LA Mission Trip 2009

Wednesday August 19

 

Today Group 1 woke up to a breakfast of an abundant variety of cereals. Girls got showers and were given the privilege to smell like the queens that they are. The fantastic group then headed off in their fifteen passenger van to the Los Angeles Mission, a Christian based organization, where us girls sorted clothing and made posters for an upcoming block party. The boys were given the task of cleaning various bathroom areas with the help of some residents. After a time of work, we were escorted to the cafeteria for a delicious lunch of a meatball sandwich, Snapple juice, and salad from a huge salad bar. We received the same lunch as the people off the streets.  After the lunch, we were offered a tour by the major gift officer, named Eddie Santiago. His job, along with two other men, is to round up 14 million dollars in private, non government donations per year to keep the LA Mission going. LA Mission is an organization that rescues individuals that have no home to call their own (aka, homeless, or as referred to the staff there; “our friends and neighbors”). At this place, the people are given a lot of dignity and you can sense the compassion and passion and love in the people who run it. Unlike other organizations where people are only given a meal and a bed for a night, LA Mission does an overall transformation that goes beyond the people’s daily needs and targets the core reason for their being there and allows them to start over in the world. The tour was overwhelming in the sense that God’s presence was so obviously there.

 

We then went to the day care centre Las Familias del Pueblo where we go daily, and friendships were strengthened. We played hide and seek and tag, and read books and colored inside. The children soak up any attention given, and love to be loved by us.

 

We then went to the beach after a delicious meal, and most people swam in the ocean. There were also many bonfires happening on the sand, and we overheard one group praising God in Spanish and lifting their hands. The two of us worked up the nerve, with two others, to approach them, and before we knew it, we were all worshiping the Lord together. It was an amazing experience for everyone there, because there was a sense of unity, and God’s presence was strongly there. Many of the God moments that night had to do with that bonfire worship. It was powerful.

 

                        Written quickly because of leader pressure by Jody Krahn and Samara Enns