There are so many levels!
·
There were
absolutely marvelous people on the trip working with so many Christians.
·
Seeing how a float
comes together.
·
The people who
saved us front row seats on Colorado Blvd. How do you explain that...how to
explain how much work that was..and they do that because?
·
Watching the
parade with pride....thinking I did that.
·
The opportunity to
witness to people just because we were dressed alike or because our
sweatshirt said Petal Pusher.
·
The fun of giving witness
bracelets to people, how surprised and pleased they were and how that
made us feel.
·
Just saying thank
you to the crossing guards and others that helped us and how they appreciated
that.
·
The look on the
faces of the homeless, realizing how they try to take pride in themselves,
how hard they have to work to get out of that situation and to be part of the
people who are helping them. How do you explain the feelings that we had from
that day?
·
How to explain the
renewal of faith and the feelings that I have from this week....and it was only
one week!!!
·
I feel like I have 22 really important
friends. (I already knew Ellie, Lynn, Sandy, Brenda)
Special thanks to you, Ellie
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Pat Stofferahn, St. Paul, Ankeny
This trip was so much more
than I had expected. I knew we would
work on floats but I never imagined how much we would witness for God. I know some people thought of this as a
vacation but it wasn’t. The floats were
just a part of the trip. Giving out
friendship bracelets, talking to others about Lutheran Hour Ministries, Petal Pushers
and nightly devotions were just some of the other things we did. We were totally immersed in God’s work. I can’t leave out the trip to Skid Row and
the homeless shelter. Seeing the smiles
when we would give out underwear or socks was amazing. I truly felt we were serving a need. I came back with a new lease on life. I know that I can make a difference in my
family, my church and my city. I can’t
wait to continue my work for God whatever it may be. Thank you Ellie, for organizing this trip.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Kathryn Sprecher, Trinity, Des Moines
Just imagine. Just imagine a hot meal while sitting at your
dining room table. Just imagine pulling
up the covers in your nice warm bed.
Just imagine… The 27 members of the IOWAY team were privileged to visit
the Urban Street Mission located in the area known as Skid Row and distribute
health/hygiene items as well as undergarments.
We also helped to serve meals to the residents at the shelter as well as
those who came in from living on the streets.
I visited with a man who had come to LA to drink himself to death. I was able to share that, though our lives
had followed different paths, God still loved and cared for us.
Just imagine how God worked in the lives of those on our IOWAY team as well as those we visited with and those who watched us as we worked to serve Him.
Sadie Heetland, Faith, Adel
When my mom originally told me
we were going to California, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. Boy, am I glad I went. Working on the float and talking to all the
people was so much fun. All the work
that goes into one float blows my mind! They were just beautiful. Seeing the final product driving down the
street and knowing all the millions of people all over the world watching was
very rewarding.Going to Skid Row was exciting yet sad. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Some people were very grateful and happy to get anything and others wanted a specific one and wanted the best. One lady came in with her daughter and was on the phone, not paying attention and pushed her daughter our way. The look on this little girl’s face was so sad. She was so scared so I talked first and gave her a health kit. I asked her favorite color and said pink. I asked if she wanted a hat and she shook her head yes. I gave her a pink hat. Her face lit up, she smiled, showed her mom and was so excited. That made me feel good that one pink hat had changed that girl’s mood. That was the most rewarding part. As we left for the day and walked by the ladies who were in the shelter at Skid Row, they clapped, said thank you and all smiled. They were so happy with so little and we lifted their spirits.
Our group was amazing! We had so much fun and I am so blessed to
have gotten to spend it with them and my whole family.
____________________________________________________________________________________
This trip made me more confident and wanting to really go out and witness to get more people at home involved and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
I helped with other floats, but when I did work on the Lutheran Hour float, it really made me proud and wanted to do my very best, for our witness to the whole world. When the float went by on Colorado Boulevard and heard the song “I Can Only Imagine” it brought tears and goose bumps to me. I was very proud of it! People that sat next to me praised the float and said, “That was the best. Great job, Petal Pushers.”
Left missing my family and went home missing my new Christian friends. We did a lot of smiling, laughing and crying all together. We experienced many adventures together. The experience made me feel great, knowing we were all showing that we are Christians by God’s love.
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