Bay Area Update 2

It's late Saturday night of our first weekend of Project. We've had a full schedule so far. After our Welcome Orientation on Friday morning, we all went for a tour of downtown San Francisco. The weather (which, you may have noticed, is something that I closely observe) has been very cooperative so far. Normally, San Fran can get chilly when the fog rolls in from the Bay, but Friday was sunny...the kind of day that the Chamber of Commerce loves because it makes the city seem so great. On the tour (conducted by our friend Keoke), we saw various parts of Chinatown and got some of the history of the area. Keoke commented about what a strange sight our group must be: a white guy giving a tour of Chinatown to a bunch of Asians. We also asked the students to take pictures of things they saw in downtown SF that spoke to them concerning God's heart for the city and the people. We asked them to try and capture, on film, what might break God's heart or signs of His redemptive plan at work. We're going to share our results tomorrow (Sunday) night at our Family Time.

Today (Saturday), we took another trip into San Francisco for our first Mercy Ministry event. Partnering again like last year with City Team Ministries, our group travelled to Sixth Street in SF to pass out bags of food to homeless and near-homeless residents. It is said that by the time a person hits Sixth Street, they've burned all of their bridges and have nowhere else to go. They've lost their families, jobs, homes...they often are in the grips of multiple addictions and far, far away from a life of meaning. City Team does some incredible work in these hard places, giving structure, guidance, and assistance to those who want to get back on their feet. Most of all, they give out HOPE found in the truth of the Gospel and an environment by which the most broken and marginalized people in the city can experience the redeeming work of the Cross. Carita and I both teared up at the testimonies of the volunteers, who themselves are going through City Team's addiction recovery and Re-education Program. It's sometimes hard to imagine all of the various circumstances and poor choices that would finally land these people where they're at, but it's equally hard to imagine the amount of courage and faith it would take to climb out of that hole.

I think the impact of entering into another's world can change lives...certainly, it can change perspectives. We passed out the bags, but more importantly, we offered to pray for people. We listened to their stories, shook their hands, gave them hugs. For many who find themselves on Sixth Street, this is more than they have received in years. As the director of the City Team center, Rashida, said, "this is the worst kind of poverty...to not only have nothing materially, but relationally, either." I pray that God would truly help us to not only Proclaim the Gospel passionately, but Demonstrate the Gospel compassionately this summer.