Happy Saturday everyone!!
I want to share my amazing experience with y'all! I've always wanted to go on a missions trip. I always thought you had to go to Africa or South America?! But it's just where God wants you be. He called our church to LA. I was so excited, we were fundraising our brains out, and God provided everything we needed!!
The LA DreamCenter is an amazing place, you can tell God is moving in all the people who are working there. The people there are so full of joy and love. You can't help it, you want what they have, and that's Jesus. We had two outreaches each day, and they served us breakfast, lunch and dinner. Madison and I got to help in the kitchen for one outreach and that was very fun. We served lunch and dinner, it was awesome serving the food and handing people a hot meal and just smiling, and showing God's love can change a persons day. Seeing the people who had a bad life and now have been changed by the blood of Jesus, it's mind blowing. That shows how real and amazing Jesus Christ is.
Another outreach our youth group did was Skid Row...
For those who haven't heard of skid row, it is in downtown LA. It's where a lot of the homeless people live. At the DreamCenter, they were telling us all about it. They said watch out for puddles, it doesn't rain in LA? There were tents for blocks and blocks! When we got down there, we got out of the van and passed out hot dogs with the DreamCenter team. We would give them hot dogs, but it was also an opportunity to pray for them. When I first got out of the van, I was a little scared of the people, but I decided that I would look at them like Jesus would look at them. They were not lying about the puddles, we had to watch where we stepped, and the smell...?
I will never forget this man, I forgot his name, but we were walking on the sidewalk and he was coming toward us. He was very drunk. We asked if he wanted a hot dog, and he could barely talk, and then we asked if we could pray for him about something and he said, "to be free from drinking." We started to pray for him an he started crying, he felt the mighty presence of God!!
On Thursday night was the church service at the Angelus Temple. The worship that night was so refreshing. That was our last night at the DreamCenter and I was very sad, I didn't want to leave and fall into my old habits again. It wasn't the place that kept me from falling back into my struggles but God, I wasn't looking at my phone, I was spending time with God and reading his word the whole time we were there. That's what made me strong and I can do that anywhere!!
I can't wait for future missions trips!!
So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak (in human strength), then I am strong (truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God's strength).
2 Corinthians 12:10
I got so close with my church family, you guys are amazing! Love y'all!!!
Get ready for tons of pics, thanks!!!!
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