby last year, but now they live in a church that helps take care of them. All of the kids have been really special to me, but Daniel has been especially close to me. He sits on my lap and now calls me his favorite cousin.



Payton Kalambokidis, Trinity, Glenwood:

I liked this trip because I really got to help people. My faith strengthened. My main reason for coming in the beginning was just to help the city of LA and to help build a better place for kids in LA and to encourage them to go to church. I have been able to share with others and along with that I think it has made me a better person.

Doris Nahnsen, Immanuel, Schleswig:

Many times in a small rural community, we don’t think about the different societies, cultures, needs of people, etc. This trip has helped open my eyes to see that as a Christian we need to be people of action! There are so many people that need reassurance of God’s great love and forgiveness.




Baker Cambridge, Trinity, Glenwood:

This trip has been an amazing trip for me and I feel my faith in Christ has become much stronger. I am very happy to be with such a great group of people who are very fun and enjoy being together. It helps me also because I am with a group of people who believe the same things I do, which is a lot different for me. There is a man on the team, Paul, that I look up to. I am working at a very cool church where I get to bond with new people.



Suzan Reeve, Trinity, Glenwood:

This trip has brought me closer to my Lord. It has made me more confident in my ability to proclaim His Word. I have found myself accepting the challenges and obstacles that we as Christians are confronted with when others share their faith. Being with others who share my faith has allowed me to grow in my faith and my personal relationship with my Creator.



Katie Petzenhauser, Pilgrim, Lake City:

This trip to me means an opening. Not only in my heart and mind enabling me to grow closer to the Lord, but also as a witness. I am able to comfortably tell people what I am doing on this trip and how amazing, fun and spiritually cleansing it is and people listen. Normally people look away and say that they are not listening to that stuff.

This trip means seeing amazing kids grow in their faith or start coming to church as well as encountering kids who have never been in a church. Amazing is the only way to explain this experience.



Jeff Reeve, Trinity, Glenwood:

The trip was a good experience for me. I was amazed that there were so many homeless people on the streets with carts. God has given us so much and we so often take it all for granted. My faith has grown since the beginning and I would recommend the trip to others. It will help them after returning to their home too.



On Saturday, July 10, the IOWAY team will have a new experience. They will be distributing food, clothes, health items and Bibles to people on Skid Row. That is an area in Los Angeles where between 8,000 and 9,000 homeless people live.

They will return to Iowa on July 12.



Thank you for taking the time to read about our mission adventures!

Serving God by Serving Others! July 4th and 5th

(The Statue on the alter at St. Paul Lutheran Church.)

(Katie Petzenhauser and Angela Jolly with some of the children on the waterslide at St. Paul.)

(Some team members during the water balloon fight.)

(Marking Bibles.)

 

(Eliie Menz displaying one of the care packages.)

Yesterday, on the 4th, we had a fun but productive day. Everyone went to St. Paul for church in the morning except the group that attended church at St. Phillips, and later joined the rest of the team at St. Paul. St. Paul hosted a water carnival in our honor including a meal, water slide and a 30 person water balloon fight. Once the festivities ended, it was time to get back to work.

After we arrived back at the hotel, we started sorting items for Skid Row, marked thirty Bibles that will be distributed at Skid Row, and finished preparing for next week’s VBS sessions. We assembled care packages for Skid Row with different health items including shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, a razor, and a washcloth.

(Pictures of the mural wall.)

Today, we had a work day at St. Paul which the entire group took part in. The church wanted us to clean out the garage and paint it, paint a mural on the wall along the alley, and till up the ground to make a garden for the LWML. The mural is titled “St. Paul The Lighthouse”.