Note: For previous updates, please scroll down this page.

Update: February 2010

WHAT IF YOU COULD REACH 30,000 CHILDREN, IN THE NEEDIEST
PLACES IN AMERICA, WITH THE LOVE OF JESUS? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Dear Friends,

This is how many children will attend the WOW JAMS starting in New Orleans in 30 days. In the 4 WOW JAMS in New Orleans, over 5,000 children will come, many from broken homes, many still suffering from the nightmare experiences of Hurricane Katrina.

I have always loved and cared for the thousands of young children that have come to WOW JAMS. Being a father with twin girls, my heart goes out to them even more. When I think of my two daughters having to live in many of the conditions that the children who come to WOW JAMS have had to endure, my heart aches.

Many things we do at WOW JAMS are designed for children, like bounce house, games, ice cream, hot meals, haircuts, kids dress up corner, bike repair, face painting, give-aways such as bikes, dolls, balls, toys and much more! But the greatest thing is spending time and loving them. Thousands upon thousands of children accept Jesus every year, receive bibles and are baptized.

That is my daughter Sierra in the picture, holding a little girl she spent the whole
day with and brought her down and prayed with her to accept Jesus.

Jesus loved the little children and they loved Him. When his own disciples tried to keep the children from Him this is what He said in Mark 10:14-16, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily, I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And He took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.”

It will cost only $17.50 to reach one child. We need $28,000 this month to reach our budget for the New Orleans week where not only children will attend but also 10,000 people of all ages will come to the WOW JAMS and be blessed. I need your help, please invest in as many children as you can this month. Talk to your family about how you can pray and give as a family. I look forward to
hearing from you.

Thank you, God Bless you. 
Stephen and Linda Tavani

WOW International • 2060 Lincoln Ave • Pasadena, CA • 91103 • 626.296.8800

January 2010

2010 Mission Week Dates:       

New Orleans
March 5 - 14, 2010

_______________                                 

Los Angeles
June 19 - 28, 2010
_______________

New York
July 24 - August 2, 2010

New Orleans Mission Week starts in JUST 6 WEEKS!!!!

Dear Friend,

We never start slow or small here at WOW. We are less than 2 months from the big New Orleans WOW JAM Mission Week! We are very excited about this week and New Orleans is very much in need. We will minister to 10,000 people in 4 WOW JAMS in the poorest areas of the city.

We will mobilize 900 local workers from 20 churches and have 30 to 50 people from around the country spend the entire 9 days with us being trained every morning and working and serving at the WOW JAM each day. HERE IS THE BEST PART: WE PROJECT 1,000 SALVATIONS THAT WEEK! What a way to start off the year!

The president of Life Pacific College, Robert Flores, is leading a team of students for the entire week, and the president of Tulane University is sending many of his students (mostly non Christians) to work at the WOW JAMS all week.

We will be implementing some new ideas such as immediate visitation to the homes of those who accepted Jesus at the WOW JAM the very next day. We are going to invite them back to the churches for a birthday party to celebrate their new birth in Jesus along with water baptism. The newly designed Bible we designed with The American Bible Society specifically for WOW will be introduced.

The budget for this powerful week to personally minister to 10,000 people by feeding them, cutting their hair, fixing their bikes, giving ladies makeovers, and families portraits, along with proclaiming the Gospel, and loving them for 5 hours in their neighbors is just $17.50 per person! That is $175,000 with $100,000 already raised! So we need $75,000 more to reach 10,000 hurting, desperate people. One of the very big needs is the 2,000 boexes of groceries we want to give away. They really need them!

I need your help. 1) Pray Pray Pray 2) Support the week financially, pray about what you should give,every bit helps and 3) Hey it is not too late to come down! Besides all the ministry, it is CRAWFISH SEASON!!!!

One of the counselors is a lady that was addicted to drugs for many years. She got saved and delivered two years ago at a WOW JAM and now is serving the Lord and will be serving at the WOW JAM!

Thanks again and please keep us in your prayers. I will be sending you a daily schedule so you can know what to be praying for. Updates will be on the WOW JAM facebook so check in!!

Stephen & Linda and the gang!



Become a Fan of WOW on Facebook
WOW now has 317 fans!! This is a great way for you to stay up to date on WOW as well as stay connected with your fellow Urban Missionaries. Remember you can post your own pictures, videos, links, and leave comments on the wall! We want to hear from you.

How to pray for WOW:
Here are our most recent prayer requests:
1. Pray for the upcoming New Orleans Mission Week. Pray that hearts will be softened and people will surrender to Christ. Pray for non-Christian workers accepting Jesus, and for good weather.

2. Pray for our host churches in New Orleans. Pray that God will bless them with provision of resources and volunteers. Pray for endurance to run the race - that they would be empowered to continue to minister to their cities throughout the year!

3. Pray for the Tavani family. As you know Stephen had surgery on his shoulder. Please continue to pray that the pain is removed and healing takes place quickly.

4. Pray for WOW's finances. Please pray that God will provide everthing that is needed so we can continue to go to the most needy areas of the country and bring the message of Christ!

End of Year 2009

The Miracle of Multiplication...

In this year of great challenge, “multiplication” and “miracle” are two words not heard much. In fact, investments people thought would multiply evaporated, and leaders who claimed they could do miracles failed miserably.

The dictionary defines a miracle as, “An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God.”

In patent law, multiplication is defined as, a joint operation of elements that produces a new result, as opposed to a mere grouping together of old elements. If 10 is added to 30 the result is 40. But if 30 becomes the multiplier and effects 10 (as opposed to it just being added to it) the result is 300. Quite a difference!

There was a young boy in a crowd of 5,000 who had hung on every word that an incredible man spoke, but now the crowd was hungry and there was no food. The boy had 5 loaves and 2 fishes that his mother had packed for him. (Thank God for wise mothers!)

The boy had three choices: he could eat his food, he could add it to his friend’s lunch and feed a few more people, or he could give it to the man who spoke words from Heaven. He gave it to the man, the Multiplier, the Savior - Jesus.

Jesus did not add His lunch to the boys, but He took what the boy had, broke it, blessed it, and MULTIPLIED IT! Here comes the miracle, over 5,000 were fed, including the boy AND 12 baskets were leftover!

We can count the people fed that day but I wonder how many more were fed with the leftovers? How many more miracles continued to happen because of what people experienced that day?

In this day of great challenge, surrounded by need, you can choose to “eat your lunch” or share it by adding it to a well-intentioned, secular organization. Or you can choose to give it to the Multiplier and invest it in the Kingdom of God! Jesus can do more with your finances than any other source, or organization, because He adds the element of the miraculous!

We report to you the numbers of people who are given food, haircuts, family photos and much more because of your financial support.  It is amazing that the numbers reach into the tens of thousands! But we have not yet reported to you about all the leftovers! There are ongoing miracles. People are doing things after they go home, after they experience and learn the principles of the Multiplier at the WOW JAM.

Let me share some testimonies from the field:

Pastor Terry, from Texas, brought his youth group for their first mission to a WOW Mission Week.  They saw 28,000 people in 5 days attend the WOW JAMS.  They witnessed 1,888 people accept Jesus. Terry and his team returned home and took what they learned and did a Destiny Jam in their own community with 2,000 people attending and 150 salvations!   

Five years ago, Pastor Jim Hart had WOW JAMS for two years in Idaho. He told me that those WOW JAMS started something. They started doing outreaches based on what they learned and now have 5,000 attend every year!

Reggie Mercado was youth leader at our home church, and had worked at WOW JAMS for many years. He left and planted a church in Moorpark. This new church plant was not even a year old when they hosted their first WOW JAM!  They hosted WOW JAMS for three years. Today, they continue to do their own outreaches touching the lives of thousands in their town.

Youth groups, pastors, young kids, grandmothers, all kinds of people - including churches and organizations around the country, have used what they learned at WOW JAMS and are now impacting their cities. The miracle of multiplication!

I shared this with you because I am asking you to pray and ask God what to invest not only in the WOW JAMS (the feeding of the 5,000), but also in the multiplication carried out through people. We want to develop our training times, manuals and books for others to utilize. The President of Life Pacific College, Robert Flores, is leading a team of his students along with the Director of IGNITE, Mike Larkin, for a 9 day WOW JAM Mission Week in New Orleans. They want to make this their annual spring break mission trip!

Youth for Christ wants to send their youth to the WOW JAM Mission Trips to participate and learn, so they can take it back to their towns. The American Bible Society is partnering with WOW to design a Bible for the people we minister to in the streets to help disciple the new converts.

I need your help very much right now. I am not asking to put our resources together for addition; I am asking that we give everything to Jesus for the Miracle of Multiplication!

New York Update: August 09

WE LIVE IN DESPERATE TIMES

4 DAYS ...4 CITIES …1,512 SALVATIONS!

Love given freely when it is not easy or convenient is love that goes deeper into the heart of a person in need. 10,500 people received that love at the WOW JAMS in Troy, Schenectady, Albany and New York City.

Was it hard? Yes. Was it costly? Yes. Was it worth it? Ask the …

1,512 people that were headed for hell but are now headed for Heaven,

78 missionary interns from around the country that raised their own money to come and serve for 9 days and experienced the most amazing things they had ever seen,

20 pastors that saw their congregations work in unity and serve desperate people all day,

hundreds that experienced healing when Christians laid hands on them and prayed for them,

198 kids that got their bikes fixed,

6500 hungry people who were fed a hot meal,

or the crying mother that had given up hope that her son’s life would change, and then saw him get saved and baptized on the same day in a city pool with 268 other new followers of Christ.

I will tell you what they will say…YES, YES, YES! It was worth every penny, every drop of sweat, every sore muscle, every minute of prayer and every bit of sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom!

The bible says, “we never labor in vain when we labor for the Lord”. In light of that, New York was a HUGE success and I thank you for your prayers, giving and encouragement.

Please pray for us here at WOW and ask the Lord what you can invest in our efforts this month. We need your help! After you give and see the reports, ask yourself …was it worth it? I promise the answer will be YES!

BIGGEST CROWD IN WOW JAM HISTORY
10,000 PEOPLE POURED INTO FOOTBALL FIELD IN LONG BEACH

After powerful WOW JAMS in San Bernardino and Pomona, we did not have long to catch our breath before the Long Beach/Los Angeles WOW JAM week. Host pastors Paul and Bonnie Thiemens and hundreds of volunteers worked hard alongside the WOW staff to prepare for the week. 51 interns of all ages saved up their money to spend the entire week ministering with us.

No one could have anticipated what a huge week this would be. We started to get a sense of it when hundreds packed into Antioch Church for the Kick-off Rally. The power of God was so strong; as we all got on our knees to pray for the city, God began to prepare us for what was coming...

28,500 people came to the 5 WOW JAMS, 1,473 people from 60 churches volunteered, 18,030 meals were served,1,890 accepted Jesus and 240 were baptized in the ocean!

We had huge WOW JAMS Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. For the whole story on those WOW JAMS, go to our website at www.wowjam.com.

Saturday at Poly High School

We all woke up Saturday morning desperate for God. The interns experienced training sessions all week from great leaders like Mike Larkin and Phil Liberatore, and on Saturday morning, Robert Flores, president of Life Pacific College, dropped into our hearts just what we needed to put our all into the WOW JAM that day.

Hundreds were already at Poly High School when we showed up at noon and within an hour, 2,500 people were lined up (still 2 hours before our official start time)! The food crew served 6,580 hamburgers in less then two hours. 10,000 people were packed on the field!

"You can do all things..."

I was trembling in my spirit as I climbed the bleachers to view the crowd. Our truck was like a speck in the distance and our sound system, while very good, was too small to handle the crowd. The lines were enormous and although over 400 faithful workers showed up, we were outnumbered. The crowd was filled with all kinds of people including gangs and drug dealers.

It is hard to tell you how draining it is to stand before thousands of hurting people day after day and minister to them. I told God, "I am way over my head".

Then, I looked out and saw my two children, Sierra and Coco, blessing people. I saw Christians working hard in the hot sun sharing the love of Jesus, I saw my staff give it all they had, I saw my beautiful wife sing and thrill the crowd doing what God created her to do (and it was her birthday!), I saw my dear friends Phil and Dana who came out every single day just to pray for me, I saw pastors Paul and Bonnie who brought 40 churches together and hosted 3 WOW JAMS with a church of less than 200 members, and I thought of you that get this newsletter and pray for us and support us financially so we can keep going.... and I remembered a verse that says " I can do all things through Christ Jesus that strengthens me".

So I climbed up on the stage and I faced the 10,000 people and I told them the good news - God Loves You!

I tell you this because maybe you are facing a difficult situation with nothing left. Don't be discouraged; look around at your blessings and then keep going.

That week 1,890 people signed cards signifying they received Jesus! The next day we sent out 8 buses to bring people to the beach to be baptized. Most of the buses were packed! The day was beautiful as another 35 got saved and 240 were baptized in the ocean!

From Long Beach to New York
So now we head to New York for a week of WOW JAMS with 81 interns flying in from around the country and thousands of people waiting for us to show up. I need your help so we can show up. I need your prayers for strength, safety and the miraculous. We need your finances for the plane tickets, food, lodging and all it takes to put on a WOW JAM. $120,000 has been raised but we still need $70,000.Will you send in a financial gift this month so we can show up with the Gospel?

I will be looking forward to hearing from you and I will have another great report on the wonderful things God is doing at the WOW JAMS.

May 09: Over 6,000 gathered in a city we had never been to!

That city was San Bernardino - the crowd was huge, but the need was even bigger. Four vicious gangs were in the crowd in an area where murder, poverty, drugs and hopelessness ruled the day - but not that day! The police were amazed there was not one fight or argument.

The pastors from 14 churches prayed for this day for years. They praised God to finally see it with their own eyes as 616 people raised their hand and came forward to accept Jesus! The next day another 27 accepted Jesus and 79 were baptized in water bringing the total to 643!

So far this year, 19,300 have attended WOW JAMS and 2,409 have accepted Jesus!

In the next 45 days, we will:
· GO to 6 different cities from Los Angeles to New York City and do 9 WOW JAMS.
· SERVE 30,000 hurting people with hot meals, haircuts, bike repair, groceries, make- overs, diapers, family photos and a Gospel message of hope.
· MOBILIZE 2,000 local church workers.
· UNITE 90churches together from different denominations.
· TRAIN 130 young leaders from around the country.
· WITNESS 3,000 SALVATIONS!

We will do all of this in the neediest places of the country for just
$11.50 PER PERSON!!!!

In a time where inefficiency and waste seems to be the norm and productivity is at an all-time low, this is an amazing opportunity!

The budget is $345,000 for this effort. We are only $45,000 away from meeting the budget - that is why we need you now very much. This is not a fancy appeal, and I know we are in difficult times, but I am asking you because you know about what happens at WOW JAMS. You have probably worked at one and have seen the miraculous things God does there.

Our country is changing every single day and many are afraid. My friend, now is the time for true followers of Jesus to stand up and proclaim the gospel through words and deeds like we have never done before. If I sound desperate, I am! I am desperate for the least, the last and the lost. I need your help like never before.

Please help us make up the remaining $45,000 this month with the best sacrificial gift you can give. You can simply click here to donate directly, or can mail a check to our office at:
2060 Lincoln Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91103
Also, please pray over the next 45 days as we go deep into the inner-city to bring hope.

Thank you from our WOW team and the 30,000 that will hear the Gospel because of you.

God Bless You,
Stephen Tavani

March 2009 New Orleans Report:

The WOW trip to Louisiana last month was a real success. Thank you to all who prayed for Stephen, Linda, Kathy and the rest of the staff.

New Orleans Report

Over 3,300 people attended the two WOW JAMS and 474 made decisions for Christ. Given the rain and mud from serious storms, we are very pleased that so many neighbors attended.

Now, we are turning our eyes to upcoming WOW JAMS in California. WOW JAMS in southern California (Pomona, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Long Beach and Hawaiian Gardens) and the Fresno area (Hanford and Orange Cove) will take place over the next two months.

It is such a privilege to be involved in evangelistic ministry as we touch the lives of people living in the most dangerous and neglected neighborhoods in America. If you have not volunteered at a WOW JAM yet, check the schedule at www.wowjam.com and sign up. Your life will never be the same.

Many of our friends have responded to our request for bikes and balls for the kids, and groceries for the families. Those needs continue as some of our host churches are unable to provide all of what is needed for a successful WOW JAM. Thank you for considering a gift.
Testimonies

We were so blessed by the many testimonies we heard during the WOW JAMS! There are two that stand out that we would like to share with you.

At last year's WOW JAMS in New Orleans, a woman that was addicted to crack, responded to the altar call and accepted Jesus. Praise God, this year we saw her again, but this time she was working as an altar worker, ministering to people as they accepted Jesus into their hearts!

On the first night, we held a baptism directly after the WOW JAM - 7 blocks down the street. A group of about 10 kids wanted to get baptized so badly that they walked those 7 blocks, in the dark, just to be baptized!

May God bless you richly,
The WOW Staff and Crew

Update: August 23 - Charlotte, NC

As our 2008 ministry tour continues, we had 9,600 people attend the Charlotte WOW JAMS and 1,531 accepted Jesus!

I was so moved by a young boy, named Mathew, who was touched by God at the Friday WOW JAM. He came back the next day and brought his beautiful red bike and helmet and wanted to give it away; because he thought someone else needed his bike more then he did. It was not a beat up old bike; but a beautiful red one that meant so much to him. Matthew's response reminded me of King David's response when he said, "I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing " (2 Samuel 24:24).

On Sunday, we bussed many people who were saved at the WOW JAM to the beach. We fed them a delicious lunch as the church's worship group sang from the stage. At the altar call, another 49 people accepted Jesus; and, then we baptized 201 people in a gorgeous lake. Everyone clapped and cheered as each person came up from the water. I know they were cheering in heaven, too. I had the privilege of baptizing this precious little boy (pictured below) that got saved at one of the WOW JAMS.

Would you please keep us in prayer as we leave to reach more people for Jesus; we depart for Columbus, Ohio this weekend, and then we fly to Oakland in September. Would you also pray that God would supply the finances for all of these WOW JAMS that are growing so large.

Update: July - Albany, Schenectaday, and New York City, NY

Thank you for your partnership in New York! The results of your hard work, time, prayer, and financial donations were astounding! Praise God that 1,361 people are now going to Heaven! Please read below for stories about New York and a short update on our WOW JAMS in Charlotte!

4 new communities; 4 amazing WOW JAMS!

This year in New York, we partnered with 4 new communities! We were so encouraged by the passion and purpose these churches have for their cities! We started the week in Albany and Schenectady with 2 powerful WOW JAMS. We saw over 700 people come to the Lord in those first two days! Then we traveled down to New York City for two more WOW JAMS - in East Village and The Bronx.

One man in the Bronx came to the WOW JAM to have fun with his wife and saw that we were short on hair cutters. He volunteered to help and ended up cutting hair until the end of the altar call. His tent was the last one standing! At the end of the night, he and his wife accepted Jesus!

Thank you for partnering with us in New York. Praise God that 1,361 people accepted Jesus and 61 were baptized!

Please Pray for us in Charlotte

Right now, we are in the middle of 4 WOW JAMS in Charlotte. Please pray for the people we are ministering to - we expect many more lives to be added to the Kingdom this week! Also please pray for safety for our staff and crew during the week and as we return home.

Update: June  6 - Pomona, CA

668 Lives Were Changed for Eternity!

668 accepted Jesus in Pomona

Thank you for praying! We just finished a weekend of amazing WOW JAMS in Pomona! Pastor Criag Lawrence, the host pastor from New Life Community Church, gathered 7 churches together to minister to the city of Pomona. The community was drawn together by the hand of God as they spent the weekend at the WOW JAM eating lunch, getting their hair cut, having their faces painted, getting their bikes fixed, receiving free groceries, and celebrating how much God loves them. But it didn't stop there. 668 people gathered in front of the WOW truck in Pomona to accept Jesus and 71 were baptized! There were many amazing stories from that weekend, but one that stands out is a woman who was about to commit suicide. She came to the WOW JAM and accepted Jesus and got baptized on Sunday. Also, the churches were able to find a place for her and her husband to stay. Their lives will never be the same. We were so excited to see God move in such powerful ways!

(One of our volunteers experiencing the joy of praying with a group of boys who had just accepted Jesus)

Pray for us in Long Beach

This weekend we will be in Long Beach for 2 more WOW JAMS and a baptism. Last year in Long Beach, we saw one of the biggest altar calls in the history of WOW (see the picture below): over 1,000 people accepted Jesus at one WOW JAM; and, it was the first WOW JAM ever to be held in Long Beach! We know God has big plans for Long Beach. Please pray for us this weekend that the Lord will move in powerful ways and that many lives will be transformed; also pray for the safety of my family, our staff and our crew. We expect many lives to be changed for eternity this weekend!

God Bless You,

Stephen Tavani
President and Founder

UPDATE: April 18, 2008: New Orleans and Brazil

We have had a busy month, and I could not be more excited to tell you about all the Lord has done in a short amount of time! Thank you for all of your prayers for our trips this past month.  We saw God move in amazing ways in both Louisiana and in Brazil! Check out the Newsletter below to hear about it!

Please pray becasue as I am writing this to you we are headed to Oakland for our first ever WOW JAMS there!

New Orleans

New Orleans was amazing this year.  Praise God: 2,206 people accepted Jesus!

There was one man there that came wearing a necklace with a gun on it.  By the end of the WOW JAM, he was standing at the altar, praying to accept Jesus into his heart.  Then we had the privilege to baptize him!  But this time, his necklace had a new pendant on it: Praying Hands!  What an amazing illustration of the incredible transformation that God brings at WOW JAMS!  Here is a picture of him getting baptized!

Brazil

About a week after we returned from Louisiana, Linda and I, our daughters, and Kathy were off to beautiful Brazil!

Brazil was another incredible experience.  I was given the special opportunity to preach to a group of 10,000 pastors and pastors' wives.  The way the Lord moved through Linda and I to touch the people of Brazil with the heart of worship was truly special.

We are so excited to witness how God continues His work in Brazil and to partner with local churches there to bring the Love of Jesus to so many hurting people!

We are now invited to Argentina and other countries and they are crazy about WOW JAMS down there.

New York and L.A. are just around the corner

The time has come to get those registration forms in for Mission Week 2008!

This year, we are planning 2 amazing weeks - one in Los Angeles and the other in New York!

We know that God has huge things in store for both cities, so fill out those registration forms and come join us in fulfulling the call of God to share the love of Jesus with Los Angeles and New York!

You can find registration forms on our website at www.wowjam.com, and you can get more information by emailing us at laurenr@wowjam.com or calling us at (626) 296-8800.

God Bless You!

Sincerely,

Stephen Tavani

President and Founder

WOW International

The Tavani Family in Brazil

CLICK HERE FOR 2007 Updates.

CLICK HERE For 2006 Updates

CLICK HERE For Updates from our Katrina JAMS