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 

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