Glory of the Lord

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB)

This amazes me. That we, who are in Christ, may reflect our Creator. Yet, were made for that VERY purpose...to reflect.

I think back to the story in Exodus 33 when Moses asks the Lord to show His glory. The Lord responded "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live". Then the Lord said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; by my face must not be seen." (v. 21-23)

Now years later when Jesus walked the Earth, after He died and rose again, He left us promising the Holy Spirit. Paul writes about the Glory of the New Covenant in 2 Corinthians chapter 3. WOOOHOOO! Now, we don't have to be like Moses having to put a veil over our faces to cover the glory of the Lord. We are being transformed by the Lord, who is the Spirit, into His likeness with ever increasing glory!! ahhhh! Blows me away. I am in love. He chooses us.

Here are some of my favorite songs right now. I encourage you to worship in His glorious presence!

• "I'm in Love With You" by Klaus ft. Kari Jobe
• "One Thirst" by Bethel & Jeremy Riddle
• "Love Came Down" by Brian Johnson

This beautiful girl is one of my best friend's little sister. So that makes Rachael my adopted little sister. :) Rachael Lanai is a high schooler with big dreams. She wants to be an actress and have her own tv show on Nickelodeon one day.

Traveling to the world's greatest places is another big dream of her's. The 3 most important things to her are: family, her future, and her relationship with God. Rachael is a fun, loving girl. She is sure to make you laugh!

I love you Rach! <3

Last Thurs. guest speaker was the Paul of today.

Last Thursday the guest speaker was amazing. He told his testimony but in the beginning definately had my attention because this is what they showed before he came to speak:
(watch it)

Michael Franzese, an Ex-Colombo family mobster, and former mafia boss is now a born-again christian! He LOVES Jesus! It was so amazing to hear his testimony. He shared his life verse: "When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him." Proverbs 16:7
This verse is so evident in his walk with the Lord! It shows the faithfulness of God on Michael's life and the faithfulness of God's word! With the discipleship program at the Dream Center, and over 200 of them being addicted to something, he had a huge impact on them. Michael was able to show them how God can still use if only you are willing.

Friday was a long day. We had Adopt A Block in the morning, getting items together to help the communities all over L.A. There were a bunch of items people requested, and we put together bags to bring them for Saturday. So we sorted diapers, shampoo, hair dye boxes, band-aids, toothpaste, etc. The main item the community was in need of were diapers, body wash, shampoo and conditioner. Later on we went to Jonah Project. They are a non-profit, non-denominational organization located on Skid Row in L.A. The Dream Center partners with them during the week to make a difference on Skid Row. The building just opens up so the homeless can come in and pretty much do whatever. When we arrived, it seemed very chill. There were tables and chairs, couches, a little bar where coffee is served for free. Then the farther you walk in there are chairs set up across from a stage with instruments and mics. Wednesday and Friday nights Pastor Patrick has a service. There was a man on the piano, putting other homeless people to sleep. They are able to rest and not worry in this place. We served free cupcakes and coffee to those who wanted it. I ended up helping a women get some free shoes and clothes in the back. They allow men to get 2 items, and women 6 items. The reason women get more is because more womens clothes is donated.

Later on that night, we went back for the service. Before the service started we went out on Skid Row to talk to the people, and ask if any would like prayer. We met a lot of interesting people. One woman prayed a beautiful prayer from her heart and even touched the hearts of those living around her. The service was really cool. You can find out more info on the Jonah Project here: http://www.jonahproject.com/
It is an amazing work that they do here.

Sunday Pastor Matthew spoke about worry. WOW, it was so good! He talked about living under the 24hrs. of grace each day that we are given. Praise God His mercies truly are new every morning! It reminded me to make the most of everything that happens during the day. Even the little things that annoy me, to praise God for them. Finding joy in all circumstances, because of who I am found in, having hope, and certainty that God works all things for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)

"Under the Bridge" all day

Today was a weary day. This day broke my heart. My emotions are truly getting to the core of me, and its coming out. What is on the inside, will surely come out eventually. Today I met a women named Converna. She was so wonderful to meet. She was in her right mind and we actually had a conversation that made sense. She asked me questions, getting to know me, and I did the same back. We went this morning to walk the streets and invite those to lunch at 1:30. After lunch was served at the Dream Center, we went back to where we were at the VOA. I was able to share the story of Jonah with a fellow I met named Tony. Than I played chess with the "Champion"/ "Famous Chess Player", RJ. He taught me some strategies and yes, he won both times. It was very fun. Later on, after finishing our games, Amber and I were talking with him and found out he was shot 2 times in the stomach last week. He showed us, all bandaged up and it really opened my eyes to how the streets are. You can not predict much. I could not even imagine what goes on out there as I lay my head down in a nice, comfortable bed to sleep...

So right now I'm broken for the people of this city. They are God's people, God's children. I cannot imagine what is happening as I'm typing this. I just praise God for those survivors we touch, talk to, pray for, and the ones that see God in what we do.

7/20/11

Update for the past 4 days!

So the roads turned out to not be bad at ALL! haha "Carmageddon" showed up to be nothing. Which was awesome. The meeting on Sat. went well. We got infomed on some volunteer opportunities, and more about "Project Hope". Saturday afternoon we walked about 6 miles. Amber had a fun idea to go to the Fashion District. All the shops are spread out across 100 blocks. SO MANY SHOPS! Many of the shops have the same thing, so if you get something you can't return it if there is a better price right across the street. It was crazy but cool to experience.

Sunday morning Pastor Tommy Barnett preached about "Everyone needing their world to be rocked". He went on to talk about having BIG encounter's with God. There are several things that can lead to it. Two that Tommy mentioned were: pain,and more knowledge. I have seen both of those in my own life where God used pain to draw me closer to Him and open up my eyes to who He truly is. As well as learning about the world, people, and God caused me to change into the person I am today, encountering God at a deeper place. He transforms our thoughts and renews our minds to what HIS will is. Praise Him! Sunday night Amber and I were invited to Newport Church, a branch off of Hillsong Church into California! The message was PERFECT, just what I was needing. Pastor Matthew, who went to Hillsong Leadership College, gave words of encouragement and is totally led by the Holy Spirit! This message was on the calling of God on your life. One of the points that really struck me was "Don't let your current perspective make you miss out on the current reality." That is a life quote I will be using! Another one was "Don't let what you have keep you from what God has for you."...
Just think about those statements for a second before you keep reading...

Yesterday we walked to the Dream Center, and it was sooo nice! It gave Amber and I a great start to our day. We ended up doing our laundry and hanging out for the rest of the day. I met a little friend there, his name was Timothy. He is going into 3rd grade, and we had a great conversation about the Lord.

Today was a great day, we got updated on a few things. Got connected with A21 Campaign, thanks to Newport Church! We had to pay a parking ticket we got one of the first few days we were here, and suprisingly the people we came in contact with to pay it were very nice! Thank the Lord! Later in the afternoon we went with "Under the Bridge" and were blessed. One woman named Liz, became my friend. She goes to the Dream Center and I was able to pray for her. She came up about 20 min. later, after she had gone to eat, and asked if she could pray for the team. I was so blessed by her prayer! She totally encouraged me to keep running the race and keep doing God's will!

I was able to talk to my best friend, Kaitlynn. She is doing the Beach Project for the summer, being a missionary at Myrtle Beach. God is transforming her life, and it was so good to hear from her! She shared some awesome insights happening in her life. She shared something with me one of her friends had shared with her. It opened my eyes so much, being where I am in L.A. Being surrounded by those who are living this statement. She said:

"What is the one thing people will fight for? LIFE.

People will fight to stay alive. Whether they know it or not, it is fighting to be in the presence of God. God is life." -Meredith Honeycutt

That reminds me of John 10:10. Definately a cool way to think about life.

Kaitlynn said (which I liked):
"We need an eternity with God. We need this. To see all parts of Him. He is an infinite God, that we cannot understand. We will be in His whole presence but He is so vast that it will take eternity."

Please pray for:
-My best friend, Hope. Pray for peace, comfort, and healing.
-continued protection for Amber and I.
-To love the Lord with all our hearts, minds, soul's and strength's!
-and love others with God's love!
-Those we come in contact with daily. Tomorrow we are serving "Under the Bridge" all day!

Thank you!!! If you have anything we can be praying for, post it or email it to me!

Love you all dearly,
Elizabeth

July 15th. God hears.

Oh the goodness of God. How all things good come from above! Today Amber and I fed over 200 people and handed out bag after bag, after bag after bag with the Food Truck ministry. This ministry alone feeds over 40,000 a month. That does not include any of the meals in the dining hall, or Project Prevention, Under the Bridge, or any other ministry.

I love the faithfulness and love of God. Some prayers I have been praying are being answered daily. It's so cool to see the Lord, and bring me so much joy!

There are so many people from Australia here at the dream center doing internships, and I met one today visiting his girlfriend doing short term missions. It's so cool to be able to talk to them about Hillsong.

Today Amber and I got a pass to the "Lord's Gym". Yeaya! It's another ministry for the community and those who stay at the Dream Center. Tomorrow morning we have an information meeting about the Hope Project. Please be praying for us as we get connected with the leaders of this Project, and for what God wants us to do. Tomorrow a major freeway is shut down so roads are gonna be crazy! Pray for protection. Love all of you prayer warriors. Let me know how I can be praying for you!

Mega Love!

This morning Amber and I served doing "Discipleship", cleaning the Angeles Temple. The Angeles Temple is where all of the Dream Center's services are. Sunday's and Thursday's they have some epic services. I LOVE the worship band. They get up there and jam for Jesus. It rocks, and you can see the fellowship within the worship team. So cool!

So we cleaned the bathrooms, and the auditorium seats. It took a while, but the man directing us was so positive, his name is Ken. He really made an impact on my morning. I really want to start waking up asking "God how can I be a blessing in someone's life today?"

After lunch, we headed to Project Prevention again. This time it was only Victoria (the leader), Casey (co-leader), then Amber and I. Yesterday when we did this ministry we had a group of over 10. Today it was so much more personal, and God had answered our hearts desire to go alone, in a much smaller group. A great gift God had given today was to this little boy named Angel. We had had 2 gameboy games and couldn't find anyone with a gameboy, until today. God had blessed Angel with 2 new games! I believe he will never forget that, he was so happy!

Amber and I missed dinner today but got to eat at an Italian pizza place downtown. It was straight up from Italy! haha not really, but sure did taste like it! So good! Amber could even see the chef making our food! A bit after dinner we headed to the Angeles Temple for the thursday night service. What a blessing! Every Thurs. night they have a guest speaker. Tonight was Charles Nieman from Texas. He spoke about God's love. I like the way he started it with the passage 1 Cor. 13:13: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." God can give us all these things, but God IS LOVE. There are so many different people from different backgrounds and races. But there is one thing that is the same: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 We are all rotten sinners. Praise God, because John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Did you catch that?! WHOEVER. That means you, that means me, that means WHO ever believes. God is love. Nothing can separate those who are in His love FROM His beautiful Love. mmm. mmm. mmm.

Romans 8:35-39 (message version): "So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. "

God has a MEGA love for us. Charles spoke about how you may be, or may have been many things. You may have been rejected..but you HAVE NEVER BEEN UNLOVED. You may be insecure..but you HAVE NEVER BEEN UNLOVED. You may be lonely but you have NEVER BEEN UNLOVED. You may be uneducated but YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN UNLOVED. You may have been an addict but YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN UNLOVED. You may be a hypocrite but YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN UNLOVED...and the list goes on. Please think about this thought. What have you been? What are you? Than override it with God's love, because His love does cover over a multitude of sins. His love washes away all diritness, and purifies. His love is why we live. I hope you realize how GREAT God's love is for you today, and that it increases daily.

This message tonight definately RE-awakened God's love for me. What an amazing Lover Jesus is!

"My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19 (the message version)

Oh yeah, can't forget, the Angeles Temple also had an amazing guest singer: Racheal Lampa. She sang 2 lovely songs. All I can say is WOW, she is gifted! Here is Amber, Shelley, and I tonight after the service: