Weekly Bible Study

Although our studies have endured a few changes, our weekly gatherings are still going strong. They now consist primarily of students, as the adults go to a different summer study. We have amazing volunteers who teach the study every week. They make the lessons so interesting and applicable. The students are learning and growing in their faith on a daily basis, and it is such a blessing to see their transformations.

4th of July

As the summer flies by, we are blessed to stop and honor our country on the 4th of July. We continued our tradition of a Cypress St. barbecue and fireworks outing. The community gathered together for a meal then loaded into the shuttle for a trip to the local park. There, we watched fireworks together, some for the very first time! It was a great day and night of fellowship and honoring our country as a community.

Summer Reading Club

One of our main goals is to instill a value of education in our students. Because our after-school program was such a success, we decided to continue on into the summer. We facilitated a summer reading club which consists of partnering with the public library to give the kids an opportunity to check out books and improve their reading skills. We have amazing volunteers that are teachers, who thought up curriculum and work one on one with our students on a weekly basis. Our first day, we had 46 kids participate. We were floored. Even our high school students wanted in! Our students are excited about learning and truly value their education and the opportunities available to them. Please pray for this program as it expands and continues on into the school year.

June '09 Events

Cypress Graduates- Three of our students graduated from high school. We were so proud as the walked down the aisle in cap and gown. Congrats Grads!

Cypress St. Graduation Party- After the graduations were over, we threw the graduates a community wide graduation celebration. It was important for us to let them know how proud the community is of them, so a major bash was in store!

Calicinto Ranch Day Trip- Our students worked so hard over the course of the year in our after-school program, that we thought a congratulatory trip was appropriate. We took our students to Calicinto Ranch for a day of fun with horses, hay rides and bow and arrows. What a day to remember!

Party @ Pedro's- Lot318 partnered with Yorba Linda Friends Church on their annual water ski trip to have new, fun experiences and deepen their relationship with the Lord. Two incoming freshmen from Cypress St. attended the trip and truly felt God move. Our goal is to partner with YLFC every year to encourage and empower the students in the community.

Beach Camping- this year's annual beach camping trip was amazing. Students from Cypress St, alumni, adult volunteers and current high school students attended and engaged in a week of bonding, fun and beautiful beaches in Santa Barbara.

Movie Night- For our second movie night of the summer, we watched the family film, Toy Story. A lot of people from the community, outside of Cypress St., attended. It was a great night of fellowship and community.

Cypress Field Trip

We are so blessed with many life experiences and opportunities, that it is a blessing for us to share them with the Cypress St. community. I (Savana) sing in a band and put on a show for friends and family at Citrus College. My music director really believes in and supports this ministry and gave us and our students free admission to the concert. We decided to use this concert as a tool to bless the students and give them a break from their usual evening activities, as well as a reward for working so hard at our after school homework club. We picked them up in the shuttle and did not tell them our destination until they got there. Boy were they surprised! They had no idea I was in a rock band and felt so cool and privileged to be a part of the scene. The students were on their best behavior and so supportive of me and my music. We danced, sang, and cheered together all night. When the show was done we took them to get ice cream and just celebrate our evening together. I was so blessed by their presence and support. It was cool for my friends and band mates to share in this passion of mine and to get a glimpse of what I do with most of my time. It truly was an unforgettable night for all involved. Pictures soon to come!!!

5k for Freedom!

Two weeks ago YLFC put on a grand 5k run, benefitting the Dalit women of India. Letty and I had the privilege of running (well...if you can call it that) and participating in the event. Our students from Cypress St. sold water and beverages to raise money for our cause. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, nice breeze blowing. It was perfect. The feeling surrounding the event was almost magical as so many community members joined together to stand for change. I am grateful to be a part of a church community that recognizes needs and injustices and actually does something to change them. All in all, we raised over one hundred and fifty dollars for Cypress St. Thank you to those who participated and made the day so special to women everywhere.

Mothers Day Movie Night!

Last night we had our second movie night of the year. These are my favorite events because they mean summer is coming! We have movie nights once a month, and then every other week when summer comes. We pick a family-friendly movie, bring out our blankets and chairs, pop some popcorn and just have fun together. Talk about simple pleasures! Last night was extra special because we made Mothers Day cards for our moms! We set up a station with colored papers and art supplies and watched the kids get creative. It was a great time of fellowship and community. Letty and I always step back and just take in the moment. It is not everyday that you see a whole community enjoying the presence of each other and simple pleasures. We literally see prayers answered every time we step onto that community, and the fellowship that took place last night was a major prayer answered. All that we can ask is that you join us and check it out!

May '09 Prayers and Events

Ps. 115: 1 “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”

Impact Movement Family Picnic – This year marks our 5th Annual Family Picnic. We have a list of 85 students that desire to “Love God and to Love Others” Every year we come together to celebrate Gods goodness and to remember the lives we had a chance to bless. Please pray for families to come and fellowship with one another. Pray for nice weather as well.

Movie Night on Cypress St – This month’s featured movie is “A Bugs Life”. Please pray for continual safety as we seek to bring communities together for a fun evening with friends.

Cypress St – Field Trip – We have started our off - site field trips and this month we will be visiting Citrus College. It is our desire to plant seeds in the students we work with on Cypress St to give them hopes and dreams for the future. Please pray for safety as we travel and lead these trips.

Travelling Safety as Letty travels to NY to support nieces’ college graduation – Letty will be gone for a short trip to NY to support her niece who is graduating from St Johns University. Pray for travelling mercy and for a sweet time with her family as they celebrate this great accomplishment.

3rd Annual Soccer Tournament – YLFC High School Ministry will host their annual soccer tournament on Cypress St. This has been a high light to so many in the community and we pray that this year will be a blessing again. Pray for students to sign up and for teams to have a good time playing street soccer. Pray for peace, unity and good weather.

Tutoring- Please continue to pray for our after school tutoring program. We are loosing our partnership with Biola University due to summer break and need more volunteers to help tutor our students. Please pray for our students as they continue to grow in knowledge and truth.

We also still have some needs for this program
• 18-20 bean bag chairs for a fun reading environment
• School Supplies – Pencils, erasers, sharpeners etc
• More volunteers

Bible Study- Please continue to pray for the members of the community that attend and the direction of the study. Pray for the follow-up of new believers. Pray for Guillermo (Neighborhood Pastor from our Hispanic church). We especially ask for your support here since this is where our community gets the “Meat and Potato” – JESUS!! Pray against the strongholds and spiritual attacks.

Thank you for your continued Prayer and support

Big 3 Missions Trip

Big 3 – Yorba Linda Friends Church High School Missions Trip – This “Spring Break” was like no other. We had both YLFC Junior High and High School Ministry serving with LOT318. It was an amazing week. Join us as we remember what the Lord has done:

Monday: 60 Junior High students from YLFC helped cleaned up an open field on Cypress St. They along with the community worked together to pick up glass, rocks, pebbles and debre to provide a safe place for the kids in the community to play. The last part of the work day was spent installing 2 tedaball poles and 2 goal posts for soccer. In 6 hrs a safe playing field was resurrected. We now call it “Cypress Stadium” If you build it they will come and trust me they are coming. The end of the day the JH Students held a reading club for the kids in the community. What a sight it was to see students working together for the common good. It was a great beginning to great week.

Wed – Friday: 50 High School Students from YLFC hosted a VBS on Cypress St. Everyday was spent building relationships with the community. We took the kids to the park for different activities in the mornings. For lunch the local moms cooked lunch for the entire group (tamales and empanadas). In the afternoon we had a mini Bible lesson along with some songs.

“Spring Break” was spent building relationships and being the hands and feet of
God. Thank you to all who gave unconditionally!! And thank you for making the best investment ever – Pouring into people. Thank you for “Loving God & Loving Others.

Tutoring Update

Tutoring- I was just reflecting on when starting a Tutoring/Homework Club was just a dream and a prayer. For nearly two years I have been praying and asking the Lord to show us how and when to start our Homework Club and we are close to completing our first semester. Gods timing is always perfect. It has been a semester filled with great joy, tears, challenges and many BLESSINGS. Our kids are learning: to enjoy homework, to manage their time wisely and they are realizing that learning can be fun. We have weekly incentives for the kids to complete their work and not only to complete it but to do the extra credits. What joy to see the kids run up to you and show you their latest test grade. Many tests are filled with smiley faces and 100% written across the top. Lives are being changed in every aspect of life. I really believe that even if you think you can succeed having someone believe that you can – can and will make all the difference in thinking you can and knowing you can!!

Here is what a Biola Tutor has to say about her tutoring experience:

I have enjoyed working with LOT318 & Cypress St. Ministry. At first, I was annoyed that our teacher assigned this. I was thinking that it wouldn’t be that much fun and it would just take time when I could be doing other things. I had just switched my major and I was not really sure if Christian Education was the major that God want me to be in. After coming to work with the kids, I felt like God was telling me that I had made the right decision. I was very nervous my first time coming out, but everyone there was really nice. It kept getting easier too, the more and more times that I went. I now look forward to going. Working with the kids has pushed me to want to learn more, so that I will have more to teach them. It has also helped me understand how to help them. It is great to see how much of an impact Letty and the other workers have made on the community.
~Sara

Bible Study Update

Bible Study- If you remembered last month we ask you to pray for Guillermo (Neighborhood Pastor from our Hispanic church) – Who was feeling defeated lately. Well we see now that God was moving and stirring the hearts of the community and the enemy did not want that. I was reminded this month that Gods Word never returns void. This month four lives saw their need for Jesus and entered into a personal relationship with God. Praise the Lord! There truly is no greater investment – than investing in people. What a blessing to be a part of His Kingdom work.

Here is what Geoff (Volunteer that coordinates the kids weekly Bible Studies) has to say about his experience:

Over the last 6 months we have been working on Cypress Street every Tuesday night doing a Bible study with the youth of Cypress Street. When were first started this study we had no idea of how this was going to look or what God had in store. Our first Tuesday that we started this was one that was very challenging. We had around 15 kids that showed up on our first Tuesday. We had come to play games and also in hopes of doing some kind of Bible study. It was nothing of the sort our first week and the kids did not really want to listen or do anything structured. We had felt like this was going to be a failure and not ever going to work.
God had other plans in store! With much prayer, my wife and I felt God telling us to give it another week. The next week we were blessed to be given someone in the communities backyard to hold our study. We had less kids that week but we were able to share a story with the children from God's word. It was such a blessing because we had seen the Lord work in just one week.
We had no idea of how much God was going to bless this ministry! Over the next couple of weeks and months we were getting close to 25 kids every week coming to this study. Due to a lack of space we moved our location to the front yard of someone in the community. This location made it easier for children to see what was going on and to come join the Bible study. In addition to having more kids attend, God has been so awesome in providing us with more adult helpers. Having all of this help has allowed us to really be organized and strategic with this ministry. We have the manpower at this point to possibly do some more great things on Tuesday nights. An area of prayer that many of us feel led to do is to divide up the elementary kids and the junior high students. God will allow us to know when that time is.
The greatest joy in regards to Tuesday nights is seeing the kids get excited to come and hear a short message from God's Word. We have been in the book of Genesis and are going to continue to show the kids how God created everything and eventually raised up a Savior in Christ. Our greatest prayer is that all of these kids will take with them the love of Christ and allow it to transform their lives. I have faith that God is doing something great on Tuesdays and over this Easter season we have taken a break from Genesis to show these kids how much God loved them so much to have His son die on the cross. Please pray these kids make the connection!

Send a kid to Camp!!!

Dear Faithful Supporters,

“I thank my God every time I remember you”!!!!

Savana and I would like to thank you for your partnership in the ministry God has called us to. LOT318 is a reality because of people like you that believe in “Loving Others in Truth”. We have 20 students from within the community and from near by communities on a weekly bases coming to our Tutoring Club on Cypress St. We have had about 30 volunteers helping make the Tutoring Club a success. FYI: we still need more tutors ☺ Not only do we have the support of local churches and Biola University we also have the City of Placentia, Placentia PD and Placentia library reaching out to our community.

My reason for writing is to ask you to please pray about supporting us in the following needs:

Sponsor 20 Students from Cypress St. to go on a day-trip to Calicento Ranch as a reward for their commitment to the Tutoring Club. We will also need to use the shuttle to transport our students and volunteers. - $1500.00 ($75.00 per student)

Sponsor 20 Students from Cypress St to go on an over-night trip to Calicento Ranch as a reward for committing to our “Summer Reading Program”. We will also need to use the shuttle to transport our students and volunteers. - $2500.00 ($125.00 per student)

Sponsor 2 cabins for Children’s Summer Camp – 16 kids (8 boys and 8 girls) – $5360.00 ($335.00 per student)

Sponsor 15 “At Risk” High School Students from the community and from the Yorba Linda Area for High School Summer Camp – “Party @ Pedros” - $3750.00 ($250.00 per student)

Sponsor 5 College Students from Cypress St to go to College Sumer Camp – “Party @ Pedros” - $1000.00 ($200.00 per student)

Total Summer 2009 Sponsorship: $14110.00

Your financial support will help take a child off the streets and put them in a safe environment where they can grow spiritually and as individuals.

Lives will be changed for all Eternity this summer because of your INVESTMENTS!!

Thank you again for your partnership – We look forward to celebrating the Lords provision.


Serving the King of Kings,

Letty Gali Savana Buttacavoli
(714)325-2446 (714)423-6226

Make all donations payable and mailed to:

Hill of Hope
Attn: Letty
536 Dartmouth Dr
Placentia, CA 92870

Easter Egg Hunt and Movie Night

Thank you for your prayers…..God once again showed Himself faithful. Our kick-off movie night was a huge success.

We started our evening with an Easter egg hunt. This was an opportunity to let the kids have fun and for us to share the true meaning of Easter. While the kids were searching for candy they were also searching for 12 random eggs. Each egg had a piece of the story of Jesus and His final days here on earth. We shared all that Jesus did for us so that we can live with Him forever in heaven. We gave the salvation message with about 50-60 kids and their parents’ right there on Cypress. It was a great beginning to the evening.

Then the time came for us to show “The Passion of the Christ” to about 100 people. The community came out for free popcorn, punch and hot chocolate. We were so blessed to have great volunteers serving the community. Thank you to all who made the evening possible.

As I (Letty) looked around my eyes filled with tears and I was overwhelmed with Gods faithfulness. A young man from the community came up to me and said “I have never seen this before”. I said “What do you mean?” He said “in all my years living here I have never seen this community so united and so accepting of people from other communities”. God brought young and old, male and female from different cultures together for “such a time as this”. It was a great evening of thanksgiving, fellowship and remembrance.

As we journey in this thing called life…We pray we NEVER forget what our Lord and Savior did for us. He died on the cross as a ransom for our sins. He is the bridge in which we can communicate with God. He is the reason for why we do what we do…..Love God – Love Others.

Planning Retreat

Letty and I had the privilege of getting away last weekend for a planning retreat. We spent the weekend planning the whole summer i.e. our weekly outings, summer reading program and 4th of July extravaganza. It is going to be an awesome summer and we are stoked to serve with you. God continuously opens crazy, amazing doors for us; all we can do is walk through. Truly God is working in this community and we are excited to embark on this journey together! Hold on tight, it is going to be a wild ride!

April 09 Prayer Request and Events

Ps. 73: 25 “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.”

Lot318 Staff Summer Planning Retreat – Please pray for us as we seek the Lord’s direction with our summer events. We want to be wise in how we lead and challenge those we come in contact with this summer. God is moving in big ways on Cypress St and we want to make sure we are following His lead.

Easter Egg Hunt & Movie Night on Cypress St – This is our kick-off for Summer 2009 outdoor movie nights on Cypress St. We will have an Easter Egg Hunt, where we will share the true meaning of Easter – Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice. And then we will show “Passion of the Christ”. Movie nights are a chance to bring the community together for an evening out with friends and family. Pray for hearts to be open to Gods movement and for lives to be change for all eternity.

Big 3 – Yorba Linda Friends Church High School Missions Trip – YLFC HS ministry will be serving the kids from Cypress St during “Spring Break” This is a chance for students to step outside their comfort zone for 3 days and allow Jesus to stretch them to become more like Him. Please pray for relationships to be built between each other and with the Cypress kids. We are excited to see all that God will do.

5K India Run – YLFC is hosting a 5k run around Yorba Linda to raise money and awareness to the Dalits of India. The Dalits are considered less than animals and YLFC is committed to breaking down the caste system in India. We want to help set the captives free!! Please pray for good weather, lots of runners and for eyes to be open to the devastation around us. Lot318 has been asked to help hand out water to the runners and to provide a booth to sell water as a fund raiser to our ministry. Savana will be running as well! Lots of prayer for her ☺. We will also have the opportunity to bring awareness to our own “Caste System” here in America.

Tutoring- Please continue to pray for our after school tutoring program. We will soon be loosing our partnership with Biola University due to summer break and need more volunteers to help tutor our students. Please pray for our students as they continue to grow in knowledge and truth.

We also still have some needs for this program
• 18-20 bean bag chairs for a fun reading environment
• School Supplies – Pencils, erasers, sharpeners etc
• More volunteers

Bible Study- Please continue to pray for the members of the community that attend and the direction of the study. Pray for Guillermo (Neighborhood Pastor from our Hispanic church) – He has been feeling defeated lately due to the lack of support and volunteers. We especially ask for your support here since this is where our community gets the “Meat and Potato” – JESUS!! Pray against the strongholds and spiritual attacks.

Thank you for your continued Prayers and support

Bible Study Update

Bible Studies in the community are going strong. It’s nice to finally have warmer weather. There is a sense of community and fellowship. The community is sharing deeper thoughts and hurts as a result lives are experiencing freedom in Christ. They are looking out for each other and praying for one another. It is also exciting to see people from other neighborhoods driving on to Cypress St to join the Bible Study. Guillermo, the neighborhood pastor from Amigos church (Yorba Linda Friends Church Spanish ministry), is doing a great job in challenging the group in seeking God and His kingdom right where they are. We even have high school students from the community joining the studies. While the adults are growing in Christ on one side of the streets, on the other side the kids are learning about Jesus as well. Thank God for all the volunteers serving and pouring into the kids and adults every week.

Please continue to pray for these studies that take place every Tuesday night. We realize the importance of prayer and ask that you lift us up every Tuesday as we share Jesus in a very REAL way. If you are ever in the area…please join us!! COME AND SEE!

2nd Annual Fashion Show Fund Raiser

Our 2nd annual Fashion Show to raise money for LOT318 and to bring awareness to Cypress St. and the ministry that is currently taking place was a huge success. We thank God for $4000 that was raised!!

This event was put on by Yorba Linda Friends Church (YLFC) High School Ministry. Each high school ministry team collaborated to make this a Top Quality event. We had teams working on advertisements, Fashion Show set-up, photographers, after party set-up, clothing sponsors and many other responsibilities. It was amazing to watch these students shine for Jesus as they went outside themselves and served the Cypress community.

On a personal note….We were blessed to see 6 models from Cypress St represent their community and strut their stuff ☺ Daisy who lives on Cypress St was bragging on how she was the first plus size model. The Cypress Models truly felt special, valued and proud to be a part of this event.

Here is what one of the models and student leader had to say about the event:

Romans 12:4-8 “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”

In Romans 12:4-8, the apostle Paul writes about the body of Christ and how each of us are given different gifts, yet we all are needed to work together as one body.
Just recently, the high school service team (or “Impact team”) from Yorba Linda Friends Church put on a Charity Fashion Show. All of the proceeds went to the “at risk kids” from the Cypress St. community in Placentia. The show was created and headed by Katelyn Brown, a freshman in high school and a natural leader with a true heart. This year, Katelyn asked for our help with the show and we were able to take on the challenge, along side our fellow student leaders and those involved in high school ministries. Each ministry team was given a task to help put the show together based on their talents and gifts. For example, the connection team was in-charge of selling tickets and advertising; while the design team worked on the stage and runway. As a student planner and model in the show, I was able to watch the creativity, triumphs, and struggles we all experienced in preparing for the show. Now, looking back, I realize how well we worked along side each other and depended on each other. Furthermore, I believe the ideas expressed in Romans 12:4-8 were beautifully played out as we planned for the fashion show.
Personally, the most fun part of the event was getting to model in the show alongside some of the kids from Cypress St. Since the show I have heard that whether you were in the show or just watching, it was an exciting, memorable night.
Although there were obstacles along the way, our church, along with God’s help, were able to raise about $4,000 with the Fashion Show. This success has brought me close to tears as I anticipate how it will bless the kids from Cypress St. Over the past few years I have been able to work with these kids and build relationships in this community. I’ve gotten a taste of their struggles and seen how lives can change with Christ’s love. I feel truly blessed to be a part of the “impact movement” and the change taking place in a community I have fallen in love with. Looking forward, I cannot wait to see how God will continue to use each of us and how He will use the success from the fashion show to further His kingdom on Cypress St.
-Written by Alexandra Hunt, “Impact Movement” Student Leader


Here is what our high school Pastor, Jay, had to say about the event:

As a high school pastor I feel so blessed to get to work with our friends from Cypress Street. God has opened a door for us to share Christ's love through serving the families in the Cypress neighborhood. But I did not realize that God has also opened a door for our new friends to impact our lives as well at Friends Church. As we continue to do service events like the Fashion Show I have seen our students at Friends Church be transformed in a variety of ways. First, the opportunity for them to get outside of themselves and serve others has helped develop a Kingdom perspective and confirm that this life is not "all about me." Second, being able to interact with people who they may not normally interact with has helped Friends students to develop a more complete worldview. I am thankful for the opportunity to minister to the families from Cypress Street and so grateful for the ministry they provide in our lives.
YLFC HS Pastor Jay

Thank you for your constant love and support to this community that has become our family. Praise God for stirring the hearts of YLFC HS ministry.

Tutoring Update

Thank you for your continued prayer for our after school tutoring program on Cypress St. Our partnership with Biola University has been incredible, relationships are being built and our Cypress students are taking ownership of their school work. The kids will be getting their quarterly grades this week and we will evaluate their progress and how to meet specific needs.

Our goal of having one to one student teacher ratio is more and more becoming a reality. This month we had Biola students as well as adults from Friends church volunteering their time. One big “Thanks” to Friends Children’s ministry, Cal and Tony B; your hearts of service blesses us and the kids very much.

Let us share a precious story that took place this month:

Lluvia, first grader, while being tutored by a Biola student asked “Who is God?” The volunteer was not expecting that question and she said “God is the owner of the world”. After a few moments Lluvia was thinking and said “Oh….so God is your Father and my Father and that makes us sisters” The Biola Students was smiling from ear to ear and responded “That’s right and that’s why I keep coming back - to hang out with my sister.” It was a precious moment and a conversation that that volunteer will never forget.


Here is what another Biola volunteer has to say about his experience:

I started participating in Cypress Street Ministries on March 4, 2009. At first, it was only for an assignment for one of my classes. I didn’t really want to be there, and I resented the fact that I was being forced to participate in a ministry. I was also very hesitant because I don’t really like meeting new people and I have a small fear that I wouldn’t be able to relate or interact with the kids very easily. Everything changed after I got there. From the first day, helping Esther do her homework, to the multiple Tuesday night Bible studies I’ve been able to help out with, I’m glad I came. I’ve enjoyed interacting with the kids, getting to know them, and making friends with them. All my initial hesitations evaporated as the kids were open and welcoming. I’m so glad that I’ve been able to help out with Cypress, and I hope that I’m able to bless others at least half as much as God has blessed me through this ministry.
~Chris Matsuoka

It is stories like these that confirm Gods calling on our lives. God is moving and we are soo excited to be on this journey pouring Jesus into the lives of so many. To God be all Glory and Praise!!

Needs for this program
• 18-20 bean bag chairs for a fun reading environment
• more volunteers

Team Cuba

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers as we prepared to travel and minister to Cuba. Unfortunately, our trip has been cancelled. Part of our process of preparation was to apply for a religious Visa. This is what allows us to minister in the name of Christ to the people of the country. We have never had a problem receiving these Visa's. The Cuban government decided to close all religious visa's and travel from the U.S. into the country for the month of April. We were given the option to travel through Mexico to Cuba, but we would only be recognized as tourists and would not be able to work with the church or do anything "religious." The other factor in cancelling our trip was that our financial support did not come in in full. We are feeling blessed and assured at this time. We know that as doors are opening and great things are happening on Cypress St., we need to be here for them. We are confident that the Lord has great plans for us and that He had this planned for us all along.
As with any missions trips, there are expenses necessary in the preparation of the trip. For those that have mailed us financial support, there are four options in how to handle your giving:
1. We can return your check to you.
2. We can apply it to the pre-trip expenses: domestic airline tickets, passport processing fees, support letters/stamps and other minor team expenses.
3. Apply your donation to a future Cuba trip.
4. Apply your donation to the Cypress St. ministry

We will be in contact with you individually to see how you would like to apply your donation.

Again, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT! We will keep you posted with future Cuba missions trips.

ULL Visits SoCal

Thank you for your prayers of safety as the University of Louisiana women’s softball team flew to California to participate in a softball tournament hosted at Cal State Fullerton University. It is always special to Letty when she gets the opportunity to serve the team when they are in our neck of the woods.

Letty spent the weekend providing help as the coach needed…from picking them up at the airport to making reservations for 40 people at various restaurants. The best she can do for them while in CA was to serve them. Letty’s blessing for the weekend was going to church with 10 players and their parents to worship our Lord. She was so encouraged to see the spiritual awakening and spiritual growth in the team. For those wondering how they ended the weekend tournament…..2 wins and 3 loses. We challenge you to see a ULL game if you get the opportunity…the fans are loyal and fun to be with not to mention the games are exciting.

Nina's ULL Update

Where do I start? How can I possibly sum up this amazing ministry trip? When I first embarked on this journey, I really had no idea what to expect. I wanted to be totally open to do the work that the Lord wanted done…in and through me. So, packed with clothes, bible study material, and a desire to be open and obedient to serving the Lord (and a love for the girls and for softball!)…and with the blessing of my boss (who let me work remotely for a month…praise God!)…off to Lafayette, Louisiana I went.

After getting settled in and connected with the right people, with the help of my roomie Letty (thank God for her wisdom and understanding!), a typical day would look something like this…I would start off with a couple of hours of working my day job (through the wonders of modern technology, I was able to practice law from another state without anyone noticing!), then go for a run…time to reflect and refresh. After the run (and a shower of course), I would continue working until it was either time to go to the team’s practice or game. Then, depending on the night, there would be a social for the team (organized by yours truly), dinner at my host home…Ms. Jessie and Mr. David were so gracious, bible study at Chi Alpha (on-campus Christian organization), bible study lead by myself, or just hang out time after a game. God really filled up the days and I soaked in every bit of it.

In the time spent with the team and the community (Ragin Cajun fans are die hard! I loved it!), there were many God stories that happened along the way. Here were a few highlights…some sharing of God’s word and prayer…a few opportunities to see the fruit from those times when the girls applied the lessons learned during bible study about focus and attitude…seeing the girls make themselves available and open to allow the Holy Spirit to work inside of them. One of the players was inspired to go out and buy a bible of her own. I am so excited for her to pour into God’s word and for it to breathe life into her. I also had the privilege of praying with one of the players right outside her locker room before a game. That same player blessed me so much when she shared how she applied one of our bible study talks during a stressful point in the game. I pray she realizes through this just how strong and confident she can be through Christ. Also, there were some precious times of just deep conversation and sharing over dinner with some others. Praise God for those moments!

There were also some fun, goofy times that were spent laughing, relaxing, and just hanging out. A few more of the players turned out for the socials, and it was nice to see the girls interact and connect as teammates off the field. Awesome skits girls! You were great sports…and so creative! God was also so faithful to provide me some one-on-one time with about 7 of the girls throughout the 3½ weeks I spent in Lafayette. During those times, it was amazing to experience God just filling me with words of encouragement and love for these girls. I have never really been what you would call a “bible warrior” as far as quoting scripture…but God was at work…so of course I was able to quote and apply scripture like never before! One particular moment stood out when I was in my car going through a bible study from my own women’s group back home…and then…not even 20 minutes later, I was encouraging one of the girls with that same scripture I was studying! The Lord was in every detail…from start to finish.

I am just so thankful for this trip…the time spent with my host family (as many little moments as I could squeeze in…thanks to them for being so understanding and flexible!)…the connections and friends made in the stands…thanks to all who fed me and gifted me with beautiful mardi gras beads and coins…thanks to all who prayed for me while I was there…and finally I pray for many blessings on the team, coaches and staff who were so open and let me hang with them during their crazy busy schedules.

I may never truly realize the impact of this ministry trip, but I trust the Lord has purposed it for the greater good of His kingdom. As I told the girls, as long as we are striving to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives, we are successful. Overall, I really learned to trust and lean on the Lord so much more and just to have a peace in knowing that He is in control…“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” – Phil 3:12

Cuba Support Letter

March Prayer Requests and Events!

Thank you for your continued Prayer and support….Please join with us as we ask God to lead and provide for our Ministry…..

Update from Louisiana- Pray for safety as Letty and her roommate Nina return from Louisiana. As you know Nina was working with the University of Louisiana Softball Team during the month of February doing various team bonding activities and, most importantly, having weekly Bible Studies with the team. We hope to hear a few God stories from Nina this month.

Fashion Show- Pray for our 2nd annual Fashion Show (March 7th) to raise money for Hill of Hope and bring awareness to Cypress St. and the ministry that is taking place. Please pray for our high school ministry as each ministry team collaborates to help make this event a huge success. Please visit http://www.ylfc.com/cgi-bin/NewsList.cgi?section=highschool&cat=Happenings&rec=662 for all detail information. Feel free to support this Amazing event and cause.

ULL Softball Comes to California- Pray for safety as the University of Louisiana girls softball team flies to California to participate in a softball tournament hosted at Cal State Fullerton University. Pray for ministry to continue with the coaches and team. Also pray that the teams needs will be met while in California. And for all you UL softball fans pray for safety and great success on the softball field.

Tutoring- Please continue to pray for our after school tutoring program. Our partnership with Biola University has been incredible, relationships are being built and our Cypress students are taking ownership of their school work. This is a huge answer to prayer. Our goal is still to have a one to one student teacher ratio. We also have some needs for this program
• 20 18 bean bag chairs for a reading environment
• more volunteers

Bible Study- Please continue to pray for the members of the community that attend and the direction of the study. Lives are being changed and a community is being established for Christ. Remember you are always welcomed to “Come and SEE” and “Join Him”

Cuban Team – April ‘09- Pray for our team as we prepare for our 4th missionary journey to Cuba. Pray for each member’s Spiritual walk and that the spirit of God surrounds our thoughts and speech. Also pray that each member’s financial support would come in before we leave on April 2, 2009. Please see attached support letter.

Time with Supporters-Hilton Head Island

This year marks 15 years of full-time ministry for me. And one of the things I enjoy most is spending time with supporters. In 15 yrs I have met some amazing people with huge hearts to share God’s Amazing Love. The reality is that without a support team (Prayer & Financial) I would not be able to do what God has called me to do.

That is why my time in Hilton Head Island was another reminder of God’s love toward me. I spent a week with dear friends that have prayed over me and loved me while on my missionary journey. The beginning of our trip was asking the Lord to provide opportunities to serve those around us. Our week was spent sightseeing, riding bikes on the island, playing tennis as a family, flying kites, feeding sea gulls, spending time reading, kayaking on the ocean in search of dolphins and just relaxing. One day the Lord answered our prayers and we did a drama in front of a crowd of tourist. They were enjoying the sun’s heat and we asked them if we could entertain them and they said yes. So…there we were sharing Christ through mimes and skits. It was amazing and I was so blessed to do ministry as a family. But the highlights were the sunrise and sunsets the Lord gave us.

Here is what Ahna (oldest child) had to say about our week:

This week has been such a blessing. Letty has always been an important part of our family, but spending time with her at Hilton Head Island has solidified our relationship. She encouraged us all to find ways to minister to others while here. My first thought was that I might not want to spend my vacation working like I was on a mission trip, but after watching her willing heart at work my attitude completely changed. I feel that this week was not solely focused on relaxing, but on spending time enjoying God. My favorite part by far was kayaking during sunset. Everything looked gorgeous, even under water! After leaning out too far, I tipped the kayak then came to the surface to hear Letty shouting “did anyone get a picture of that?!” God has been at work here even as we enjoyed some down time.

Now…Here is a word from mama Wilseck:

Wow, what a week! Having Letty in my life has been one of my top ten blessings from God. We never get enough time to be in her presence and to have a vacation with her like this is fantastic! The thing that she always does is to draw us all closer to Christ. Her encouragement to us to service for His kingdom is always a welcome thing. Probably the best part of this week, for me, has been being able to get away and enjoy God’s creation. Water is calming to my soul and having an ocean beside me, has done wonders! During one of my quiet times God showed me, as I prayed, love. He showed me to love is to be God like - for God is love. He directed me back to 1 Corinthians 13 and showed me how all the “loves” can be changed to “God” and how through Christ we strive to be this love to a watching world. To God be all the glory for His creation and all the praise for His people and our relationship and all the honor for His great love for us, AMEN!

The Wilsecks have become my family away from home. And I am blessed every time we are together. Thank you Lord for providing great friends and support!! Phil 1:3 “I thank my God every time I remember you”