So...it's our last day to be in Los Angeles, California. Where do I even begin to describe this one week journey?I remember the first time hearing about BSM attending a mission trip to L.A.in the near future and how everyone was so excited. I believe in the beginning there were about 40 people in the first two or three meetings that were wanting to go. It's funny because now that this trip is comign to an end, I think back to the large amount of people that were wanting to go, and then take a look at us twenty students who ended up being the ones called. I've learned so many things on this trip! I believe the most important lesson I NEEDED to see was understanding Gods love with a much deeper meaning. Being out on skid row for me was definitely out of my comfort zone...but each homeless individual walking the streets, criminal, or any friendly face in California for that matter is someone who God loves. "Jesus would not have died for us if he didn't want to live with out us". I saw thison a bumper sticker out in the parking lot and really took a liking to it :D. Yesterday we all worked very hard at a well known night club called the Mayan. Mosaic uses the Mayan for a gathering to worship God with individuals who are uncomfortable about being in an actual "church" where he or she could feel judged any second. I found this to be so fascinating! What a great idea...reaching to those in a enviornment where temptation has a strong pull. Lets bring God to those spots right? A man named Joby had told me something quite intriguing during clean up at the Mayan. He said "Scripture states that we need to pull none believers out of the fire, close enough to where we smell the smoke on them". To be honest what he said really spoke to me, we as followers need to not be solely amongst other believers. Of course we need to have our community of encouragement but at the same time lets not forget why God made contact with man kind in the first place. To bring us back to him. I desire to pursue a career in TV/Radio as a news reporter or even study acting like my father. The idea of acting would be so great because I would be doing something I truly enjoy as a hobby and also haha I just love movies and the different personalities one can portray as an actor/actress. Entertainment is pleasing! Though being in that sort of enviornment, where the fame and money can corrupt one's mind, I dont want to fall from Gods path. I Do NOT want to stray from what is right and drown in selfishness. Joby told me that if this is what I'm fearing, God is calling me to pursue this. Interesting right?
Over all this has been such a memorable experience, and I want to keep walking on a mission. I don't want to just believe "Okay! all done what great work we've accomplished, time to forget what I've learned and go back to my normal routine". Gods shown me too much to just stay quiet. Whenever the chance may arrise, I pray that he uses me in Austin or anywhere for that matter to learn something he needs me to understand. To introduce the idea of a relationship with Christ rather than a religious process to follow. I'll never forget worship that night at the Mayan. I dont really know how to tell you what came over me but I just threw my hands in the air and felt this warm and content feeling all over my body. I sang like no tomorrow and had tears run down my cheek :) That's never really happened to me before, I almost felt weird about it too! However, that's just what Gods presence feels like among his followers.
-Karla G

oh, How He loves (or perhaps, more accurately, the tale of a boy in LA trying to make sense of it all)

-Hello. This is Carlos Martinez.
And i'd like to talk to you about something dear to my heart...

Since arriving in LA to right now, so much has happened... and to be honest, i'm pretty tired, both physically and spiritually. We've had the privilege of visiting MPower Pictures with John Shepherd and Reasons to Believe with Dr, Hugh Ross. We've also worked with Metrokidz which serves south-central LA, with School On Wheels, a non-profit organization located on Skid Row that helps tutor kids from grades kindergarden to 12th grade, and with the Dream Center, which provides spiritual and physical services to all parts of LA.

(I believe this is the part where i start talking about my experiences)

-Metrokidz

Now when you think of South-central LA, you think of crime, violence, low-income... in a nutshell, gangland. But even they're loved by an almighty God and as followers of Christ, we are called to do the same. So it was interesting as we headed on over there. Pastor Julian (who oversees Metrokidz and showed us an awesome chinese restaurant) told us about Trinity Park, which is where Metrokidz is holds their weekly gatherings for the community. It was SO crazy to hear the words "there was a shooting about two or three weeks ago here and some of the little kids got shot" come out of Pastor Julian's mouth. All i could think was "This is life. This is real. And it sucks!" But amongst all that violence, it still hasn't stopped the work that God is doing there. Kids are being fed the Word, the community is still being reached, and lives are being changed. And for that, i applaud them.

(Lesson learned: Persevere in the face of great trial)

-School on Wheels

I LOVE this place. From the staff to the students, everything was just so awesome. Now what has surprised me most about School on Wheels is the love, compassion, and the heart the staff have for the kids they tutor. Before i continue, i should say that this organization is not funded by or affiliated with any government program or CHURCH.

Now, i'm not saying that the staff at SOW are or aren't christian (That's not my call to make), but just seeing the love they had for the kids and the amount of faith and hope they had in the organization's mission and purpose really tugged at my heart strings. It also made me realize that we christians aren't the only ones who are making positive changes in this world. If i could be honest, i felt almost ashamed. Ashamed because i feel that i, as a confessing follower of Christ, am not making nowhere near as much of an impact as SOW is.















-Thanks, Matt & Staff at School on Wheels for all that you taught me.
i hope we see each other soon.


(so with some hugs, some laughs, meeting some awesome kids, and a newly added sense of humble-ness...)

-Dream Center
Now, for me, this was quite possibly the most challenging part of this whole mission trip. Our group went to talk and minister to people on Skid Row. Now, I've worked with some homeless people back in San Antonio, so I'm not oblivious to this type of thing. But never before have i seen such a HUGE homeless population gathered like it is on Skid Row.

-(see the previous posts for pics and more stories of how much of a challenge this was to alot of people in our group)

I was in a state of helplessness.

My thoughts raced from "how can this be?" to "why am i so blessed?" to "what can i do to help?"

Walking around the streets of Downtown LA, my heart broke. Tears were filling up my eyes. A lump was forming in my throat. i still couldn't believe that this was real. Prayer was all i could do, and even that took alot out of me.

Spiritual Warfare...
it's real, whether you'd like to believe it or not. Powers beyond the human realm.
it's mind-boggling how scary it is.

I press on, and we meet some really cool people.

(God is at work with LA. Like so many cities, this one also has imperfections. But it is not out of the reach of redemption. I truly believe that there will be a day... when the rich man and the poor man eat from the same table.)



-Needless to say, i'm constantly learning everywhere we go. This Christian life is hard with the many injustices and evils in the world.

That's why now, more than ever, we need to be in tune with the Holy Spirit....

To rely on God and His promises...

To have faith that God so deeply loved (and still loves) the world...

To pursue that faith with actions...

To love unconditionally...

And to remember the One who gave it all so that we could live.


=thank you for listening/reading.

with love,
-cArlos

Images of Skid Row

Working with School on Wheels

School on Wheels is a non-profit, secular organization located on skid row that we had the opportunity to work with closely these past few days. We organized and cleaned out the learning center and we also spent the afternoon with the kids playing games, celebrating birthdays, and most of all just building a close relationship with not only the kids but also the staff.

Roni's Diner

Can there be such a thing as experiencing "too much" or "too many" fruits of the Spirit?

This conversation arose today.

This trip, I believe wholeheartedly, has been Spirit-filled and immersed, saturated and manifested with the power of prayer. Before the trip, leadership discussed what it would look like to meet in groups of three, guys with guys and girls with girls, to read scripture. It was able to become a reality about three weeks before the trip. Our goal was to read from Matthew chapter 1 to Mark chapter 7. It was beautiful. The amazing conversations and connections that were made were priceless. I got to hear people's hearts, thoughts and concerns about the texts we read together. I wouldn't trade that for anything else. We were all "on the same page" literally, before the trip and even now as I write this. I sense that there is something beautiful happening in the midst of our group. Because we are human and live in a fallen world, there are moments when all of us are not happy go lucky people. On the other hand, in spite of us, God is showing us pieces of who He is.

He is grace.

The highlight of the past two days and one of the recurring themes that keeps coming to mind is grace. We were so beautifully treated to dinner yesterday at Dodam, a Korean BBQ restaurant off S Western Ave in Koreatown (yes, this is kind of an ad placement and no, they are not paying me to type this). The people who were gracious enough to invite us, and by 'invite' I mean complete takeover of the bill, were the gracious Mr. and Mrs. Choi. The Chois work with my father and when they heard about the trip and what we were doing, they so enthusiastically wanted to buy us dinner. This was amazing.

Not only were they friendly, but they were so humble in that they wanted no attention drawn to themselves. They in turn decided to sit at a completely different table a couple of feet away from us and had their own time together. No big personality, no big jokes, but a BIG heart indeed. They work near the San Julian area (Skid Row) and were so happy that a missionary group was coming to work with the homeless that have been ignored by so many. The restaurant was one of those fancy places were they bring out the raw meat and cook the food right in front of you. Beef after pork after chicken - it was all brought out back to back with no room to breathe. The Chois were amazing.

Today, was Roni's Diner. It was, as Kevin described it, "like walking right into a family reunion". Those words rang so true the more I entertained the thought. There is, by the way, a long story of how we ended up there and why we really wanted to go, but you can ask Kevin that. I was so blessed to be there. I really did feel like a part of the family. Everyone from the owner, Mr. Roni himself, to the waitress serving us, felt like family. Mr. Roni entertained our group of twenty while his brother-in-law told us story after story about past experiences in the holocaust. They made us feel so special. We not only shared laughs but built relationships that I know will echo for a long time. So many people from the first meal we had at In and Out Burger upon arrival, till today, have been so gracious to us.

And that, is what begs the question at the beginning.

Disclaimer

Donald Miller, in his book, Blue Like Jazz, describes an inconvenient truth. He says that as Christians we are sometimes too proud for grace. We like to give to charities, but we ourselves are not comfortable with the idea of being charity. We are so used to feeling sorry for ourselves and guilty, that when something extremely good/gracious does come along, we feel bad.

Some of the most amazing moments that have happened to us on this trip are just that - God's grace. It is so large that we sometimes feel guilty for receiving it freely. God rewards because He loves us. He is amazing. He is grace.

When we sow grace, we will reap grace. That surprises us, and we don't know what do with it sometimes.

If we don't give it away, it will spoil, as with most things we reap.

in His grace,
Emmanuel Roldan

great places to eat while in LA: Dodam and Roni's Diner.

listen to "Grace" by U2

Skid Row on a sunny Saturday

Today, day 5 here in LA, was spent on Skid Row. Nothing could've prepared me for what I witnessed today. I knew it was best not to expect anything until I actually saw what was in front of me. Through all the darkness and evil that was witnessed in seeing drug deals, prostitution, and being around people who had killed people, I still saw light in the dark place. I realized that no matter what choices those people had made, God still loves each and every one of them. I was able to meet and pray with a few different people, and the one who stuck out most was a young guy from Tyler, Texas. The common answer to the question "how did you end up here?" was "bad choices", which is what Stephen answered when he was asked. Because of those choices, he left his life in Texas behind, and now he greatly misses his family and the life he had. He is afraid to return because of his past, but believes God is giving him a fresh start. While his family may not be able to forgive him, God already has, from the second he made those bad choices. What I admired was that he is so determined to get back on his feet and start anew, and I continue to pray that he gets that chance. When we make a bad choice, God is always there to forgive us, although we are so undeserving.
I took a minute to look around Skid Row, to soak it all in, and I immediately felt extremely selfish. How could I ever take for granted everything that I have, when it could all slip away in a second? I've been so selfish, wanting silly things when there are people out there without food or shelter, things they actually NEED. God definitely humbled me and taught me to be thankful for each blessing he's given me. I learned an amazing lesson today, and I will never forget it, nor will I forget all the people I've met. No matter what goes wrong in this world, God is always there, and he will always love us, each and every one of us.

God Bless!
Kourtney Magill

L.A. on a beautiful Saturday

Today was our fifth day into our mission trip in Los Angeles California, and out of each day that we have been here so far, God really introduced me to something new. The night before we went to bed, all of us gathered for our nightly prayer and share time about our experiences or thoughts. We were each expressing our excitement for the next days trip to Skid row where each of us will be actually walking amongst many of the homeless people instead of being inside the safety of our vehicles. I was full of excitement....full of energy ready to be expressed to the many lost people of South Central. Though it being my first mission trip, I guess I underestimated the impact that would be expecting me when we began our witnessing to others. I won't lie, I was terrified beyond belief. In the beginning as we ventured off in different direction within our groups, I thought to myself "okay this isn't too bad...just say hi to someone right?" Truth is saying hi to a stranger who is homeless on the streets wasn't the difficult part, it was the culture shock that completely took me out of the comfort zone that I was use to. From drug deals to prostitution, my heart pounded nervously inside of my chest. I wanted to get in the car and hide :( . I felt like a small child lost amongst the crowd. But my fear was God's message to me. The message to TRUST, to be the wind for the many vessels that need to be moved. To realize that each and every individual that frightened me so profoundly, was loved by God graciously just like me. Today was an experience full of testimonies, different culture, and most of all Gods conversations.
- Karla

Serving School on Wheels

We have had an amazing and wonderful time serving the School on Wheels program. We were able to make friends with the staff and directors as well as connect with the students in this program. Staff members seemed amazed at our willingness to go through such efforts in order to serve them and the children. It was our goal to show them the love of Christ, who also served the "least of these." Throughout the Gospels, Jesus went out to people and cared for them, especially those who couldn't care for themselves such as children and widows. Jesus says in Mark 9:37, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." Jesus makes it clear in this verse that we are to welcome children into our lives and share with them the love of Christ. This is one of the many reasons, and probably the most important reason, for coming to LA, to show Christ's love to children who come from such impoverished backgrounds, filled with grief, despair, and pain. The very children we have interacted with have been deprived of some of life's most important necessities, such as having food to eat, a good quality education, a consistent background of love and support from their families, as well as a relationship with Christ. One of our students even had the opportunity to meet with a child who essentially was mute. Today (Friday) was the birthday of one of the students in School on Wheels as well as Sunday. As a result, we threw a small birthday party for both students. We all decorated the school with balloons and ribbons, signs saying "Happy Birthday," and bought a birthday cake for both students. We also had the chance of buying Chinese food for lunch for all the staff of School on Wheels and for ourselves to celebrate all of the work that was accomplished. In addition to interacting with the children, we were able to help the School on Wheels become organized and prepared for their upcoming move to a larger building in Skidrow, which is necessary to the continued growth and development of this program.

Everyone was touched by God and taught valuable Spiritual lessons, such as greater dependency and faith in God, not having or developing a sense of self-righteousness (which most of us are guilty of including myself), and a sense of humility as Christ was humble and was willing to serve the "least of these" even though He was the Son of God.

Training with Adrian and Ben from Mosaic

On our first night in L.A., we had the opportunity to be trained by Adrian and Ben who are part of Mosaic and who also serve in the area called Serve L.A. through Mosaic.

Just a few key points that pointed out to me that night during training that were mentioned by Adrian and Ben were: 1) Faith without action is LAME. 2) We serve a God who LOVES to serve people. 3) God is already having a conversation with the world we(Christians) just need to facilitate in those conversations. We do this by taking the time to get to know the people we serve, such as names and stories. Everyone has a story and can't wait to share it, we just need to ask questions and people will open up quickly. As a team we are practicing Matthew 20: 28. We have come to L.A. to serve and not be served.

Janiece Cantu

Dodger Stadium

Blessings. Unpredictability. Amazement. Joy. These words describe what my second day in Los Angeles was like. It's amazing to see how faith, "with deeds" strengthens faith and builds character in one's spiritual journey.

I learned so much today.

We had the opportunity to go to School on Wheels and continue some of the work that we did there yesterday; cleaning out storage rooms, organizing supplies, taking stuff down to Goodwill to donate, etc. It was busy yesterday and today but nevertheless, we could see God working in the midst of moving boxes and sweeping floors. School on Wheels, a secular organization that tutors homeless kids and follows them in the places or "homes" they might find themselves in, is located in downtown LA. God has blessed their efforts with a newer, bigger location that will not only accommodate children, but teenagers as well, making it a "cool" place to hang out and do homework that they might otherwise not be able to do.

As I sat in the jungle-theme painted room, on my small chair meant for six-year-olds, I listened to Matt the director of School on Wheels. He briefed us about what we would be doing there, what their vision was, how far they've come, and then answered several questions we had about the place. I was blown away by what I learned there. Although this was my third year going to LA and second year going to School on Wheels, I was, for the first time, introduced to the fact that there are 1.6 million homeless children in the United States who experience homelessness each year! 290,000 of those children are from California. This is mind-blowing! What's worse is that very few people are aware of the fact that there are homeless children going to our schools, playing in our parks, and sadly, living in the streets or in cars.

Jesus had so much to say about what He called "the least of these". The 5k race we put on was named after these people. The children who are homeless, their parents, their situations, we MUST care and share their burdens (Gal. 6:1-4).

The day took an interesting twist.

I had no idea that Matt would talk to Kevin and invite our whole group to a Dodger's game with their volunteers and tutors that work with SOW. Keep in mind that this organization is a 501 (c)3 non-profit as well as secular. Key word: secular. Meaning no affiliation with a church. From the people that sponsored us to the people at at School on Wheels today, those who heard that story of why we were there was confusing. No one would ever expect that a group of twenty college students would be raising funds just to serve someone else, to build relationships and not expect anything else in return

After School on Wheels, we worked with Metro Kidz, an inner-city, outreach for children in high-risk, low income parts of the city.

Then comes the twist.

After Metro Kidz, the invitation to go to the Dodgers game became a reality. We sat in the bleachers and cheered the team on; BUT before any of that, we prayed that relationships would form and that barriers would be broken down. The blessing today came in saying "yes" to the non-christian friends we made at School on Wheels. Although we had other plans, it was a sense of leaving the "nighty-nine righteous" for the "one lost sheep" that compelled us to move in that direction. While we were there, the friendships we made were incredible. We prayed to be used as instruments of faith, hope, and love. God gave us the privilege to be all these things.

There's something about being there to experience how God is using His bride to give hope to the least of these. There's something even greater about being used to speak truth and bring the hope of Jesus Christ to these people - even at a baseball game.

The look on the faces of the kids was priceless. These kids, disappointed by their parents, carrying the burden of the adults in their families, probably would have never seen anything like this had it not been for people who gave them hope and believed in them.

Today, a random thought came into my head. "Just because they're homeless, doesn't mean they have to be hopeless". Be hope, be faith, be love, be a follower of Christ, be who you were created to be. This task, far too large for me to handle, I say "It's Christ's. He was here long before I was and will continue to be here way after i'm gone."

Emmanuel Roldan

Agnes Stevens is the founder of School on Wheels. Her blog can be found at www.onepointsixmillion.org

From Kevin

It is one of my greatest joys and blessings to take such remarkable students on mission trip to Los Angeles. Skid Row and South Central are places most people avoid when they come to the "City of Angels." These students spent months preparing, raising support, and opening their lives to Christ that He might use them in these contexts. I am privileged to be a part of their story, to call them brothers and sisters, sons and daughters-friends...and to be a part of the conversation God is having with Los Angeles. These students are some of the most amazing individuals I know, and they would be the first to tell you that it is not about them or what they are doing, but rather Christ who is at work in their midst. The stories that you will read over the next few days are their stories, but more importantly, His story-how He is moving and working in the lives of the least of these, and in the lives of these students. Your prayers are appreciated. I am honored to be considered a part of their tribe. May their tribe increase...

Grace and Peace,

Kevin Prather

A Message from Katie...

Hello all!
I cannot tell you how grateful we are for all that God has done in getting us this far! And I cannot believe we leave in just a few days! I'll give a little background because some of you might just be catching up...
My name is Katie and I am have the privilege of working with Kevin Prather in leading a wonderful group of students who are a part of the Baptist Student Ministry at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Kevin is the Director and I am the Intern. During the school year we meet with students for Discipleship and prayer, lead Bible studies, coordinate a free lunch every Wednesday and have a large group Bible study called Forge on Thursday nights. Along with that we meet a lot of wonderful kids who are in all different stages of their walk with--or search for God.
On May 18, twenty of us will gather at the San Antonio International Airport to head to Los Angeles... we will meet residents at the Union Rescue Mission and get a chance to hear their stories and pray with them. Then we will be tutoring homeless children with School on Wheels. We will get to work with Metrokidz(S.Central LA) and Hope Gardens(children and mothers who were recently homeless), doing a lesson and games with the kids, then we will go to Skid Row on Saturday with adopt-a-block to give out food and meet people and talk with them. We also will be serving at Mosaic church, setting up, tearing down for services and worshipping with them on Sunday.
I am so blessed to be able to go to Los Angeles and look forward to what He is going to do. We have already seen Him provide money through individuals, churches, businesses and by way of a 5K/10K race. We have seen Him calling out students to serve and to minister in His name. We ask that you would pray for us! For all of the details that still need to be worked out. For safety in our travels. For boldness in following His calling, that we would not be afraid because we know that He has called us and that He goes with us.
Thank you for keeping up with us and for praying for us. We are so grateful!

Past LA experiences

Video from 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a3cq_Ic6ss&feature=related

Video from 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xBNRPU8Dvg

Snapshot of last year

Cooking breakfast at the Union Rescue Mission then we went out to the courtyards to visit with the residents and to pray with them. It was really neat to hear their stories and to be able to pray with them.


These are a few pictures of Skid Row



The group from the roof of Union Rescue mission which overlooks Skid Row



Priscilla with one of the little girls from Hope Gardens after she got a manicure



We also got to clean out the maintenance area at Hope Gardens. Robert and Eddie worked really hard.


Priscilla and Janiece at School on Wheels where we packed a whole bunch of backpacks to the kids who live on Skid Row so they could have school supplies.


Metrokidz goes into South Central LA every week to have childrens programs. They have become very respected in the community and their arrival is awaited with anticipation by the kids and the parents.



After worshipping with Mosaic at the Mayan.


Adrian (on the Right) works with Mosaic, connecting the church with organizations in the community. Kevin (on the Left) is the director of the BSM.