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The Body of Christ came together in the days before Thanksgiving to provide meals to the less fortunate in our community. Several weeks prior to Thanksgiving, the Interfaith Food Center (IFC) put the word out that volunteers were needed to bag and distribute food, and WACC’s congregation rose up to serve. Volunteers stacked food on pallets on Saturday in preparation for transportation to St Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Whittier, the distribution site. On Monday night, many hands made light work as the canned and dry goods were bagged by WACC volunteers whose numbers allowed them to quickly complete the task. Colleen Marks, Ginny Edwards and I arrived at St Andrew’s on Tuesday morning to help with the food distribution. Chad Miller and the “Illuminate” group along with other devoted early-bird volunteers from WACC, St Andrew’s and IFC were already hard at work. We met with Steve Arredondo, WACC’s Outreach liaison to IFC and Veronica Hernandez from IFC, who showed us the ropes and put us to work.
Those who came to get food for their Thanksgiving meal seemed to cross every demographic. Upon arrival, they checked in and were given a “passport” that was checked off as they visited each food station. There were stations for canned and dry goods, bread, vegetables and fruit, eggs and dairy products, desserts, and frozen turkeys were waiting at the final station. The crew worked joyfully and with purpose. Ginny took a spot bagging pies, and Colleen and I pitched in bagging fruit and vegetables. Each person’s shopping basket was filled, and gratitude was expressed for the quantity and variety of food received. The midday flow of people was consistent, not overwhelming, and tapered off dramatically in the early afternoon.
As we packed food on pallets to truck over to Interfaith Food Center for the evening distribution, I had time to reflect on my life’s blessings. I count among these blessings my family and friends, my job at the church and the car that allows me to get there, my restored health after cancer treatment, and the privilege it is to be counted among those who call themselves the Body of Christ.

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Our commute to and from Camp Pendleton went very smoothly; all three vehicles arrived precisely at 4 PM. Last year they had @ 24 guys in the unit; this year @ 35 – 1 female included. Next year, there will be groundbreaking on a much larger facility. Once again, we stocked their empty pantry with a lot of great “snack” foods. We received a generous donation from grocery vendors via Ann LaPorte: 90 (NINETY) cases of cup of noodles, @ 1,000 granola bars, 25 cases of Pringles snack packs – incredible. God is good. We sent a portion of this donation to OI, our care package partner – to their Los Angeles operation out of the VA facility in the San Fernando Valley. Many of these items will be passed on to homeless Veterans or those who are struggling financially.

The cup of noodles were quite welcomed at the Wounded Warrior Battalion. Their leadership indicated that they would be well used when many have to go for specialized appointments, they can take one with them in their backpack. Elaine Haendiges did a great job planning the menu (truly gifted in this area) – store bought + homemade (KFC, roasted potatoes, fresh fruit, rolls and lemon cake)
For those who helped with providing food for dinner – they loved it all! Thank you. We would love to recruit a few more willing to help in this area. Our next visit is in January. Let me know if you are interested.

God totally spoke to Gary Cates (again! Last year was “Uno”). Gary brought note cards and when the guys sat to eat at the table, he put the cards on the table and asked if any had a prayer request – they didn’t need to write their names if they didn’t want to, we just wanted to pray for them.

Below are their requests. Thank you for your prayers.

To be back with my daughter and wife. Better financial. Better with my healing. Bless others around me. Give me strength.
Randy Mahaffey

Please pray for my mother, who works in a youth prison. She has to drive an hour and a half to and from work. Please pray for her.

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Showers of Blessings at the POD
Janice, Victor and I are so grateful to have been given the opportunity to have helped in organizing and making room in the PODS as the clothes were being brought in for the men at the L.A. Mission.  How beautiful it was to observe the WACC body, as God’s hands reaching out to the least of these.  Like Colleen says, “You rock, WACC!”  The need for the men at the L.A. Mission was met in an incredible way as our Lord manifested Himself through you!  What an amazing privilege to have experienced so many blessings in seeing the Lord fill not just one but two PODS!  Our hearts were blessed each weekend as we observed these blessings from all of you!  These blessings included:

Blessing others
Lovingly
Excited and eager to give
Sharing compassion
Sincerely meeting needs
In a sweet and joyful spirit
Nobleness
Generosity and goodness

Thank you WACC Family for following God and loving His people!

Love in Christ,
Sarah Guzman

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View Pictures HERE
Visiting ABC Pediatric Clinic in Lilongwe

I always knew I would go to Malawi someday. I was so caught up in the Christmas Eve Miracle and the sacrificial giving from our congregation to help “the least of these” in Africa, that I always knew I would go. I just didn’t know it would be this soon.

My husband, Brad, and my children, Cameron (13), and Kylie (11), set off for Africa in June 2008. We were so excited to see the “miracle” of the ABC Pediatric Clinic very close to completion. And we were able to see Dr. Boersma in action! It’s an amazing place and everyone at ABC is very excited about the pediatric clinic. Dr. Boersma pointed to a doorway and said, “Right there is where Becky Ankerberg was standing when I said, ‘It would be great to have a pediatric clinic here to treat all of the children who come here.’ It was a brief conversation and look what God and you people at WACC did from that little conversation!”

Visiting World Vision Sponsor Children
We also arranged to visit our World Vision Sponsor children in the Nkhoma region in Malawi. The day we met our sponsor children, we were picked up by the World Vision van, traveled out of Lilongwe for about 45 minutes and spent 30 minutes on a pretty bumpy dirt road. We knew we were getting close to where one of our sponsor children and his grandmother live when Cameron and Kylie see this little boy standing all alone on a hill and they scream, “There he is!” And I look out the window thinking how could they be so sure?

And then I saw him too. He and he is wearing a t-shirt that we sent him! It sounds like such a small thing but the fact that he and his Grandmother put together that we were the people who sent him the shirt and we were the people who were coming to see him, blew me away.

We had incredible visits with all three children and their families. The families were dressed in their Sunday best. The children were all going to school and they looked like they had enough to eat - that was the promise from World Vision when we sponsored the children and we were happy to see the integrity of their work. It did seem that the villagers that were close to working wells were doing a little better than the villagers that had to travel farther for clean water. But all of the families seemed to have this in common, they had amazing joy and tranquility in their life.

We presented our gifts to the families as part of our visit and then they gave us their gifts. How humbling! Our gifts paled in comparison to the beautiful gifts they gave us. One family had shelled and roasted peanuts and when they presented them to us, they were still hot and delicious. We also received beautiful lemons, white beans, plantains and corn. One family presented us with a clay pot they had made and decorated. One Dad had stayed home from work especially to meet us. He graciously thanked us for sponsoring his son and for traveling such a long way to meet them. Again, very humbling.

It was a trip I will never forget. I will never forget how happy they all were, without running water, without electricity and without a tile floor!

Since we came home, I have been trying to hold on to the joy, tranquility and humility I experienced. I want to simplify things in my life, focus on important things like family, friendships and my relationship with God. So far it has been challenging to say the least - but when it gets tough, I remember the joy on the faces of the people we met in Malawi- and it gets a little easier.

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“Through the Eye of a Lens and the Eye of the Soul”
By Nancy Gunther

My journey with 18 women and 2 men makes me smile as I think about our adventure to serve the women of the Grand Bahamas.

Even though the majority of us knew one another there were still those unknown inner souls buried so deep that at times even we don’t have a clue who we really are. Who are we to fly into the Bahamas and offer hope to many who have lost hope because of what life has had to offer or take away.

So we began our journey on the white bus driven by our new friend Karen and our tour guide, her husband Raoul. Two incredible people who let go of life’s securities to listen to God’s call to bring hope to their homeland neighbors and follow God’s call to love one another.

I arrived on the island not knowing just what God wanted me to do, my breath prayer for each day was, “Father, grant me clarity to know how to live today.” The heart condition I arrived with was weary and hardened with not a clue how God was going to use me to help a soul when my soul felt so depleted with not much to offer except an eye behind a camera, some arms to hold a child and a few beads to string hope for women who could use some, just like me. Hope for my soul, that felt lost, just like I saw in many of their eyes looking back at me.

There is something about looking at your friends through a lens of a camera. I prefer candid photos over staged ones. My mission was to help teach jewelry making and capture our story as God led us on this amazing adventure he had designed for us to be apart of. The photo’s before we arrived our first day on the island were just your typical girlfriends heading off together on a journey; laughing, smiling and I suppose if we all were honest, trying not to show that we all had our bag of fears of unknown insecurities and asking why, and can you really use me God?

The very next day what I saw through the lens was the beginning of my heart starting to crack and fishers began running over my hearts surface to expose its pain that had be held captive far too long. It started at a Bahamas church service with the pastor asking us all to get out of our seats and greet one another with a hug. Here we are with our different shades of tan skin, hugging away like we are long lost friends. I believe we had a little glimpse of what heaven will be like when all the saints gather together. Then the pastor spoke words that started to form a fisher that began to crack the hardened shell I had so tightly wrapped around my heart.

When we gathered together at the closing of our first day, miracles began to surface. God was moving and stirring in the hearts of all of us. Three women asked to ask Christ into their heart, no call was given, just God’s call for them to ask and receive. Our team gathered around each of these three women as they asked Christ into their heart. As I took photos, what I saw amazed me. The eyes I had looked into before they met Christ, were full of darkness and sadness, but when they received Christ, there was a glimmer of light where darkness had just been.

As our days came to an end and we boarded the plane to head home, I left the Grand Bahamas with a full and changed heart and soul. I saw miracles happen before my eyes as 10 women asked Christ to be their savior. We saw the change in their eyes, the eye of the soul confirmed Christ had entered in and you saw a glimpse of joy appear. Our prayers and more had been answered. Women opened up quickly, they began to bond with each other and make plans to meet together. We saw leaders rise up to meet with Karen, come along side and serve with her. Mother’s saw hope and learned new skills to be a better parent, abused and hurting women had their hearts held, their stories heard and hope began to form as they now had a group of women to walk them through their future. With the sewing and jewelry making classes, some learned new skills; others perfected their skill that could bring them the hope of some income to support themselves and their children. Hope began not for just the women in the Bahamas but for 18 women and 2 men who were awed by Gods hand making miracles happen before our eyes as well as through the eye of the lens.

The latest update on the Bahamas; Karen had opened up and shared her life story with her new group of women and now has a group of leaders meeting, women continuing to sew and make jewelry and lives have and are being changed on the island of the Grand Bahamas. Miracles’ still do happen when God’s hand is there to move us all closer to Him.

View Pics HERE.

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The Relay for Life-What can I say? It is an amazing event sponsored by the American Cancer Society. It is a 24 hour walk starting at 9 a.m. Saturday and ending at 9 a.m. Sunday. The purpose of the Relay for Life is to raise funds for cancer research. The reason it goes on for 24 hours throughout the night? Because Cancer Never Sleeps!

The city of Whittier held their Relay at California High School. There were 39 teams and we each had our own camp site. There was a stage with entertainment throughout the day. Our very own Bryan Guthrie sang that night accompanied by Grant Morgan.

The atmosphere is exciting. Everyone is friendly. Most have a common bond: Cancer. It seems to touch everyone.

After the opening ceremony there is a survivor lap. This is for all those who have had cancer and those who are currently going through treatment. They get the special purple Relay t-shirts. This year the survivor lap was especially moving for me because in February, our 17 year old son, Andrew, was diagnosed with cancer. He showed up to the Relay just as the survivor lap was starting. I was proud to walk at his side because his strength and courage amazes me.

When the survivor lap was over, the Relay kicked into high gear. Everyone is on the track walking, supporting their team and the family and friends that have been touched by cancer. You realize just how many people that cancer affects when you attend an event such as this.

There are games and fun things going on all day. One of my favorite things was the bead necklace. You bought a string necklace and put on a starter bead. Each time you went around the track, you picked up a bead of the same color. After four times around the track, you picked a different color bead. This signified a mile. On our team, my brother, Ted and a co-worker of mine, Joe, walked the most miles. Ted walked 16 miles and Joe walked 20 miles! Of course, my brother, being the competitor he is, vowed a rematch next year. The following week, Joe gave his string of beads to our dear co-worker Nina Dohoda who has bravely fought breast cancer this year. She now has this string of beads hanging in her cubicle.

When darkness falls, there is the Luminaria Ceremony. The Luminarias are white paper bags with glow sticks inside. On the outside, the bags are decorated and each has a name written on it signifying a person who has lost their battle with cancer, someone who is fighting cancer, or someone who has won the battle. During the day, these bags are placed around the track in preparation for nightime ceremony. When the ceremony begins, there is a bag pipe player who plays “Amazing Grace” and then the names are read as we walk a silent lap in the dark with only the light from the Luminarias. Very touching.

People are walking all through the night and in the morning, there is a time for aerobics to get the kinks out. Then they have the closing ceremony where they announce the total of money raised.

The Relay for Life can bring people together too. A lady saw the luminaria with Nina Dohoda’s name on it and thought to herself, “How many Nina Dohoda’s can there be?” As the weeks went by she wondered how she could get in contact with Nina. Meanwhile, at WACC, Pastor Todd gave Nina an assignment: Call the Whittier Rio Hondo Aids Project and get some information. When Nina introduces herself to the woman answering the phone, the woman starts laughing. Confused, Nina says, “Excuse me?” The lady replies, “Nina, it’s me, Terry. I saw your luminaria bag at the Relay for Life and I’ve been wondering how to contact you.” You see, they had been good friends but had lost contact with each other years ago. This woman told Nina that she only works at the Whittier Rio Hondo Aids Project a few hours per week and never answers the phone. She did this day. I think God had a hand in this one.

Our WACC team did a great job raising funds for this event. We had 21 team members! Some of our High School staff came out to walk in support of Andrew. We had some of our Pastoral staff out there. We were touched by how many people took time out of their day to show their support.

Our goal was to raise $3,000.00. We actually raised $4,805.00 from on-line donations alone! There were also many off-line donations that were given. Way to go team! In total, the whole event raised over $101,000 for cancer research. My main reason for doing this was not only to walk in honor of my son, my nephew and my friends but to raise money to find a cure for cancer so that no parent has to hear those terrible words, “I’m sorry, your child has cancer.” We hope you can join us next year!

-Lidy Caldera

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VaLynn Ruth is a new missionary appointee raising support to minister in Oaxaca, Mexico. She will serve as a lay counselor at a Christian counseling center which ministers to marriages, families and children.

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View pics of our Los Angeles Mission/Say Yes Field Trip that our staff at WACC took a couple of months ago.

Our day started in prayer on the bus for a safe trip and to open our hearts and minds to the lives we have been touching and continue to touch here at WACC. It was filled with seeing the rooms the Skid Row kids an go to for tutoring, food, care and a safe and God filled place to hang out. We received a tour of all the facilities and saw the great tv, game, kitchen room that WACC remodeled last year. The next project is their basketball court that needs major repair and updating.

We then took a walk right down the middle of Skid Row to the LA Mission. Homeless covering all sides and middle of the street. The LA Mission is a place the homeless can go for free meals, daily or short term housing(if they are accepted into one of their programs to get them off the streets). When men and women come for a meal, it is a requirement to sit through chapel. They hear God’s word and wonderful woship music. We toured the housing, chapel, offices (with our WACC member Jim Rowe) and even were fed a meal in the cafeteria.

It was a very humbling and educational experience of what the LA Mission and Say Yes is trying to do for our homeless. Leading them to better lives through God.

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