TESTIMONIES

Kate
We were at a downtown location of Los Angeles called “Skid Row” and met a 40 year old woman. She had been clean for 5 days, but her family didn’t want anything to do with her. She used to be a Christian, but started to get into drugs and lost her children. Twenty minutes later after hearing
her story, we began to pray for her. She broke down in tears as we prayed. We told her that we loved her and she asked “how can you love me?” We told her it was because she was special in God’s eyes and we shared with her the love Christ has for her.

We told her about the Dream Center Discipleship Program. We could see she wanted to get her life right and so we gave her the contact information of the Dream Center. We prayed for her again, and she looked to me and said that I reminded her of her daughter. It was such a great opportunity to bridge a gap to a hurting person with the love of Christ.

Nathan
I feel that the Dream Center has affected me in many ways. Each moment there made an impact on our team, even when we were not one on one, praying and ministering on the street. We know that God’s message is being heard. It is our desire that we take what we’ve experienced there and
bring it to our own city.

It’s cool to think that the Dream Center is impacting not only L.A. but cities all across this globe. We’ve seen people on our team step out of their comfort zones to share the gospel
with complete strangers. We’ve seen people rise up into leadership roles and recognize God’s call on their lives. The spirit is moving through the Dream Center and we now share the vision. Thank you Dream Center for letting us be a part of what God is doing in Los Angeles.

Jennifer
Before coming to the Dream Center I considered myself an overall “good person”. As in Luke 10:30, I felt that I was a good Samaritan- I helped people. After going out into the neighborhoods and skid row in downtown L.A., God showed me something. The people I’ve seen this week were homeless and also hopeless. Not only that, but God showed me that these people were “invisible” to most people passing by, not speaking to them or even looking in their direction, afraid to look them in the eye. I had to stop and think, “Have I looked at them as a worthless cause? Have I written off God’s people because they are too much to handle?” And not just the homeless, but people that I come in contact with on a daily basis. I now see Luke 10 and realize that being a good person is not enough. Up until this point I was more like the priest that walked by on the other side of the street. Jesus wants to be like the Good Samaritan and take them in,
and heal their wounds. The people I have met this week have changed my life forever. I am so blessed to know that through relationships, God will continue to use the
Dream Center to reach the world with the love of Christ.

Jillian
I just want to say thank you for making our short term mission experience a success. This is my second year leading a team to the L.A. Dream Center and I am blown away each time by the quality and quantity of the ministries that the Dream Center is involved in. I think that this week long trip is the best short term mission’s trip of its kind. The team really felt like they were making a difference! We all enjoyed the practical, hands on ministry that we were able to assist the Dream Center with.

Also, besides hopefully being a blessing to the Dream Center, the youth and adults that went on this trip were all deeply touched. Some of the students that I brought have had very tough lives and are very rough around the edges. Even the toughest student that I brought was changed on this trip. Another student that I brought is in the process of applying for the Master’s Commission program for next year. The whole team was begging me to bring them back next year for another trip. It truly was a blessing to be able to serve alongside the Dream Center for a week. Thank
you everyone who made that experience possible.

Mackenzie
It was encouraging to see the passion that all the staff members had for what they were doing. You could tell they had a heart for the work they did. It was also encouraging for me to be able to see the impact that the Dream Center has on Los Angeles- to know that it is possible to create change. It helped me experience firsthand a true feeling of being used by God to reach people.

I’ve done outreach work before, but this experience made me really step out of my comfort zone and rely on God. This week has taught me to see everyone as equally unique children of God. My passion for God has totally been stirred up and I am determined to bring my experience home with me to Canada. Thank you for your inspiration and dedication. All of the Dream Center staff were so friendly and willing to serve. I could see the light of God shining in each one of you, and I admire your desire to change the community of Los Angeles for the better.