Flood Blog – Current impact opportunities, stories of impact and classifieds.

The post college ministry of Flood was blessed with an opportunity to host “Thanks Giving” for a beautiful cross section of God’s children. This was an incredible night that was marked by the Holy Spirit. The term community never seemed so perfect a description. The post college/career team hosted Flood Youth; both high school and middle school to a phenomenal dinner. In addition, the San Diego Rescue Mission’s Men’s Choir was also in attendance. As well as other members of the community who literally came in off the street.

Thanks to some incredible food that our local Post College community groups made, we all sat down to a beautiful meal that left no one hungry that night. There was a ton of turkey as well as ham, sweet potatoes, corn bread, stuffing, veggies and much, much more. The spread was phenomenal and a big “thanks” goes to all the community groups who prepared the food. And, from what I heard had a great time doing it.

As we were all stuffing ourselves the way you must when eating any meal known as thanks giving the San Diego Rescue Mission’s Men’s choir absolutely rocked it [see photo above]. This group of men who have humbled themselves and embraced God’s love are truly inspirational. One of their members proclaimed that it was a “Holy Ghost Party”.  And, it definitely was. They had such powerful voices and their music was awesome. They brought so much soul and rhythm even Andy and Noel were leanin and rockin. The atmosphere in the room was electric and everybody couldn’t help but get up and move and dance. There were people dancing, clapping, shaking, baking and just expressing joy. The magic of the moment was so apparent that Floods hip hop dance team, who were practicing next door, couldn’t help but feel the rhythm. They then came over and straight broke it down for us. I learned a few new moves to add to my repertoire and the whole group was blessed by their gifts.

The end of the night included some powerful testimonies from several of the members of the San Diego Rescue Mission’s Men’s choir that moved us all. This was just a perfect night and at one point I had to stop and look around because it was such a beautiful picture of all of God’s Children worshiping together.

Here’s a look at what’s happening with our ministry:

This past week we met a new couple.  Their names escape me, but I remember the conversation.  When we walk up, they are pretty loud, playing some kind of game.  The wife looks very young, and her loud, childish demeanor relates possible mental instability.  Turns out that was true.  The husband is older, solemn as a rock, a look of sadness on his face.  We decide to talk.  The conversation goes something like this:

-The wife is bipolar, scizophrenic, and can only afford half of her medication.  They are both drunk and high to ease the pain.
-They are confident that none of us could understand their pain, and that God has given up on them.

-We try to offer encouragement.  Hope goes nowhere.  Scripture goes nowhere.  The offering of physical gifts (including offering to pay for medicine) goes nowhere.  Nothing we offer is taken as credible.
-They ask why we are even out there.  We try to answer, but the truth is, it was a loaded question.  No answer is acceptable to them.  Yet still we debate.

-At least an hour later, we get frustrated and decide the conversation is futile.  It’s time to keep moving on with the night

-End of interaction

Sometimes the stories we take back with us Monday nights don’t always feel positive.  Often they can leave us dejected and sorrowful.  We walk away feeling helpless that we can’t do anything.  But we must realize that our encouragement comes from knowing that Jesus can.  He reminds us that it doesn’t need to be our burden to alter someone’s situation.  By doing what we do in Flood Love, Jesus allows us to participate in the hope and salvation that can truly only come from Him.

As we walked away from the couple, the husband thanked us for letting him vent.  I don’t know about you, but that kept me from feeling the conversation was completely hopeless

Prayer is the most powerful tool we have:

• Please pray for this unnamed couple to allow Christ into their hearts, to heal their pain, erase their sorrow, and lift their spirits.
• Please pray for the thousands upon thousands more homeless who share similar pain, but lack the Love of Christ in their life to help them through it.
• Please pray that we in Flood Love would be constantly encouraged by the Holy Spirit to continue our ministry in faith and joy and humility.  Pray that we never lose confidence in our purpose.  Pray that we see our ministry as a blessed opportunity from Christ and not a burden.

Flood Love meets Monday nights at 6:45pm, (departing at 7:00pm) on 15^th St, between F & G in front of Smart & Final (Map).

Thanks to all who made Shine Day a huge success last Saturday, October 3rd! We had 200 volunteers cleaning, painting, building and organizing — it’s amazing the huge impact we can make when we all offer a few hours of our weekend.

Here’s part of a letter from the facilities manager of Kearny High School:

“Words can not express the overwhelming feeling I have. I am brought to my knees in gratefulness and thank you’s to all of you. I’d like to especially thank everyone who didn’t give up from last year’s cancellation and the wonderful way of organizing and hearing our needs and cheerfully responding to the school. You have made Kearny a place to be proud of,  and a place that “shines!” once again. I am so lucky to be part of Kearny and to get to know such wonderful people as Flood has and is.   It’s been a long time since I’ve been around a group of folks who are truly filled with the spirit.   It was so nice to be here and be part of this.”

Check out these photos from the day:

There was some wall washing…

Some lunch table scrubbing…

And a whole lot of gum scraping…

Clearing out some space in the backstage area

Painting the KHS picnic tables

Thanks to all the kids & families who participated!

Kearny Komets’ cheerleaders kept our morale high.

Thanks to the marrieds’ community group for grilling all those burgers!

It’s great to see God build community as we serve together!

Thank you all for making Kearny a cleaner campus. If you missed out, we’ll see you next year when it’s time to SHINE!

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Here’s a look at what’s happening with our ministry:

I have a brother.  His name is Robert.  Robert is in his fifties (though you would never know) and sleeps on the sidewalk of G Street in downtown San Diego. Ok, so Robert isn’t my actual brother. But he might as well be.  Robert is the type of person I usually walk away feeling that he ministered to me, when the intention was the opposite.  Robert, like most people living on the streets, has a story that could fill a best-selling book.  I encourage you to meet Robert and hear it one day.  But for now, I want to fill you in on a recent chapter in the powerful story God has written for him.
 
I met Robert well over a year ago, and when I see him we talk.  About life, our stories, our problems, about God and the Word.  For me, I always enjoy talking with someone on the streets who already has God’s hope.  It’s actually a relief and a rest from the pressures we put on ourselves for ministry.  Then one day, we (Flood Love) roll up to Robert and his neighbors, and he just looks like a wreck.  So naturally I want to know what’s going on.  Well, Robert has been really struggling recently with the current state of his life. He turned to drinking, but realized that wasn’t the right way to call out his pain.  He needs support.  He needs family.  So Robert caught us up, tears in his eyes and a shakiness in his voice that tugs at your heart and makes you want to cry out to God with him.  So we did.  We prayed. And we prayed.  And we laid hands on him.  And we embraced him to remind him that he is not alone.  He is not forgotten.  He is loved.  And after an hour, a new look came  upon his face- that of hope.  Of joy. Of peace.  God had sent Robert family in his time of need.  And we realized in that moment that Flood Love isn’t just about passing out snacks, or even about reading scripture to homeless people.  It’s about relationships.  It’s about community.  It’s about Love.  It’s about us being like Christ as much as it’s about us telling people about Christ.  Flood Love is a very personal ministry.  People like Robert who live on the streets aren’t homeless.  No, they’re still people.  And that means they deserve our love just the same as your roommate, or your sister, or the person sitting next you to at Flood on Sundays.
 
 
Prayer is the most powerful tool we have:
 
-Please pray for Robert to grow his faith and be strengthened.  That he would receive peace in his position and not give up the fight both inside and out.
-Please pray that Robert and everyone else living on the streets would be lifted into better circumstances, that their physical needs would be met, whatever they may be.
-Please pray for us in Flood Love to continue to have our hearts opened to people living on the streets.  Pray that our group would flourish both in numbers and impact.  Pray that God will continue to lead this group and produce encouraging and uplifting stories such as this

Flood Love meets Monday nights at 6:45pm, (departing at 7:00pm) on 15th St, between F & G in front of Smart & Final (Map).

 For more information, email FloodLove@DIVEintoFLOOD.com

Just wanted to give a shout out and a thank you to Robert Bautista and his friends!  He came on our last orphanage trip and was so moved by the kids there and El Faro’s water/electrical/construction needs that he took action.  He hosted a volleyball tournament for his friends at the beach on 4th of July weekend and raised $160 for El Faro orphanage.  Thanks Robert and Whitney for your support!

If you would like to check out El Faro and have some fun with these kids also, join us on our next trip on July 25th. You can sign up at Flood’s info tent before or after service this Sunday!  Reminder: a passport is required.

Below is a recap from two people who helped deliver food to one of the KHS families supported by Flood’s Soul Food Impact Team on July 5th.  It’s amazing to see how just $5’s-worth of food can really impact the lives of these families.  Make sure you catch the prayer requests at the bottom.

We visited Veronica, a single mom with her 14 year-old daughter, Jesse (who was at a friend’s house).

They are homeless, but were house sitting for friends for a couple days.  When we came to the door, Veronica had a subtle smile on her face.  You could tell she was feeling the weight of her situation, but showed an overall extremely positive attitude.

She and her daughter had been eating nothing but dry cereal (that was given to them) the past few days, so she was very excited to see the groceries and the variety.  She was particularly excited about having a fresh loaf of bread.

After introductions and the presentation of the groceries, I read Psalm 55:22 and offered to pray for her and her daughter.  When asked what she could use prayer for, she gave a simple, yet deep answer: “Everything”.  So we prayed.  I felt her hand grab tighter as the prayer went on, and I could sense the tears welling up in her eyes.  When we finished, I gave her a hug and she was sweating.  She said that she always feels warm when she is praying.  Apparently that’s more than just a metaphor.

We talked a little more about her story and her needs.  She recognizes God’s provision even in the darkest of situations.  God put a roof over her head by allowing her to house sit, and gave her food to eat through the gifts delivered by Soul Food and Flood Church.  She makes it a point to constantly teach her daughter of the importance of charity, and despite their present woes they still engage in charitable acts.  Something we can all take a lesson from.

Unfortunately, Veronica and Jesse have been denied access to numerous local shelters because she is clean and mentally stable.  Most of the shelters around town give priority to drug and alcohol users, and the mentally unstable.  She has a car, but the registration is expired and she had accumulated over $600 in fees, plus additional maintenance, to make the car drivable.  She is also trying to file for bankruptcy, but cannot afford the lawyer’s fees (irony of the system) and is struggling to file on her own.

Overall, it was an extremely rewarding experience and Veronica and her daughter are extremely thankful for the loving kindness  shown to her by Christ and his Church.  To all those who donated supplies for Soul Food, know that your gifts truly make a difference.  I encourage you to continue sharing your gifts as they don’t go unnoticed.

Prayer requests Veronica & Jesse:
-A permanent roof over their heads
-Health and peace of mind to continue
-Work
-Help with her car and filing for bankruptcy

Tangible gifts:
-Anyone able and willing to help her file for bankruptcy
-Help pay for registration costs for her car (~$600), or get them reduced
-Help fix her car

If you are interested in helping this family with some of the tangible needs listed above, or if you want to sign-up to start helping with Soul Food, contact Jenny at Food@DIVEintoFLOOD.com.

Flood Impact Model from FloodSanDiego on Vimeo.

Even though the majority of our Shine Day activities have been postponed until the fall, 40 volunteers were still able to make a genuine impact on the Linda Vista community on May 2nd. Check out the stories/photos below (Thanks Abby Nguyen for sharing your reflections with us!):

This was the first year we had the opportunity to directly serve the residents of Linda Vista. The work team pulled vines and weeds from the backyard of residents Paul & Shannon — their concrete driveway and fences were COVERED and they removed it all!Incredible. They also cleared out weeds in the backyard, trimmed a tree, and Kevin Hearn built a shed for the washer and dryer.

Kevin Hearn is the man!! He built a shed to cover the washer and dryer that sit outside, to protect it from weather wear and tear.  Paul, the resident, was recently laid off, and couldn’t afford to buy the wood — after many prayers, we had a generous donation of $100, which we used to purchase all of the supplies to build the shed. Paul was honestly amazed at how generous our church was… he had no words to express his gratitude.

At the Bayside Community Center: this team helped clean up the landscape in the front area of the community center.  They also raked the sand in the sandbox, and made the front portion look so neat and clean! Awesome job… it looks really beautiful and well-kept now!

The largest team of 22 volunteers painted the fence running the perimeter of a resident’s backyard! Valorie, the resident, was simply blown away at so many “kids” working in her backyard for free. She was so grateful and invited us back to check out her backyard next week, as it’s being worked on and made-over.  We were able to pray with her, and she is so excited to see before and after pictures of this huge project. Her “fence painting party” was a HUGE success!

At Linda Vista Rec Center, a work team pulled weeds alongside the hills surrounding the rec center on Genesee and Osler Street.  The weeds were OUT OF CONTROL.  You couldn’t help but notice the difference when they were done.  It looked so cleaned up and noticeably different in the best way.  This team rocked it as it one of the more strenuous projects.

The Linda Vista residents were so excited since Day 1, and the result of these huge achievements is MONUMENTAL.  It’s not just about serving as God’s hands and feet — we planted a seed in the hearts of the people that we served today, along with the hearts of some of the volunteers who are non-believers. The joy that was felt today, along with the movement of the Holy Spirit in everyone, was so overwhelming in the best way.

God is working in HUGE and AMAZING ways, and today was just a true testament to how amazing and faithful He is.

On Good Friday 2009 Flood’s College Community Group dared to ask UCSD students: “What does the Cross mean to you?”. We took cross and some nails and some bits of paper and gave anyone who wanted to the opportunity to write down their answers, whatever they might think or feel and nail them to the cross. True, most people we asked to respond told us that they didn’t have anything to say and then walked on, but there were a few people who actually wanted to stop and talk to us. We met a wide variety of people from traveling evangelists to professors. One person who stopped by and talked to us for a while was a young Islamic woman who shared with us her beliefs on who Jesus was, and in turn we were able to share the true gospel of Christ with her. There is also a physics professor at UCSD who without fail will challenge any religious group on campus, regardless of their faith. When he came to us, we were able to share with him how true Christianity is different from the Christianity he had a picture of in his head. He posed some really tough really interesting questions, but he wasn’t ready to listen to anything any person of faith had to say. I think we made a good impression on him overall, and I hope we have the chance to talk to him again sometime. All in all, I have to say that the day was a success, people posted responses that were all across the board from things like “Faith, Hope, Love” to “One of the worlds great religions.” A Jewish friend of mine even came by and wrote that Jesus “was an Orthodox Jew.” It was really encouraging being able to talk with people from all walks of faith about who Jesus really is.

- Scott E. McGhee

This past orphanage trip was a great way to spread some V-day love.  We had volunteers join us from many churches, including El Refugio in Chula Vista, Japanese Christian Church, and The Rock.  We also had plenty of volunteers from Flood’s own community.  We started the day out with praise & worship songs, like “Making Melodies” and “Padre Abraham” (Father Abraham).  Come on, Sunday schoolers, you know those songs!  This was Kevin’s first time being in charge of games and he did a great job teaching the kids how to play a Giant Twister game and also Loteria (Mexican Bingo!).  Half of the group split up and painted the women staff’s room upstairs in pink and purple colors.  We also were able to put in a shower curtain, bathroom rugs, and room rugs in the girls’ dormitory.  Later in the day, we made “Love Yourself” posters with the kids.  The volunteers traced the kids’ bodies, and then the kids decorated themselves and wrote down all the things they loved about themselves.  For example, if they were caring, they would draw a heart on their chest and write “Carinoso” in it.

These were some of the most helpful and willing volunteers we have ever had…because of the rain, we couldn’t make it up the hill and so we had to carry EVERYTHING to the top of the hill in the cold mud!  Plus, the kitchen crew did great dodging cockroaches and rats- which seemed to increase because of the cold weather!  The volunteers were AwEsOmE!  Join us on our next trip on March 14th!