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
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