One week has passed since I returned home from the Dream Center in Los Angeles, California. I feel like I'm still processing everything that happened!
I feel extremely honored to have led such a God-fearing team of men and women and blessed to serve along side each one of them! I learned so much from them and was stretched by their relationships with the Lord Almighty!
Prior to our departure, we were praying and believing for God to use us in remarkable ways. He absolutely did!
Through the mighty name of Jesus Christ, the name above any other name, our team experienced a lot of fruit during our week-long outreach:
11 Salvations
1 Teddy Bear given away
2 Healings
1 pair of shoes given away
100's Prayed for and Fed
1 crack pipe thrown away
Blessed and Encouraged many DC staff and volunteers
Carried and Spread our JOY and LIGHT everywhere we went
Purpose given
Dreams restored
Vision cast
Hearts healed
Burdens lightened
Food multiplied
Things yet to be seen
Plus things ONLY God knows about!!
Prior to our departure plus everyday while on outreach, we contended against the enemy:
We cancelled the enemy's plans and schemes that were purposed against us and the will of God
We bound the enemy's lies and replaced those lies with truth
We forbid any spirits from causing harm to God's children
We walked the streets of skid row without fear – for it is written that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline!"
I'm certain that God sent his angels to walk beside us – angels that were both seen and felt!
While it's certainly impossible for me to tell you everything we saw and/or felt, I hope to give you a brief summary of the various ministries we were involved in and the larger impact the Dream Center has in its community everyday.
Day 1: Monday, June 25, 2 012:
We departed Jacksonville at 5:30am in the midst of a tropical storm! Needless-to-say, the flight from Jacksonville to Atlanta was a little rough. All week long, it rained back home, causing flooding, and road closures. Many of the homeless camps around town were flooded out and many lost most of the little they had to begin with.
We arrived in Los Angeles around 9:30am local time. We picked up our rental cars, grabbed lunch, and headed to the Dream Center to check in. LA traffic is CRAZIER than anticipated! I'm glad I wasn't responsible to drive! Once we arrived at the Dream Center, we were taken on a tour. The best spot on the tour was the roof, which overlooks the city.
We had the rest of the day off so we went to do a little sight-seeing 🙂
Day 2: Tuesday, June 26, 2012:
In the morning, the team split up for outreach – four of the guys stayed at the Dream Center to work in the food bank, while the seven girls and Chris worked with PROJECT PREVENTION. The Dream Center firmly believes that no child should be taken away from loving parents because of poverty. With that said, Project Prevention works hand-in-hand with DCFS (The Department of Children and Family Services) in an attempt to keep families together. Social Services gives DC staff family referrals on a weekly basis, then Project Prevention goes out 3 times weekly to deliver food, clothes, furniture, beds, appliances, baby supplies, and anything else that these families need in order to keep their children. Through these donations, relationships are built with each family in the hope that their spiritual needs will also be met.
We were blessed to visit three families – three families whose lives have been greatly impacted through this ministry. The first lady we met was Ms. Christopher. She is a single mother of 4 teenagers, who have been on-and-off the streets, but now have a permanent place to call home. She never thought she was a good mother until one of her children told her how proud they are of her! Her life has been transformed through the love of Jesus Christ, and she's shining His light to those around her. She is a very giving person – she often gives neighbors food out of the donations she gets from the Dream Center. It's certainly true that the most giving people are those who have received! She's caught a hold of the DC vision and purpose and is spreading it to others! Praise God!
After lunch, the whole team served in KID'S JAM. We went to two different projects for Sidewalk Sunday School. The DC goes to the same locations on the same days at the same times each week for Kid's Jam. When we got to each site most of the kids were already there, waiting for us. We played with the kids first – bats and balls, jump ropes, bubbles, kickball, etc. After roughly 15-20 minutes, the kids were brought in for a organized group game, a song, then a short skit and lesson.
Our morning team devo was about CONTENTMENT. Contentment is something we all strive to find. It's natural to strive towards personal goals, but most of the time we think once we reach that goal, we'll find "contentment", but we don't. Contentment is only found in Jesus. Our goals need to align with his plans and purposes for our lives. Contentment became a theme for the day – we realized pretty quickly that the families we met during Project Prevention were content with life. Many of us want more and more and are never quite satisfied, but these families were content just being together! They could have easily been riped apart from one another if it wasn't for the Dream Center finding a need, and meeting it!
Day 3: Wednesday, June 27, 2012:
In the morning, the whole team served in UNDER THE BRIDGE – CANVAS AND PRAYER. We split up into smaller groups and walked the streets of skid row – we invited people for a hot meal we'd be serving later that afternoon at the Volunteers of America Mission, invited them to the weekend service at Angelus Temple with a BBQ afterwards, and offered prayer. My group talked to a lot of people and prayed for 8-10 people. One of the other groups met a guy on drugs; after talking with him for quite some time, he threw his crack pipe away and committed his life to the Lord! Wow! If that isn't amazing, I'm not sure what is! Go Jesus 🙂
We headed back to the vehicles to meet up with the other teams. While we were loading up into the cars, a lady walked by and asked if we had any duct tape so she could tape her shoe back together. Amy, one of the girls on my team, stuck her head out of the car and asked what size shoe she wears. They just so happened to wear the same size, so Amy took her shoes off and gave them to the lady – Amy had been feeling a nudge from the Holy Spirit that she would give shoes to someone – she was obedient! The lady was blown away – we surrounded her and covered her in prayer!
After lunch, we went back to skid row to serve a hot meal at the Volunteers of America Mission. I volunteered to help serve the meal, others were mingling with people talking and praying for them, and a few went back on the streets to continue to invite people and offer prayer. Overall, we experienced 5 salvations, fed 200 people and prayed for 150 people – all in one day!
Skid row in a hard place to be! It's hard to see people live on the streets with nothing but a few personal belongings – no permanent place to call home and nothing to shield them from the elements. On skid row you see it all – you see business men and women walking past a "bum" lying on the sidewalk – this business person completely immune to such sights, you see people shooting-up in broad daylight, and women soliciting themselves on street corners. You expect such sights in other countries, but in American? Many are ignorant to such things. We're perfectly content with our ignorance – ignorance is bliss, right? If we continue to live with the mindset that these things don't happen in America, the cycle will continue … nothing will change. If all Christians took a stand, and rallied together, we would make a huge impact – that's what the Dream Center is all about – finding a need and meeting it!
Day 3: Thursday, June 28, 2012:
Today was Katelyn's birthday! Little did she know that we planned a surprise party for her – cake, cards, presents, and decorations – the whole 9-yards!
In the morning, the team split up again. Four of the guys helped with construction on site at the DC, while the seven girls plus CO worked with the FOOD TRUCK – LOADING AND DISTRUTING GROCERIES. The main goal is to provide relief for low-income families in at-risk neighborhoods. This is done through taking food out to the people in their own neighborhoods where the need and hurt are. By providing groceries to families in need, other doors are opened – the Dream Center is then able to help through vocational training, free medical programs, clothing for children, and other programs which build them up to become independent citizens living for Jesus!
We began by loading up 4 food trucks with oranges, mangoes, coffee, and cans of tomatoes. Once we loaded up the trucks, we took one truck to an elementary school a few miles away. Once we arrived at the site, we unloaded the truck and then divided each food item into bags. Many of the recipients were already in line – they have to check in and get a number, which keeps things organized. Once all the food was sorted and divided in bags, we gathered as a team to pray over the food. We asked God to bless each person who ate from it – physically and spiritually.
Something went desperately wrong though – we didn't have enough food! Even though we fed 100 people, there were many in line whom left empty handed! We over heard the DC staff go over their calculations to determine what went wrong: did we put too much in each bag, was there alot of rotten fruit that was thrown away, or would they need to bring more food in the future? My team felt like God was telling us to pray and believe for multiplication next time we went with the food truck. God can do incredible things with 5 loaves and 2 fish, and we would soon experience it!
After lunch, we went back out with the FOOD TRUCK. At the first location, we unloaded the truck and divided each item into bags. Once complete, the team gathered to pray over the food, this time we prayed and believed God would do the impossible – he would multiply the food so everyone in line would receive! Not only once, but twice Tracy found several bags of oranges mixed in the squash pile. We were dumbfounded – had we accidentally mixed them up – or – was this God multiplying the food? We believe wholeheartedly that God multiplied the oranges; he added them to the pile of squash so we would recognize his miracle! There was not only enough food for everyone to go through the line, there was enough for some to go through twice! Praise God! 65 people were fed!
At the second location, we went through the same process of unloading the truck and dividing each food item into bags. We were instructed to put oranges and mangoes in the same bag for fear of running out. We did as we were told, then we gathered together to pray and believe God would do the impossible yet again – he would multiply the food. While handing out bags as people walked through the line, Jen noticed how small the pile of fruit looked compared to the pile of coffee. Somehow the fruit lasted longer! Also, we found a few bags that had only oranges in them – we had been told to put mangoes and oranges together! What's impossible for man is possible for God and all things are possible for those who believe! We believed!
Thursday evening we headed to Angelus Temple for the midweek service.
Matthew Barnett was out of town, but we heard a great message by Buddy Cremeans, entitled "Godfidence!" It definitely filled up our spirits and encouraged us to put our confidence in God rather than in ourselves.
The enemy hasn't been happy that we're in town – he's been plotting, scheming, and attacking at full force. Many team members have felt the effects – when we got back from church we met as a team to pray against these attacks. We asserted our authority in Jesus' name, we bound the enemy and cancelled all power. This experience brought us closer together as a team and our spirits were united with a common purpose. We worshiped together, prayed together, confessed faults/sins to one another, and even cried together!
Day 5: Friday, June 29, 2012:
Today we split up again – we divided and conquered! Three people assisted in the kitchen, four people made marketing calls (calls made to donors to thank them for their support and offer prayer), and five people went back to skid row for "Under the Bridge – Canvas and Prayer". During our team meeting the night before, we prayed asking God what ministry we should each participate in. We wanted God to place us where he wanted us instead of doing what we wanted in our flesh. I felt led to go back to skid row.
We headed to skid row with the same purpose as Wednesday – to invite people to lunch later that afternoon, to the service on Sunday followed by a BBQ, and offer prayer. I prayed for several people before meeting Tiffany. Carlos and I invited her to lunch, told her about church on Sunday and the BBQ then I asked if I could pray for her and what I could pray for specifically. She bluntly said "Yes, my boyfriend beats me up!" I wasn't sure what to say – it was clear that she has been beat up recently – she had bruises on her chest and several on her face and jaw. I prayed, for what I'm not sure. When I finished praying, Mickie (one of the staff from the DC) came over and began asking her questions; questions he says he doesn't normally ask. He asked questions like:
Is your boyfriend your pimp?
Does your boyfriend pimp you out?
Does you boyfriend force you to do things against your will?
Does your boyfriend hold you against your will?
YES! YES! YES! YES!
I was speechless. I didn't know what to say, what to do, how to help! Mickie asked her if her if she wanted help and she said yes. However, her pimp kept calling her – he was blowing up her phone, which made her extremely nervous. Before I knew what was happening, Mickie gave me his phone and told me to talk to a Human Trafficking Hotline operator. I wasn't sure what to say, so I simply explained the situation. The operator asked to talk to Tiffany, but she refused. While I was on the phone, Mickie and Carlos continued to talk to Tiffany:
Is your life in danger? YES!!!
Will you come with us now? No ….
I continued to talk with the operator – she said since Tiffany wasn't ready to seek assistance at this time, there wasn't much that could be done. If her life was truly in danger, she should call 911 for immediate assistance. Unfortunately, it didn't appear that Tiffany was ready at this time. Although, we hoped to she her at lunch in a few hours ….
We headed back to the cars shortly after leaving Tiffany then drove back to the Dream Center. My heart hurt for Tiffany and all those trapped in similar situations around the world! During the drive back to the DC, we prayed for her and for her protection.
After we ate lunch, we headed back to skid row to serve the hot meal. The majority of the team would serve the meal, fellowship with the people and offer prayer. A handful of others were given a secondary mission – to canvas the streets looking for Tiffany and offer prayer to others. Mickie stayed at the mission in case Tiffany showed up there, Carlos and I, along with a few others went back on the streets. Although we didn't find Tiffany, we were able to pray for people – three people committed their lives to the Lord! Please lift Tiffany up in prayer, pray for protection, provision, and a softening of her heart. Pray that she will be ready to seek help the next time she runs into people from the DC! Pray she makes if off the streets safely!
Following dinner, we had the option of going back to skid row. We all felt called to go. However, it wasn't quite the experience we were used to! Earlier in the week when we hit the streets, we went out in small groups so we wouldn't overwhelm anyone … tonight there were roughly 60 people going out, very overwhelming! We split up into two groups, approximately 30 and 30. My team felt completely uncomfortable with the amount of people in our group. We were like a parade of Christians, we felt as if we were intruding on people's "homes". If we were overwhelmed with the amount of people going out to minister, I can only imagine what those on skid row felt! At the same time, a large group did have benefits; we were able to talk to and pray for more people. And we still experience fruit – 3 salvations! Once the sun when down, the atmosphere changed, and I was glad to be in a large group! It wasn't only darker physically, but spiritually, as well. A homeless person told Amy to ensure the guys were walking on the street-side of the sidewalk because there are times when vans would drive by and snatch girls off the sidewalk! This is reality and the world we live in!
Day 6: Saturday, June 30, 2012:
After eating breakfast, we packed our bags, loaded up the car, returned our rental vehicles and checked in at LAX. We spend the whole day traveling – but we were able to begin processing the week – we shared personal encounters and laughed at inside jokes! God certainly began a great work in all of our hearts this week, he united us with a common purpose – not only for the week, but for a lifetime. He is leading us to the best pathway for our lives, he guided us every step of the way, and will continue to do so. He set a fire ablaze – we caught ahold of the DC vision and are looking at ways to start a movement in Jacksonville, Florida! Looking forward to see God move in Jacksonville!
A few days after returning, I was eating lunch with a few team members. We were talking about the trip and we concluded that angels were walking with us! We had of course prayed for a hedge of protection prior to and during our trip, but it actually happened. Everytime we hit the streets of skid row, one of the guys would pull up the rear of the group in order to keep an eye on the girls and to ensure no one was left behind. There was one occasion in which CO was in back, walking alone, but he said he felt as if there were others walking with him! WHAT? Could there have been angels walking next to him? I believe there were! Also, one time a few of the guys had to walk a few blocks over to pick up the cars – someone on the street asked them why we come down with such big guys. It was an odd question because none of the guys with us were very big – it's possible he saw angels walking with us as our protection! Wow!
I attached a video from the Dream Center's website – it's a good overall look at the Dream Center and a good conclusion!
