Week 8

Hello Everyone!
This past week has been a roller coaster! I have been gone since last Saturday on my in class outreach. We went to Los Angeles to work with the Dream Center, as well as the Jonah Project (www.jonahproject.com)which is a non-profit organization right in the heart of Skid Row. We left for this adventure early on Saturday morning. We spent that night at the YWAM base in Las Vegas, which is in the third worst neighborhood in the United States. That night we went down to the main strip in Las Vegas and did a little site seeing. It was beautiful but very different than what I expected. Never have I seen so much of God's glory mixed in with so much sin. It was pretty intense. We left Las Vegas on Sunday morning and arrived in L.A. that afternoon. Our speaker for the week came with us and taught on the Holy Spirit for the first few days. It was by far my favorite teaching yet. He was very thorough in his teaching and he answered all of my questions. It was great.
Later in the week we worked with the Dream Center. We worked with a food truck on the first day. We handed out groceries and prayed with people in a local community in L.A. On the second day we worked with their children's ministry. We got to play and make crafts with the kids while their parents received food for the week. It was so awesome to see how God used the simple act of handing out food to bring Him glory. We also worked with the Jonah Project in Skid Row. Skid Row has one of the largest concentrations of homelessness in the United States. There were hundreds and hundreds of homeless people. My team went around and talked and prayed for people if they wanted it. It was an incredibly eye opening experience. I went in to Skid Row thinking that it would be similar to all of the street ministry we have done here in the Denver area. It was nothing like that. I didn't even know poverty like that existed in the U.S. I think that God really used my time in Skid Row to show me that being in ministry isn't always going to be pretty. It's going to be incredibly hard and challenging at times, but it's worth it.
On Thursday we spent the day at the beach. Several of the people in my school got baptized in the ocean. It was awesome! When that was over we went and did street ministry on the boardwalk in Venice beach. It was a pretty crazy experience. We went in groups of three and talked and prayed for people. There was a lot of spiritual warfare going on in that area. Despite that, we were able to be a light in a dark area. A lot of the people guessed that we were Christians even before we had said anything about it. God really went before us and prepared the way. We were able to plant seeds in these people's lives. It's exciting to see the way God is moving in that area!
We joined the YWAM base in L.A. twice this week and had an amazing time of ministry. The DTS there was learning about the Holy Spirit this week as well. We had a powerful time of prayer and worship. The Holy Spirit was so powerful. People were getting healed and filled with the Spirit like I've never seen before. God spoke to me in such powerful ways this week; He is doing so much in my heart. This week I have been reminded over and over again of God's goodness and faithfulness. Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the Lord is Good." My life is such a testimony of God's goodness. He has watched over me and He has protected my heart my entire life. I just want to encourage all of you to reflect on God's goodness this week. Think about all of the times that He has comforted your hurting heart, and all of the times He has filled you with His love and peace. God is so good. Thanks for all of the encouraging words and prayers that you guys have been so faithful to give. God is truly using you in massive ways in my life. I love you all!

In Christ,
Kaitlyn Couey