June 27, 2009 00:36 by UrbanProject

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A lesson from the Nickerson Kids

When it comes to the needy in Los Angeles ignorance and assumptions can be a dangerous combination.  I say this not to come down on anyone but rather out of personal experience.  I came in ignorant of how great the need really was and I assumed that I knew what people here really needed but God in is his mercy has shown me how wrong I was.  I think a common mistake of a lot of people is they assume that they can come into the projects, maybe build some houses, donate a little bit of money, and then the problem will get better.  Its true there is a place for building houses and donating money and people should continue to be encouraged to do these things, but its important for people to take a look at what it is the people here really need.  If all I ever do is donate a little money and maybe build a house then maybe someone gets to eat for a week and their house looks good for a couple years but then what?  Also these things don't address the problem such as teens dropping out of school, disrespect for authority, and gang violence. 
    I've had the eye opening experience of spending the last three weeks at Nickerson Gardens in Watts, California, the largest public housing development west of the mississippi.  Here death is very real and gang violence is just how things are.  It's been here that I have come to realize more and more how uninformed I am.  A large portion of how I felt about poverty in LA is that people here were simply just not willing to work hard enough to get themselves out of the projects and although that may be true in some cases, thats not what I have seen as a whole.  Many of the young boys at Nickerson don't have father figures in their life and as a result they don't understand what it truly means to be a man.  To them being a man is being hard and disrespecting both women and authority.  Without a father in their lives, these boys are looking for love and guidance from somewhere and they find it from gangs.  So as a result a lot of them will choose to drop out of school because school doesn't provide much for them while gangs provide them with women, drugs, money, and new clothes.  A couple kids at Nickerson have told me they are already part of a mob (which is a subpart of a gang and in the case of people at Nickerson a subpart of the Bloods) already at the ages of 11 and 12.  One kid said he would like to get out of the projects but doesn't want to leave his mom.  These are the things that these kids already have to deal with a young age.  They are faced with choices  that no kid should ever have to make and without guidance how can we expect them to make the right one? 
    I've come to realize through these kids that the solution isn't just throwing money and projects at the problem but rather its first and foremost the gospel accompanied with investment in their lives.  The only thing that can change the culture is Christ and as Christians it is on us to show these kids that they can find true love in Christ and not in a gang.  Yes it can be a very uncomfortable thing for us to do, but we are called to help the needy and no matter where we are there are always going to be people in need, so let us live for Christ by showing the greatest love the world has ever known.

Ryan

June 18, 2009 00:44 by UrbanProject

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God's Jealous Love through a Child

Sooo... sometimes it is great to remembered just how much God loves each one of us... and often times this love can be portrayed through the actions of a child. This is my third Urban Project and I have been volunteering at Central City Community Outreach in their S.A.Y. Yes Program. Over the three years, I have been blessed to develop great relationships with all of the children and get to be loved by them every time I go to see them. But often times, they can be very difficult to work with because they won't allow you to get close to them because they know you will probably be leaving soon. This is not the case for a young girl named Destiny. She and Sarah have developed a relationship that I think neither will ever forget in five days. So today, Destiny was hanging out with Sarah playing Jenga in the sanctuary (we had the most epic game of Jenga yesterday so she wanted to play again). I was in the classroom with the other kids watching a movie and playing some games and Destiny came in from the sanctuary. I could tell something was wrong... but I didn't know what. So I went out to the sanctuary and got Sarah to come in because I thought that Destiny might have been upset with her for some reason. Turns out, she was jealous and sad that Sarah didn't just want to be with her. Yes, this may be a "childish" thing because we need to be able to share, but it showed me how much she loves Sarah. She has given Sarah the opportunity to be in her life and has shared her love with her, and because of that she wants Sarah to be with her constantly. Reminds me a little of God in the Old Testament and His jealousy toward Israel as they spent time without Him and with other gods. He loved them (us) so much that He wants our undivided attention... He wants us to spend all of our time with Him so that He can share His love with us and we can return that love right back to Him. That is all Destiny wanted, to spend undivided time with Sarah.

June 11, 2009 12:51 by UrbanProject

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F.I.C.: Seeing the Bigger Picture

Today at Faith in Christ our task at hand was to try to assemble cubicles and desks for a computer lab area for the children utilizing the new mac computers. Although the plan seemed simple, we did run into some challenges. God has been teaching us a lot at this site already in three days. He's challenging us mentally, physically, and spiritually. We spent hours trying to put together the cubicles, and at the end of the day, we didn't make the progress we had hoped for. But through experiencing these trials, I have been given a new perspective. We are only here for three and a half weeks. It is very important that we build relationships with the kids, but the reality is, we will be gone from their lives at the end of the month. In perservering through the trials we've encountered, we are able to accomplish what F.I.C. doesn't have the daily man power to accomplish. We are making a lasting impact by helping to improve the overall effictiveness of the facilty and the effectiveness of those who will be constant figures in these kids' lives. We will be long gone, but our efforts will still be impacting these kids through F.I.C. and the amazing people who serve there. That's a powerful encouragement God has given us.

 

Have a blessed day!

Meredith Newton

June 11, 2009 11:37 by UrbanProject

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Nickerson Gardens

Today I witnessed a sister in the Lord sharing the gospel with three boys under the age of 8. The previous conversation was about the gangs in the area and then came the love of God. The looks on their faces listening to Emma speak of Jesus was amazing and helped me see my faith in a childlike way. The message is simple and children seem to get it better, why can't we see it as simple as they do? After the boys confessed their love for Jesus and recognized their sin one of the boys was talking about his older sister who was in jail for carrying a gun. He said that he wished people could switch souls and he would take the place of his sister so we wouldn't have to be in such sad place. The kids see so much and they are exposed to so much so young and yet they are still so beautiful in the sight of the Lord. I love conversing with these kids and learning so much from their childlike minds.

June 10, 2009 15:37 by UrbanProject

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Faith in Christ ministry site - Day Two

I met Pastor Joe and Miss Gwynn in 2002 when Meredith and I first staffed Athletes in Action's Urban Project - Los Angeles. It is great to be reunited with them at their church/community center/ministry. The large, bright multipurpose room at the site still looks generally the same. Joe and Gwynn are the same generous, loving and giving couple; still caring for the needs of their community. Joe still has a solid stream of stuff coming in to use for the kids or the ministry. Similarly, Gwynn consistently redistributes what is given to them to those who need it most. Just today Kyle helped drop off a stove/oven to a family and Gwynn gave away two computers to a member of the community to use with her grandchildren. Joe mentioned something about one instead of two computers and Gwynn responded, "I was just making room for what God will bless us with next". God's blessings clearly abound at F.I.C. Eight iMac computers (used) await cubicles that we will build and enough real live, fresh produce (that is unbelievably difficult to find in communities of need) given for them to fill FORTY grocery bags for those in need every week are but two of the host of blessings that God provides to Joe and Gwynn. In the way only God can do, He multiplies those blessings by allowing us to be in on them as we serve Him at Faith in Christ Ministries. If you want to learn more about FICM, here is a link to their website http://www.ficmla.com

Thanks for your prayers and support.

Peace in the Struggle,

Bret