Haiti Update #3

Hello from Haiti:

Today we went to Bassin Bleu. Check it out on Google. It was beautiful, and most of us got something checked off our bucket list. We traveled by dump truck through a forest, city, and river. Once we arrived at the destination, some of us went cliff jumping, while others of us watched.

After the fun team building morning, we went to the feeding program in the afternoon. We saw lots of kids and adults that were in desperate need of food. The feeding program is able to feed about 80 children two times a week - this meal includes rice, beans, and chicken. For most, these might be the only meals of the week. We feel so blessed after witnessing the hunger of today. We sang songs, shared Jesus with them, took photos, and fed them. The feeding program was located at the tent city's church, which is where we went next. We were fortunate to distribute 180 pairs of shoes, around 300 pillowcase dresses, and other clothing items. After seeing the day's events, we all feel incredibly blessed with everything we have.

The day was concluded by participating in teaching ESL Classes; we all enjoyed forming new relationships and making conversation with our new Haitian friends.

We are all ready for bed; it's been an exhausting, but awesome day. Thank you for your continued prayers. 
Love,
The Haiti Team

PS: Someone on the team is on crutches. Clues: She is very clutzy, and it's not Kim or Sue. Send back your guesses and love :)

Haiti Update

Greetings from Haiti!
It has been an awesome, amazing, and exhausting day! 
We enjoyed a great morning at the beach with the children from the orphanage.  They loved playing and splashing in the water with us.  They especially loved Zachary, Lukis, Hannah, and Abby!  It was so fun to see the smiles!  We then fed them lunch on the beach and they had quite the appetites! 

This afternoon we had our first experience at VBS - teaching at the church near our guest house.  It was a great afternoon - Jane estimated 100 children along with many other family members!  Kim, Sally, and Abby led them in singing - we presented many songs and they sang for us as well.  Our Bible story was "Daniel in the Lions Den" and we spoke to the children about the importance of prayer.  We also did crafts, played games, and fed them peanut butter sandwiches and juice.  They really enjoyed getting their picture taken by Patti, Sue, and Hannah --- they printed the pictures ---- and attached them to a frame to take home.  Haitian children do not often have the opportunity to see themselves in pictures - so they loved it!  And so did the moms :) 

We ended the day in Bible study and prayer - reflecting on our theme "we are here to love."  "We love....because He first loved us."  We are so thankful for the opportunities this trip has given .
We love and miss you and hold you close in prayer -
the Haiti IOWAY team

Haiti Update

Hi from the IOWAY Haiti Team,

We flew from Omaha to Dallas to Miami and finally landed in Port au Prince at 4:40 yesterday afternoon.  The airport was a pleasant surprise, nice big building with restooms.  We were greeted by Reginald who collected our luggage and stacked it in the dump truck.  We rode a van at least 3 hours to Jacmel where we went to Pastor Marky's restaurant for supper.  They served fried chicken, seafood pasta, salad and french fries.  We then went back to the guest house, our home for the week, for devotions and a much needed good night's rest.  Today, we are getting used to the heat and higher elevation.  Everyone is feeling sluggish. Worship service started at 8:00 this morning.  Nathan our interpreter along with the choir, sang a beautiful song in English for us.  Nathan was lead vocalist backed up by the choir.  We were not able to understand the language but we could follow the order of service as they followed the Divine Service. We were really moved by the 5 people who became children of God through Baptism.  After lunch we will be planning our week with Sydney, Pastor Marky's wife.  We plan to take the children from the Lutheran Village Orphanage.  30 children and our team will spend the day on the beach.  We hope to keep in touch this year as we are able to get internet at the guest house when we have power.  We send our love to all of you.  Please forward our message to friends and family for us.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

Team Member Reflections-West Virginia 2013

     What a joy to share Jesus with children

Stand Strong!

in Lewisburg, WV.  His children both young and old are so unique and such special blessings.  It has been a week of unique experiences.  Whether we are in Iowa or WV God is with us and His love never changes. Eileen

What an unforgettable amazing week.  The children enjoyed the week but I’m sure not as much as the adults. (Even if it was WORK) It certainly was an emotional time and really pulled the strings of my heart.  I was asked to step outside my box several times, but it did me good.  I’ve learned to talk more openly about Christ and His love, even to strangers.  Go figure-they thanked me for it and even wanted to pray with me.  I believe we had an impact on the city of Lewisburg even if it was a drop in the bucket. Speaking of bucket, is a mission trip on your bucket list? If not it should be! Deb Preul

I would have to say my biggest impact was being grateful to have Jesus in my life.  This trip opened up my eyes and made me realize what I have is better than what some others have.  If you are thinking about this mission trip to West Virginia go for it because you have one life to live and this trip opens your eyes.  Many children don’t know about Jesus but we were able to teach them so much about Jesus.  When the children heard about Jesus - it enlightened their minds.  Kendra Hopp

It was a great blessing for me to share my faith with the people and especially the children of Lewisburg, WV I also had nine awesome friends in Christ to share this blessing with.

I would recommend this trip to anyone considering a mission trip. Sharon Witt

The week of July 12-19 has been an exciting experience of being with Iowa Christians working together to spread and share God’s love and word. 

The amazing children of Lewisburg are truly the most versatile and fast learning group.  They may not act like they are listening but the Holy Spirit is working in them to hear and learn all the Good News.

This week’s experience provided us with the knowledge to share the unique environment of the family life here in West Virginia.  Karen S

I volunteered for this trip without knowing what was involved and without knowing what my position entailed. It was a long ride to West Virginia but with the three other ladies I rode with from my church, it all promised to go well.  Upon arriving at the church in Lewisburg, I was impressed with Pastor Lohmeyer and his wife Judy.

The school we held the day camp at was pretty large, and at first the class was small, but grew throughout the day. We were very well treated by the staff and others belonging to the school-a big help if we needed something!

We started singing with Eileen leading us, and to watch those children sing, dance, and do the actions, made me love them from the start!  Every day was a treat to watch the children participate in all the activities and to see them learning and remembering the bible accounts.  My faith has grown right along with them all.  I feel I have grown in my love for Christ and my power and self confidence has grown to the point where I can help someone find God’s love also.  Shirley

An Ioway West VA mission trip has so many facets from getting to know your team members who come from all across Western Iowa, to meeting new people in West Virginia, to sharing God’s love with people all along the route, to teaching God’s love to children at the day camp and to understanding a different culture than ours. Over and over we saw God’s presence in our days as he protected us with safe travel even in the winding roads of the mountains and the thunderstorms that made it difficult to see. Plus He gave us the energy and the willingness to do the things he asked us to do.

One highlight for me was the prayer walk through town as our group was able to ask several people what we could pray for them for.  How appreciative they were to be prayed for. It was with goose bumps that we prayed for the people in the houses that we didn’t meet.  Knowing that God knew what these people needed. The other happy-sad highlight was in saying goodbye to the children. Giving the hugs and one last time telling them that God loves them. They literally hung on to the promise of God loving them and because of Jesus we will see them later. Ruth

How to express the joy that the children at the day camp experienced?  They learned about Jesus through songs, skits, crafts, and interaction with the Mission group.  I have been privileged and honored to have been among such spiritually uplifting people for my week in West Virginia.  This has been such an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life. 

I would encourage any and all of you to experience this joy at least once in your lifetime.  How about next year?  Shirley Kading

Photo Journey

Team Member Reflections

Greetings from Los Angeles! 

We had a great day today, Sunday, at two of the churches where we had VBS last week.  The people were very appreciative of our help.  This afternoon we enjoyed a delicious meal at Hometown Buffet.  Then off to the beach for some relaxing and building some sand castles. There is amazing talent in this group.  The sand castles were awesome.  Then back to the hotel to reveal our secret servants and to have a special foot washing service.

Monday, July 22, we head back to Iowa to serve God there.  Thank you for your prayers and your support.  God has truly blessed our outreach.  It was a fulfilling, rewarding, exciting, learning experience.

Following are the reflections of the team as they looked back over their two week mission trip:

I’ve been on two other mission trips, but this trip has really been special and meant so much to me. I’ll start with the amazing people we met. I’m not going to list their names, but they’re so loving and supportive right from the very first time we met. I never one felt uncomfortable or awkward.  Skid Row was one of the major highlights of this trip. It really opened my eyes to how blessed I really am. We think we have it bad sometimes, but people there basically have nothing, yet they’re still smiling and living their life. VBS at the churches was absolutely amazing. I’ve never had that much fun before teaching God’s word and helping out. One really cool thing that I got to do was play piano while our VBS director, Joe Mitchell, who is also a professional musician, played percussion. (This was at Christ Lutheran Church by the way.) I was blessed to work at St. Philip’s church too and I loved the diversity with getting to work with the elderly and the kids. You get so close to the people you work with and teach that it’s hard to leave. This trip has strengthened my faith more than other trips I’ve been on. (The other trips are still really good though!) I’ve taken on a while different perspective on so many things.

-- Jena Nahnsen

This trip meant a lot to me. This was my first trip so I was kind of nervous about it. I didn’t know what to expect because I was going to be with people I have hardly talked too. As soon as we landed in California everything felt normal because everyone that came was so caring and supportive about everything. Also, every new face we met in California was so welcoming and it felt like I have known them for years. When we went to Skid Row I was nervous at first because I have never really seen anything like this before. The nervousness went away fast because we were all working as a team. Also, by the end of the day I was handing out Jesus bracelets to the homeless and wasn’t scared at all. I find that surprising because I am literally scared of everything, but this time I wasn’t at all, it just kind of fell together. After that weekend was over we had VBS and that went great. Both churches had a great group of kids. All the kids had their unique personality and each one had a story. It was such a great feeling when they knew the answers to what we asked. This mission trip was a great time and also it built my faith and taught me many different things.

            -- Sierra Pauley

Having the opportunity to be on this trip has changed/impacted my life in more than one way. From the moment I took my first steps onto the streets of LA, I knew that this trip would involve many ups and downs, but in the end, it has been worth it. Being able to serve at Skid Row was such a humbling experience. In the way that I realized that my life truly isn’t that bad after all.  I have a family that loves me, a roof over my head, and food to fill my stomach. What else could a person ask for? Most of the people on Skid Row don’t have the privilege to be blessed with any of these things. To be specific, there was a lady with four young kids plus a newborn strapped to her back. All I wanted to do was rescue the baby and find him a better home. No one deserves to grow up homeless. But life isn’t fair, and it’s pretty much impossible to help save all of man kind. Other than working on Skid Row, we helped with Vacation Bibles Schools and it was also a good experience. The kids at the various VBS programs were very welcoming right when we stepped foot into the churches. It was an overwhelming experience that I will never forget. I never would have thought that when my two weeks in California was over I’d want the trip to last longer, but I was wrong. This trip has changed my perspective and has opened my eyes for the future.

-- Abby Schmidt

Throughout this trip many wonderful things happen. You will meet many people and it is such a blessing. First off, Skid Row is a major part of this trip. It will most likely be the time that you realize many, many things. We have so much that we take for granted and I truly hate it. I do it myself. Once you come here and experience Skid Row, I promise that it changes. Secondly, you get the amazing opportunity to teach Bible School to kids that might not even know about Jesus. Teaching the kids is always a highlight of my day. There are many kids that you will open up to and you will find yourself attached to them. I was blessed to be able to see Heidy this year again. Last year I became very attached to her. I also got very attached to a little girl, Khalea. I loved it when she would run through the door and hug me. God sent me on this trip a second time for a second reason. He has a plan for me as well as everyone else. I believe that this mission trip is a part of his plan for me. I hope by writing just this little information about how wonderful this trip is and how it touches your heart in so many different ways, so that othersmight consider going on this trip. God bless everyone who reads this.

-- Alexa Rowedder.

Once again this trip has been amazing for the third time. Every year I’ve grown in my faith tremendously. I’ve loved making new friends, both members of the IOWAY team and the students we work with at VBS. It’s amazing how some of the students remember us, our names, our likes/dislikes year after year. One of my biggest “Wows” came from a student in my class. He lives with Carlos, a boy I taught last year at VBS. This new student told me Carlos wished he was at VBS, but his mom signed him up for summer camp, so he couldn’t make it. But he told me that Carlos said hello and he reads his Bible that I gave him last year at VBS every night before he goes to bed. This was just another testimony that we make lasting impressions, more importantly Christian impressions, on these children and by doing that we lead them to Jesus Christ. I’m glad I came a third year. I’ve become stronger in my faith and have become more confident in proclaiming our Savior.

-- Spencer Owen

This trip was definitely a faith builder for me. It helped me remember and realize what we’re really suppose to be doing here, and that’s spreading God’s word. Many of the kids that I worked with and taught had such strong faith even when things were tough. They reminded me that God is ALWAYS with us and no matter what is happening, you always praise Jesus. There was one girl in my class who didn’t know Jesus at all and honestly that was a shocker to me. I often take for granted the fact that you think everyone knows or at least has heard of Jesus. She was interested though and asked lots of questions. I think that was one of the moments when it really hit me how important and crucial it is to be telling about Jesus and spreading His word. There is so many people  that haven’t heard about Him and need to. Also, this trip opened my eyes to how materialistic we can be. I think so often we try to find happiness in buying stuff and having the newest stuff when really none of that is really going to keep you happy. This trip has shown me that Jesus and God’s word and promises are the most important things in life.

-- Bailey Dammen

As one of the adult leaders on this mission trip it has truly been an honor and a personal faith builder for meto watch the IOWAY young adults on this trip witness and grow in their faith. They were all very willing servants of Christ and exemplified Jesus’ great love. I met many amazing people with their own Christian testimonials and they will continue to be in my prayers. As for the VBS kids we taught, some knew Jesus and some did not. I pray we touched their hearts so that those who believe continue to grow in the faith and that those who just are learning about Jesus that they continue to learn and accept Christ as their Savior. This is my fourth mission trip and each one becomes more amazing.

-- Doris Nahnsen

My purpose for this trip was to fulfill God’s plan for me. He has a plan for me, and just like the others who went on this journey, it was just another part of life that He has in store for us. God wanted me to be here to tell about His love for us, and how He sent His Son to die on the cross for us. Once you start letting other people “In” on his word and his love, their emotions brighten, and it builds their faith. That is if they have already heard about our Lord and Savior. This feeling is a thousand times better when you open up a new door for them and you’re the one to share the love of God with them for the first time. The kids you meet are so open minded and want to learn because a lot of them don’t feel love at home. Their relationship builds with God and you.

-- Emma Meseck

Snapshots of the Journey

A Need for Prayer

By Doris Nahnsen

We met a man at Skid Row in Los Angeles whose life resembles the life of Saul/Paul in the Bible.  The following is his story. He shared his story with the group during the worship service.   Please keep these people in your prayers.

Today we met Ritchie who is now a Christian.  At the age of 13 he committed his first murder.  He was at a bar in Mexico and an individual was harassing his friend so he pulled out a gun and shot him.  The individual he killed was an enemy of the Mexican Drug Cartel.  The drug cartel then kidnapped Ritchie and trained him to be an assassin.  He continued to be an assassin until the age of 17 when he was arrested in the United States.  He was convicted and put on death row.   During his time in prison the guards were basically on his pay-roll and he continued to commit many crimes.  If a Christian would try to talk to him about God he would tell them “I am your god and you will worship me”.  He would have any Christians beaten by the guards or killed.  He would then smoke their bibles by using the pages as papers for cigarettes or drugs.

During that time in prison (for the assassin charges) he got off on a technicality.  However, because of the crimes committed while he was in prison he was sentenced to 10 more years.  He served his sentence in Colorado in a cell that was 11 stories below ground.  He had NO human contact for those 10 years.  Two peanut butter sandwiches were placed in his cell daily.  The shower was mechanically wheeled into his cell.  He said he basically lived in boxers since there was no need for clothes since he had no human contact.  Besides the very basic needs the only other item in his cell was a bible.  After 5 years he decided to read it and it was then that he accepted Christ as his Savior, asked for forgiveness and became a Christian.

When he was released from prison the Drug Cartel wanted him back.  When he refused they kidnapped his daughter (which he fathered at the age of 13).  He told them that it was against God’s will and refused to return.  Through God’s divine love the Drug Cartel released his daughter.

Now, several years later after reestablishing a relationship with his daughter, his daughter got into some trouble with the Drug Cartel and they have kidnapped her.  She is currently being used in unimaginable ways and they plan to kill her when they are done with her.   Ritchie and his wife continue to be strong Christians during this difficult time but DESPERATELY need your prayers!

An Update from the West Coast!

Hello everyone! We have some free time now, so I (this is Spencer Owen) am writing a little update about the happenings here in LA. We thank you for your continued prayers for our group and for the people we serve here in LA. I know it's been a while, so we have to get caught up a little bit.... Hope you enjoy! 

Let's start all the way back with last Saturday (almost a week ago already! I guess they say time flies when your having fun! And boy, are we having some fun Serving God!) Saturday was our day we went to Skid Row in downtown LA, so we were forced to take the Freeway (known as the Interstate in Iowa!) You can say that's an experience in itself, but we arrived safely and we didn't get lost! We arrived in the parking lot of a place called Union Mission. This is the place where Kimberly and Gerald Fortier do their "Urban Street Church" on Skid Row. We helped them set up and prepare for their service. It's pretty cool to see a parking lot with nothing in it transform into an area with numerous canopies with tables for food, clothes, and health supplies, along with an area where people give their testimony and Pastor gives his sermon, along with an area for people to sit. It took quite a while, but by 11:15-11:30 the service started for 40 people or so that are Skid Row residents. 

Skid Row is an interesting place, and if you've ever been on this trip you'll probably agree. When you're driving to the area known as Skid Row, there are people on the streets everywhere! It's just almost incomprehensible. There are so many people in poverty. But to get through Skid Row you have to drive through the "Diamond District" and the "Flower District" -- areas where there are numerous jewelry stores and numerous flower stores. They are two of the richest and fanciest areas of LA, and they are situated right next to the poorest part of LA. There is seriously just a block difference between the two. 

During the service our 9 IOWAY members introduced ourselves and sang a song. They seemed to appreciate us being there and were thankful for us bringing all the items. We also listened to a man give his testimony to the crowd. Doris wrote his story and it was put on the blog yesterday.  Hope you had a chance to read it.

That was just one testimony. Everyone on Skid Row has a story. Why are they homeless? Drugs? Alcohol? Family issues? Fired? Laid off? and on and on and on. It seems like their biggest question is WHY? "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" This is reassurance to us, and to the homeless that God has a plan for us. He knows  and we have to Trust him. 

Saturday evening was pretty relaxing. We went out to eat and just enjoyed each other's fellowship, recognizing how nice we have it back at home. 

Sunday morning we woke up and went to church. We split up as one group went to Hope and one group went to Christ. We drove directly to Santa Monica where we enjoyed a nice relaxing day doing some souvenir shopping and doing some things on the pier. It was really sunny, not too hot, just sunny. But imagine that...sunny in California..but guess who forgot to pack sunscreen...Yup. Sunday night I was hurting and I was really red. I can still feel it today and it's Thursday afternoon. We went out to eat as a 'family' Sunday night and came back for evening devotion.

We headed to bed early Sunday night as we knew we had an early morning ahead of us. We were all going to be early to our churches for VBS just to finalize the plans, check over things, etc. My group left for Hope and the other group headed to Christ. We welcomed new kids and returning kids. Some of them had smiles on their faces recognizing a few of us from last year. It's amazing how they remember us year after year. We had a good turnout at all of our churches on Monday morning. 

Monday afternoon most of us took a nap when we returned to the hotel so we could get 'recharged' for our night VBS at two different churches. We left for Faith and St. Phillip's in the late afternoon. We had a great turnout at both of our churches. We did crafts with them, taught them the lesson, and learned songs. 

Our theme for VBS this year is "Set Sail With Jesus" with a sailboat theme. The theme at Hope is "Investigation Destination - Searching for clues for the King of Kings."  The lessons for the week and the theme words are as follows:

Monday - "Come" Fishers of Men

Tuesday - "Go" Jonah and the Fish

Wednesday - "Trust" Jesus Walking on Water

Thursday - "Serve" Paul serving God

Friday - "Celebrate" Paul's experience of being shipwrecked on an island

At Hope the their lessons are:

Monday - The Birth of Jesus and the Wise Men

Tuesday - Jesus feeds the 5,000 

Wednesday - Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem  

Thursday - The King dies and lives again

Friday - He Lives and will Come again

Throughout this week we have seen many old friends and have gained many new friends at the various churches. There is nothing quite like a bunch of kids jumping all over you (no matter how crazy it sounds), but we all enjoy it and they enjoy us too. We've had a lot of fun and it's sad it's ending tomorrow, but it's awesome to know that even if we never meet again we will see each other in heaven. These kids believe in Jesus and they know where they are going when they die on this earth. I will miss all of them, but knowing that I will someday see them again, maybe not on this earth, but in heaven is exciting. 

  

Thank you again for keeping us in your prayers at home and in your congregation. We certainly can feel the presence of God here in LA! Please continue to pray for safe travels and for the children and people that have been blessed by our work this week!

Have a great evening everyone! 

Spencer 

West Virginia 2013

  Once again our prayers were answered by the Lord bringing us 3 new faces for Jesus 
Camp.  We are thankful.  We started our day in the name of Jesus and Pastor gave a review 
of yesterday's lessons about The Fall and Noah's Ark.  After this followed enthusiastic 
songs of praise and crafts that remind us of the great love the Savior has for each of 
us.
      Our Bible story focus was the Story of Deborah from the book of Judges.  After a 
play telling the Bible story the children re-enacted the play several times to enhance 
their learning and understanding.  
     After a wonderful lunch, games and more music, we were treated to some outdoor 
education from Jerry and Karen Davis.  They are members of Christ Our Savior of the 


Valley Lutheran, who we are working with this week. 

 They shared their knowledge about 
garden herbs and various birds found in WV. 

These lessons reminded us that all things 
are marvelous works of The Lord.  
    People wonder why we are here... 

The purpose of each IOWAY trip is to share the 
Gospel of Jesus with everyone we encounter. 

 Mankind fell into sin and that sin 
separated us from God.  God created  the solution. 

 He sent His son Jesus to earth to live the perfect life we never could. 

 Jesus willingly went to the cross to take the punishment of the whole world's sin upon himself. 

He died but rose again to conquer death. He paid the price for our salvation with his own

 precious blood. Through our Baptism God made us His own children...heaven is our true home. 

 This is the best gift of all...go and tell somebody.

West Virginia 2013

Today was the first day of the Day camp in Lewisburg.  We started our day with a great devotion at the hotel that prepared us for the day.  There was a lot of one-on-one time in the morning with the kids, with more kids arriving in the afternoon. Two skits were presented; Adam and Eve and the Fall, then Noah and his family with the adults all in costume.   To reinforce the points the children then acted out the skits in costume.  Lunch was graciously served to us at the school.  In the afternoon Mr. Grimes from Parks and Recreation showed us ways to work together and to learn trust.

We had a delicious supper at Ruby Tuesday after which we went on a prayer walk.  We split up into three teams and stopped and prayed for each family on the street.  Conversation was had with several people and one woman who was concerned about her grandson was almost in tears after we prayed for her and realized that’s all we wanted to do.  She made the comment I feel like you are my family.  More stories and explanation about the prayer walking when we get back.  It’s too hard in one short paragraph to explain the impact that it had on us personally.  As a Christian we are learning more and more on this wonderful mission trip.

IOWAY Team Serves on Skid Row

Saturday, July 13, 2013 was a special day for nine amazing Iowans as they experienced homelessness. 

The IOWAY group headed to Skid Row, an area in downtown Los Angeles where as many as 7,000 homeless men, women, and children live, to help distribute food, water, clothes, and hygiene kits to many struggling people. 

Los Angeles has the highest rate of homelessness in the entire nation and many groups and organizations are available to give assistance to the homeless.  Most of them are Gospel spreading groups, including New Salvation Ministries, the group the IOWAY team works with. The team brought many items to distribute on Skid Row including clothes and health supplies, but also provided money to cover the cost of the chicken dinner for the homeless. Zion Lutheran Church in Arcadia and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Schleswig provided the money to cover the cost of broasted chicken that was distributed this month and will be distributed next month. 

After visiting Skid Row, the IOWAY Team expressed their thoughts:

"Today was my second time on Skid Row. It means a lot to me to go there because of my previous trip. Skid Row is a place that can change a person’s whole entire perspective on life in the matter of 30 minutes. I realize that I complain about dumb things.  Looking at people that are down to about absolutely nothing makes me realize how good I actually have it. It is amazing to see a group work together to help others and not worry about themselves. When you are there you will realize that most people are just like you. They are loving, giving and caring. The only difference is they don't have a home.

A homeless person sitting in a shopping cart looked me in the eye and said, "Never become homeless. Promise me." That really hit me hard."

                -- Alexa Rowedder, Denison

"Today was a combination of two things. It was helping those in need and spreading the good news and love of Jesus. We were able to help a variety of people and spread the good news. For many people this was probably their first time learning about Jesus and His love for all of His creation. It seemed that even the slightest act of kindness made someone's day go from sad to uplifted in a matter of seconds. For example, I found a shirt for a women when no one else could find one for her.  She was smiling from ear to ear. I didn't even try that hard to please her, which proves that even the smallest act of kindness will do remarkable things. Through this experience I felt like I was helping to my greatest ability. It was a remarkable feeling and I have never felt so happy, yet sad, at the same time as I felt today. With all this in mind, I was a tad bit anxious during and before Skid Row but at the end,  I even wished that I could have stayed longer and help even though we were done. Helping those in need truly made me feel better inside and I hope to continue doing mission work for the rest of my life." 

                -- Abby Schmidt, Schleswig

"Today opened my eyes. I found out how blessed I really am. After meeting other volunteers, I learned how loving, supporting and willing they were to work with us. Then interacting with the homeless people was a great experience. You know that they don't have much, if anything. But it really hit me when a woman carrying a sack only half full said "This is all I got."

Saying "no" to her request for a second hygiene kit was really hard, but we had to make sure we had enough for everyone. I was nervous at first thinking about going. Then we got there and met different people and the nerves just kind of left. This gave me a new sort of enthusiasm to help people in any way that I could." 

                -- Jena Nahnsen, Schleswig

"The first time I went to Skid Row I was very overwhelmed and felt intimidated (humbling). Today was my third trip to Skid Row. Even though there is sadness with so many homeless people, today was FUN! It was a joy to help and serve others - to put  their needs first. It was FUN to share the love of Jesus with so many other volunteers, and to feel that love in return."

                -- Doris Nahnsen, Schleswig

"Today was inspiring, heartbreaking and incredible. Our IOWAY group went to Skid Row to pass out food, clothes and health care items. In their eyes, at first, I sensed shame and failure, but once they had been reminded that they are loved and that God has a plan for everyone their faces changed. They were happy and grateful to know that there is help for them. The experience was an eye opener.  Words can't describe how it was on Skid Row. In order to know what it's like you need to be able to see it, feel it, and experience the poverty and brokenness. Although each person had a whole world of reasons to be depressed, sad and lonely, once you told them that God loves you and have a blessed day, every one of them walked away with a smile. Today was a very humbling experience. You don't know what you take for granted until you see what can all be lost.

                -- Emma Meseck, Denison 

"Today was a huge eye opener. I honestly didn't realize what I have until I saw the things I saw today. I also have never seen people be so happy for the little things they received. I used to be scared of homeless people. As the day went on I felt like they were the friendliest people. Today will be a day that I will share and remember forever. I also loved the fact that there were so many believers in one area. The hardest thing was seeing the homeless children. They were so happy to receive a stuffed animal. I know that God was with us through this whole trip."

                -- Sierra Pauley, Denison

"The number of people on Skid Row is absolutely astonishing, literally crazy. It is hard to comprehend that there are so many men, women, and children living on the streets. Having been to Skid Row before, this year seemed different. I seemed to keep my emotions out of it and I didn't take things as personally because I've learned through the three years of going on this trip that there is a lot of help out there. We can be helpful, we can give you food, clothes and God's Word and message, but they have to accept these things. They have to make a commitment to change their lives. The hardest part about Skid Row is seeing the small children and the veterans. One man today walked through the food line with a hat that said "Vietnam Veteran" on it. I asked if he served and he said, “Yes, sir.”

 I thanked him for his service and told him “God bless”. The thing I love the most is talking to people and hearing their stories. Everyone has a story and most of us can tell our stories to anyone, but who wants to listen to a homeless person's life story? How/why are they homeless? Drugs? Alcohol? Sex? Fired? Laid off?  Listening to someone and being there for support is key to a successful ministry. Kimberly and Gerald have an amazing ministry set up and thanks be to God that it continues to thrive to serve the people of Skid Row."

                -- Spencer Owen, Arcadia

Skid Row opens my eyes to how materialistic we really are.  Everyone is always worried about having the best this and the best that when there are people out there who just want a shirt, a pair of underwear, etc.  It is hard coming back from Skid Row and seeing how greedy most people are.  What the experience did was make me realize that who we need more in life is God.  Some of the most thankful people I met barely had anything but they knew God.  So many people try to find happiness in material things but this experience reminds me that the only thing that is really going to make you happy is God.

One homeless man looked and me and said, “If this doesn’t give you a reason to stay in school, I don’t know what will.”

           --Bailey Dammen