Two Weeks In and Two Vignettes

We're two weeks in and seeing a powerful combination of students being vulnerable with God and each other, and learning to hear from God and be led into ministry. Something special is happening. Here are two vignettes:

Last Monday, the Long Beach team went to a local park, where they spent time listening to and serving the homeless. One man there had a recently broken leg in a soft cast. As the students interacted with him--in response to our conversations and training at LAUP--they felt led to pray for his healing. They prayed once...it was a little better. They prayed again...better still. They prayed a third time...he said the pain was gone. They asked him if he would be willing to stand up to test out his leg...and he stood up to find all the pain gone! He shared he'd love to check out the Fountain of Life Church they're serving in Long Beach. Interestingly enough, this was the same team struggling to believe that God could work miraculously just days before...they took a risk and are seeing God's power working through their very hands!

This past Thursday, all the LAUP interns gathered for our weekly time of teaching, training, and worship, this time about the realities of the spiritual realm and the power and importance of prayer. One team serving homeless children in Northwest Pasadena had been struggling with the ways the children they were serving would responded to them with physical violence, regularly punching them in the face and running away. As the team took time to listen to God in prayer, they sensed God calling them to pray against anger...but not in the way they would have guessed. They felt led to confess their own struggles with anger and the ways they'd been mistreating each other on the team. They confessed their own character flaws, and then took time to pray for kids on their site.

The following day several of the team members were given menial tasks...they kind about which they had been complaining and getting angry just one day before. Instead of giving into anger, the team used each break time to confess their own anger and pray against anger in the kids they were serving. By the end of the day they noticed a tangible difference in the children as well as themselves.

Students are being transformed as we speak, and are being empowered to bring real transformation--even with supernatural power--to the urban communities of Los Angeles.

This week (July 7th) will be focused on God's love for the poor, the power of money, and how we can use our resources for powerful godly purposes. Don't hesitate to come on by this week, Thursday, or any Thursday in July to see us in action!