What does it mean to really impact someone's life? First, you need someone to jumpstart and impact yours. It's your choice to let someone impact you.

Everyone knows about the Impact1 tent, the child soldiers, and AIDs, but impacting lives doesn't only mean taking action to make a change in Africa. You can make a change everyday.

I made a choice during the Impact1 conference. I skipped the 2nd half of it, and by doing that, I can really say my life has been turned.

So we basically had a bunch of food left from our Impact1 BBQ. Somehow, God placed the idea of feeding hte homeless into my mind when I saw the few hundred burgers, buns, and piles of cheese we had left. Funny that people actually thought I was joking at first when I mentioned feeding the homeless...

Five of us (Ben Ko, Chris Hu, Christine Merill, Melissa Jacobson, and I) decided to do it. We decided to go to downtown SD even though we didnt' know what was in store or even really how to get there.

On first seeing the rows of homeless sleeping in an empty lot, my heart cried, but I was actually scared to go out and do it. But all changed when we began talking to them and when we saw the joy in their lives and the pure thankfulness of their beautiful hearts.

Right when we were driving around after feeding the homeless in the parking lot, when we thought there were no more homeless, we spotted some of them on a lawn and stairs. Wow, God really opened our eyes...we almost missed them!

We met two amazing people out of the twenty or so we were feeding after the homeless in the lot. They spoke ot us for over an hours. Eddie, a bailbonds-man is an intelligent man of many talents who agreed to go to church with me possibly in the coming weeks.

In the middle of talking to Eddie, a frail little lady named Sahara called me over. She asked me the simplest of favors in her meek and soft voice. She didn't want food, she didn't walt any of our burgers... she simply wanted me to braid her hair.

As I was braiding her hair, God showed me the beauty and strength in her, a strength that emanated even from her frail and withering body. But when I told her, "Sahara, you have such beautiful hair", she replied back saying she was ugly and worthless.

After braiding her hair, I asked to pray for her. As I was praying, the Holy Spirit really spoke through me (how else could I have prayed for more than 30 min straight?!) God told her she was beautiful and worth something and that she has a life of purpose worth living beacuse He made her His beautiful daughter. She has a life of PURPOSE that could be used to IMPACT others. She impacted my ONE life by being vulnerable, childlike, and accepting; she could do so much more.

As I prayed, I suddenly became aware that she was sobbing and that I was also crying for her, for her heart and lack of feeling loved and beautiful. But also, as I prayed, she realized that God was calling her to do so much more with her life.

A life of purpose doesn't start with the quote unquote "blessed". Everyone is blessed. Everyone has PURPOSE in God's plan.

Sahara is a strong, independent, and amazing woman with such purpose. It makes me sad to see that so little people are able to recognize that in her. God didn't put her where she is now for no purpose. Everyday God uses her, and it prompts me to just think...How much more can we do when we don't have to worry about sleeping, eating, or feeling safe or loved?

Love is a powerful thing. Our love for others drives us to do things we think are unaccomplishable. Jesus's love destroyed our sins. Everyone deserves that love.

When I hugged Sahara after our prayer, I asked when the last time she got a hug was. She told me, "I don't remember." Not having that love, that human warmth and touch is worse than ever feeling physically hungry.

God wanted me to feed the homeless and hungry; it was only after I spoke to Sahara that I realized God called me to not only feed the physically hungry, but also the spiritually hungry.

If so many people around the world are dying suffering, and physically hungry, how many more are yearning, hungry, and starving to death for spiritual growth and a bit of human love?

Impact 1. Impacting one life doesn't only mean donativing your time, money, and talents to people suffering physically far away; it also means impacting others with your love. So I want to ask everyone, who's participated in Impact1, all who walked through the tent, all who went through the conference, and even all those who simply heard about Impact1, "How can you make an Impact here and now, and what does making an impact really mean in your life everyday?"

wow, God. you've blessed me.
i went into the leadership summit not thinking i could fully feel and see you God.
i thought i would be drained and spiritually exhausted.

but God, you've shown me your love, your power, and your glory.
you have taken the old and made it new and you are filling me with the new wine of true belief.

God, i'm sorry for the times i've doubted, the times i've drifted away, Lord.
You've filled me, you've shown me how you work, Father.

Your love is amazing and everlasting.

Your love, God... makes MIRACLES happen before my very eyes.
and i give you my thanks and praise, Lord, i give you my life God and i ask you to take it.






God, i pray that anyone who has any doubt in their faith, Lord, anyone who comes to me and yearns for you... i pray that when all who hear about what i have seen with my own eyes are blessed and they turn back to You. I pray you fill them with Your love and strength, God. You have healed a daughter of Your and brought her back... and forever I am grateful for a healed sister. Father, You and You alone are my strength, my rock, my salvation.

I praise you Lord.