Dear Friends,
Hope you had a great summer! As we end the summer of 2009. I just wanted to send you a little update on what has been happening with LCI.
It has been a slow year regarding our mission trips; we had to cancel a few of our trips because of no sign ups. Some of that has probably been caused by the state of the economy, but in the absence of the trips, I also see the way the Lord is opening new doors and new phase of ministry for LCI. We’ve been seeing a lot of growth in connecting and networking pastors and ministries here in Los Angeles. For example, our efforts to bring pastors together for prayer have resulted in a monthly gathering in Malibu. We are also working with local churches and ministries to expand outreach to international students attending UCLA and Santa Monica College. And we continue to network local churches in our attempts to reach homeless and disenfranchised living on the Westside. I’d ask that you keep praying for our efforts with this, because I believe it’s very crucial to nurture these connections. Lord willing, these relationships will continue to develop and build a foundation of unity that will help transform this city.
We did have a team of 13 people that I took down to Tijuana to work with Baja Vision and the City of Angels Orphanage. Eight of the team members came from Pennsylvania, two from Seattle, and three were from here in Los Angeles. Sergio Gomez, who leads Baja Vision ministries, was very blessed to have us come. They have had a 70% drop in teams coming to Mexico this year because of many factors, including the Swine Flu, the war with the drug cartels and the economy. This has really impacted their ministry. Our presence really blessed them, and during our stay we were able to meet with the chief of police in Tijuana. They have taken the security of mission teams coming over the border very seriously and they wanted us to know that they are keeping an eye out for us. It was very encouraging and we were able to pray for him and his safety, because he is on the frontlines of the battle.
With September officially here, we are gearing up for next year: we’re looking at dates for mission trips in 2010, we are looking to plan some Bring Life events, and we are starting to facilitate getting a few women the opportunity to serve in Uganda.
Thank you for continually supporting LCI, whether financially or with your prayers. We need it, and are excited for this next season of ministry.
Grace and peace,
Tyler Lennon