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

Update: January 2012

NEW ORLEANS
In 10 short weeks!!!

JOY is one of the best things that happen at a WOW JAM!

You’re invited to be involved as we start our 21st year of ministry here at WOW and bringing that joy and much more to 10,000 people in New Orleans. The Census Bureau survey revealed that 27% of adults and 42% of children in New Orleans are now living in poverty. It will be an incredible 9 days that will change the lives of so many people both serving and being served....all for the Glory of God! Bring your family, your church and your friends! March 16-25, 2012.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!

.....to bring huge smiles to the kids and to the workers and delicious food (Louisiana jambalaya) to many people that at times have to choose between paying rent and utilities and buying food. For $20 we can feed a family of four a hot meal and give them a bag of groceries. How many families would you like to help?

Help us serve people with love by giving haircuts, family photos, plants, and building relationships.  Help us put a bible in the hands of every new believer. Help as we give kids an opportunity to dream again in Kids Corner where they dress up as what they want to be, get a picture and get prayed over.

Would you invest $850 into the life of a student that wants to become effective for the kingdom of God by sponsoring one? President Flores of Life Pacific College is once again bringing students for the third year to serve and learn that week.

So many are still left without their homes after they were destroyed in the Hurricane. Help us connect them with agencies that will assist them in getting housing.

Come and join with some of the greatest brothers and sisters from local churches you will ever meet and form lifelong friends!   Help us get there so we can preach the gospel so hundreds of people can accept Jesus as their savior, receive forgiveness, connect to God, have purpose in their lives and when it is time…….go to Heaven! Isn‘t that what it is all about?

Come to New Orleans and be a blessing! You have friends you never met waiting for you. If you can’t attend then please help us go by sending in the best gift you can this month!

God Bless you!

Stephen and Linda Tavani

Update:  DECEMBER 2011

Dear Friends, 

When I was a little boy, my father was the president and founder of Pinecrest Bible Institute in upstate, New York. Every weekend he would preach in local churches and take the whole family with him. My two brothers and I would sing a little song before he would preach. At the end of the service, we would stand at the front and people would bring food as a love offering for our family and the bible students.

I would always be looking real close for canned creamed corn. I loved creamed corn! It was never humiliating because it was always done in love and was a sacrifice for the people bringing the food as times were hard for them also.

As Christmas approaches, I find myself reflecting on not only our 20th year of ministry but on my life. Being Italian, family meals together with friends have always been a big part of my life. It was also a big part of the life of Jesus. It’s not just about feeding people but sitting together and having meals. I guess that is why serving over 1 million people a hot meal in a great atmosphere and handing out 77,000 bags of groceries at the WOW JAMS have always been so important to me.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that in 2010, 14.5% of households in the United States -- about 49 million people -- lacked the resources to provide enough food for everybody. Food insecurity -- uncertainty about where the next meal will come from -- is particularly hard on one group: children. 200 food banks around the United States, reports one in five children are at risk of hunger. For children in African-American or Latino households, it's closer to one in three.

They’re likely to have trouble focusing in school. They might experience illness or poor health as a result. They're also likely to struggle with stress at home or in class. Hunger is still a more frequent problem for homes headed by single parents and for homes below the federal poverty line, the USDA reports, but it has also crept into homes that have never experienced it before. "It's invasive and real," said Paula Thornton-Greear, a Feeding America spokeswoman. "It's a time of record need, a time when you're seeing people from all walks of life needing to turn to assistance to meet their food needs."

My prayer is that your Holiday season be filled with wonderful times as you gather with friends and family around the table for delicious meals, music, laughter and great memories. I am asking that in the midst of it all, you will help WOW provide a little of that experience for 30,000 people in the next few months who are wondering where their next meal will come from.

Just $20 will allow us to feed a hot meal to a family of four and allow us to give them a big bag of groceries to take home with them. I know how I felt when I saw that food brought down to the altar when I was a little boy…”Wow, we are going to eat good this week!”

Please help us prepare to feed 30,000 people in the New Year by sending in your gift. How many families will you help us with?

$20 provides for one family $100 provides for 5 families
$200 provides for 10 families $500 provides for 25 families

Thank you and have a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year!

Update:  NOVEMBER 2011

Dear Friend,

A few days ago, a man came up to me at a meeting, put a check in my hand and said “I want to thank you because 13 years ago, I was working with my 9 year old son at a WOW JAM when he took my hand and said ‘Dad, I want to go down and get saved.’ My son is now ministering in Alaska and about to serve in the military”.

A few weeks ago, on a Sunday morning a man said to me “I was locked up in Folsom Prison when you and your wife came 18 years ago and
ministered. My life changed that day and now I am married with children and serving the Lord in this church”.

20 years ago, on the night of Pentecost Sunday, our home church The Church on the Way, was packed with a few thousand people for our concert. The band was tight, the moment was right and the room glowed with a Holy light! While Paul describes in Acts 2 what happened on the day of Pentecost, he could have very well been describing that awesome night 20 years ago. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting”.

That was the night that our ministry, WOW International, was launched. Our pastor, Dr. Jack Hayford, prophetically called us Urban Missionaries and 20 years, 1 million people, 434,128 salvations, 33,176 fixed bikes, 50 cities, 8 countries and two children later…...the fire burns BRIGHTER THEN EVER!

That night 20 years ago turned out to be our first recording called “Tavani LIVE” and went on to sell thousands of copies with even more testimonies than we can count from people that listened to it. We are re-releasing it as a digitally re-mastered CD in conjunction with our 20 year celebration. There is no way we could include all the great stories and pictures, but we did put in a few to show how WOW has grown over the years as well as the exciting plans we believe God has given us for the future.

Would you join our celebration by sending in a very special end of the year 20th anniversary financial gift so we can once again launch out even further and deeper to reach the lost and continue WINNING OUR WORLD! For all who will send in $100 or more, we want to send you this special CD of when WOW was launched,that I pray will bless you.

Stephen and Linda Tavani

(Please go to "Newsletters" to see the full color 20-Year Anniversary Newsletter!!)

Update:  OCTOBER 2011

I find it ironic that a Christian pastor in Iran faces execution at any moment if he does not recant his faith and become a Muslim, yet in this country, where we are completely free to worship Christ, 7 out of 10 youth (ages 18-30) who attended church regularly in high school reported, according to national surveys, that they stopped attending church by age 23. Of that group, 34 percent said they never returned to church again.

Middle School and High School is not the time to shuffle kids off to pizza parties and game nights but they should be given opportunities to be involved with frontline evangelism and be empowered to be a witness to their friends.

It’s not that our youth aren’t spiritually hungry, but in their own words “church doesn’t do anything but have meetings”. Now I know that’s not true of all churches but our youth, in fact all ages, want to make a difference. They just need a “spark” or a catalyst in order to have a paradigm shift in how they see themselves as being witnesses. Jesus would teach, then He would do what He taught, and then He instructed his disciples to go do likewise.

I believe, with your help, we can change those survey numbers around and ignite a Holy Spirit dynamic into people’s lives! Read how it happened in this young girl’s life who came with us to Detroit with her mother Cyndi.

“My daughter and I have been so blessed by the Detroit trip. It was our first mission’s trip and we are still reaping the rewards! The people we met and were privileged to see accept Christ, was life changing. My daughter’s faith has skyrocketed, and her love for children and missions has ignited something powerful in her!

Taylor is very passionate about volleyball. God has blessed her with amazing skills. She went from never playing volleyball in her life to being a starter on the Varsity team. That’s great, but this is the amazing part- she has a volleyball tournament in October and her coach has said every player needs to be there, no exceptions. Well, Taylor even with all her passion for volleyball has decided to go on a missions trip to Mexico on the same weekend as her upcoming tournament. Her coach told her that she prefers Taylor to go to this tournament and pass on the trip. Taylor’s response to her coach was “What will one more volleyball victory get me in heaven? The Bible says we are to love and care for the widows and orphans, and that is what God is calling me to do. I need to go.” Needless to say, Taylor is going to Mexico. God has honored Taylor and blessed her with respect from her coaches and teammates. They know that as much as she loves volleyball, He comes first. God has given her a heart to reach others and for missions trips.

After New Orleans, we hope God will send us to Africa! I told her if she grows up to be a missionary, it all started with WOW! I want to thank you, Stephen and Linda, and the whole WOW Team for all you do! The WOW ministry is amazing and I pray God will continue to grow and bless it! We can’t wait to see the lives that will be changed in New Orleans! – Blessings, Cyndi”

I am inviting you to seriously consider coming with us, along with Cyndi and Taylor, to New Orleans this coming March, as well as Los Angeles in June or Detroit in July for a Mission Week. It will be an amazing 9 days and only costs $850 (not including transportation) for the entire time. There, you will make life-long friends, experience life-lifting moments and go home with life- changing results for not only thousands of people but for yourself…

Mission Weeks are open for all ages. Bring your family, tell your pastor about it, spread the word. Now you see why we need your prayers and financial support. It’s not just to fund the WOW JAMS but also to train and empower the thousands of workers at the WOW JAMS as well as the many interns that attend the Mission Weeks.

This month is crucial in both getting the word out about the Mission Weeks and preparing for them. Would you please pray about what you should do to invest this month in not only the lost but in more young people like Taylor?

I am convinced this can work because as a young child, I was involved in outreaches to the poor and reaching out to my friends. Don’t get me wrong, we did have pizza parties, but what kept me in church and set the course of my life was realizing that I had to live my life like somebody else’s life depended on it. God could and would use me! Since then, I have proclaimed the gospel all around the world to over 1 million people with 430,000 accepting Jesus…. all because somebody invested in me.

So... if you have a son, daughter, grandchild, niece or nephew who needs to be a part of this, please sponsor them to attend one of these Mission Weeks or you can sponsor someone else who may not have the means to go. I promise they will never be the same again!

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you today. Go to our website to get more information and read more testimonies about the Mission Weeks. I hope I see you and your family at one of them next year!

Update:  SEPTEMBER 2011

This picture of the WOW JAM truck arriving in New York City with the Twin Towers in the background is a haunting reminder of the first time we went to NYC for a week of WOW JAMS. It was 16 years ago as we left the hospital with our newborn twin girls Sierra and Nikola. All we had were the blankets they were wrapped in, some diapers, bottles and two car seats as we headed to the airport. We were flying across the country to meet Kathy Hernandez who had just joined WOW a few weeks earlier, and the WOW crew on the East Coast.

We had been invited by Bill Wilson, Pastor/Founder of Metro Ministries, which has the largest Sunday School in the world, to do WOW JAMS in the poorest places in New York City. The first night there, Bill took us to the top of the Twin Towers and as we gazed at the twinkling lights of the city at night, my heart broke for the millions there that don’t know Jesus. We prayed that God would use us to reach people with the love of Jesus.

I remember Linda and I sleeping on a mattress on the floor of this inner city apartment holding our newborn babies in our arms so the rats would not bite them. We had to make sure there was no milk around their little mouths because that would attract the cockroaches that were everywhere.

A few thousand people came to the first WOW JAM that week. As I got up to preach, Linda was sitting in a rocking chair next to the truck rocking one of our newborn babies. A little boy with a dirty face came up to her and said “Lady, when you are done rocking your baby, will you rock me?” That is where the rocking ministry started. From that day on, we have brought out rocking chairs to the WOW JAMS where thousands of babies and little kids have been gently rocked by sweet Christians full of the love of Jesus. Many times they would be rocking crack babies or babies that have been abused. Thousands of diapers have been given out at that tent.

We returned to New York City every year and started bringing interns from around the country. Some even stayed there and joined the amazing staff at Metro. I remember one year Bill Wilson came into our room early in the morning and in his gravely voice yelled “Get up! They shot up your WOW truck!” He then handed me a smashed up bullet that he had dug out of the steering wheel of our truck. 2,000 people got saved that week. We never did fix those bullet holes on the side of the truck…. it is a constant reminder of God’s protection and the need for us to keep going.

As part of the tour, we would always go up to Boston after NYC to do WOW JAMS. From there, we would fly home on a Tuesday morning on United flight #11 to Los Angeles. In 2001, we started the tour a week earlier so we left Boston on Tuesday Sept 3rd. Seven days later, United flight #11 left Boston and an hour later crashed into the North Tower in New York City killing all those aboard…………

I remember shortly after 9/11, standing at ground zero and feeling in the pit of my stomach that America and the world would never be the same. I remembered the night I stood on top of those towers which seemed so strong and permanent, a true testament to man’s ability to reach up and almost touch heaven…but came crashing down in a matter of hours.

Life can change so quickly. In the book of James we are reminded, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). I know that is not a verse we keep on the fridge, but then again, why don’t we? Are we so in love with our lives or so deeply immersed in our pleasures that we cannot bear to be reminded that one day it will all disappear like a passing mist?

I remember this little saying that went “Soon this life as we know it shall pass … only what’s done for Jesus will last.” We kept going back to New York and over the last 16 years in New York alone, approximately 112,500 people have attended and 15,750 accepted Jesus. We helped plant two churches and about 650 interns received training.

9/11 impacted so many lives in so many ways. My wife Linda’s father passed away the next day and she could not fly home for her father’s funeral because all the planes were grounded. There are many stories today of the children that were effected by 9/11. Many describe the fear and heartbreak of losing family that has led to drug and alcohol addiction…. they are labeled “the 9/11 generation”.  It breaks my heart that people’s lives are being defined by their disaster rather then by their DESTINY. That is why we have asked you to support us so we can go to people whose lives have been devastated by disasters large or small. I believe that people can be healed by the love of Jesus and start to live the destiny God has for them instead of being imprisoned by the disaster that befell them.

It still amazes me to watch thousands of people gather at the WOW JAM with no violence, arguments or trouble. Just four hours after we begin a WOW JAM, hundreds come forward weeping and accepting Jesus with many being filled with the Holy Spirit and getting healed. On top of that, hundreds have been baptized right there in a blow-up pool! All of this in the space of a few hours in the neediest places in the country.

This has been a tremendous summer with thousands accepting Jesus. Monthly financial support through giving, however, has been very low. I am asking if you will please keep us in prayer and please give this month so we can continue to reach people with the love of Jesus. I realize it is difficult for all of us right now, but for those of you that can, I ask that you do that this month.

We would love for you, your family and a team from your church to join us in ministry at one of the WOW JAM Mission Weeks next year in New Orleans in March, Los Angeles in June or Detroit in July. Hundreds of people have attended and they went back home changed, charged and challenged to reach people with the Gospel! Linda and I look forward to hearing from you this month. Thanks for your prayers, encouragement and support.

“It’s only a minute, but eternity’s in it. Make your vapor count!”

God Bless You,

Stephen Tavani

Update:  AUGUST 2011

Dear Friends,

Thank you for responding to our need for food in Detroit and for praying for the weather. 71 incredible people from Water of Life Church in Fontana, CA flew out with us to serve all week. They packed over 1,000 very full bags of groceries and then on the hottest day ever recorded in Detroit history, they passed out thousands of flyers for the WOW JAM.

Friday night, we all gathered to worship and pray for the WOW JAM. Although the weather report called for temperatures to hit 100 and severe thunderstorms with showers right during the WOW JAM, we asked God for a little cloud covering and a soft breeze and to hold back the rain. To the left is Pastor Dan Carroll praying in the crowd.

God answered every one of our prayers! Over 4,000 showed up at the WOW JAM and there was a cloud covering the hot sun, a gentle breeze and no rain. Every tent was filled and joy filled the air as hurting people experienced the love of Jesus.

After the gospel was presented, 417 people accepted Jesus. As the entire crowd raised their hands and sang “Amazing Grace”, God filled the sky with dazzling colors. I could hardly contain myself as I raised my hands and thanked my Lord for His faithfulness. No matter how many times in the last 20 years I have experienced this moment, I am always both humbled and full of joy to see people saved and changed forever by the love of Jesus.

Sunday morning Pastor Danny Carroll preached a powerful message of destiny on the 310th anniversary of the City of Detroit. Afterwards, we all went outside for the water baptism where singing and dancing broke out in the most joyous celebration we have ever had at a WOW JAM baptism. 13 more people accepted Jesus, 52 got baptized and 13 babies were dedicated.

Thank you all that receive this newsletter that prayed and supported the Detroit WOW JAM financially. God always reminds me that there is still much work to be done. Right after the baptism was over, we were loading up the busses and heard 7 gunshots 1 block away and saw a young man running. Please keep Detroit in prayer and we look forward to hearing from you this month with your financial support as we continue WINNING OUR WORLD!

God bless you!

Stephen & Linda Tavani
President & Vice President/Co-Founders
WOW International

UPDATE: JULY 2011

Dear Friends,

Words can’t express my gratefulness for all of you that prayed, gave and served at the LA/Pasadena WOW JAM Mission week. Thank you, for without your help and support we could not have reached the 8,500 very needy people that attended the WOW JAMS or given bibles to the 579 people that accepted Jesus. Pastors David and Brita Pinkston and the Pasadena Foursquare Church did a tremendous job hosting their first WOW JAM MISSION WEEK! Thank you for your hard work!

I intend to send you a full report but right now, with little time to catch our breath, we are packing the WOW truck and heading to a forsaken city … Detroit. So, that quickly, we need your help again because Detroit is a city that is in great need.

Let me share with you some headlines from newspapers to show why this city needs your help:

“The abandoned corpses, in white body bags with number tags tied to each toe, lie one above the other on steel racks inside a giant freezer in Detroit’s central mortuary, like discarded shoes in the back of a wardrobe”.

“Some have lain here for years, but in the recent months the number of unclaimed bodies has reached a record high. For in this city that once symbolized the American Dream, many cannot even afford to bury their dead.”

“Thousands of houses are abandoned, roofs ripped off, windows smashed,” “Block after block of shipping districts lie boarded up.” Tim Reid wrote in the Times on-line article.

“Last fall, Detroit school children posted the worst scores in the nation on a national test measuring student achievement in math. While the murder rate is soaring, the school system is in receivership, and the city treasury is $300 million short of the funds needed to provide even the most basic city services such as garbage collection” according to a Detroit Free Press report.

Last year, over 4,000 attended the Detroit WOW JAM with 469 salvations….we expect many more…..we need your help. One of the biggest needs is food. People are hungry in Detroit. Last year, besides making hot meals, we passed out 950 boxes of groceries. You can feed a family for just $5 for a box of groceries. How many families will you feed? $100 will feed 20 families, $500 will feed 100 families and $1,000 will feed 200.

Please join with the WOW Team, Pastor Danny Carroll and 72 people from Water of Life Church in Fontana as we head out to Detroit to bring the love of Jesus. Thank you for your prayers and financial support this month and remember to follow our trip on our Facebook page at WOW International.

Thank you and God Bless you!

Stephen Tavani
President & Founder WOW International

Update: JUNE 2011

Dear Friends,

“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3-4

THIS IS WHY WE DO WOW JAMS!... “My name is Mary. I was wondering when is the WOW JAM coming back? So many of the low income people depend on your service. A lot of single moms couldn’t afford shoes or clothes for their minor children. A lot of them depended on the haircuts for their sons for when school starts.

In my opinion and a few other moms also, we all looked forward to the preaching. And all the people and more importantly the children, who got saved and baptized. That is a true blessing. It’s more of a blessing to us than the free clothes shoes and food. To wake up knowing that some kids in a bad area, who never thought about God or being saved, has Jesus living within them.

I want to Thank you myself because my entire family was there and we also got baptized. We also tell a lot of non-spiritual people about the WOW JAM. It’s one of the best things to happen in our city. We look forward to seeing you in the future.
THANKS SO MUCH!!! Mary Simpson ”

I just received the above email from Mary. In three weeks 10,000 people just like her in the poorest communities in Los Angeles and Pasadena will be attending the WOW JAMS. I praise God for the 8,000 hot dogs, 2,500 hamburgers and all the water and drinks donated for the WOW JAM from Joe Anaziato at Cerenzia Foods and Ivan at the LA Mission. Thank you for the finances you have all responded with.

Now we need just $12,000 more for the groceries, permits, new bikes, toys, ice and other supplies. Please dig a bit deeper and help..... thousands are hoping for a life change that day. It is not just a good idea but also something that is close to the heart of God.

“He defends the cause of the fatherless and
the widow, and loves the alien, giving him
food and clothing.” Deuteronomy 10:18

Thank you and I hope to hear from you.
Please come out to one of the WOW JAMS
to serve too. It would be wonderful to see
you!

Thank you and God Bless you!

Stephen Tavani
President/Founder WOW International

Update: APRIL 2011

It was a Tuesday, March 22nd in New Orleans as 1,200 people gathered for the WOW JAM and everything was going strong. We already had thousands attend the first one with hundreds accepting Jesus. The 10-day Mission Week was off to a great start but 20 years of ministry has taught me to approach everyday desperately needing the Lord’s presence because there would be people that day desperately needing the Lord’s salvation.

I was on the stage in the middle of a singing contest with much more to do before I would preach. I brought out a nine year old boy with a slight limp who was going to sing “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” As he sang the opening phrase “why should I feel discouraged” the loud, boitous crowd suddenly erupted in joyous applause as the power of God filled that place.

When he was done, I knew it was time to give an invitation for people to accept Jesus. I had him sing it again and this time it was different as suddenly the crowd went still as the words went deep. When he got to the chorus, a tear ran down his cheek as he sang “I sing because I am happy.” I looked into the crowd of hundreds and hundreds of people and saw faces full of pain and hurt with tears streaming down their faces. (I encourage you to watch both times of him singing on youtube.com. Search for ‘WOW Jam Eye on the Sparrow 1’ and ‘WOW Jam Eye on the Sparrow 2’) or on our Facebook page at WOW International.

Over 400 adults, teenagers and little kids came forward to accept Jesus. The prayer time went for a long time as people sat in circles getting their bibles and being prayed for. We had a blow-up pool for water baptism but by now it was dark, cold and late. Just as I announced that they could come back Sunday to be baptized, one of our workers, Trent, told me that a 74-year old man with a cane was standing by the pool saying he was not leaving until he was baptized! So I said “OK the baptism is on!” WOW! We were all blown away as 33 people of all ages got baptized! They just got in with their clothes and went for it.

Hundreds crowded around the pool and filled the air with praise, music and applause every time a person came up out of the water. It was glorious! Four hard-core gang members all got saved and at the very end they all got baptized together. The neighborhood was buzzing about that WOW JAM for days!

Thank you for investing in that week where 5,250 were blessed at the WOW JAMS, 606 accepted Jesus and and 53 were baptized. The 18 interns from Life Pacific College led by President Robert Flores and his wife Dee Dee, plus Danielle Lewis on her first Mission Week, were awesome and will never be the same. They visited 27 homes of people that got saved at the WOW JAMS. The hundreds of local workers from our host pastors’ churches are the best people in the world to work with. We even had horses at the last WOW JAM and gave horse rides to 153 children! The week ended at the beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. Piner who graciously let us all come there and eat the best food in the world including 70lbs. of crawfish!

Update: MARCH 2011

Dear Friend,


It was a perfect Saturday just one week before our 23rd wedding anniversary on Valentines day when I got the call everybody dreads…….It was Linda, she could barely talk, “Stephen, I’ve been in a terrible car accident, come quick”.

My heart was pounding as I raced to the accident scene “Oh God, please keep her alive”. All sorts of things ran through my mind and, at first, I could not fight back the fear and panic that rose in my throat and squeezed my stomach in knots.

Then a bible verse from James came to me: ‘Be anxious for nothing’ - “But God that is my wife, I don’t want to lose her!” - ‘but in everything by prayer and supplication’ - “What will I tell my daughters?”- ‘with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God’ – “Ok God, thank You that I can call on You, thank You that Linda loves and believes in You, thank You for having Your angels around her”- ‘and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord’.

As I got closer, I could now hear sirens and see red lights flashing…. Now even closer, I see three fire engines, police cars and a crowd of people …. but there was a strange peace that started to fill me that I cannot explain.

Then I saw a mangled hunk of metal in the middle of the intersection surrounded by glass and parts. That couldn’t be the beautiful car I gave to my wife last year for our anniversary? How could she survive that?!

I parked my car and ran across the street pushing through a crowd and passed two policemen yelling “that’s my wife”! She was sitting on the curb in shock. I immediately put my arms around her and began to pray. That peace was still with me.

The paramedics put her on a stretcher with a brace around her neck. As I walked next to her towards the ambulance not knowing what the future held, I knew who held the future, and I reassured her with conviction that everything was going to be all right.

As I drove to the hospital, I sent messages out asking for prayer. Thanks to all of you that did pray for Linda. I called my daughters and told them to pray.

Praise God after extensive tests and examinations, the doctor released her a bit stiff and in some pain but he said she will be fine! We walked out to a beautiful sunset full of gratitude knowing in our hearts how this could have turned out much differently.

I want to thank all of you that pray for us regularly. It means more then words can say! Terrible things happen to all of us and life can change in an instant, but to face those things without the love and peace of Jesus and not having friends to call on to pray is what millions of people go through every day and that is why we do what we do.

The great news of the Gospel is the peace that comes with knowing Jesus and knowing that “He will never leave us or forsake us”. The assurance of the forgiveness of our sins and the hope of heaven when we pass from this earth.

We leave for New Orleans in a few days where thousands of hurting people at our WOW JAMS face things much worse then this but without hope, without peace, without Jesus and without friends to call on.

All the things we do at the WOW JAMS, we do to show the love of Jesus in an unconditional way so that we can share the wonderful Gospel with them so they too can experience His peace. We also connect them to a local church body so they have those friends to call on in times of trouble.

I need your help.

Please Pray for my family, staff, WOW crew, workers and for the 20 people coming to serve that week.

Please Pray for hundreds to accept Jesus!

Please Give - Gas prices have shot up dramatically and we are about to drive the WOW truck 3,000 miles. Also, food and groceries are very difficult to come by in New Orleans.

For one in eight Louisianans, hunger is a reality right now. Thousands of men, women and children in South Louisiana are struggling with hunger. These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days.

Feeding thousands of people a hot meal and giving them groceries is a critical part of WOW JAMS. The previous scripture in James comforted me, but this one in James 2:15 convicts me: ‘suppose a brother or sister is without clothes or food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well, keep warm and well fed” but do nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”.

Please send in your best financial gift today so together we can link our faith with our action. Linda and I really count on your support and prayers.

Thank you and God Bless you!

Stephen Tavani
President/Founder WOW International

P.S. Please note our NEW MAILING ADDRESS which is P.O. Box 6308, Altadena, CA 91003.
To donate, please make your check out to WOW Int’l or go to www.wowjam.com.

P.P.S. In order to help us save paper and to make sure you receive our Newsletters via email as well as up-to-
the minute e-mail blasts, please take a moment to provide us with your new email address if it has
changed, or just to verify that we have the correct one! Email us at graphics@wowjam.com !! Thank you so much for your cooperation!!

Update:  FEBRUARY 2011

Dear Friend,

I pray your year is off to a good start! Ours is!! We have just been awarded a matching grant for New Orleans which means that we need to raise just $30,000 more by the end of this month from our supporters to match it. We really need this in order to make New Orleans happen! I am calling on you to stand with us again as we head for New Orleans in just 48 short days.

So many of you have partnered with us since we started going to New Orleans 5 years ago after Hurricane Katrina. Together, we have been partnering with local Southern Louisiana and New Orleans community groups, local churches and now colleges and universities, to provide over 37 WOW JAMS and over 300 events. At those events, 57,950 people attended, 35,857 people were fed, over 40 churches were involved, 465 bikes were repaired, 1,135 hair-cuts were given, 2,669 kids were ministered to in Kids’ Korner, 2,639 family photos were taken, 1,417 career counseling sessions were given, 7,208 bags of groceries were given out and much, much more. The best news is that 11,240 accepted Jesus and every one of them received a bible!

Why still New Orleans? you might ask. The deep level of destruction and loss from hurricane Katrina left the Gulf area financially crippled. Now, the fallout from the recent oil disaster (that can’t be seen by cameras and is not easily measured by scientists with fancy equipment) is the sort of effect that may not be felt or discussed openly until long after the boom and skimmers disappear and the media trucks pull away. It is the emotional and social toll on individuals, the price families may pay and how communities are bound to suffer if something isn’t done.

Environmental sociologists that have spent decades studying the human impact of man-made or technological disasters can’t ignore the signs of what’s to come for the next 15 to 20 years. Among the woes to be dished out: depression, marital problems, family violence, crime, substance abuse and suicides.

People who had done response work after 9/11 in New York learned the importance of listening and being there for others. The same problems are happening in the New Orleans area. Kids are acting up, couples are fighting, men are hitting the bottle or the ones they love. A fisherman who can’t stand not working admits he’s thinking about suicide. The police department reports that drug and alcohol use has bumped up by about 20 to 30 percent since the spill. If just by talking and listening to them is a great relief, imagine what a hot meal, haircuts, bike repair, great music, presenting the gospel and praying to receive Jesus will do!

Most people will tell you right now that they don’t have anybody to listen to them. “A sense of hopelessness and despair is driving many residents to turn to drugs, alcohol, and crime. Many people still have needs as basic as food and clothing. The city is in great distress and needs organizations that can provide human relief through community and religious services. The offering of hope through physical and religious recovery services for restoration to a life of faith, dignity and productivity is what they get at a WOW JAM.

The slow pace of economic progress combined with the oil spill crisis and ongoing effects from hurricane Katrina makes it difficult for local businesses, community leaders, and churches to conduct community outreach events on the scale of the WOW JAMS. In addition, many churches have been wiped out and leaders and people scattered. With your financial support, WOW JAMS can take place on a large scale in devastated areas, partnering with community leaders, organizations and churches that really want WOW JAMS, but cannot do them on their own.

With your generous support and the matching grant, this is what we can do together over a 10 day period from March 18-27: We can minister to 10,000 people, mobilize and train 1,000 workers in 40 events including training, kick-off rallies, meetings, baptisms and the WOW JAMS themselves. Your support will also allow interns, including college students from Life Pacific, to attend and learn each morning and put into practice what they learned each afternoon at the WOW JAMS. It will also help in providing a variety of follow-up activities including youth events, child-care programs and vocational trainiing classes.

All of this is within reach…….but we need your help! Please pray about helping us raise $30,000 in the next few weeks and watch it multiply! There are still openings for you to come for 10 of the most exciting days you have ever had. It is only $850 for the entire time and it is open to all ages. Check the website for more information at wowjam.com.

Thank you and God Bless you!

Stephen Tavani
President/Founder WOW International

P.S. Please note our NEW MAILING ADDRESS which is P.O. Box 6308, Altadena, CA 91003.
To donate, please make your check out to WOW Int’l or go to www.wowjam.com.

P.P.S. In order to help us save paper and to make sure you receive our Newsletters via email as well as up-to-
the minute e-mail blasts, please take a moment to provide us with your new email address if it has
changed, or just to verify that we have the correct one! Email us at graphics@wowjam.com !! Thank you so much for your cooperation!!

Update:   JANUARY 2011

Dear Friend,

Is there a question mark regarding your New Year? Are you wondering like so many people what kind of a New Year it will be? Will it be joyful, productive and blessed or will it be discouraging, defeating and distressful?

Many people are waiting to see what the economy does or the government or their job, friends, church or even the weather. All of these factors influence our lives but don’t determine our lives.

The Bible tells us in 1Timothy 6:17-20

“Don’t put your hope in wealth which is uncertain, but put your hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our lives. Be rich in good deeds and be generous and willing to share. In this way you will lay up treasures for yourselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that you may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

I am not saying that we won’t go through difficult times. This past year was very challenging for us. Let me share with you how the last 48 days of 2010 went. Linda had major surgery on her shoulder besides having lost her voice for 3 months, our house was flooded three times, rain got into my car causing a short circuit and burned out the entire electrical system, WOW’s income decreased by 37% and at 4am on Christmas Eve morning, my dear 84 year old mother was screaming as she was strapped to a stretcher and rolled down my driveway because dementia took a vicious turn for the worst.

All of this after ministering to 45,400 people that year, feeding 23,808 and seeing 3,175 accept Jesus. Hmmmm God are you on vacation?

I am learning that it is not what happens to me that will determine the value and significance of my life but it is my response to those things that allow me to “take hold of the life that is truly life”. Our response as a family was to fill little gift bags with candy and $5 gift cards and drive around Christmas Eve and Christmas Day looking for people begging on the street corners. Sierra and Coco would jump out and say “Merry Christmas and God Bless you” as they handed them these bags of love. Needless to say, it was one of the best Christmas times as a family.

I have also learned that how you end something will determine how you start the next thing. It is little wonder why so many people’s new year goes so bad when you see how they ended the previous year on New Year’s Eve.

This year, we at WOW partnered with Pastor Ralph Torres and the Pasadena Foursquare church who have been doing a New Year’s Eve outreach for 26 years on a Carl’s Jr parking lot right on the Rose Parade route where thousands of people are on the street all night. We set up the WOW truck and some tents with free photos, face painting, hot chocolate and a live band doing Motown hits! I-pods were given away every 30 minutes along with singing and dance contests.

A little before midnight, Pastor Brita got on stage and gave the good news about the love of Jesus. People got saved that night and as the clock struck 12:00 we filled the air with thousands of pieces of confetti and the angels filled the heavens with joyful praise celebrating the salvation of people on that cold New Year’s Eve night in a parking lot! Oh and by the way, Linda got her voice back and she ‘tore it up” when she sang on the truck with a slamming live band!… and God wasn’t on vacation, He was there all the time.

No matter how the year went, we ended the year with praising God and bringing the love of Jesus to people in the street and have now set our course as we enter into our 20th year of ministry for 2011. That is to bring the love of Jesus to hurting people whether it be 10,000 people in one day at a WOW JAM or packing little bags of love and driving around with my family blessing people on the street corners.

I am sure many of you experienced even tougher things this past year or perhaps your New Year’s Eve wasn’t so good, I want to encourage you to put your hope in God, be rich in good deeds, be generous and willing to share so that you will have a firm foundation and take hold of the life that is truly LIFE!

Would you help us reach people that still have a ? in front of their new year wondering what kind of year it will be? Send in your gift, great or small, and together we can help thousands have a GODLY NEW YEAR. Thanks for all of you that support us and for those that we have not heard from for a while, please pray about supporting WOW.

Thank you and have a Godly and blessed New Year!

Stephen Tavani
President/Founder WOW International

P.S. Please note our NEW MAILING ADDRESS which is P.O. Box 6308, Altadena, CA 91003.
To donate, please make your check out to WOW Int’l or go to www.wowjam.com.

P.P.S: WOW JAM NEW ORLEANS MISSION WEEK!! It’s not too late to sign up! March 18 - 27th
2011. Please visit our website at www.wowjam.com for more details.

Update:   DECEMBER 2010

45,400 people attended the WOW JAMS this year in the poorest places in America and were blessed with hot meals, bike repair, haircuts, makeovers, groceries, toys, books, medical exams, plants, career counseling, family photos, snow cones, music, ipods, tv, face painting and bibles all free and all given in the love of Jesus. 3,175 prayed to accept Jesus as their savior and now will have a Christmas like never before! All of this because you gave and you prayed, thank you!

But it does not stop here. Next year will be WOW’s 20-year anniversary and to celebrate it, we have an incredible opportunity along with a divine strategy to reach 380,000 hurting people and seeing 80,000 salvations! Sounds big doesn’t it?… sounds almost impossible too…. I thought the same thing until I remembered how faithful God has been. With that in mind, I spent many days fasting and seeking the Lord and He unveiled a plan for not only next year, but for the next 5 years that astounded me! This is the scripture the Lord gave me;

Habakkuk 1:5 “ Look among the nations and watch- Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you.”

The time is NOW! The harvest is ripe and the plan has already been set in motion for next year but this is a very crucial month as a majority of our financial support is received at the end of the year during this month. We experienced a 37% decrease in our income this year but a 40% increase in crowd attendance. We really need your support this month like never before. Would you please pray and ask the Lord what you should give to WOW so we can reach more people with the Gospel?

I leave you with this wonderful story just in time for Christmas. Ricky Ryes worked at WOW JAMS since he was young along with his family. In fact, his father accepted Jesus at our Mission Week years ago. Ricky’s life was radically changed by his experience of being on tour with us as a crewmember for many years. Seven months ago, he joined the marines and was shipped out to Afghanistan where the fiercest fighting was going on. He returned last week and told me this story. While staying in the desert, he met a young man in his squadron who joined the marines to get away from his life back home which was a serious mess. As they talked, Ricky told him about WOW JAMS. The young man suddenly brightened up and said he had been to one 10 years ago in Texas. He remembered the truck and the Italian guy throwing the football.

He had eaten and won a prize during the earlier part of the WOW JAM but left never hearing the gospel message, but he said he always remembered the “good feeling” he had at that WOW JAM. Ricky invited him to a bible study that he started out on the battlefield and after attending three of them, Ricky prayed with this young marine to accept Jesus. When asked how he felt, the young man said he had that “good feeling” again like he had at the WOW JAM 10 years ago in Texas and now he knew what it was, the love of Jesus!

Everybody that attends a WOW JAM does not accept Jesus there, but they feel the love of Jesus and later in life, in the middle of their battlefield, they can accept him. God brought the whole thing around as he used Ricky, one of our WOW crew, to lead this young marine to Jesus thousands of miles away in the middle of a war.

Please support WOW this month and please pray for us. I look forward to hearing from you. From my family and the WOW staff, I wish you a Wonderful Christmas!

Thank you and God Bless You,

Stephen Tavani
President/Founder WOW International

P.S. Please note our NEW MAILING ADDRESS which is P.O. Box 6308, Altadena, CA 91003.
To donate, please make your check out to WOW Int’l or go to www.wowjam.com.

Update:     NOVEMBER 2010

Dear Friend,  

I am writing this to you as a father and a minister, not to present a problem without a solution, but to open your eyes to both the terrible plight of inner city children and the effect WOW is having on the inner city. I am praying that after you read this, you will open your heart and invest in our efforts to reach these little prisoners of violence. Of the over 50,000 people that attended our outreaches this year 25,000 were under the age of 12.

What happens to kids who learn to dodge bullets and step over dead corpses on the way to school? This question was asked by L.A. Times reporter, Lois Timnick, in an article entitled “Children of Violence”. This article highlighted the images of horror and traumatic effects of inner city-generated violence experienced by children of South Central Los Angeles. South Central L.A. is one of the areas that WOW visits each year, where over 92% of the children will see a murder or violent crime before the age of 5. Timnick presents the poignant verbal accounts by these
children:

* “They shoot somebody everyday,” “I go in and get under the bed and come out after the shooting stops.”

* “My daddy got knifed when he got out of jail,” and “My uncle got shot in a fight-there was a bucket of his blood. And I had two aunties killed and of them was pushed off the free-way and there were maggots on her.”

* “It’s like the violence is coming down a little closer.” “We don’t come outside a lot now.”

* “Just three people [in my family] died.” “I been seein’ two of them’ (as haunting ghosts at night).

* ‘Her eyeball was in her shoe” (boy witnessed woman’s mutilated body)

Studies by the Lancet and Rand corporations indicates that children in South Los Angeles are exhibiting greater levels of post-traumatic stress disorder than children of a similar age in Baghdad, the war-torn capital of Iraq.

Recent surveys found that the United States surpassed other industrialized nations in violent crimes, including homicides. Every 34 minutes someone is murdered in the US with most of the murders in the inner city. We wonder why so many inner city children end up in prison, addicted to drugs, failing school. We find the answer in a research project done by Dr. Gardner stating that: “From an early age, children living in the inner cities are exposed frequently to the use of drugs, guns, arson, and random violence. They witness injury, suffering, and death, and they respond to these events with fear and grief, often experiencing dramatic ruptures in their development. The list of psychological reactions is long and grim: hatred for self, profound loss of trust in the community and the world, tattered internalized moral values and ethics of caring, and a breaking down of the inner and outer sense of security and of reality. They are particularly vulnerable to traumatic stress illnesses and to related behavioral and academic abnormalities”.

We often speak of the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland as terrible and a violent environment for children to live in but what we don’t realize is that 5 times as many lives have been lost in the ongoing war between the two major gangs in South Central Los Angeles, the Bloods and the Crips.

What are the city leaders’ answers to the problem in South Central? One was a six-billion-dollar investment program called “Rebuild L.A.” promising 74,000 new jobs in South Central. But these jobs did not materialize, and the program shut down within a year. Another solution was to rename South Central and call it South LA. New name, same problems.

What is our answer to the problem? Simply put, the love of Jesus presented in a practical, consistent way in a fun atmosphere of safety, mobilizing local churches and organizations that not only serve the day of the WOW JAM but develop ongoing relationships. All of this is done so that, in realizing that Jesus not only loves them but can heal them of the trauma and give them a future, these children will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and have the ultimate connection to our Heavenly Father....... God Himself.

Does it work? This year there were 4,000 people at our WOW JAM at a park in the very heart of South Central Los Angeles. There were guns, gang members, drug dealers, thousands of children, all different races, and hundreds of local volunteers……and not one problem! 276 accepted Jesus and we helped plant a new church right there! Let me sum it up in an email I got from a 13 little girl named Jasmine who lives there and attended the WOW JAM.

hi stephen my name is jasmine and i am 13 i wanted to thank you for all you have done for south park because every time you come there are less and less more vilence before u started to do wow jam my mom said that it was alot of vilence in south park and it was hard for people to walk thorough the park with out geting shot or killed so i wanted to say thank you for all u have done cause if it was not for u i could not be able to go to the park so thank you very much.

That did not happen over night. We have been going there for 19 years. Notice she said it was “safe”. As a daddy of two girls, I have discovered one of the basic needs of children is to feel safe. If children do not feel safe, they run the risk of becoming traumatized as victims or eventually becoming perpetrators themselves. Quite honestly we can do what the government programs, social workers, police and political activists can’t and don’t do….. we can connect them to the Lord! Proverbs 18:10 says “the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe”.

You should see the children run to our truck when we pull in! It’s not just for the free stuff but they have come to realize that it is safe at a WOW JAM and that is because of the presence of God. Psalms 4:8 says “I will lie down and sleep in peace (though I am crowded on a dirty mattress with my three brothers and gunshots can be heard outside and my mother is high on crack, and my dad is back in jail for beating my mom) for You alone, O Lord make me dwell in SAFETY”.

I want them all to have a nice home but I also know people who live in mansions but don’t lie down and sleep in peace. I know people with bodyguards, alarm systems and everything society has to offer but they don’t dwell in safety. People need Jesus my friends, people need Jesus! That is the heartbeat of WOW.

I wrote back to Jasmine and promised her I would keep coming back just like I have for the last 19 years. For many people in South Central and other inner cities we visit, the WOW JAMS are all they have. But I can’t do it without your prayers and your financial support. These last few months have been very difficult financially and I am sure it is hard on you too. So I am asking that you will pray and ask the Lord what you should give this month because I trust He will tell you and He will also keep and protect you.

I want to keep my promise to Jasmine and the thousands of children that run to that truck when we pull in. With your financial support and prayers, we can keep that promise together. I look forward to hearing from you this month.

Thank you and God Bless You,

Stephen Tavani
President/Founder WOW International

P.S. Please note our NEW MAILING ADDRESS which is P.O. Box 6308, Altadena, CA 91003.
To donate, please make your check out to WOW Int’l or go to www.wowjam.com.

Update:     OCTOBER 2010

Dear Friends,

I am sure every one of you reading this letter have been affected by the economic situation in our country and are making all kinds of adjustments to deal with it. It is amazing what we are capable of when things get rough.

I am not much of a painter but when we saw the cost of hiring someone to paint our girls’ rooms, we all decided to do it ourselves. So, armed with masking tape, drop cloths, paint, brushes and some good music, we attacked the rooms! Hey, besides having paint in our hair and making several trips to the hardware store it looks pretty good and we had fun doing it. Then, it was on to cleaning out and painting the fish pond (fish are still alive). Sierra and Coco washed the cars (just as good as a car wash and much cheaper), we rented a movie for $3 and made popcorn at home (loads of fun!). Plus, there is no restaurant in town that serves better food then my wife, Linda!

But there are thousands of families that don’t have rooms to paint because they have no house or even a place to live. Many of them don’t even have a fish bowl let alone a fish pond. They have no car to wash, no food to cook and worst of all they have no hope. These are the people that WOW reaches by the thousands by meeting their physical needs and connecting them to God through his Son, Jesus, who can save them and restore their hope!

We are also making adjustments at WOW International by cleaning, patching, wiring and painting the garage at our home so that we can move the WOW office there. Yes, it will be a tight fit but we are grateful that we have the space to do it. Plus, we are all close anyhow here at WOW! We are happy to cut down on things so we don’t have to cut back on reaching hurting people. We have so much to be thankful for.

I am sharing this with you to give you a little more insight into WOW because your prayers are a great source of strength to us. Your financial support is the main stream of income for WOW that allows us to reach the 60 to 90,000 people that we reach each year.

Would you help us this crucial month with a financial gift as we make this move, minister to the lost and set up WOW JAMS around the country? I so appreciate your gift because I understand the sacrifice many of you make to help support WOW.

I am amazed at how good God is to us. In 19 years, we have mostly had four fulltime staff members here at WOW, never more then six - yet God has allowed us to provide 1,000,000 people with hot meals, haircuts, bike repair, groceries and much more. The truly amazing thing is 428,000 received Jesus Christ as their Savior!

I want you to know whatever your gift, great or small, it will go a long way when you invest it in the Kingdom of God. Thank you and please read about the great WOW JAM Mission Weeks on the back. Please keep us in prayer during this critical month. We at WOW are praying for God’s best for you. I look forward to hearing from you.

God Bless you!

Stephen Tavani
President/Founder, WOW International

P.S. Your gift of $39.99 will enable us to reach 3 people, or for your gift of $133.30 we can reach 10 and for $666.50 we can reach 50. (To give, please mail your check to WOW Int’l , P.O. Box 6308, Altadena, CA 91003 or make a donation on-line at www.wowjam.com).

Update:  SEPTEMBER 2010

Dear Friends,

Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf region, killing nearly 2,000 and displacing more than 250,000 others from Louisiana to Florida. When Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans, leaving a legacy of death and destruction in its wake, the storm's immediate effects were evident. But now, five years later, the long-term effects on the devastated population’s mental and physical health still linger.

When I saw the faces of people during that Hurricane, my heart broke and I felt the Lord say, “The people need more than help, they need HOPE. Don’t let the people in New Orleans be defined for the rest of their lives by the disaster but by their DESTINY! GO!” So we went, with your help, and we keep going every year. We are in it for the long haul. Here is a snapshot of what we did at the WOW JAMS where everything is free:

Attendance:......................57,950    Groceries:....................7,208    Bike Repair:....................... 465
Hair Cuts:...........................1,135    Kids Corner:............... 2,669    Family Photos:................ 2,639
Meals Served:.................. 35,857    Career Counseling:......1,417
                                                                                             SALVATIONS:...............11,240

However, they are still very much in need especially after recently being hit with the oil spill and the effects have been deep...
deeper than the well itself.

According to a Columbia University study, many of the 500,000 people, including 160,000 children who couldn’t return to their homes for at least three months after the storm, have been left with a combination of anger, grief and loss.

At least 20,000 children displaced by the hurricane and one-third of the children in the study of 1,079 families in Louisiana and Mississippi, have developed serious emotional or behavioral problems, and nearly half of families studied still lack permanent housing.

As you can see, we minister to many of their needs at a WOW JAM and we connect people to organizations that can help them with jobs, housing, education and healthcare, but they need more than that….They need Jesus in their lives. Over the years we’ve established a network of pastors and leaders that are some of the most amazing people I know. They continue to minister to their communities in spite of all the challenges they face. Our partnership allows us to accomplish and do things like never before.

We are planning on 15,000 people to attend the WOW JAMS in New Orleans in 2011, and we have a few short months to prepare. We have $40,000 out of the $200,000 needed already raised so we need your financial support in a big way! For $13.33 we are able to feed, love and share the Gospel with one person. Will you help us?

God Bless you!

Stephen Tavani
President/Founder, WOW International

Update:  AUGUST 2010

Dear Friends,

I can’t wait to send you a full report about the LA/LONG BEACH WOW JAM WEEK where 31,000 people attended 5 WOW JAMS and 1,700 accepted Jesus!   We also just returned from our first WOW JAM in Detroit where 3,500 attended just one WOW JAM and 465 accepted Jesus.

There are tremendous stories that will bless you and tons of pictures as well.   I will be sending you those in the next two newsletters.   We have been running so hard so we are still getting all of those together for you.

I wanted to write now to thank you for your giving and for all of your prayers, especially for Linda.   Many of you know how desperately ill she was at the start of the LA week. She was in so much pain that she could not walk.   We carried her to the first WOW JAM so she could sing but that was it.  She was between home and the doctors after that.   So many of you called, emailed and visited to let us know you were praying.   It meant so very much to Linda and me and the team.

I must say it was difficult to carry on each day without her and to come home each night to see my wife in so much pain.  Our daughters were so helpful and we all, including the staff and crew, pulled together each day.

I want you to know that Linda is much better and in the last few days has been walking. Although she is still in pain and has challenges, she is on the road to recovery.  Thank you.

As difficult as it has been with not only her illness but the enormous crowds and the financial challenges we face here at WOW, it does not compare to the terrible conditions and hopelessness I see in the people that attend our outreaches.   I have Jesus, the WORD and your wonderful partners praying and supporting us each month, but they don’t even know there is a God that loves them and wants to come into their lives.

We as disciples of Jesus must persist in proclaiming the gospel and loving hurting people even when it is not convenient or when things are tough for us.   Our country is in serious trouble, I see it everyday.   Thousands flock to the WOW JAMS needing more then a free bike or haircut.   They need the transforming power of the love of Jesus!

Please continue to pray for us and would you ask the Lord what you should give this month?  These summer months are so challenging because it is our busiest time with the biggest crowds and yet the contributions are down.   Your gift will allow us to continue to take the love of Jesus to people lost in a world gone wild.

Update:  MAY 2010

Dear Friends,
So many great things happened over the ten days we were in New Orleansand Baton Rouge - where do I start? 6,400 in attendance, 774 accepted
Jesus, 4,709 meals served, 285 faces painted, 1,435 snow cones, 270 family

portraits and lots of TV’s, bikes and other items given away. Once again,
our great WOW Steering Committee and all the team leaders, workers and
sponsors did a tremendous job, thank you so much. For all of you around
the country that prayed and invested, thank you, too.
New Orleans was historic for many reasons, first because of our wonderful
partners at American Bible Society who allowed me to design our very own
WOW JAM BIBLE. They not only donated 15,000 bibles to us, but also
helped us financially with the WOW JAMS. We handed out the very first
bible, in New Orleans, to the gentleman pictured below.

Second, after going to New Orleans for 5 years, we had our first WOW
JAM Mission Week! President Robert Flores brought 13 students fromLife Pacific College in Los Angeles. They were trained each morning on
the principles we have developed in WOW JAMS, and each afternoon, they served the people. Pres. Flores wants to make it the schools yearly spring break mission week and next year he is bringing 50 students!
Our third WOW JAM took place in Baton Rouge with our good friend, Pastor Devin O’Neil. Their team cooked up some of the best jambalaya. In the middle of the WOW JAM, a large storm could be seen headed our way.
As it came closer, you could see the black clouds, rain, lightening and great wind. I kept going and praying, “Lord, what should I do?” Finally the stormcame right to the other side of the street and stopped! There was rain, wind
and black clouds but over us was blue skies! I preached and hundreds accepted
Jesus.  Devin started a church the very next Sunday in a brand new tent he just purchased.
It held 58 people, and 57 people showed up, and six more got saved.
I believe WOW JAMS are a great tool for planting churches and hope to
plant 100’s more.

PASTORS TESTIMONIES
Pastor Jimmy (Cornerstone Christian Center)
As part of the Kick Off Rally at Cornerstone, the Life Pacific Interns
prayed against violence in the area. Less than a few hours later, multiple
gun shots were fired by two teenagers not far away. Miraculously,
the policemen reported that no one was severely injured. WOW was
here by divine direction, in the right place and at the right time.
Dr. Robert Flores (Life Pacific College President)
After my time here, I feel like the disciples in their amazement after they spent a day with Jesus. I never encountered a bad attitude on our team or among the WOW volunteers. I want to thank the pastors and steering committee for this opportunity.
Pastor Nelson Brown (Pastor of 3 New Orleans churches)
The Interns were blessed to have this opportunity. WOW JAM is a catalyst for what is going on here on the Westbank. I am grateful to WOW JAM that my people have the opportunity to serve the least, thelost, and the last.
THANK YOU!
The Brown Foundation, The American Bible Society, The
Foursquare Foundation, Versabar, La Maison Creole, The
Praline Connection, Rouse's Super Market and the local
churches, ministries, community organizations and individuals
that supported the WOW JAMS financially and with
gifts in kind. We also want to welcome a new member to
the WOW JAM team and that is the Lion's Club who came
out to each WOW JAM and blessed
people with free eye exams. God

TESTIMONIES FROM INTERNS
Sam (Life Pacific student)
I was home schooled in a white family, surrounded
by mostly white people in my neighborhood and
church; I haven’t traveled much out of that context.
Unfortunately, the media and my lack of experience
with other cultures shaped my perception of African
Americans. The responsible, strong, Christian
men that I encountered from Household of Faith
have changed my view of that culture.
Chelsea (Life Pacific student)
As we were setting up, a few 5-7 year olds showed
up to help. It turns out they are neighborhood kids.
I hung out with them during the stage portion of the
event and all three kids clutched on to me during
the sermon. I ran with the whole family-mom and
boys-to answer the altar call.
Ginny (Life Pacific Team Leader)
I was in the Nail Painting tent with a little girl. During
the altar call I found the little girl’s family and
offered to watch the children while the mom gave
her life to Jesus. I also was able to hand this same
family their bag of groceries!
We worked hard. We
slept good. We prayed
a lot and ate great! The
week ended with 80
lbs. of crawfish for the
interns and Steering
Committee!
Stephen and Pres. Flores about to dig in!
Thank you to La Maison Creole!

Please pray for these upcoming events:
June 19-28: WOW JAM/Mission Week Los Angeles, CA
July 16-18: WOW JAM Detroit, MI
Visit our website at:
www.wowjam.com

Bless You all and start getting ready
for next year!
Stephen and Linda Tavani

March 2010

Dear Friends,

The BIG WOW Truck is traveling across the country this very minute as you read this letter!!!   It is headed for New Orleans carrying a monster sound system, 25 tents, supplies and something very precious that has been twenty years in the making. ……BIBLES!!!!

Allow me to explain.  I was raised knowing how important and life-giving the Word of God was.  I didn’t realize just how precious it was until college when I read Brother Andrew’s book “God’s Smuggler” where he would have to smuggle bibles into China because Bibles were so rare and they were also illegal.

An entire village would share one torn page from a Bible, passing it around in secret knowing that if they were caught they would be dragged off to jail or even worse!

I was so moved by this book that I was ready to quit college and join Brother Andrew and smuggle Bibles into China.  However, after some good counsel from my football coach, I stayed in college but prayed for Brother Andrew and sent money instead.

Years later, as my wife and I started our ministry, I felt God telling me that whenever I would preach, people would accept Jesus and that I was to give them a Bible.  Since that time, I have personally preached to over a million people and 450,000 have accepted Jesus!

At the beginning, it was a real struggle to give them each a Bible because we didn’t have much money and discovered that it was much easier to acquire free Bibles from companies if they were for overseas missions than it was to get Bibles here in the country.

However, we still did the best we could.  We would round up Bibles of all different kinds, shapes, sizes, and translations.  It’s amazing how we all have plenty of Bibles in our homes yet I would see hundreds of newly saved people in the places we would go, stand in the rain to get their Bible before THEY WOULD EVEN GET THEIR FOOD!

You can imagine my joy when The American Bible Society came into our lives a few years ago and gave us thousands of free Bibles!   I was even more blown away when last year, ABS gave me the privilege of designing a Bible specifically for WOW JAMS!

The new WOW JAM Bibles are beautiful and come in both English and Spanish.  They also have a Bible Study inside along with a letter from Linda and me, a page all about WOW and a tear-out salvation card all included!

I am so grateful to Tonya Wilder who championed our cause, and Julian Gumbs, Dr. Lamar Vest -President,  Robert Briggs -Executive Vice President, Global Scripture Ministries,  Emilio Reyes -Vice President, Outreach and Stephen King - Executive Vice President, Strategic Management from the American Bible Society for all of their generosity!!

These Bibles, as wonderful as they are, do no good sitting in the truck.  I need to put them in the hands of hurting people.  This is where I need your help this month.  While I don’t have to smuggle them like Brother Andrew and they are not illegal to hand out, it does take a lot of hard work, volunteers and finances to get them to the people who are imprisoned in the despair, violence, hunger, poverty and hopelessness of the inner city.

As you may know, we pass out tens of thousands of flyers, provide hot meals, fix bikes, give haircuts, provide makeovers, facepainting, family photos, diapers, plants, boxes of groceries and even career counseling and much more so we can demonstrate the love of Jesus!   Then I can stand on a stage and preach the gospel so that thousands can accept Jesus…and NOW WITH YOUR HELP, we can put that beautiful new Bible in their hands!

New Orleans will be the first place that these new Bibles will be given out!!  The Bibles are all paid for, Praise God, but I need your help with all the rest.   We expect 10,000 people to attend the four WOW JAMS in New Orleans.  We need $15,000 more in order to meet the budget and I am praying God will move on your heart to give.   You may not be able to quit what you are doing and come to New Orleans like me, but you can pray and give!!

I realize times are challenging, but there is a verse in 2 Corinthians where Paul is writing to the church in Corinth.   He says, “My friends, we want you to know that the churches in Macedonia have shown others how kind God is.   Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously.   They gave as much as they could afford and even more simply because they wanted to.”

My prayer is that your heart will be moved and that you will give simply because you want to.  Thank you and please keep us in prayer.  Join me in rejoicing as I hand out the first Bible!  I can’t wait!!! 

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