Dear Friends and Family,
This past summer has flown by! It’s been full of stretching, learning, and growing… with a lot of high-schoolers thrown in the mix! Serving in Las Vegas this summer was very rewarding. I spent most of my time leading middle school age to adult participants in evangelism… teaching them the basics of evangelism and a few simple ways to begin acting upon that teaching.
One of my favorite outreaches that we did was called sack lunch giveaway. We each pack two sack lunches and take them to a local park where homeless people congregate. Then we just sit and share lunch with a homeless person- talking about their lives and how Jesus has changed ours. Once when we were going to do this, I brought my guitar and sat down inconspicuously… I was going to keep an eye on the kids and not take part in the outreach. After awhile, I started playing my guitar and worshipping God. A homeless man came and sat by me. I stopped playing to introduce myself and my friend Kati (another leader). He asked me to play a song, and I said okay. Looking at the man across from me, I had the urge to play a non-worship song… something that was “safe” and wouldn’t offend the hardened man sitting next to me. Instead, I ignored the urge and played a song called “Unashamed Love” that speaks of laying down everything and worshipping our worthy God. God was definitely with me as I sang…and, as it turns out, he was also working on the homeless man’s heart, too. When the song was finished I looked up, and he had tears in his eyes. The man opened up to Kati and I; telling us of his past and how he never felt worthy. Like so many of the homeless men I met this summer, he’d served in Vietnam and came home crushed in spirit. The wounds the war left on him were more inside than out. Before Kati and I left, we had time to pray for him and to encourage him. We challenged him with the truth- that God had made him and he truly was worth something. We were able to give him a taste of the joy that Jesus brings. As we left, he thanked us for taking time for him and for the blessing we had been.
So many times this summer, God set up divine appointments- certain people that were ready to hear about his love; people that needed some encouragement. We also talked to a lot of people who didn’t want to hear about a loving God. I spoke with one woman who told me she didn’t want to know more about Jesus because it meant she might have to change her life. God used times like this to break my heart with what breaks his heart in Las Vegas.
Another outreach we did was Free Prayer on Freemont Street (the old “strip” of Vegas). This was by far my favorite. One day, as we were standing with our “free prayer” sign and asking people passing by if they would like prayer, a woman came up to me. She had a smug smile on her face and a glint of pity in her eyes- “honey,” she said, “you aren’t going to get anyone to pray with you. This is Vegas, haven’t you noticed?!” Thankfully I was able to let this woman know that God was bigger than that and that we had prayed for many people that day. She was shocked, and I think her eyes were opened a bit, too. I got to pray with so many people this summer, and I’m continually encouraged by what God did through our prayers. One day, I prayed with a trio of women who had had a sort of family reunion in Vegas. They were sisters, and all at different places with God. One woman had been addicted to gambling and alcohol… but that day, she asked us to pray that she would be able to quit. As I was praying for her, her two sisters came up and joined in. By the end, they were all crying and hugging each other (and me!). Later, their mother came up and thanked me. She was a Christian who had been praying for her daughters’ salvation. The gambling and alcohol had caused a rift in her daughter’s relationship, but, because of our prayer time, reconciliation had begun. I felt so honored that God had let me be a part of a life change for these women… it was such an amazing experience- and only one of many.
Maybe this doesn’t sound like the Vegas you’ve heard of. The flashing lights, the glitz and the sin hiding behind all of it. Well, that’s definitely there! But what sticks with me about Las Vegas are the people… lost people searching for something to fill their hurts. Las Vegas is a city of extremes- there’s extreme poverty next to people blowing millions per night. There are people trapped in sin, and, in some places, a church on every corner. There are Christians hiding behind locked doors and painted church buildings, and there are “card-slappers*” peddling pornography every twenty feet on the strip. Above all, Vegas is a place that needs Jesus.
Since June, I’ve been ministering in Vegas. Now, I’m back home in Washington. But, I’ve felt led to return to Vegas in January. I will be leading youth missions again and assisting with other areas of need at the YWAM base there until September 2008. This year is going to be a lot different that last year, and I’m helping with the planning side of things. We are going to take teams overseas to Russia, Costa Rica, and Brazil. I’m not sure yet which of these trips I will be able to go on, but I would love for God to tell me to go on all of them! In the meantime, there will also be teams coming from around the country to do evangelism in Las Vegas- and I look forward to ministering to and with them as well!
But now to that part that every missionary dislikes… the finances. Living in Vegas is very expensive and although I’m going to be living in the ghetto, my food and housing aren’t cheap. The YWAM base suggests that I raise $400 a month in support. For me, this is new territory. Before, I’ve only ever needed a lump sum. But this time, God needs to provide in a different way. And knowing Him, I know that’s not a problem! My monthly support goes towards staff fees, housing, food, overseas expenses, and travel costs… basically the normalities of life- on the mission field. There will be additional expenses for the trips to Russia, Costa Rica, and Brazil, but I’m not sure what they will be yet.
Please join with me in prayer for the next ten months of my life in Las Vegas. Where God calls, He equips, and I’m trusting him for the finances and the daily grace it takes to live in “sin city.” My plan is to leave in January and come back home to Washington next September. If you would like to make a monthly pledge or a one-time donation, please send it to my Washington address, until I figure out my new Vegas one.
Thank you so much for all that you have invested in me. God is moving in big ways in Las Vegas, and I am so excited to be a part of His plans there!! Thank you for joining with me in the mission field!
Blessings,
LeAnna Kaiser
*card-slappers: people who forcefully hand out cards with call girl ads on them.
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