I've been back from Los Angeles for a little over a week, and as I’ve been trying to adjust back to work and life, I’ve continued thinking over the things I experienced during my trip! There are a lot of pre-conceived notions you can get when you are going somewhere you’ve been before. It’s easy to be complacent or overly confident and miss some of the things God tries to teach you. However, one thing that I liked best about this year’s trip was that we did new projects or repeated projects in new locations, opening us up to a new experience altogether.
We spent a lot of time at Angelus Temple this year, which is the local church there. It holds 3,500 people, and one of our projects (my second favorite one) was to pray over each and every seat!! Between the 7 members of our team that participated, we spent 2.5 hours praying over seats, staff members, and received requests. At other times during the week, we also straightened and refilled the offering envelopes and bulletins; cleaned the parking garage; and cleaned, sanitized, and straightened all of the toys in the kids’ rooms.
Another ministry we worked with was the food truck. Basically, we took boxes of food, as they would be delivered to grocery stores, to various sites in order to feed people. Once on site, we unloaded them, bagged them in specific quantities (3 tomatoes, 6 onions, etc…), and let people from the surrounding community come through and grab bags of groceries so that they can make multiple meals.
A third ministry we worked with was with kids in a low-income neighborhood. It’s called Kids Jam. The neighborhood kids come out to an open field after school. We play with them for a while then teach them a little Bible lesson. Then, we play for a bit longer, and finally they return home. They come so eager, like all they want is to be loved and hugged, heard and appreciated. These children have such receptive hearts, and it was hard to leave.
Lastly, my favorite location that we served at was Skid Row. It is known as a HUGE hub of homelessness. A lot of people get concerned about safety and worry about being robbed, and some don’t want to deal with the smell of urine and trash in the street. It just takes a change in perspective. When you look for people to love and not sinners to label, the conversation flows easily, and you realize that it’s just another street. The location may intimidate people, but it motivates me. I can’t wait to go back!
This year was incredible, and I feel so connected at the Dream Center. In addition to the ministries I listed, they also have a FREE clothes give-away, a FREE recovery program, a dental clinic, a FREE medical clinic, foster care intervention program (if a child is getting taken away due to a financial need, the Dream Center steps in to provide that need), and so many more. They love God and they love people.
COME ON CHURCH!
Laugh. Inspire. Believe. Love.