Thursday: Depart from Atlanta at 4am, arrive in Los Angeles at 12 am. We drove an hour or so to Isaiah's Rock, a food distribution centre right in the King families home. The family takes shifts around the clock, feeding anyone that comes to their door, as well as handing out groceries twice a week. They were such a blessing to us! They shared heart about their ministry, and then we went to Operation Blessings warehouse. We finished off the day with a time of worship, Jody shared a few words, and then we had the rest of the night to settle in.
Friday: We helped put on a service and hand out groceries at Isaiah's Rock. Over 400 families showed up, and even though the majority spoke Spanish, we got to pray with some of them for healing and salvation. That lasted a good part of the day, and after we went up to the mountains of California and had a cookout- it was a great time! Operation Blessing has their own cook on hand, so we ate really well the whole week. We had another time of worship and drove home late in the evening. It was a great team bonding experience, and I will remember that night for a long time to come!
Saturday: We worked with RedEye: a ministry Jeanne's son Justin Mayo started at the LA Dream Centre. Their main mission is to work with Hollywood youth and get them involved in their community by volunteering and having a positive impact. We went to the governmental housing section of town to pick up trash, and play with the kids at the playground. They were adorable, and I loved the experience. Justin gave us a tour of the entire Dream Center, then we went hiking up the Hollywood mountain! It was a great exercise, and a great time to get to know the staff and what they are all about. We got stuck in traffic for a few hours, but managed to make it home in time for worship and a few words from Clifton, the cook!
Sunday: We went to Saddleback Church- you might know their head Pastor, Rick Warren. He wrote The Purpose Driven Life! Israel Houghton is their worship leader, and their membership is at 40 000! We had a tour of one of their 40 campuses, needless to say I was impressed. After church. Operation Blessing treated us to lunch at Johnny Rockets, an old fashioned burger joint. We finished off the day by visiting Laguna Beach and Newport Beach to have fun, fellowship, and a nightly service led by Raymond.
Monday: This was our "Fun Day"! We spent it wandering around Hollywood Boulevard, seeing the sites and finding stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We found Billy Graham's! After that, we came home and had a delicious meal and evening service with Haley speaking.
Tuesday: We worked with a food distribution center at The Rock Church (coincidental, I know!) Their church has over 17 000 members, and their campus was equally amazing as Saddlebacks. We fed over 600 families that day, and then we went to the Yorba Linda Vineyard for our evening worship and speaking. This church had less than a hundred members, but it was funny how this church was where God spoke to me the most. It really is not about numbers! It was this night that God really spoke to me about the fear in my life, and how I was letting it hold me back from God using me for great things. I prayed and let go of my fears, deciding to trust God instead!
Wednesday: We went to the Fred Jordan mission, a food distribution center located in the roughest area of all LA. We had a service for the women and their children, giving them a meal, clothes, and groceries after. I got to work with their children, and it was amazing to me the state that they were in. Many were homeless, dirty, and we could hardly communicate with them because they all spoke Spanish. We managed to show them God's love though, and by the time they had to leave, many didn't want to! After the Fred Jordan mission, we went to a park in the lower income housing section of town. One guy told us of the gang shootings that take place frequently there, and how a nine year old boy was shot there only weeks ago. It broke my heart. A few hours later, nearly 200 kids showed up for our MetroKidz service (remember Bill Wilson?) and some of them were only a year old, with their parents nowhere in sight. The entire time, I had kids hanging off me. I fell in love with this little boy named Ernie, only four years old. He was so precious, and every kid I met that day has a piece of my heart. We ended the day with a service, and Dan shared a few words.
Thursday: Operation Blessing surprised us by taking us to DISNEYLAND! It was fun to relax and just be together and share the experience. After our fun filled day we came home and had evening service, going around and thanking each other for their hard work.
Friday: We said our goodbyes and went home!
God really moved on our missions trip. By helping all of these people, I realized that my whole life I asked God what I am supposed to do with my life. I realized this trip that it's not about me, it's about the people in need. I see homeless people in a whole new way now. There is so much need in this world, and I am challenged as to what I can do about it. Are we really doing all we could be?
Below are some pictures of our trip:
(Isaiahs Rock: the backyard where the hungry are fed, a line of families waiting for groceries, me at the MetroKidz service, the mountain we hiked and Hollywood sign, Justin Mayo and our team, us and the LA Dream Center, me on the teacup ride at Disneyland, me in front of Isaiah's Rock saying a big THANK YOU!)
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