Event Report: Jonathan and Kenda Simonson
La Vina Outreach
Well, in the midst of the craziness of the pandemic and financial issues in our society, La Vina Outreach had an amazing year loving the lost and the church.
From December through April, I spent time with my Mom and Dad in Southern California—helping them work through some hard times medically. After I returned to Sequim in May, Kenda and I prepared to set up for the National Day of Prayer (NDP). The people in charge of the event locally decided that because of the pandemic, it would be best to cancel and join in with the online prayer for Washington State.
I understood the pandemic concerns and the guidelines that the CDC and Governor Inslee placed upon us, but it was kind of a hard one for me to swallow, knowing Christians are called to get together and pray. So, I asked permission of the group that was coordinating the NDP to see if we could do an outdoor drive-in for this event. They gave us the “ok,” and we went ahead with it. We had roughly 75 people show up in their vehicles, and we worshipped and prayed for our nation. It was a good time.
Following the drive-in prayer event, Kenda and I talked about it and figured that we would like to do the next Sunday as a drive-in church. So for the next 19 Sundays, we continued to meet as a drive-in church. We had great support from Mark McGriff and Dennis Feten and their Home Fellowship. Jeff Cole graciously allowed us to set up our 30 foot flatbed trailer with an awning at the Cole Family Farm. It was a great. We enjoyed worshiping God, and also helped host others that needed a place to meet for their events.
In addition to the Sunday services, we performed four afternoon concerts for local bands and two other concerts for a Day of Repentance and Prayer hosted by Carol Gautschi. We had a great time. Anywhere from 20 to 100 vehicles showed up for these events. We baptized 10 people on site through these ministries.
So in the midst of this pandemic, La Vina Outreach social distanced, passed on no viruses, and regrouped the vision that God has given us locally. By adapting to our circumstance, we still reached out to the lost and shared a message of hope. God is so amazing, and none of this takes him by surprise!
As winter sets in, we are looking for a place to meet for night services on Sundays and in the process hoping to build a team for when the good weather comes back. We look forward to holding drive-in services again next summer.
Apple Stock 2020
Apple Stock has grown over the years to help serve the needs of people in our community. This year we supported both individuals and the Salvation Army. With six local music groups entertaining 300 to 400 people and we raised over $4,000.00.
Christian Crusader Motorcycle Ministry
Again, as things were different during 2020, we postponed the Blessing of the Bikes event for a month to see if restrictions were going to loosen up. We ended up having our event and had a great time praying for each other and building more relationships with the biker community. Currently, we are getting ready for the Salvation Army Toy Run by gathering raffle items and spreading flyers around town and online. This year we are inviting local car clubs as well to help out with the toy run. If you are interested in helping please talk to me.
We had a very successful fundraiser selling fireworks in July that has helped us fund and serve people in our community. But, if you are interested in giving to help us continue serving our community, please send a check to:
La Vina Outreach
10 W. Robert Place
Sequim, WA 98382
Or, PAYPAL to:
Contact us at (360) 460-7083