Stories

Christina:
For my Signature Project, I am mailing as many encouraging notes to family, friends and acquaintances as I can during the month of August.  I started by mailing a letter to my aunt in Connecticut and God went and turned it around on me!  I was super encouraged by a note she sent my way shortly thereafter.  I sent a quite a few notes and packages to my friend serving in Afghanistan which has not only blessed her, but also the troops around her.  She said about one package, "Thanks for the awesome package of cool church stuff...it sparked quite an interesting conversation with my coworkers – none of whom are saved."  I also sent a letter to my mom in Arizona.  She told me that she "just happened" to be on the phone with her friend, who has been going through a difficult time, when she opened it.  She was able to read my note and all the enclosed verses to him!

Tom & Betty:
My husband and I have decided to deliver home baked brownies to each of the 35 families who live on our block.  With the brownies we will include a letter, stating who we are, what we believe, and an invitation to Westside Shepherd of the Hills.  Last night I began the delivery of the first 12 plates of brownies.  Most of the neighbors were not home.  However, one neighbor was home.  I explained as I handed her the brownies, that since we live on the same block I wanted to be available to pray for them in their time of need.  She looked at me and said, "Betty, we always need prayer," and her eyes welled up with tears.  I then offered to pray right then, and she welcomed that. I asked what specifically I could pray for, and she indicated her eldest son is in some trouble.  So I took her hand, and we prayed!  Today, I received an email from her thanking me for coming by and praying for her.  They recently found that their son is addicted to drugs and it has turned their world upside down.  They have been seeking God and my random (to them random, to me God appointed) visit last night was an affirmation as to the power of God.  She asked me to continue to pray.  I plan to deliver more brownies tonight, let’s see what other "godly" appointments are in store!

Westside's X-treme Kidz Project:
Each month the children in the X-treme Kidz ministry learn a virtue.  There are four things we try to accomplish in learning the virtue: that God created that virtue and exemplifies it, God instills that virtue in us and shapes us to become more like him, God uses that virtue in us to impact those around us and as others notice the virtue being lived out in our lives, we will have more opportunities to tell them about Jesus.  This month our virtue was "Honor" (Romans 12:10).  So the Westside X-treme Kidz decided to show honor to the Vets and homeless children at Hope Gardens- a supportive housing facility for 225 women and children from skid row.  They did this by using allowance money, holding garage sales, enlisting the help of their parents and loved ones to purchase much needed items for the veterans and children.  The children brought gently used clothing items, backpacks, school supplies, toys and more.  We hope that the children and the veterans were blessed by receiving these items.  The Signature Project is the perfect way to show honor to others, so they know how valuable they really are.

Jocelyn:
I gathered a handful of friends who were professional dancers and pre-professional students to conduct a Ballet Class for girls at LA Family Housing.  I also called local dancewear stores as well as a corporate business in New York that creates dancewear, to donate brand new tutus, tiaras and ballet shoes.  To my surprise they gave abundantly!  One store "happened" to be in the middle of purging their inventory!  We wanted to not only make the girls feel special, but also reminded them that they have a Father who sees them as His princesses.

Peter:
I collected neck ties from my co-workers, family and friends and then got some people to help me wrap them with a Scripture inside.  I took them to the New Directions program at the VA and asked them to give one gift to each graduate from their program.

Blake:
In the month of August I wanted to invite as many people as I could to church.  In just two weeks I was able to bring 9 people.

Michelle:
I put together travel sized hygiene packs to give to homeless people I would see as I drove to work.  At first it was hard to find people, but then I started noticing people all around me who had needs and who I could pray for and bless.

Roger:
I am a musician and I’ve been going out into public and singing Christian songs and giving out my cd with songs about Jesus to people I meet.

Amy:
When I first saw the bulletin with information about donating a backpack, I knew from within that this was something I needed to do. I have always valued education as one of the most important experiences throughout one's life, and if I could help one child have a better school year in any way possible, I would do whatever I could.  In participating, God taught me that it is through giving back that we truly honor God and find the goodness within ourselves.  I greatly enjoyed this experience and felt blessed to take part in it, and I would gladly do it again.  Knowing that you are affecting the future of a child through God's love is a feeling that everyone should experience.

Bertha:
I have a friend Karina that I met at work. She has an amazing personality with a huge heart and a sense of humor. She weighs over 400 lbs and has been unemployed for over 1 year. She has to withstand the verbal abuse of her father, brothers and the stares from people on the street. I have been praying for Karina since June and have invited her to church every week since then. The Lord has put it on my heart to follow through with Karina and be her vessel to the truth. Unfortunately, Karina has not accepted my invite to church, but she asks me to pray for her and asks me for guidance. The women of my life group and I lift her name up with the glorious gift of prayer and of faith. When God wants it, she will join me at church and we will all know the beautiful person that is Karina.

Delories:
I have been ministering to the homeless by giving away goodies bags. While giving away bags, a young man named Jason came up to us. Instead of asking for a bag he asked for prayer. So, on the streets of Los Angeles we stopped and prayed. He left and five minutes later he returned, saying he has a message from God telling him, he should come back and pray for me. He took my hand and for about fifteen minutes I listened to the sweetest prayer I had ever heard. I gave him a card from Westside Shepherd of the Hills with Matthew 22:37-39 written on it, and he left. He was not one of the regulars, but a very special person. 

Alicia (8 years old):
I got cross necklaces and gave them to my friends. I was happy and it was fun. I also gave a backpack to our Back to School Drive at church. It was colored pink and black.  I gave school supplies, a necklaces and stickers with GOD, Jesus and Mary.  I hope the person who gets the backpack has a great education.  I will pray for the girl.

Michele: 
When Pastor Danny asked for volunteers for the Signature Project, I was a bit slow to rise.  Then that tugging from my spiritual heart said that wasn’t acceptable, so I rose.  Having just completed my project, I am so very glad I did.

I always feel badly when I pass homeless people, particularly those who are begging for food or money.  I never give them money because I am afraid they will use it for alcohol or substances.  However, I am from the south and we believe in feeding people.
 
I decided for my Signature Project to do something a little bit different: Make “care packages.” For my project, I put toiletry kits (accumulated from international flights taken by my husband and I) in bags along with a healthy, nonperishable snack. Also, in each of the care packages was a note I had written on photocopied Westside Shepherd of the Hills letterhead.  It reads, “I pray that God gives you the health you need, for the peace you seek, for the joy you deserve.  John 3:16.” And each care package contained a cross necklace. That way they are reminded from whom their gifts truly descend. 

My target was to serve 8 homeless people.
 
Since homeless people aren’t in my neighborhood, I had to search for them.  My first day, I came across a young woman who sat for a long time on a McDonald’s curb.  She had a backpack and, from afar, looked dejected.  I drove up to her and said, “Would you like a snack?”  She looked into my eyes and said, “No, thanks.”  When I saw how young she was, I asked, “Are you okay?”  She said yes, so I left her.  But she didn’t – and hasn’t – left my spiritual heart.  I still include her in my prayers.
 
A couple of weeks later, I put four of the care packages in my car and said I was going to serve four homeless people today.  As an afterthought, I put the supplies for the remaining four packages in my trunk, although I hadn’t assembled them.  I drove from Marina del Rey to Venice Beach to Santa Monica. In Venice Beach I saw a woman on a sidewalk with a shopping cart full of stuff.  I drove around the block to get my nerve up, parked against a red curb, and took care package #1.  I said, “Excuse me, would you like a snack?”  She said, “Oh, YEAH!”  Her eyes brightened… like it was Christmas and she was getting a new present. 
 
Driving around Santa Monica was a challenge because there was nowhere to easily park, hop out, and give my care package.  Just as I was about to give up, I saw a shopping cart through a large plant. Could it be a homeless person in the parking lot of a Jack-in-the-Box?  I cut back into traffic, crossed the lanes to get a better look.  Hallelujah!  It was not just one person, but four.  I was only expecting to deliver HALF of my packages.  The one guy whom I didn’t give a package looked disappointed, so I told him to hold on. I went to the trunk where I kept the rest of the unsorted supplies for my care packages and said, “There’s more in here but would you share it with other people?”  They vehemently agreed.  Before I could turn my back, I saw that they were rifling through the packages and looking so very happy.  The woman shouted, “Have a beautiful day!”  Indeed, I am and I will.  

Andean: 
As I was seeking the Lord for guidance concerning my 1979 Dodge van, Pastor Danny announced the "Signature Project" at a Sunday service.
 
It so happened that a Christian couple that I met 12 years ago, Dave and Ann, recently became homeless, jobless and without transportation. Dave has a life threatening heart condition and is awaiting medical clearance for a pacemaker.
 
Now consider I owned my van for over 25 years and all my friends and coworkers considered us as one.  I kept it in good running condition even as it has been sitting in my back yard for 2 years.
 
The upshot is that when I met Dave and Ann those 12 years ago, the Lord told me they would need my van but didn't give me a date or time as to WHEN they would need it (and at that time I just couldn't see how He would separate me from "my baby"). 
 
We had lost touch with one another for about 3 years until this past June when the Lord brought us back together to fellowship and lift Him and each other up.
 
They are enjoying the blessing of the van which is now living quarters, transportation and for Ann a workplace as she is able to do her mobile dog grooming business from it. And they are able to get Dave to and from his doctors' appointments.
 
Please help me keep them in prayer as the Lord works in their lives.

Joaquin Ticonderoga:
About 8 or 9 weeks ago I rededicated my life to Jesus Christ after one of Pastor Rutherford's sermons.  At that time, I made a commitment to our Lord that I would do at least one good deed a day for His honor and glory. 
 
I try to do something that isn't difficult but that would be acknowledged and accepted by the recipient as a blessing from the Lord or that it is done in the spirit of the Lord. 
 
Since I am a veteran and am unemployed, I figured doing simple good deeds is what I can do for now. I share my food with the homeless.  When I buy a sandwich from Von's or Ralph's, I have it cut in halve and I give one halve to a homeless person. 

On other occasions, I purposely open a door for others.  I remember one day I was walking in to the Brentwood Library and there was this young Japanese couple entering almost at the same time.  I held the door open and they smiled and I told them that I like to do a good deed every day and this was my good deed for the day.  The guy turned to me and happily said, "Thank you!  We'll pass it along!"  

Jonathan:
My signature project landed in my lap. My neighbor recently took a vacation to Mexico and I’ve been looking after her tomato plants for the last 3 weeks. My goal was that watching her plants would provide me with an opportunity to get to know her better and then to tell her about our Church (and hopefully bring her to Church). Being an executive, looking after these plants has been quite an experience. Amazingly they were still alive when she got back and I was quite enthusiastic in telling her about our Church upon her return. Hopefully she'll be coming to a service soon!

Kim and Robert:
After much prayer, a family whose son attends our daughter’s school was placed on our hearts.  Dawn and Randy are the proud parents of two boys: Dane, who is seven and Sam who is a 18 and a quadriplegic with down syndrome.  Dawn and Randi never have any time to themselves as their beautiful Sam requires 24/7 attention.  Dawn wakes up every day at 4:30am to get the family ready.  Sam takes a great deal of time to get ready for the day. Dawn and Randy have to work full-time.

Kim and I watched Sam and Dane one Friday night so Dawn and Randy could go out on the town.  Kim cooked a beautiful dinner, as always, as I sang every song imaginable (my favorite singer is Josh Grobin). It was so healing to see the innocence and purity of Sam’s soul.  I believe he blessed us more than we blessed him. 

We are in the process of attempting to arrange a meeting with him and Josh Grobin.  My dear friend, who details cars for the wealthy will be donating his time to detail both of their vehicles.  We are also praying for other community donations to come in.  This was an incredible opportunity to not only bless, but to be blessed ten-fold in return.

Patti:
I drove a difficult child to Northern California to help him register for college for the first time and to help him find a place to live.  I was tremendously busy, and very tempted not to accept this responsibility, but did it and gave God credit for the inspiration.  I have continued to call to check on this young man to offer my continued guidance as he has no other counsel.  I definitely give the credit of this project to God as I truly might not have gone that extra mile without being more conscious of my actions or inactions due to this project.  Thank you for initiating this effort!

Jackie:
 When I stood up to volunteer for the Signature Project, I had no idea how God would use me. I just prayed like Pastor Danny told me to and asked God who He wanted me to help. I remember Jonathan's name and face came to my mind.

     I've known Jonathan since I was about 11 years old. I am now 27 and he is 24 years old. When I was 13 there was an almost tragic event that happened to Jonathan, Joshua and myself. I recall a time where Joshua was found by me drowned in a pool. We pulled him out and CPR was performed and his life was spared. I praise God for this. It wasn't until this year in March did I see Jonathan and Joshua again, but not in the most ideal of circumstances. Their mother had passed away suddenly with a heart attack. My heart broke for them so I collected money from close family and friends to help Jonathan and his brother with some of the funeral costs. They were grateful. I attended the funeral and learned that Sharon was saved and she was a strong believer in Christ. In addition, I was amazed when I saw the stark difference in the way Jonathan spoke and Joshua spoke at the funeral. Joshua, who's life was spared so many years ago, spoke briefly about his mother and focused more on presenting the Gospel, and Jonathan focused more on his mother and how much he missed her. I knew then that Joshua was saved and Jonathan was not. Jonathan had also told me that he did not want to go to church because he had had a bad experience at church, where people suffocated him. I offered to have coffee with him sometime, thinking that one day I would talk to him about Christ. I had been praying for him on and off since March.

    Now, fast forward to the volunteering part of the Signature Project, Jonathan's name came to my mind as I talked to God about the signature project. I called him on a Saturday and said, I would like to hang out with him on Sunday. He said, yes. On Sunday in church, I began to pray to God as to what I would say to him. And then after church, my sister in Christ, Sherri, asked me if I was going to the Harvest Crusade. Then, the Holy Spirit tugged at my heart and said, "Take Jonathan".

I took Jonathan for a late lunch and during our conversation I brought up the Harvest Crusade. I was expecting him to say no but he said,” Sure. I'm not doing anything today." He mentioned to me that earlier on Sunday, he had wanted to go to church, but did not know where to go and was hungering to go to church lately.  So, we went to the Angel's stadium and met my friends, and climbed 5 stories high to get a seat in the Stadium.

I was worried because, I did not realize how taxing this would be on Jonathan. You see, Jonathan has Cerebral Palsy and traveling long distances on foot can be a bit tiring at times. The worship was great and at times Jonathan clapped and at times he yawned. I was not sure how he was feeling.

Then Greg Laurie came and started to speak, and sometimes it was hard to listen to what he was saying because of the background noise of the electric fans above us. I kept thinking he will never hear the message. But Greg Laurie spoke the gospel message, stating that we can know for sure that when we die we will go to heaven, which was familiar to me. He did the alter call, and the first song played and Jonathan just sat there, while droves of people were coming down. 

I started to panic and prayed to God and said, "Lord, he's not moving? Did he get the message? What do I do?" And the Holy Spirit said,” Just ask him."

So, I turned to Jonathan and said, "Are you sure that if you died, that you would go to heaven?"  And Jonathan said, "No, I am not sure."  I then said, “Would you like to be sure right now? Would you come down with me?" And then Jonathan shook his head yes. 

I took his hand and all of sudden I began to weep, because I never get to see the Harvest. I have always planted the seed of the Gospel and I wept more because, as Jonathan with his limp went down the numerous stairs to get down to the stadium field, I realized God was at work here.  We eventually made it and Jonathan gave his life to Christ that night. He got a New Believer's Bible and the counselor prayed with him. Jonathan had mentioned to the counselor about the struggle of anger inside of him and the counselor quoted scripture that stated, "Anger comes out of the bowel of the fool." And this touched Jonathan. 

Later that night as we celebrated at IHOP, I asked Jonathan what made him come forward and he said with tears in his eyes, “I felt that my mother wanted me to be here today. And it was when Greg Laurie said that there are two lines. You are either in the line going to heaven or the line going to hell. And at that moment I thought to myself, I did not want my mother and Joshua to be in one line going to heaven and I am in the other line, left out and going to hell."  Since then, Jonathan has been reading his Bible and has attended our church. Jonathan tells me, "Now I understand what my brother meant when he felt that everything in his life changed once he accepted Christ." This was Jesus’ signature. I just obeyed and the Lord made it happen.

Kelley:
While praying for a family member with Alzheimer's disease, I believe God spoke to me and encouraged me to volunteer at a nursing home two days a week.  I believe this is because God is putting me where I can utilize my past trials in a positive way.

For 12 years of my life I suffered from depression so I know all too well what its like to feel isolated and lonely— something I know many of the patients at the nursing home are going through as well.  Who better to reveal how the love of Jesus can bring them out of despair than me? God used me to reveal to them that it's never too late to know Jesus. 

Paulette:
I was deeply moved when I heard Brenda's story and saw the video.  The seed was planted. I always considered myself a "prayer warrior" but talking to people face to face, that's entirely different! I'm afraid of what people would think of me, especially if I didn't know them and I started talking about Jesus with them.

But, I felt like I was called to action on Sunday. We had just stuck post it notes with the names of people we needed to invite to church on the back of our seats. I stood up and raised my hand and someone handed me a CD. I listened to it in my car on the way home that afternoon. It sobered me up to the fact that I had volunteered for something that was much bigger than I was.  It was a week and a few sleepless nights later when I prayed "God, I don't know what you want me to do. Please show me." Immediately afterwards, my door bell rang. I opened the door to greet a frail, elderly woman whose in-home aide stood a few feet away. She said, "Hi, my name is Ferielle". I had met and spoken to her briefly three years ago while my mom was visiting me. She said she was impressed with the relationship I had with my mom and liked us both immediately. She asked about my mom, who lives in Texas and invited me to her apartment to have dinner. That evening, I visited with her and spent a few hours getting to know her better.  I found out that she is a very independent person who likes to go places and do things by herself.  About a year ago she fell in her apartment and spent a couple of days lying on the floor unconscious before someone discovered her and she was taken to the hospital. She has been steadily regaining her strength ever since.  A friendship and a bond was formed that evening. We continue to have dinner, take short walks together and talk on the phone. The Lord has granted me the opportunity to share my faith with this lady and our dialog continues. I expect to bring her to church with me on Sunday very soon.

Jonathan:
Our daughter, Isabella, has had a friend in her life named Lauren since she was very young. The girls are about 8 months apart; they are six years old. I've always considered Lauren like my own daughter since she does not have a father involved in her life. In fact, she calls me dad. We often involve Lauren on our family trips, and we are constantly talking about Jesus to her. She has been to church with us several times.

Last week her mother lost her job. Her mom, Karen, had just moved them down to Orange County the month prior to take the job. Lauren was enrolled in a new school and they had settled in their new apartment when Karen received a call that forced her to move within 3 days. She moved into her mother’s apartment in Culver City. Lauren has been enrolled in a new school.

Karen and her mother are not believers; they are Jewish. Often times when Lauren goes home after staying with us she will talk about Jesus. Karen does not mind us taking her to church however, in the past, Karen's mother has insisted on picking Lauren up before we go to church because she does not want her exposed to Christianity.

Considering Karen will be living with her mom for the next several months, we've told her that she and Lauren can stay at our home on the weekends. We are hoping that if she stays Saturday nights she will go to church with us on Sundays. Lauren loves going with us when she is allowed.

God has really put a burden on our hearts for this child and her mom. Each time Lauren calls me dad I know God put me in her life for a reason. When we offered Karen & Lauren our home after she lost her job, Karen told my wife "my own mother didn’t even offer that". Please pray Karen will realize Christ's love for her and she will open up her heart to his salvation.

Leandre:
I did not sign up to do a Signature Project because my life can be overwhelming on any given day and did not want the added responsibility. But as Pastor Danny challenged us my heart was touched by the Lord to do something. As the Lord would have it, over the past month I have been able to show the love of Christ by being on call to a friend who has been going though some very challenging financial and personal difficulties. I thought nothing of what I did and dismissed it as insignificant but suddenly realized as I was listening to a message about the young boy who brought the 5 barley loaves and small fish, then Jesus multiplied them to feed thousands, that nothing in Christ is insignificant or should be dismissed.