Influence

Would you move out of your house if someone else needed it more? What if the house was where you accumulated a ton of memories with your family? Would you make the sacrifice?

For Ken and Bev Bauer, there was no hesitation. Last summer the Bauers approached the Olsens about buying their house.

“Our ranch seemed to be what they were looking for. It was in their price range, so we offered to have them check it out. They were thrilled because they'd been looking for some time without any success. We had lived here for almost 35 years and we thought would probably 'die' here,” said Bev. “They needed a ranch with a single, attached garage and three bedrooms. Our house was close to schools and on a cul-de-sac, so we were especially interested in selling to them.”

Dan and his wife, Anne, needed a home in the Cedar Falls School District that could accommodate their daughter, Natalie, who has Type 2 spinal muscular atrophy, a motor neuron disease that affects the muscles used for activities, such as walking, head and neck control and swallowing.

“She does use a walker to help her get around and for longer distances we have a wheelchair for her. This was a big part of why we needed to move into the Bauers house because it was all single level and easy to get from room to room without any stairs,” said Dan, who is PLC's technical director.

The Olsens moved in August 15 and enrolled Natalie in Hansen Elementary School.

“We have seen God's hand in this since the beginning when Ken and Bev approached us. When we talked about the price and dates, those things all fell into place,” Dan said. “This past summer has been one huge picture of what generosity is and how the church should look. Ken and Bev had something Anne and I needed. They knew it would be a big sacrifice for them, but a huge blessing to Anne and me. God has done some amazing things. I can't say enough about how generous a giver He is. We are blessed to be part of the PLC family.”

The Bauers experienced some disappointments when looking for suitable housing—one deal fell through and they spent time sleeping on friends' couches for a while—but they trusted God to find them a home. They have since moved into a condo in Waterloo.

“The neat thing about this whole deal was Dan and Anne wanted to buy our house and we didn't need a realtor (besides God). They said, however, they didn't want anything to come between us as friends, so were very sensitive about how the purchase was completed,” Bev said.

Handing out OCC Boxes in Uganda

In February of 2009 I had the awesome privilege of going to Uganda with my church back in Michigan. I had the opportunity to pour into the people there and serve them in ways that would have lasting effects, both physically and spiritually.

The capital of Uganda is Kampala and it is a crazy city! Imagine a dirtier Chicago with absolutely no driving laws, people walking through the roads as if they own them and cows standing in the middle of intersections. It was in this city that we went to pass out Operation Christmas Child gifts.

There is a huge university in Kampala and on it is a wonderful church pastored by a strong, Ugandan man with a heart for the Lord and for the people of Uganda- Micah Rowthumio.

The sanctuary was a huge tent with short walls that didn’t reach the ceiling. When we arrived to pass out the gifts, we started by setting up tons and tons of chairs. They were divided into sections by both gender and age.

Suddenly, children in little groups of two or three, by themselves or with large groups, started pouring into the building. I remember seeing all of these beautiful children with the biggest smiles in the world. They knew something wonderful was coming.

They looked so small and instantly I started praying for their futures and that they would grow strong in the Lord in a place where living righteously isn’t necessarily the normal thing. These were precious kids and I was so excited for the evening in store for them!

We helped them to their seats and they all squirmed and tried their best to be still until the program began.

Speaking of the program, that was one of the coolest parts of Operation Christmas Child! Rather that simply passing out gifts and wishing the kids a Merry Christmas, there was a whole service. Fun, energetic worship was led as the children were engaged in dancing and singing.

Also, inside of every box for the children was the story of Jesus’ birth and what His resurrection means for us-the gospel. The kids all received these booklets in their native tongue, and a man explained it to all of them from the front of the stage. The kids were captivated.

We began to call up the children by sections. You have never seen more joyful, thankful, humble hearts than in these kids. They each bowed to us and said ‘thank you’ in that precious Ugandan accent that makes you want to record it and play it over and over again!

Then the wonderful chaos ensued. Children ripped open boxes, squealed and talked as fast as they could about their gifts. They were yelling across the large room to their friends about what they had received. Sunglasses, little balls, stuffed animals and tools were among some of the favorites.

Don’t ever doubt the power of these boxes. The boxes give children-children who have names and personalities and are not simply the check of a pen on a paper saying ‘Boy’ or ‘Girl’- a knowing that they are cared for. It gives them joy and is most likely the first present they have ever received. Imagine the joy that they had!

But the impact of the boxes goes even deeper! The booklets explaining the gospel- in their native tongue nonetheless- is a way for these kids to hear about Jesus’ love for them and how they can trust Him and know He will carry them through this life into eternal life.

Operation Christmas Child is meeting the immediate desires of these kids through the gifts in the boxes- but the eternal impact is so much greater!

Continue, or start, packing boxes! What we do in a little room in a church in Iowa may seem like a single act to you. You go to church, pack the box and leave. But know that that box is going to be opened by a precious child who may be without family, may’ve never received a gift, may be a refugee, and is now seeing real love in action.

It is making a difference and these boxes are a huge tool in spreading the good news... one child at a time.

--Rachel Schultz :: Osage Campus

Halloween Bike Ride for Big Brothers Big Sisters

This Saturday, October 15th, Big Brothers Big Sisters will host Spooks and Spokes, a Halloween bike.   All proceeds of the event go to directly support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa and their mentoring programs. Their goal is to provide strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships to children facing adversity. Those relationships change childrens lives for the better, forever.

Learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters. 

Register for the event. 

Operation Christmas Child

What Is Operation Christmas Child?
Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations worldwide through simple, gift-filled shoe boxes and evangelistic materials that tell the Good News of God’s love.

 

What Can I Do?

• Pray: for God to touch the heart of every child who receives a shoe box gift.
• Participate: Pick up an OCC Brochure as you leave the Worship Center and fill a shoe box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child around the world. (gift suggestions and tags in brochure)
• Give: $7 or more per box to cover shipping and other project costs.
  • Online, Fund: Missions-Designated, Sub-Fund=Operation Christmas Child
  • By check with “OCC” in the memo line
  • Visit the Giving Kiosk located in the Cedar Falls Campus Lobby

For more information on OCC visit their website: samaritanspurse.org/occ