Card carrying missionaries

After successfully completing a year as "missionaries in training," (Feb 2012), Chris and I received our official World Impact ministry license!

Each month, the entire missionary staff of World Impact L.A. (over 50 missionaries) gathers for worship, prayer, and fellowship.  Here we are at the May 2012 "Gathering" being commissioned for our on-going labors here. We are so blessed to be a part of this team here in L.A.!

The Mayor's Prayer Breakfast

"God permits what he hates in order to accomplish what he loves."  --Joni

 

For nearly 40 years, Dr. Keith Phillips has organized and led the annual prayer breakfast for the Mayor of Los Angeles. This year, Joni Eareckson Tada was the guest speaker. This remarkable woman of God testified to the life of submission and surrender, as only Joni could tell it. "God permits what he hates in order to accomplish what he loves," she explained. She concluded her talk with a special invitation: "Join me in needing God desperately every day!"

LA Fun!

We met Charlene and Larry at Bottega Louie for brunch. Excellent food. We highly recommend this restaurant! Then Bob and I strolled around for a while. Surprisingly, it was a quiet day downtown. I guess all the shoppers were elsewhere.

Egg White Omelet

Smoked Salmon

Grand Central Market

LA Public Library

Bob at World Peace Bell

Chris at World Peace Bell

Joni & Friends Reunion

On Saturday, November 19, we helped to host the Joni and Friends/World Impact LA Urban Family Retreat reunion. (That’s a mouthful ;-). Eight families attended along with STMs (volunteers) and JAF and WI staff, for a great group of about 60 people. We enjoyed silly games, good fun, casual visiting, and meaningful reflection. Next year’s camp will be July 30 through August 3! Good times!

Recruiting

Now back in Indiana, we are visiting Taylor University students, colleagues, & dear friends who helped to send us out a little less than a year ago to serve as urban missionaries with World Impact. It is a privilege to share God’s abundant provision for us during our initial year as “MITs” (Missionaries in Training)! In what seems like a few brief months, there have been many challenges and lessons learned. This week Chris shared our experiences with students at The King’s Academy (a Christian K-12 in Jonesboro). Bob is sharing with students on the Taylor campus. We want to stay connected with those who have supported and encouraged us during our Indiana sojourn (1995-2010). The students pictured here are senior Christian Educational Ministry majors from the class of 2011 who traveled to Los Angeles last January for their senior capstone course—a two week intensive urban immersion. This week Bob is meeting with the seniors from the class of 2012, who will be experiencing L.A. this coming January. Later this month, three Taylor student teachers will travel to Los Angeles to complete their student teaching experience at World Impact’s Los Angeles Christian School; a fourth student teacher will be at the Newark Christian School in New Jersey.

TUMI-LA Graduation 2011

Saturday June 25th was not just another beautiful day in Southern California. It was also graduation day for a select class of students who have persevered through the course of studies known as the CAPSTONE of Christian Leadership Studies of the Urban Ministry Insitute of Los Angeles. The graduates--four men and one woman--have studied hundreds of pages of theological material, written dozens of papers, and attended hundreds of hours of evening and weekend classes, all while balancing job, family, and church-ministry responsibilities! The CAPSTONE certificate prepares students for ministry leadership in a variety of settings, by introducing them to the disciplines of Biblical Studies, Theology and Ethics, Christian Ministry, and Urban Mission, and requiring them to integrate what they are learning with their ministry assignments, with the assistance of mentors. This is a holistic, experiential, ministry-equipping approach to transforming urban America, through empowering ministry leaders from among the urban poor.

The Crips

Last Saturday, a fellow missionary hosted a film documenting the start of the two most famous gangs in the U.S., the Crips and the Bloods: Crips and Bloods: Made in America. The film interviewed past and present gang members, as well as former gang members and historians. It was a sobering account of what happens when people treat each other as less than the image bearers of God that we are. One of the original Crips, Zane Smith, watched the film with us. He had not seen the film before and had declined to take part in its production. He shared his perspective about the beginning of the Crips after the film was over. See his story at Part One and Part Two. He especially challenged us as Christians to be part of the solution to the issues that have given rise to gangs. A very interesting afternoon.

June Prayer Letter

June 1, 2011

Dear co-laborers in the harvest,

Can you picture Jesus as the Good Shepherd? That is what we have been doing for the past year at World Impact, as the biblical image of Christ as Shepherd has been our focal theme. This began with a conference in spring of 2010 on “Christ our Good Shepherd,” a gathering of pastors and teachers from satellite campuses of The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) located throughout the nation as well as from several international locations. The year concluded with an in-depth study of Psalm 23 during our Thursday-evening family groups and a reading of Philip Keller’s A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 in the spring of 2011.

The imagery of this familiar Psalm was reinforced for me during a recent visit to THE OAKS, World Impact’s beautiful mountain camp and conference center in Lake Hughes, California, with its pastures greened by melting snow. As I write this letter, however, my mind struggles to reconcile the serene beauty of the camp setting with scenes I daily encounter on the street in Los Angeles. And I am wondering how to square David’s spiritual declarations with the reality of this city.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…” Many people are in want in this city. On any given night more than 80,000 are homeless in Los Angeles County alone. About half of these are women, many are physically disabled or mentally ill, and there are children and many youth among the homeless. “Listen!” I want to tell them, “There is a Good Shepherd who invites you into His flock, and who will care for your needs!”

“He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul…” One day I arrived at the TUMI office on Vermont Avenue to find a young African-American male (perhaps seventeen years old) waiting at the door. He wanted to know if there was room in my office where he could lie down and sleep. His inarticulate speech and dilated pupils betrayed his drug use. “Look,” I wanted to explain, “my Shepherd has a safe haven for you—a sheepfold where you can find good pasture!”

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…” One morning, at about 3:00 a.m., I woke to the sound of an argument coming from the street. A car had stopped in front of our staff house, and a man and two women had gotten out. The man, who had been driving, was threatening the women. Periodically he would climb back into the car to gulp from a bottle of whiskey. Eventually he drove off with one of the women, leaving the other to walk. “Hey!” I wanted them to know, “Those who come under the Good Shepherd’s staff enjoy His protection and comfort, even in dire circumstances.”

Please pray that we will continue to keep our eyes fixed on the Good Shepherd as we daily encounter scenes of bondage and brokenness in this city. Pray also that we will act wisely but courageously on behalf of Him who had compassion on the people because “they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36b ESV). In addition, please let us know how we can be praying for you.

Bob and Chris Lay

NATIONAL OFFICE:
2001 S Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90007
323-735-1137
E-mail: wiinfo@worldimpact.org
Website: www.worldimpact.org

CA License!

The big news: I got my California driver's license this morning! It was almost painless! The employees were helpful and kind. I had to take the written test (missed one out of 36). And I was expecting that they would require me to set up a time for a driving test as well. As it turned out, I only had to fill in another form listing my limitations and the restrictions that have been listed on my license in the past. Now I have my interim driver's license. The "real" one will arrive in the mail within a couple of months.

I am thanking the Lord for the favor He gave me during this process. Thanks for your prayers for us as well.

Mother's day gift

On Mother's Day Chris was honored by our church with a beautiful flower arrangement. Chris is pictured here with with Señora Silvia Cortes, co-pastor with her husband Rolando of La Iglesia En El Camino (The Church on the Way)

Another Fun Weekend!

Saturday we hosted two elementary students for a "Make-Your-Own-Pizza Party with Mr. Bob and Miss Chris." We had mini pizzas with pepperoni (the favorite), mushrooms, red peppers, black olives, pineapple chunks, and/or onion. Then we had dessert pizzas with apple slices, brown sugar and cinnamon, and cheese. These students were a blast to be with, very lively, curious, and creative.

Saturday was also my first day driving in LA! I had not driven in about 4 months. Now that we have hand controls on the car, it's time for me to practice so that I can get my California driver's license. The only mishap was bumping into the shopping cart return in the grocery store parking lot. :-(  The car has much more get-up-and-go than our van did. Pray for me (and everyone on or near the road) as I continue to adjust to driving here. The next challenge: getting on the freeway!

The Urban Look

Yesterday we had the hand controls installed in our car. I will now be able to travel the roads and freeways of LA on my own. Here is Bob with his urban hairstyle reacting to the idea of my driving in LA!

Literature Day at LACS

The Berenstain Bear Family

The Cat in the Hat

Miss Swamp from Miss Nelson Is Missing

Today was Literature Day at Los Angeles Christian School. All of the teachers and  many of the students were dressed as favorite literary characters. (I am enough of a character without dressing up!) I read Bedtime for Frances to the 2nd and 3rd graders. Bob read Dr. DeSoto to another group of students. There were other guest readers and lots of fun activities. It was hard to tell who was having the best time--the students or the teachers!

Lunch at LACS

Yesterday I helped with lunch duty. Here are photos of the lunchroom at LACS (Los Angeles Christian School). Picnic tables. Sunshine. The noise of exuberant children drifting to the sky (instead of bouncing of the walls of a school cafeteria). What treat! Friday is chapel day, and the children are wearing their chapel uniforms.

A Blessed Weekend

What an amazing weekend!

Saturday we attended the 38th Annual Los Angeles Mayor's Prayer Breakfast. We had good food, heard some speeches, listened to the Azusa Pacific University Men's Chorale...and prayed. We were led in times of prayer for the city, the mayor, the city council, and the police department. Francis Chan challenged us to act upon what we heard, to be in awe that the Mighty God, Creator of all things, will listen to our prayers IF we come to Him, the One True God, in humility, repentance, with right motives, and without doubt. The name of Jesus was lifted up. In our day it is unusual for such a public event to be so clearly Christ-focused and for prayers to be made to the Father in the name of His Son. I was convicted in my own heart of the wrong attitude I have toward California and Los Angeles. "As goes California, so goes the nation." In my mind that has been a statement of hopelessness. But God is sovereign over all. If we His people repent, pray, and seek Him, the light of Jesus will shine even more brightly here in LA and beyond!

A highlight for me was getting to meet Rosey Grier and having a brief conversation with him. (See the fuzzy photo above. Bob's arm was still in a sling so it was difficult to keep the iPod steady.)

On Sunday we attended La Iglesia En El Camino (Los Angeles). We have been visiting this church for the past couple of months. They meet right next door to us at the Los Angeles Christian School (a World Impact school). The service is mainly in Spanish. (Many of you are probably thinking, "I didn't know that Bob and Chris spoke Spanish." We don't. :-)  However, the church is moving toward being bilingual. We are given headsets each week, and someone translates the service for us. Yesterday, we even sang a couple of verses of a song in English! We have been lovingly received there. At one point in the service the pastor began talking about a couple who had moved from another state to minister in LA. Bob and I were both wondering what other couple was new to the church from another state.Then the pastor said our names. He asked everyone to extend their hands toward us while he prayed for us. We felt overwhelmed, in a very wonderful way.

We have been blessed!

The Adventure Never Stops!

As many of you already know, Bob had an accident on his bicycle Wednesday. He was riding on a fairly busy street here in LA. There are grooves or ruts near the curbs that are a couple of inches deep. His tires fit perfectly. :-P  He must have turned his wheel somewhat, not realizing he was in that rut. Instead of the bike turning, it (and he) fell over. His right elbow took the brunt of the fall although he hit his head (he WAS wearing a helmet), his right shoulder and wrist, and came down on his left hand. He has a small cut on his right leg, but it really is a miracle that he ended up with only a fractured elbow. Yesterday he saw an orthopedic doctor, Dr. Shin :-), whose report was very encouraging. The doctor feels that in 2 weeks at a follow-up appointment the splint can be removed and physical therapy can begin to restore range of motion. 

We have been surrounded by the love and help of many in our new community of World Impact as well as the prayers of many around the world! We deeply appreciate everyone who has supported us during this time.

Several people have commented, "Someone doesn't want you there." We know that the we are in a spiritual battle. We also know that the Lord Jesus has already conquered death, hell, and the grave. The past couple of months have had their challenges, but we are convinced that the Lord has called us here. We are experiencing His love and protection all around us. And going through an emergency medical situation has enabled us (Bob, really) to experience some of the difficulties of health care in the city. 

So while we have left the comfort of a middle-class lifestyle and its benefits, we are amazed that Jesus left the glories of heaven to live in our environment, love us, teach us, heal us,  and then die for our sins.

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
(Philippians 2:5-11 ESV)

May God bless you in your journey!

Re-orientation

I (Bob) have just returned from the east coast where I attended my father’s “home going” service. In his day my dad was a loving father & husband, a dependable provider, an exuberant friend, a pillar in the church, and an innovative Bible teacher. He was most in his element when preparing Bible lessons or planning a family vacations! He loved the Lord and shared the gospel faithfully. He is now promoted to full-time worshiper at throne of the Lamb! While back east I met people who knew my dad in his younger days, and who spoke of his faithfulness and hard work. My prayer now is for my mother who faithfully served alongside dad for 61 years(!), and who stayed by his side 24/7 during his passing. Specifically, I am praying that she will draw close to the Lord at this time, and will find new purpose and an abundance of serving opportunities.

Now back in my L.A. office, I am once more immersed in my orientation to the mission of World Impact and The Urban Ministry Institute of Los Angeles. Chris and I enjoy the “MOTC” class (Missionary Orientation & Training Course) weekly, and I am sitting on the PRACTICING CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP course as T.A. for one of our excellent course facilitators. During the next quarter (beginning on late March) I will begin teaching my own sections of TUMI classes.

Two priorities seem to be emerging in my work at this early stage: (1) A study of the retention rate of TUMI-LA students, with an investigation into the reasons for student drop out; (2) the need to assist TUMI facilitators with supporting their students who have a range of adult learning challenges.

We continued to be encouraged and humbled by your generous support!

Relocation and Settling In

Even in ideal circumstances it is difficult to leave loved ones behind.  These include not only our immediate family members but all of you receiving this letter who have been encouraging and supportive in so many ways during our transition.  Bob’s father’s condition stabilized and he returned home to begin his recovery from a broken leg.  Bob’s brother-in-law David is currently undergoing intensive radiation for cancer.

On December 28^th we completed our journey to Los Angeles to settle into a staff house on West 20^th street.  Our daughter Rebekah flew out with us, effectively doubling our strength and energy for the task.  Her help was essential as sixteen Taylor University students would soon arrive for their Senior Capstone course.  Bob has led the student trip before but never to Los Angeles and never under these circumstances!  We received additional grace in the form of two eager young men, Byron Siemsen, a World Impact Missionary who developed our L.A. trip agenda, and Jon Cavanagh, Bob’s former student who helped to coordinate this year’s experience.  Our visits to a variety of Los Angeles-area churches and urban ministries were both eye-opening for students and an intensive orientation to our new home base for Bob.

Our new location and way of life brings many adjustments!  At least one of these is easy: since our arrival here we have enjoyed mostly sunny, warm days—a fantastic change from the Midwest.  Other adjustments are more challenging: traffic, crime, noise, dirty air, and the high cost of groceries to name but a few.  Here in the heart of this “city that never sleeps” we are making our home.  Like Abraham we have come in order to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, and we look forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God (Hebrews 11:9-10).

Please pray for our transition and for healing for David and strength for Bob’s sister Belinda. Join us in asking the Lord that all who are touched by this situation to come to know that He is Healer, Sustainer, and Lord. Let us know how we can pray for you.

Christmas “vacation”

Bob:
After submitting my final grades for fall, Chris and I flew from Indy to Fort Lauderdale—a wonderful transition (from 8 degrees & snow to 75 degrees and sun)! Since our upcoming move takes us to the Pacific coast, we had planned to spend time with our daughter Rebekah (TU 2007) and son-in-law Jorge, who serve on the staff of His House Children’s Homes of Miami (www.HHCH.org). We would stay in their Miami Beach apartment from December 16 through 28, a nice respite before “taking the field” in Los Angeles. These plans changed as I spoke by phone with my parents who live in Beaufort, SC, and who view our move to California as remote and foreign. So, the same day we arrived for our Florida respite, I caught a flight to Savannah, where my sister picked me up for the drive to Beaufort. Arriving that night we learned that my father had been admitted to the Beaufort hospital with a broken leg. Dad’s diabetes and heart disease made this a life-threatening condition, so I went directly to the ER where I found him alone, awaiting the doctor. He is also legally blind, but when he realized I was with him he immediately asked for prayer. His condition was listed as unstable and we spent the night together in the ER, as I read the psalms aloud to him and prayed. The next day I napped for a couple of hours before returning to spend another night with him, this time in PCU (one step below ICU). He was mostly unresponsive due to pain medication, and his reduced kidney function concerned the doctors. Over the next few days my mother, sister, and I faced first the possibility of saying goodbye to Dad until Heaven (he’s a believer), and then of how to best arrange for his long-term care. My visit was timely since my mother is elderly and my sister’s husband is facing treatment for stage 4 cancer. Please pray for these two women—my mother and my sister—as they face losing their husbands. It was emotionally difficult for me to leave Beaufort with so much unresolved, but wonderful to be back with Chris, Rebekah, and Jorge, for a few wonderful days prior to our departure.