Final Day Packing Up and Driving Home

Here are some photos from yesterday showing students packing up the tents and spending time at the Griffith Observatory. While we were there, we went through some discussion questions to debrief about our week.

1- Who touched your heart during this trip and what touched you most about that person? 

2- How can that person use your prayer support? 

3- What caught you off guard during this trip? 

4- Is there something you understand more deeply because of your experiences in L.A.? 

5- Did you experience God in a new way during this trip? 

6- What did you learn in Los Angeles this week that you can apply in your life back home?

The drive home was quiet as most of the students just slept! Some of us saw TKA cars on I-5 from the Tecate trip, and then we ended up meeting at the same stop for lunch. It was a happy and unplanned surprise. We arrived around 4:30, and I can guarantee you that we were all grateful to go home and shower and be in warm houses and comfy beds. 

We will keep those we met on this trip in our prayers. We are all grateful for the experiences we had to serve the Lord and others through this service trip!

Ms. Lopes' Reflection

When I found out I would be coming on the Los Angeles trip, I felt nervous about how it would be trying to talk to people on the streets. I came with assumptions that people would be bitter, unkind, unpredictable with drugs in their system, and that I'd potentially need to shield students from being yelled at or aggressively approached. I even wondered how much of their lifestyle was a result of laziness or choice. There were certainly people who were guarded and visibly affected by drugs, but our experience did not reflect the worst case scenarios I had worried about. I was caught off guard by the genuine thankfulness and joy of people who received a flower from us as we walked by, the willingness to greet us and say good morning as we helped pick up trash, and the interest to just to talk to us and even pray with us.

Many of us expressed how we learned the importance of not judging the homeless because you never know what a person has experienced in their life-the trauma of an abusive home life, the way a life can be threatened and backed into a corner with a choice to live safely with a cost. I did not know that if someone pitches a tent on Skid Row, they are very likely to be threatened to join a gang, buy drugs from the gangs, or hide drugs or weapons. If they refuse, the gangs could attack them or burn their tents down. Women on Skid Row are very likely to be raped at least twice. The things we heard from the lead officer in Skid Row were shocking and heartbreaking. I am thankful that he is a strong Christian who answered God's call to protect people there.

Through talking with families at the mission during meals and hearing testimonies of people there and at Homeboy Industries, I learned of the difficulty as a single mom with five kids and no job, the life of an immigrant fleeing violence only to find themselves in a dangerous or tough position in the United States with no friends or assistance, and the way a broken home and tough neighborhood can lead a kid down a terrible path and put them at a huge disadvantage in life. Our time walking the streets in the rain and living in tents on the roof while it rained (some of us getting water in the tents), taught us how to have more empathy for the unhoused and to regularly pray for them. I am so thankful to know about and to have worked with ministries that are truly making a difference in people's lives. They do more than feed the homeless, shelter some people, and provide supplies. They offer a way out of gangs, a program to detox from drugs, daily classes and workshops, trained therapists, legal assistance, help with domestic violence, learning centers and coaching to find jobs, and even programs to employ the people who go through their programs. There are Bible studies, a chapel in the mission, and workers who are there to provide spiritual support and tell residents about the hope of Jesus. THESE are the kinds of programs that change lives and provide hope. I will keep these ministries and the people I met in my prayers and remember that everyone has a story and the desire deep down for healing that can only be truly found in Jesus.

Final Day of Projects and VBS

Hello everyone!

Today was our last day of projects and Kids Club/VBS, and it was great! You can find the Day 7 Photos here. Groups washed hallway walls in the mission, assisted with rooftop gardening tasks, finished bolstering a deck of a treehouse at Fuente Church, and put on an awesome last day of Kids Club. Students helped with games and Easter egg races/"hunt." Mrs. Huber shared the Easter story, and the children made shrinky dinks where they traced their handprint on special paper, colored it, wrote their names, and then the papers were put in the oven for about 45 seconds to shrink. The kids loved them. We ended with a BBQ in the park for all the kids and families. We had 200 hot dogs, several trays of watermelon, bags of chips, and several cookies; all were gone by the end! We pray that families will come to know Jesus and will check out Fuente Church across the street from the park. 

Several little kids came to the rooftop to play games and listen to music after dinner, which was unexpected and unplanned on our end, but our students enjoyed the time to play with the kids. We then had our devotional time in the chapel downstairs where we heard from Mrs. Lily. Most were present, but eight students actually were stuck on an elevator when they were heading down from the rooftop, so the fire department came to their aid. The students were fine. They actually prayed together and just talked and reflected on experiences this week! Surprisingly, mostly everyone still took the elevator on the way back up after our time together. Before leaving our devo time, though, we all wrote our names and the names of those who have made an impression on us this week on a wooden cross we brought from school. We will be praying for the people we met here in LA. 

The night ended with ice cream for a job well done this week and a visit from the volunteer manager at the URM and her service dog (in the photos). We will wake up at 6am to pack up everything, have breakfast at 7am, and then head to the Griffith Observatory for a final look at Los Angeles. 

Ms. Silverstein's Reflection

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

On Wednesday night we met with male residents and the chaplain in the beautiful spacious chapel. The URM started a program where guests can hear the stories of residents, gain empathy, and share the mission of the URM with their own communities.

We heard from older men who had success in jobs and had families before succumbing to drug or alcohol addiction and ending up on the streets. We also heard from young men who grew up with broken families and physical and sexual abuse and left home as children to try to make it on their own to support themselves. They turned to selling drugs as an easy way to make money.

One of the residents explained the surprising fact that homelessness itself can become addictive. People living on the street don’t have to follow the rules of residential facilities, and can be left alone. They are not ready to give up drugs or the feeling of “living in the wild.” They also see other homeless as their peers who understand what it is like to live on the streets.

Psalm 38:18 was the favorite verse of a young man named Manny. It is a relief to know that God doesn’t abandon you no matter the circumstances you find yourself in or how low you feel. I am very grateful to hear from these men, because I felt it was a missing piece to the story of Skid Row and the URM.

Trip Leader Reflection from Matt Nisbet

God shows up.  He seems to always do that.  This year’s service trip to Los Angeles has further shown me His mercy and His provision and His unique way of taking charge when I feel like I am not in control.  This year’s group experienced two unique hardships—a massive traffic delay and lots of rain—but this year’s group also exceeded two prior achievements—a phenomenal message reach for our South Park Kids Club, and off the charts attendance at the same.  What a roller coaster!

I think a highlight for me this week has been to eat meals with this wonderful family—a single mom and her four kids from 10 to 2.  Turns out the kids love silliness and fun finger snapping tricks; they love attention from both our students and adults; and they hasten at any opportunity to show their learned mimicry from our engaging TKA team. There may even be a petition going around for us to adopt each other…or at least it sounds like that would get quick and unanimous approval. It’s been a good trip this year.  My hopes have been achieved, and I’ll just keep praying that the impact of us being here will be enduring.

Iris' Reflection

During this trip I experienced a lot of great events and heard several inspiring stories. But an event that stood out the most to me was handing out hygiene kits and VBS. We encountered many homeless people with a positive mindset about receiving hygiene kits but we also met some people who didn’t appreciate our existence and contribution. I understood why they were so wary, but their actions also made me wonder what their hardships are they went through. At VBS, the kids were so cute and nice, diligently doing work that was asked for and enjoyed most activities! Another experience was hearing stories of the residents and their recoveries led by God. The stories visibly showed every individual’s courage to share their experience with addicting substances and circumstances/environments. I’m so grateful that I got to experience this service trip and this will definitely be imprinted in my core memories forever! 

Wednesday Ministry, Testimonies, and Fun

Hi everyone! 

Today we continued the door painting of the family residence floor rooms and serving at Kids Club/VBS. We learned about following Jesus just like the disciples did. We had between 50-90 kids attend between Monday-Wednesday, so hopefully a lot show up for the final day. We're doing a BBQ too. After VBS we were treated to an awesome dinner at a Mexican restaurant where some of the students got super burritos, and yes, they were huge! A memorable part of the evening was hearing from some of the men in the program at the URM about their lives and how they got caught up in the wrong things that landed them in prison, an addictive lifestyle, or on the streets. Ask the kids about the stories they heard and how it impacted them. Finally, we ended the evening with some karaoke. Look for the video clips in the day 6 photos!

Juliet's Reflection

On Monday, my group helped clean up Skid Row and passed out hygiene kits to the homeless. I enjoyed seeing the community there because everyone seemed very connected and our guide knew a lot of people. My favorite part was when we gave a kit to a lady and she told us about God’s goodness and prayed for us. Many of the people we gave the kits to were really happy and grateful for them, and it brought me joy to see that.

Lydia's Reflection

Originally I was going to write about hearing the story if someone who had gone through many hardships and how it touched me a lot. However, I what caused a greater realization for me were daily interactions with the residents at URM and children at the camps. Evidently, these people have gone through many challenges to be living at the URM. However, there is a great sense of community there and most of the people are extremely kind and generous, even though they don't have much. Soap is not provided and toilet paper often runs out in the bathrooms, but many of the residents offer to share their supplies. The kids are also mature, loving, and outgoing. It was inspiring to see how great these people's attitudes were despite difficulties in their lives and made me realize how important community and helping each other is in times that are hard.

Ian's Reflection

It has been very inspiring to hear the stories of people I have met in skid row. Many of the people whose stories I have heard have talked of how they fell into a bad stretch and were able to get their life together and help people in the areas they damaged. These stories are very inspiring to me because they show how people who are in the lowest places can turn their life around help the people they harmed.

Aden's Reflection

 Aden's Reflection 

Aaron's Reflection

On the first day of VBS I was walking around waiting for a kid to hang out with. Mrs. Huber assigned me this kid named Alexander, and at first I thought we were just going around jump roping or playing catch. Eventually we split into groups and he and I were separated. When it ended I tried to find him, but every time I turned to him, he turned away. I thought he hated me. Eventually we ended up playing together and then the next day he came back and even looked for me. He said it was good to see me again and it was a very wholesome encounter. I realized maybe he was just shy, but I was very glad he warmed up to me.

-Aaron 

Emerson's Reflection

While I was painting doors at the URM, this little girl Reyna came up to me. She was asking me if I have to go. I told her I need to go home. She then said, "You really have a home?" This really opened my eyes to how blessed I am.

Bryce's Reflection

After the third day of VBS at South Park, while we were walking back to the cars from cleaning up, the kid I bonded with the most named Lameyre, ran up behind me and gave me a huge hug. His little brother then ran up to me and jumped into my arms. This shows me that being a loving big brother to them really is important for them, even if they don’t see it now.

Tom's Reflection

On Monday, the group I was in (Shangri-LA) visited the Homegirl Cafe and took a tour throughout the Homeboys Industries building, which housed a large portion of those who they worked with/employed.

Our tour guide, Robert, shared his story of gang affiliation, prison, and substance abuse. What left a impression on me was the fact that even though he underwent all these hardships, and had his kids taken from him, he continued to push through and sought help from Homeboys. When I first saw him, it never crossed my mind that he was a victim of gang violence or drugs, and it was really inspiring to hear his story and recovery.

Additionally, I found that the entire Homeboys Industries organization to be very special, as unlike others, they also give help to those involved in gangs, not just the homeless. It was very surprising to hear about how rival gang enemies could both come to Homeboys, join their program, and get along as if they were friends, erasing these gangs' differences.

Hengrui's Reflection

On Wednesday, March 27, I had a particularly eye opening experience. I found a small toddler wandering around during VBS, so I decided to try to  direct her toward her color group. She did not understand any language I could speak and did not seem interested in the group activity. This led to me following her around keeping her entertained. What was interesting to me was how fascinated she was at bubbles flying through the air. It was a very small thing, amidst the bigger activities going on. This interaction reminded me to appreciate the smaller things and to live in the moment. 

Vivaan's Reflection

Over the course of the trip, I learned several things. I learned about how hard the life out there on skid row is. Before the trip, I had never actually realized just how bad some of the people's conditions got, and how hard it was for them to really make it out of a place like that. I also got to meet various kinds of people at different events including when we were passing flowers out and when we were hosting the events for the kids. I really enjoyed spending time with the kids and it was fun to see them really enjoy the games and events that we had created for them. There were also many lessons that I had learned, like being grateful for my family and to not take simple and basic things like food, water, and a shelter for granted. I also enjoyed spending time with some friends while going around the city. Overall, I think that it was a great experience for us students to come to skid row because I feel like I have really learned a lot about the hard life here but I also enjoyed spending time with others and socializing with the community of Los Angeles.

Annie's Reflection

 Annie's Video

Max and Michael's Amazing Vlog!

 

Michael's Reflection

The LA trip has had a great impact on my spirit, faith, and personality as a whole. I’ve never had a service trip that was this eye opening to the problems that occur in this world. I've never really anticipated that problems in our world like drugs and poverty would look like this. Seeing the economic struggles, the drugs, the homelessness, the cleanliness of the streets really makes me think deeply into how fortunate I truly am and how much help our world needs. I’m grateful to have this experience because it has taught me many things that I can apply to life.