treelot tradition

We sneaked in one night at the treelot this year! For the past 6 years we have worked at the YWAM Christmas treelot and I don't know if that sounds like alot of fun to you or not, but for Reid, this is a big deal! He looks forward to this every year. And I have to be honest so do I. It's something we do together and he loves it, and because he loves it, I love it! So with Krysta's surgery on the 7th of December this year on the east coast we didn't have alot of time to get everything ready to go...but one thing for sure, we had time to work a day at the treelot and here are the pics to prove it.





Reid is a really hard worker at the treelot and knows these are the best trees because they come from Oregon! So yeah, it was fun and we were glad to get our day in so the tradition lives on!


















Co-treelot worker Barry!

baby therapy at WRAMC

the other day at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) they were bringing around these great dogs to visit the patients..they call it "pet therapy". It helps the patients heal, calm down, etc. Nothing like a visit from a friendly, fun-loving, cute doggie to cheer you up..and it worked Krysta loved it. But I have to admit I found a better therapy for her...I call it "baby-therapy". Everyday I walk in the room and she forgets how much pain she is in for a few minutes as I place Emily high on her chest. Now that little cutie will take your mind off any little aches and pain...aaww now they're sleeping!

an overnite sensation!

here is a pic of edgar and alberto here at the ywam base hanging out with dts students...it was so much fun for them and really different! They learned how to play spoons and it was good...they were laughing so much!




i couldn't get them to go to sleep until late! Aaaaawww...I love our work! Keep praying for these two......

smells like rain...feels like life

I had a chance to go to Arizona a few weeks back. Some friends of mine invited me to hang out in thier home. It was empty and so I could be there all alone, just me and God. It was amazing, actually better than that. As I pulled into Phoenix, Az. There were thunder showers lighting up the sky and I rolled down my window and I smelled the rain. That very distinct smell only found in the desert just after the rain. I came alive, something inside me was so stirred. It was gratitude. I appreciate that I had a moment like that, so I cried. I guess I just remember so much of my life has passed me by that when I am reminded it's not passing me by anymore I feel so lucky. Don't you? There are so many things that I get to experience that make me come alive and I know in the busyness of life I can pass them by, but so often I am breathless at the life I have been given. Even in the midst of all the challenges he has set before me, I am alive to the very core of my being! Wow! I was at a hotel this weekend because I had to speak at a small church near the Mexico border. I asked God, why do I have to pay for this room? I can't afford this. But as I was drawn by him to the front desk the following morning to minister to a woman who told me she was "barely alive", I knew why I was there. You know what? She has the same amount of clean time from meth I have. There is such a huge difference in her outlook and mine. What is it? Jesus. Jesus. It is Jesus. I prayed with her, she looked up at me and tears were streaming down her face. Her name is Jaime, I shared with her, invited her to church, maybe she will go. She said she didn't feel comfortable. Too bad. We have life, when we have Jesus and things like the smell of rain can bring you to tears. I think of my thirst for God like the desert needing the rain...I pray I will always be as the psalmist says "as a deer pants for the water my soul longeth after you" .....thirsty and grateful he will give me a drink.

ok so here is my pic today and it is for no apparent reason...except that it's my birthday (or at least it will be tomorrow) and I like this shot. I think he's smiling or maybe he's laughing at me. He probably was, because I was talking to him and to be honest I thought for a fleeting moment we were connecting. or not.

Edgar's news...and Edgar 2

Edgar #1 - He was sentenced to 30 days in county for a dirty test...he tested positive for cocaine. He had been going "downhill" and I knew it. So now he has some time to think about his life and where he is once again headed.



Here is a pic of Edgar #2..a new release with lot's of promise, in fact the Judge was so impressed offered to seal his record and terminate his probation yesterday. He is really a neat kid...he is working on a display with us for our open house..




Also now we have Micah here for a while..mission building. He is out and remember he has 2 strikes. So he must stay close to God! No new charges or he will get 25 to life. This is a good place for him to start out.......

not so blue

So I blogged yesterday about Edgar and his broken contact for the past 4 weeks and guess what? He called. So counseling picks up again next week. Pray for him, he is on the edge as he shared with me last night on the phone. :(

one last game

Here is a cute pic of Reid's and some friends. He had a chance to go to one last Dodger game this year (thanks Ricky), they won that night. Too bad they are done for the season.


Ricky (amazing man of God and good friend, we love you ) and Dan ( super cool and new staff on the base) work with DTS on the YWAM Base and Aidan is a GOOD friend of Reid's! FUN TIMES!

blue

This is Edgar in the blue room. I miss going there. There has been no counseling for him in 4 weeks. How do I go from spending so much time pouring out of myself and seeing so much progress and growth to nothing? Faith. I keep it. You never know what's around the corner. So I'll pray and leave it up to God. Besides, it's not up to me anyways. I like my life, but I miss Edgar. So I thought I would share it ... with you. I hope this doesn't sound too sad, it's kind of a happy sad? make sense? I am a sower (of seeds, that is) and I know it :)

Soto, pt. 2?

So I posted a blog on Soto hearing the voice of God. The cool thing about that night was every week after that he would want to hear more. Soto (like all the guys at camp) needs miracles to happen in his life. He got released, to find there had been a drive by shooting at his house. It was by an enemy of his, sending a message to him. I went to see him and the bullet holes serve as a daily reminder that he is a target. Regardless of the fact that he had been away in jail, they had not forgotten him, nor his gang affiliation. But as I looked closer, they also reminded me of God's answers to prayer. Out of all those shots fired, not one of them caused harm. No one was hit. We had been praying for Soto and his family. He had been praying too. That was an answer to prayer in that this many shots were fired and no one was hit. So after a long talk with Soto at Del Taco, a soda pop and a reminder that God is still at work, he is smiling. He can hear God, now he can see God is working. Okay, that is very cool. He is looking for a job and this weekend will be going camping with us! He has so far to go, and really is just trying to stay alive. In this picture it actually doesn't look like that bad of a neighborhood, but looks can be deceiving. I see the blue skies behind him, not the bars surrounding all the homes in his hood. Now he is free from jail, but a prisoner in his own home. Is that any better? There is a man who works with gang members here in LA who when asked if he believed they deserved a second chance, he said "who gave them thier first". Many do not have a chance in the neighborhoods they grow up in. While this is a tough crowd, my passion increases.

layers :(

Last fall I was in DC with Krysta for her hip surgery and it was tough. I've said before that I have always hated the whole onion layer thing. Maybe that is putting it lightly. I mean really why does this have to happen in layers? Layers only really look good in terms of fashion, right? I know this is a sweet, amazing, irritating, annoying, character-building, beautiful process. Ooops, some of those words just jumped in there "accidently". But seriously, teaching the last few weeks at the Live Ride really helped me to appreciate the depths that God has taken me on this journey. So even though I am airing all my complaints, I really am happy and thankful for a HUGE difference. (really) We have a relationship now, and it is most definetly that of a mother and a daughter. Things have changed in my life and in my relationships, and day by day it is more evident. If only I could be more patient and see what God sees it would be easier. I mean the view from down here is so distorted. It helps to get a better perspective now and again to remind me I am on the right track. God gives me that and when he does, it's sweet.

Here is a cute picture of Krysta when we were hanging out together at one of our favorite spots, Panera Bread. (hence the better perspective)
Here is a pic of Krysta with Emily, as a brand new mom! And I got to be there to celebrate with her...WOW!

















Emily's first doctor appointment, and I was there for that too!












One more cute pic I had to post...aaawww.....so cute!

And then there were three...

She is here..and she is so pretty! Emily Nicole, born August 22, weighing 8 lbs 2 oz. Now I have three beautiful little grand-daughters! God is good.

Soto hears!

I was at Camp on Friday night, oh yeah, I'm back, from holiday(?) Anyway there I was sitting with this guy and we were talking about the reality of God and the Devil. Or at least I was talking and trying to get him to see things my way because I am, of course, right being on the side of truth and all. (don't you just love us evangelical Christians?) Anyways, what came to my mind was "my sheep hear my voice." I'm thinking yes, God would like me to give Soto an opportunity to hear His voice. A lesson. So I asked Soto to ask God if he loved him. After a moment he got silent and agreed. Soon, he broke out with a smile and a sparkle in his eye. (which for a hardened gang member is very cool to see) and said God spoke to him and told him, "Yes, he loved him." So we talked a little about that voice and possibility of another voice and by the end of our session he agreed. God speaks and the Devil is a liar. Yippee. So it's good to be back, how are you?

5th grade? It's over!

Reid finished fifth grade, now he's a sixth grader. He received awards for academic achievement again this year, including honor roll for maintaing 3.8 GPA all year long, so I am definitely proud of him. He fundraised for a trip to Valley Forge, Pennsylvannia, raising nearly $700 through his own hard work. This is Reid with is great teacher Mrs. A+. We both really liked her a lot! Way to go Reid, Mom's proud of you and your hard work! Now it's summertime! He is looking forward to camping and his favorite thing to do right now, fish!

my life in "the land of tension"

" The Pull" I was at the camp the other night (now two friday's ago) and spent alot of my time with one guy. He is two weeks away from going home. or not home. He is still talking about going back out to the gang he is from and letting go of his real family. He lost a brother to gang violence already. So he should hate gangs. But the way of the streets is to kill the ones who kill your people. An eye for an eye. If you talk to any gang member, it makes total sense, they totally get what they do. How exactly did his brother die? His brother was on trial for the murder of a rival gang member, he beat the case and gets released. Upon his release from jail he gets picked off by the rival gang of the murdered guy. So the justice system cleared his brother, but the rival gang did not. Wow, sounds like a movie. So anyway here I sit with this guy, barely 18 years old, and he is trying to convince me that it makes more sense to stay with the gang then to go stay with his family. What? Am I hearing you right? This is the most logical? To him, it is. His family is relocating to another state, no doubt to have a better life. But he has no concept of life outside of his box. So I do what I do, I fight for him to get it, we battle there in what lately has been "the land of tension." He is worried about his mom, so I tell him, his mom would be up every night wondering, Is he alive, or is he dead. Is that the highest for his mom? That she has already lost one son, and it's not time to lose another. I noticed he fought hard to keep the tears from falling from his eyes. Not so tough? We stop for a minute, I ask do you want to read the Bible? He says, yes. So I read with him for a while....We read The Parable of the Sower from Luke....and I explained you can't just hear the word and let it be taken away from your heart. You must receive it, retain it, get it deep down into you. We talked about Solomon, and I asked him if he could have anything in the world, what would he ask for? He said, "my brother". I said, yes, that was good. But I also shared he needed wisdom to make the right decision and he couldn't do it on his own. Like we have been telling him all along. He nodded. He looked different than he did when we first started. The tension is loosening. The pull not so tight. What a contrast. As I am writing this, Pedro is now out. It was 8 days ago since we talked. Where did he go? Was this talk and many like these enough?
Last night as our 14 guys entered the room, I looked at the faces. These guys are tough but not, the tension between being hard hearted and soft is evident in most. We had 2 hours of our class taken due to "riots and unruly behavior", directors say it is bad. Our guys have lost two friends in the past few weeks to gang shootings, one was shot four times in the head. So we are there in this land of tension. But there are tears inside, there are stories to tell. And we are there to fight for them to help make sense of this life, because the way they are they thinking right now is crazy. But we know, he is thier peace and it is by faith that we plant each seed. Pedro is gone, somethimes I feel like a mom. I wonder where he decided to go? Is he alive? or Is he dead? This call is hard.

What?

So it is time for Micah to be in court today.
Only he is not here.
So why are we?
While we wait, the judge hears another case.
Then the judge and public defender decide to call probation themselves, on behalf of the female defendant, to flex thier muscle.
The Judge was getting nowhere, embarrassed, he says on the phone "I am a superior court judge, in session, give me the director."
Only, to no avail.
The Judge looks up and addresses the few of us in the court room and says, "If I have this much difficulty getting help from the probation department can you imagine what it is like for those on probation?"
And there you have it.
Why I was there.
My reminder for the day, why I do what I do.
Because the system really is that bad.
And they need hope.
They need Jesus.

the blue room

so this week i went to see Edgar
but not before I met with Jesus
I didn't want to go empty handed
when I arrived kids were playing outside
they shouted Hi...
I wonder what will life be like for them in
10 years, growing up in South Central?
I stick out, I'm a white
woman with my bible and
notebook in hand.
I am a missionary in a foreign land.
I enter the blue room.
Edgar painted it blue when he first got out of jail.
I wonder does he know blue is a symbol of heaven; it signifies truth.
I do.

It's a shame...

Go Dodger Blue! Take me out to the ball game! Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks...I don't care if I ever get back. Has anyone figured out what my lil ole blog is about? Baseball....yes you got it. Actually it's about alot more than that. Because I don't seem to do just one thing at a time..no I cram as much into each event as I can. Thats me! I know myself. So last week, I was talking to Reid and we decided we would be off to the ballgame soon, then shortly after talking to Edgar (kickin it), we quickly discovered he had NEVER been to a ball game. He grew up 30 minutes from the stadium! So of course, I knew what that meant. He must be introduced to the "sports fan, think blue, go dodger's, just have good ol fun, culture in LA" or whatever you call it! So our party grew. Then of course, we must add the urban department because Edgar's going, so it has now become an outing! Then off we go, the 7 of us to the Dodger game. After, 6 or 7 innings (watch out, I am not a sports writer) it is still 0-0. Dare I say this is not the most exciting game I have ever been to. I know, "its a pitching game" ooohhhh, aaaaahhh!
Ok so back to my version of this game. So I watched for hours as the beachball was tossed, and taken by the authorities. Then a new one would appear, almost magically, only to be confiscated. It was as though there was this silent understanding, you do what you have to and we will do what we must! And look, Edgar does have a smile. Seems it is all worth it, except one thing. "If they don't win it's a shame" and a shame it was. But not to worry, they recovered the next day, no more shame no more sorrow! Yippee....Go Dodgers!

Barry and Reid, they shared peanuts all night (but not cracker jacks)

There it is, the smile of Edgar! A very successful evening, his first Dodger game.

Here is Reid, with his ever so passionate call to charge!

Here are the Dodgers, maybe not charging, and maybe not even smiling....they are getting ready to lose..aaaww. It's ok...it's how you play the game!

Why is Ila smiling? Because her team is not the Dodgers, but the Padres, and they won that night!

Kickin it!

This is one of the guys we are working with. April and him are just "kickin it" on the porch of his house. He just got released from Camp and for him just kickin it on the porch can lead to alot of trouble. Not with April, because she isn't in his gang.(smile) But just kickin it with his homies, leads to drinkin a few beers, which leads to this and that (runnin with the gang) and next thing you know, he is back in jail. He started a new job. Pray for him, he is a very smart guy! I think he is smiling on the inside? Maybe next time he will smile on the outside too!

It really is grand...

Yes, that is the Grand Canyon behind us! Reid had his spring break last week and we escaped the city and went hiking at the Grand Canyon. Watched the sunset at night, we had condors and eagles flying over our heads and down below us. Hiking was great, going down the canyon seemed so much easier though. No cell phones, no internet, no noise, no pollution, no worries. It was GRAND!

deliverer

Recently I spent some time teaching the most amazing women. What made them amazing was their hunger. Not for food, but it was their hunger for God. They came each night, desperate. Without deliverance they could die. Drug addiction is such a gripping disease, the fight to escape from it a battle between the strength of an overwhelming, relentless enemy who knows no mercy and man, deceived by this one time friend, now left weak and powerless. How could they fight such a battle where the odds are stacked high against them? They can't, they need a deliverer. So we went to work on that, the search for deliverance. I don't know about you but when I'm getting something delivered, my deliverer comes to the door and he delivers. And that is just what Jesus does...he comes to the door.

Revelations 3:20 says,
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, i will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let hm hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Need deliverance? He's at the door. Hungry? Eat with Jesus!

demolition time...

It is remodel time here at YWAM LA! There used to be a mailroom, bookstore and bathrooms here but in a weeks time through the efforts of all of our base staff and students...it's gone. I had taken some great shots of the walls falling down and us (yes me, too) actually working on this demolition but I accidently formatted the pics on my camera and lost them all! But here are a few of my favorite workers, Reid and his good buddy Aidan, working hard on what we call "The wall that wouldn't die."

Look how hard he is working and after a full day of school, too! I will tell you that the next day, a Saturday, he was right back out there working on the wall again. We are in a new phase of our building plan. This will soon become our new bathrooms and cafe.
Look at the determination on Reid's face. aaawww!

How quickly we can tear something down, yet to build up takes so much longer....Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. I Thessalonians 5:11

A day to give thanks!

Mikal arrived home on Monday, the 20th! I woke up, in tears. I went to bed in tears. Just grateful to have him home, I really am. Here are some pictures of the moments leading up to his Welcome Back reception!

First thing we see are trucks and more trucks being unloaded with all their bags of stuff. You know his things are there, somewhere. The excitement is mounting. And then....

The buses begin to roll in...five of them, 200 marines returning from duty! Coming home from war..here they come..you can hear the shouts!

I look over at my daugher-in-law, Heather, her face says it all.

aaaww, there he is!

A beautiful smile, he is happy to be home!

we are happy, so happy he is back! What do we do, we go eat! He drives like he still driving in a convoy, that's ok, eventually we got there, I can't remember what i ate, all I know is he was at the table!

I wonder...

I wonder if it's normal for my heart to break so much for the guys we work with. Leaving jail tonight, how could my heart not break. I pray and ask God to break my heart with the things that break His. So here I am. Why am I surprised?
I wonder, what does hope look like. I googled hope. I found this picture. I wonder why does hope look a lot like surrender? Is it because when we surrender, that is when we receive hope, I think so. It looks so easy, doesn't it? I wonder why, we make it so hard? Tonight was a good night, I saw hope tonight.

so close

Mikal leaving for Iraq the first time in 2004. His first tour of duty has come and gone, and now he is wrapping up his second. I can breathe again. Whether I like to admit it or not, somewhere in the back of mind, I'm holding my breath. He is days away from his return, he will celebrate his 22nd birthday in Fallujah tomorrow. Happy birthday, son! His little brother prayed morning and night, faithfully for his platoon and for his brother. What dedication for an 8 year old, a 9 year old and now a 10 year old! I know Mikal will never be the same, and I know Reid will remember praying for his brother day in and day out while he was at war, asking time to time "did he call?" I don't know how I've gotten so lucky...I just know I have. This is just our story, but there are so many more, friends still there, in harms way....so we will pray and know that there are many just like us holding their breath, waiting for the day.

uproot indifference

The Freedom Project spent their Friday night out last week, this time at Light of Love Mission Church in Pasadena. Shown left they are having a time of worship after hearing stories from inside the jails, learning more about the plight of our youth incarcerated and seeing a video of Armando, recently released from jail himself. The goal of this night was to get them thinking about people they know at school or know of who may be headed down the same path. As Christians, we can't turn our back to those caught up in sin. Jesus didn't walk away from the woman caught in adultery, right? He said it's not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. So we talked about what that looks like today in our schools, on our streets and across the globe into places war torn like Sierra Leone (showed another short video about child soldiers in that country)

We broke into small groups for discussion...what is the opposite of indifference, we asked. They learned just how messed up these kids lives were like when they came out of incarceration and how slim of a chance they have at success...it definitely opened their eyes. It was great for us too, because we realized how important it is for us to do what God is calling us to do.
With opposition ongoing, we need constant reminders of why we are here, doing what we are doing!

And then they danced! "Rise up and spark a Holy culture" the words were blasting through the church, they were screaming, our dancers as you can see are dancing. We went out with Night of Missions and Kings Kids from our base, so it was great to have a chance to work with some people we don't normally get to do outreach with......I don't suppose I will know all the things accomplished that evening...but that is ok...i know a few...it was good, it was very good!

Rescue me...

I have been working all week on this project...God kept leading me to this song by U2, Love Rescue Me. Going through all these inmate interviews, pulling from them what I guess you would call the meat of their stories..I am hoping this project is the beginning of a movement. I think of it right now as the "Rescue me campaign." Love rescue me? God is love and I do need Him to rescue me everyday! And you? Any different? What do you need rescued from today, busyness, depression, hurt & pain, a life of sin, loneliness, or maybe the big piece of chocolate cake in your fridge!

Freedom Project - Walk-A-Thon!

Freedom Project had our 2nd annual Walk-A-Thon! This time with the help of LAPD's Jeopardy and LAPD's Explorer programs!
Here are some pics of the event...they marched from the foothill division of LAPD to our YWAM campus in Lakeview Terrace and then all came together for hot dogs, chips and football! These are both kids from the freedom project team, court ordered kids into the jeopardy program because of drugs/gang issues, and youth aspiring to be involved in law enforcement! All marching together for one purpose, to send a message that drugs and gangs are not an option in our city. It was a huge blessing for our staff who work with some of these youth week after week and wonder, "are they making an impact?" God revealed to them each, individually that he is at work in ways they cannot imagine, but he surely gave them a glimpse on this day! Let's here it for unity in the city!