Los Angeles Breakdown

Well, our little band of seven, dubbed "Bettie and the Jets" in honor of our wonderful seminary advisor Bettie (we made lots of song parodies for/about her) have been back from our great and warm adventure in Los Angeles. In just the short time that we were in the city, we did so much.

With our CSM (Center for Student Missions) hosts, we stayed at the First Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles, and attended a Spanish service on Sunday. We went on a prayer tour of the city, and had many meals and naps together. I'm also going to give you a breakdown of all of the mission sites we served at during the week.

Las Familias Del Pueblo is a Kindergarden/1st grade and after school daycare program for kids whose parents work in LA's garment district. This was our anchor site, where we went every day. The kids were so bright and beautiful, and energetic! They had us tired out but smiling every day. We read with them, helped with homework, twirled the jump rope many times, and played classics like duck duck goose, and a new free for all, tiger tag.

At Angels Nursing Home, we did worship and played bingo with the seniors. We met one very lovely woman named Pearl, who connected with Jamie, and gave away some pretty nifty prizes, including soap, hats, and socks.

We were somehow able to get up around 5 AM one day to serve breakfast at Midnight Mission, where we were able to smile and say hello to every person as they came through the line. Some were chatty, and some not so much. We connected well with the other workers and servers there, and they helped make us comfortable as we served.

At LA Mission we had a very unique experience. We helped sort food donated by airlines, such as chips, nuts, pretzels, cookies, and a literal ton of mini Toblerone bars. However, we had not anticipated the airlines including bananas in these boxes of snacks, and were constantly on the lookout for rotten nanners. (While sorting snacks, we also came up with another Bettie parody- "Woah, Snack Bettie".) We got a tour of the facilities by our wonderful guide, Bruce, and I was amazed by the pure joy that he and other volunteers and workers there exhibited for their work, even menial tasks that you and I take for granted.

At Long Beach Mission we also helped serve food, which included seeing who could peel the most potatoes the fastest. My absolute favorite part of this adventure was when we got to sit down and eat with the men in their program. It was so wonderful to be able to have a normal every day conversation with people from such a different walk of life from myself- we ended up bonding over pie and fair food!

The seven of us all had amazing experiences and were humbled, excited, and energized by the work that we did in Los Angeles, and I know I don't speak for just myself when I say that I wish we could go back.

Laugh Attacks, Accents, and Raps

Look here for some insight into our trip, with all of the crazy things we did.

Post by The Vlog.

Everywhere You Look, Everywhere You Go

"Everywhere you look, everywhere you go

There's a heart, (There's a heart),

a hand to hold on to

Everywhere you look, everywhere you go

There's a face,

of somebody who needs you,

Everywhere you look . . ."

Somehow, between Chicago and Los Angeles, the theme song to Full House became our theme song. It was a joke, mainly, at first. Our theme song actually started out as "We're all in this together" from High School Musical, but the songs kind of sound alike, and it became an inside joke to sing, "We're all in this together . . . there's a heart!" 

As much of an inside joke as it became between the seven of us, now that we're back home, I've been thinking about it a lot. The middle of the song actually feels so relatable to the experiences that we had in Los Angeles. 

Everywhere we turned, there was a face- someone new to meet, someone who needed a smile, someone who might turn out to bless us more than we bless them. One of our very first activities in LA was to go on a 'city search', to talk to people about certain topics and find certain places. There was also another big part to this adventure- as a small group we were going to take someone out to lunch. We only had $4 each, so that was challenge enough. However, this task was way outside of my comfort zone. Like, way outside of it. 

But that's part of a mission trip, isn't it? Part of how God changes our hearts. 

And thank goodness that this task was assigned to us, because my group met a beautiful woman named Margo. We had lunch at The #1 Taco House, and surprisingly, it was Margo who called out to us. In a similar occasion, our group, plus our hosts from the Center for Student Missions, was stopped by a man named Artist who wanted to draw one of us. 

It's funny how we can get so caught up in having to be outgoing or brave enough to go after someone and minister them. Our two instances with Artist and Margo were the complete opposite. I felt caught off-guard that someone had called out to me. I'm the one who's supposed to be evangelizing, I thought. Even if that's true, there are things that God still has to show us, and ways He wants to change us. 

We don't have to be brave enough to approach someone all the time. Sometimes we just need to be open enough to be approached by someone else. 

Mucking Things Up

I think there should be no argument if I say that humans are very good at mucking things up. Even when we have the best intentions, things don't work out, or we end up doing more harm than good. I actually really dislike watching the news or reading the papers, because it is so painfully evident to me that we mess things up, for ourselves and for others. 

As a youth ministry student here at North Park, I have heard and learned about short term missions, like the ones that the Global Partnerships office support. It's sad to hear that sometimes, even on trips where we try to work for the Lord and glorify Him, we mess things up. 

Short term missions are often easier for students, both in college and in youth groups, and cheaper. But swooping in, determined to save the people who live where we are going, and intent on having all the answers, is often detrimental. 

Thankfully, during my time at North Park and in my youth ministry classes, I've come to realize, almost painfully, that I do not, nor will I ever, have all the answers. 

None of us will. In light of that, we can change our focus during short term missions. We can't go into these trips thinking that we will end the injustice, tyranny, poverty, etc, in the matter of days that we are there. 

It takes time. We can, however, be a witness. One of the aspects we focused on in training is something I find very profound- When we come back, back to our cushy lives and our privileges, we must not let what we've encountered stay the same. 

We have to work to change the injustices that we see. But in doing that, we have to know that we cannot do this on our own. It's not a one person job. It will take time, and awareness, and advocacy. Our short term missions do not end after the week that we are serving in a new city. We cannot come back and go one the same way that we always have. 

So here's to all the trips, not just mine to Los Angeles. Here's to God's call, and God's work, that will be done through us. Not to change things by storm, and glorify ourselves. But by devoting our experience to effect positive change when we come back. 

Here's to not mucking things up. 

WHO: Bettie, Kayla, Faith, Jamie, Dan, Stephney, and Lauren, students at North Park University in Chicago, IL

WHAT: A 9 day mission trip to Skid Row in Los Angeles, California, working with the homeless, the poor, children, and senior citizens.

WHEN: University spring break, March 8-16, 2014

WHERE: Compton, CA, an area most often referred to for its crime rates and homeless population

WHY: To be the hands and feet of Jesus, and to show the people of Compton that they are not forgotten, and are not unloved!

HOW: Through the support of North Park University, and our friends, families, and churches!

Our trip to LA is quickly approaching, with a little more than a week left. Time to get our ducks in a row, to pack, to plan, to pray, and to prepare our hearts. We are doing wonderfully financially, and our plans with the Center for Student Missions in LA are all coming together. The seven of us have been meeting every Thursday night since the beginning of the semester to grow closer together, learn about each other, and to respond together to the call placed on our lives.

Pray for us as we continue to prepare  to show God's love, and to be salt and light in our broken world. It is not an easy task, but it is one that is well worth living into. North Park's motto is to live lives of significance and service, and as someone who will be experiencing their first mission trip, I am excited to be able to put those words into action- not for my own significance, but to glorify God!

I am feeling the increasing importance to remember that not only has He created me, but He has also handcrafted my teammates, and those I will meet in LA. We are all valuable, indescribable masterpieces to God, and I am praying for Him to open my eyes to the beauty that he sees in every person I will come to walk with.

-Lauren