August 3-August4, 2006

August 3rd,2006

Wow I didn’t wake up with a very good attitude Lord, I want to go home, I don’t know why, I just kind of feel icky! I know that once the day really starts I’ll be fine, but this morning is a struggle. When I shared my struggle with someone this morning, they encouraged me to read Romans 15:30 which reads, “I urge you brothers and sisters by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Love of the spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for Me.” I was assured that people would be praying for me.

August 4th, 2006

Wow, God you did an awesome work in my life yesterday! I woke up with such a horrible bitter attitude and you God were so faithful and crossed my path with amazing people who really blessed my life yesterday. It started with the DC academy, where I met the most amazing kids, specifically, Jesse, Tabitha and Iris! Lord those kids all come from completely different places but they are all here in the teen DCD program, they really needed some encouragement Lord, and I was able to give it to them, they found me last night after church and told me that I had encouraged them. Jesse and Iris both wanted to run from the program, the conversations I had with them encouraged them to stay. Iris and I had a pretty intense conversation about her life and I told her she should use her cousin as her living testimony, she specifically told me that it was because of me that she was staying in the program. It made me smile to know that I could have such an impact on someone. Iris was sick a couple of days into my time there, but I made sure to send a message to her and let her know I was thinking of her and would be continuing to pray for her.

*I should explain the DC Academy, is a private Christian school that’s run by the Dream Center, all of the students who go there with the exception of one are kids who are either in the Teen DCD program or are kids from the neighborhood, who are struggling with some kinds of issues, ie:(drugs, alcohol, gangs or trouble in school). The kids are all for the most part very awesome kids, who just need some love and encouragement. They are in school from 8:00-3:00 and at 9:30 are required to attend chapel in the gym, it was amazing, our job that day was to tutor them and encourage them. In the program I worked in there are approx. 30 kids.

After DC Academy, we had lunch and then my team headed out for MetroKidz in one of the most ghetto neighborhoods I have ever been in (It was so bad that they had told us what colors we could and couldn’t wear), it was there that I met the most precious kids from Priscilla the most beautiful girl I have ever seen to “Jose” Miguel, the nine year old tough boy who eventually opened his heart to me and told me his story, to Thomas the cute little boy who just wanted to be a ham for the camera. MetroKidz is such an awesome interactive program that really got the kids involved, the exciting part for me was actually getting them to get involved by singing and doing the motions for the songs, to cheering them on in their games and reciting the bible verses with them. I was lucky enough to be able to pray with two of the 26 kids who received Christ that afternoon. There was such an amazing spirit in that area I loved those kids.

*While at MetroKidz we met kids who are nine years old and being influenced by gangs, kids who come from families where mom is a prostitute, dad is dealing on the corner and their brothers and sisters and in the most prominent gangs in L.A., these kids just want someone to love them and dote on them. The volunteers who volunteer for MetroKidz are solely devoted to these kids, there are about six-seven volunteers per neighborhood and they are in about five different neighborhoods per week. The week we were there was the beginning of two four week programs if the kids came to MetroKidz every week for four weeks they could earn a free trip to the beach, it was a field trip they would all take one Sunday after church, and if they came every Tuesday for for weeks they would earn a free backpack that would be filled with all the goodies they would need to start school with. They do various projects like this throughout the year.

Later that night was the mid-week service at the church, there was an awesome spirit in that place, this church was amazing, there was room for thousands of people in that place (The Dream Center does a bus ministry and bring in homeless people and youth from Hollywood, L.A., Santa Monica and Venice Beach), this particular night there were thousands of people, the worship was incredible, the message was powerful (a pastor from a church in San Bernadino spoke that night about his life, the message was about how God really can use “Losers”) and really hit home. At the end of his message he invited those who didn’t know Christ to come to know Christ that night 500 people (yes 500) accepted Christ under that roof that night, there was not a dry eye in the place (One of the girls from my team, she’s amazing rededicated her life that night)! There was not room for everyone to go down to the front for Pastor Matthew to pray for them, so as many as could went down front and the other filled the stairs leading up to the balcony, it was such a beautiful thing. To come back to campus and try to sleep was nearly impossible, I was just so pumped that I couldn’t sleep, I just laid in my bed and prayed. Prayed for the people of this city, the ones who are lost and confused and running from the truth.

*This church is truly a 24/7 church and they make that known at all of their services, they are always available and always moving through this city. This night there was a homeless man who sat next to me, I saw this man several more times during my time in California, specifically in Santa Monica, but it was that night that he really touched my heart, he said very little to me and as soon as church was over he hopped over the seats and took off, it wasn’t until a few days later that I saw him again, but he said to me didn’t I sit next to you at church the other night, he told me that he wanted to pray with someone that night but was scared so he just left, he asked me if I would pray with him and I did. It was so awesome!

Notes: Bold and Italicized parts are things I added from memory later.