"You are the light and salt of the world."
(So this is a really late entry, ha haaaaaaaa! I guess if you're that bored, read on!)
If I had to describe my missions trip in one word, it would be 'amazing'.
Part of my youth group and three people from our sister church in SF went on the trip and met up with this group called YWAM-- Youth With A Mission. It's an organization that allows [mainly] youth to go to different areas of the world with the mission to spread the love of Jesus around. The head guy was named Sam and I love him; he's been a missionary for a while and directed/planned our whole week, has been to Israel amongst other countries in that area, and says what I would say/uses the same words I would use and has the same humor-- HE IS JUST LIKE ME! And he is only 19. He amazes me because he is so mature. For the summer he and his posse that he gathered (some from Vancouver, Canada, Florida, and twins from Idaho who are incredibly attractive and 19) are taking in different groups every week (us being the first week) and letting them do what missionaries do. Our group combined with two other groups from Oregon and we, being the only asians, were deemed 'Team Asia'. Made a lot of new friends, yadda yadda, then we started to outreach.
One of our first outreaches was 'Sac Lunch Giveaway' which was basically us making bag lunches for ourselves and a homeless person, going to a park, giving a lunch to one of them and having lunch with them. Las Vegas recently closed three parks because they didn't want the homeless to sleep there; it'd ruin their image. In response the homeless have no choice but to sleep under overpasses and other places. However, we went to an open park during the day and I had lunch with three homeless fellows. Now, the sad thing about the homeless in Las Vegas is that a lot of them used to be lawyers, businessmen, construction workers-- really high-paying occupations, right? Once upon a time they came to Vegas on vacation, lost everything they had from gambling, and have no way of getting out of the hole they dug for themselves. Frank has been stuck in Vegas for eight years; he used to be a construction worker. He came looking for his ex-wife, but he never found her. He then lost his money from gambling and is now homeless. He is from Mississippi and misses fishing. Lance is from Honolulu and loves traveling. He came to Vegas on vacation because it is the #1 tourist attraction. He developed a gambling addiction and lost everything. Fortunately, when I talked to him, he had just quit gambling and is now saving the Social Security Checks he receives for being slightly mentally retarded to travel to San Diego. Tom has done a lot in his life and has traveled to many places but always seems to find himself back in Vegas, unemployed. I'm glad I got to talk to these guys because a lot of the homeless have days where they don't talk to anybody. It's a sad life.
I gained 5lbs on this trip. Surprising, right? Because you'd think I would have one-meal days and small servings. We stayed at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission which is a homeless shelter that allows homeless to stay for one week per month on the condition of attending their provided church services. They have a very strict meal schedule: breakfast at 7am, lunch at 11am, dinner at 3pm (and we had our own snacks at night). They also served huge, hearty meals that I could not refuse to eat because they were so good. Eventually I got sick of eating so much and complained, but on the schedule they gave us we had a 'Special Brunch' on one of the mornings. I thought, "Sweet! Special brunch! I don't have to eat two big meals!" We drove to this place and everyone was given a table number; I got Table 5. I see three tables (this is all outdoors)-- Table 1, Table 2, Table 4-- and wonder where the heck Table 5 is. I turn around and spot 'Table 5' labeled on a trash can. Wtfizzle? Turns out that I am reppin' the homeless in the world, specifically 10%. Table 6 next to me is two chairs in the sun. They claim to be Ethiopia. I am a homeless person at Table 5, in the scorching sun with a trash can in front of me (we ravaged through it and found no food!). There is an overhang that makes shade, and that is Table 3 with a bowl of rice and a pitcher of dirty water (dirt, rocks, leaves) as food. Table 4 is a table in the sun that has one cup of water and a few pieces of toast. Table 2 is in the shade and has water and PB&Js. Table 1, where my brother is sitting, has music, iced tea/water, eggs, bacon, toast, chocolate muffins, etc. I was staring at their table the whole time. MY BROTHER CAN'T EVEN EAT THE EGGS (he's allergic)!! D: He requested rice and so the staff took Table 3's bowl of rice and gave it to him, depriving Table 3 of food! So this whole table thing was supposed to represent the way people ate in the world. Table 1 represents 9% of the world-- us, having food at our fingertips whenever we want it. It only takes about $70 billion to stop world hunger. Las Vegas makes over $100 billion a year. It amazes me how the solution to world hunger sounds so easy and attainable, but it has yet to happen. Why?
The Las Vegas Dream Center has a BBQ for the community every week and we helped out. We invited the homeless but also many of the neighborhoods around the center that are extremely poor. The LVDC is another homeless shelter but mainly takes in families. At the BBQ they had worship and games for the kids to participate in. I wanted to be involved, so I saw a girl who wasn't doing anything and tried to get her to jump to the music and whatnot. She fell in love with me; her name is Raven and she's about 5 or so. She has one mom and two dads-- the baby daddy left and her mother married another man. I was helping pass out hamburgers and hot dogs when Raven comes up to the table and says, "You cook?" I respond with a yes because it's easier. "Are you gonna be done cooking soon? 'Cuz I think I'm gonna go home soon so can you come on this side?" I'm stoked this girl loves me so much so I run over to the other side of the table to play with her, haha. A lot of the kids' parents are never home during the day because they're working, so the kids never have anyone to play with. Us being there playing with them and showing them love is a real blessing to them. Also, because their parents are never home, these kids have responsibilities they shouldn't have; I saw a girl who could barely walk carrying her baby sister. This little boy kept coming back into line for food and I was just thinking, "Is this boy eating it all?!" A friend told me that this boy was walking back and forth from the BBQ to home a couple blocks down the street with plates of food in his hand to provide food for his family of six. This boy is 5 or 6. He only has two hands. What he said, though, really touched me. "I only have three more [plates] to go! Then when I get home, I'm gonna put on my pajamas, eat, and go to sleep!" He wasn't complaining, he wasn't annoyed-- he was happy, he felt accomplished. These kids have to take on these responsibilities when they should be having fun-- they have no choice.
We took surveys and gave out free prayer on the Las Vegas strip. The surveys consist of questions relating to God such as "Do you believe in God?" and "Why do you think there is so much suffering in the world?" After the people take the surveys, we're supposed to ask them if they want to hear our answers. Even if people took the surveys and didn't want to hear our answers afterward, we still got them to think about God, and that's the main goal. At the beginning of this trip, I prayed to God that he would put me in a situation where I would have to rely on His strength alone, not mine. A few weeks prior to the trip Rick tried to prepare us by making us talk to each other-- one a non-believer, one a believer-- and continue a conversation. I failed miserably, so I was really scared of how I'd be in reality. Thanks to God, many I approached didn't reject me and the words just flowed out of my mouth. If they did reject me, they did so nicely and I wasn't too discouraged! Free prayer was awesome; lots of people appreciate you praying for them and are easy to talk to, especially in Vegas. Now, I'm totally comfortable with approaching strangers and asking them if they need prayer! Or just giving them someone who will give them the time of day.
Our last outreach were 2x2s, going out in pairs approaching strangers to talk about God and pray for them and whatnot. Jesus commanded us to go out in twos and spread the love of Jesus around, so we did! My partner was Chad, the youth pastor from one of the Oregon churches. Typically, people get rejected left and right when they ask people if they want prayer or about God. We first approached this couple, and I admit that the lady was a bit drunk, but she totally opened up to us and we held hands and all prayed together. She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek! She had a huge burden on her heart and appreciated us reassuring her that everything would be okay while her sober husband appreciated our efforts. So Chad and I were like, Sweet, we got one already! We see this guy by himself, so we approach him next. Chad and this guy are talking about law and tests and stuff, so I'm totally out of the picture. Then, this guy's gal friend comes by and I ask her if she needs prayer. She says she just renewed her faith as a Christian and tells me what's goin' on in her life. We eventually come together and pray, and so Chad and I are two for two! WE ARE IN HIGH SPIRITS because we are an awesome team! We pass by Antoine and Micah (14-year old who looks about 17 and kind of like Peter Petrelli), a glum-lookin' pair. "We haven't prayed for/talked to anyone yet. We just got rejected, like, ten times," says Antoine, a built, burly asian man. We tell them of our luck and so Antoine says, "Joyce, you're comin' with me!" Now it's me and Antoine, Chad and Micah. Antoine and I get rejected once or twice until finally these three ladies allow us to talk and pray with them. After that, Antoine says, "Joyce, thank you so much. You've helped me put the first notch on my belt! I don't feel as discouraged!" Then again, we pass by Chad and Micah. "Joyce, I miss you," Chad says. "Micah is hopeless. Micah, go with Joyce!" By this point, I've had three different partners, haha! Micah and I walk around and for some reason it is a lot more difficult. We get rejected four or five times and then we come across this lady. I approach her and try to start up a conversation, ask if she has any prayer requests. She rejects me, but in my head I'm thinking, "I AM GOING TO PRAY FOR THIS LADY!" Somehow I carry a conversation with her after the rejection and she eventually allows us to pray with her! And she prays for us, too (she's Catholic)! By the end of the outreach, Chad called me a "Miracle Worker".
God put me in situations where I had to rely completely on Him, and that is exactly what I asked for. It was just amazing. On the last night, we had a prayer and worship service and God revealed to me so many things in my life that I had never realized. I was truly amazed and just sat there in awe. It was magical.
All in all, I am super glad I went on this trip. I did not know what to expect, but as my sister told me before I left "Have an open and expectant heart and God will do amazing things." I left a lot of details out, but that's the gist of my trip.
Mm, breakfast with "Team Asia"!
We had a video scavenger hunt... they were supposed to pose as lions like the statues.
We had "Quiet Time" with God every morning. I wrote a poem every day!
Painting over graffiti. We were pretty much in the desert.
The little girl is Raven!
This boy played games on my friend's phone for the longest time because he doesn't usually have games to play.
Isn't the boy on the right adorable?! Such a cutie.
I made the cutie make a funny face. Evil twin from Idaho decided to jump in the picture!
Kids liked taking pictures.
Evil 19-year old twin from Idaho (Marcus Heleker). He's cute. :) It's a shame he lives so far away.
"Team Asia"-- the SJ part!
Marcus doing his infamous "mean face" and Aleese, who is a darling.
See? Marcus is cute.
Last day-- FREE TIME = SHOPPING!
On another note, yesterday at work I pierced Lily's ears! SHE WAS MY FIRST! :)
And today I helped my sister pick out her wedding dress. It is beautifullllll; now I must find my BRIDESMAID dress!
AHAHAHHA YES, I AM SECOND BRIDESMAID. WEDDING IN HAWAII NEXT JULY. Exciting or what? :D
If I had to describe my missions trip in one word, it would be 'amazing'.
Part of my youth group and three people from our sister church in SF went on the trip and met up with this group called YWAM-- Youth With A Mission. It's an organization that allows [mainly] youth to go to different areas of the world with the mission to spread the love of Jesus around. The head guy was named Sam and I love him; he's been a missionary for a while and directed/planned our whole week, has been to Israel amongst other countries in that area, and says what I would say/uses the same words I would use and has the same humor-- HE IS JUST LIKE ME! And he is only 19. He amazes me because he is so mature. For the summer he and his posse that he gathered (some from Vancouver, Canada, Florida, and twins from Idaho who are incredibly attractive and 19) are taking in different groups every week (us being the first week) and letting them do what missionaries do. Our group combined with two other groups from Oregon and we, being the only asians, were deemed 'Team Asia'. Made a lot of new friends, yadda yadda, then we started to outreach.
One of our first outreaches was 'Sac Lunch Giveaway' which was basically us making bag lunches for ourselves and a homeless person, going to a park, giving a lunch to one of them and having lunch with them. Las Vegas recently closed three parks because they didn't want the homeless to sleep there; it'd ruin their image. In response the homeless have no choice but to sleep under overpasses and other places. However, we went to an open park during the day and I had lunch with three homeless fellows. Now, the sad thing about the homeless in Las Vegas is that a lot of them used to be lawyers, businessmen, construction workers-- really high-paying occupations, right? Once upon a time they came to Vegas on vacation, lost everything they had from gambling, and have no way of getting out of the hole they dug for themselves. Frank has been stuck in Vegas for eight years; he used to be a construction worker. He came looking for his ex-wife, but he never found her. He then lost his money from gambling and is now homeless. He is from Mississippi and misses fishing. Lance is from Honolulu and loves traveling. He came to Vegas on vacation because it is the #1 tourist attraction. He developed a gambling addiction and lost everything. Fortunately, when I talked to him, he had just quit gambling and is now saving the Social Security Checks he receives for being slightly mentally retarded to travel to San Diego. Tom has done a lot in his life and has traveled to many places but always seems to find himself back in Vegas, unemployed. I'm glad I got to talk to these guys because a lot of the homeless have days where they don't talk to anybody. It's a sad life.
I gained 5lbs on this trip. Surprising, right? Because you'd think I would have one-meal days and small servings. We stayed at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission which is a homeless shelter that allows homeless to stay for one week per month on the condition of attending their provided church services. They have a very strict meal schedule: breakfast at 7am, lunch at 11am, dinner at 3pm (and we had our own snacks at night). They also served huge, hearty meals that I could not refuse to eat because they were so good. Eventually I got sick of eating so much and complained, but on the schedule they gave us we had a 'Special Brunch' on one of the mornings. I thought, "Sweet! Special brunch! I don't have to eat two big meals!" We drove to this place and everyone was given a table number; I got Table 5. I see three tables (this is all outdoors)-- Table 1, Table 2, Table 4-- and wonder where the heck Table 5 is. I turn around and spot 'Table 5' labeled on a trash can. Wtfizzle? Turns out that I am reppin' the homeless in the world, specifically 10%. Table 6 next to me is two chairs in the sun. They claim to be Ethiopia. I am a homeless person at Table 5, in the scorching sun with a trash can in front of me (we ravaged through it and found no food!). There is an overhang that makes shade, and that is Table 3 with a bowl of rice and a pitcher of dirty water (dirt, rocks, leaves) as food. Table 4 is a table in the sun that has one cup of water and a few pieces of toast. Table 2 is in the shade and has water and PB&Js. Table 1, where my brother is sitting, has music, iced tea/water, eggs, bacon, toast, chocolate muffins, etc. I was staring at their table the whole time. MY BROTHER CAN'T EVEN EAT THE EGGS (he's allergic)!! D: He requested rice and so the staff took Table 3's bowl of rice and gave it to him, depriving Table 3 of food! So this whole table thing was supposed to represent the way people ate in the world. Table 1 represents 9% of the world-- us, having food at our fingertips whenever we want it. It only takes about $70 billion to stop world hunger. Las Vegas makes over $100 billion a year. It amazes me how the solution to world hunger sounds so easy and attainable, but it has yet to happen. Why?
The Las Vegas Dream Center has a BBQ for the community every week and we helped out. We invited the homeless but also many of the neighborhoods around the center that are extremely poor. The LVDC is another homeless shelter but mainly takes in families. At the BBQ they had worship and games for the kids to participate in. I wanted to be involved, so I saw a girl who wasn't doing anything and tried to get her to jump to the music and whatnot. She fell in love with me; her name is Raven and she's about 5 or so. She has one mom and two dads-- the baby daddy left and her mother married another man. I was helping pass out hamburgers and hot dogs when Raven comes up to the table and says, "You cook?" I respond with a yes because it's easier. "Are you gonna be done cooking soon? 'Cuz I think I'm gonna go home soon so can you come on this side?" I'm stoked this girl loves me so much so I run over to the other side of the table to play with her, haha. A lot of the kids' parents are never home during the day because they're working, so the kids never have anyone to play with. Us being there playing with them and showing them love is a real blessing to them. Also, because their parents are never home, these kids have responsibilities they shouldn't have; I saw a girl who could barely walk carrying her baby sister. This little boy kept coming back into line for food and I was just thinking, "Is this boy eating it all?!" A friend told me that this boy was walking back and forth from the BBQ to home a couple blocks down the street with plates of food in his hand to provide food for his family of six. This boy is 5 or 6. He only has two hands. What he said, though, really touched me. "I only have three more [plates] to go! Then when I get home, I'm gonna put on my pajamas, eat, and go to sleep!" He wasn't complaining, he wasn't annoyed-- he was happy, he felt accomplished. These kids have to take on these responsibilities when they should be having fun-- they have no choice.
We took surveys and gave out free prayer on the Las Vegas strip. The surveys consist of questions relating to God such as "Do you believe in God?" and "Why do you think there is so much suffering in the world?" After the people take the surveys, we're supposed to ask them if they want to hear our answers. Even if people took the surveys and didn't want to hear our answers afterward, we still got them to think about God, and that's the main goal. At the beginning of this trip, I prayed to God that he would put me in a situation where I would have to rely on His strength alone, not mine. A few weeks prior to the trip Rick tried to prepare us by making us talk to each other-- one a non-believer, one a believer-- and continue a conversation. I failed miserably, so I was really scared of how I'd be in reality. Thanks to God, many I approached didn't reject me and the words just flowed out of my mouth. If they did reject me, they did so nicely and I wasn't too discouraged! Free prayer was awesome; lots of people appreciate you praying for them and are easy to talk to, especially in Vegas. Now, I'm totally comfortable with approaching strangers and asking them if they need prayer! Or just giving them someone who will give them the time of day.
Our last outreach were 2x2s, going out in pairs approaching strangers to talk about God and pray for them and whatnot. Jesus commanded us to go out in twos and spread the love of Jesus around, so we did! My partner was Chad, the youth pastor from one of the Oregon churches. Typically, people get rejected left and right when they ask people if they want prayer or about God. We first approached this couple, and I admit that the lady was a bit drunk, but she totally opened up to us and we held hands and all prayed together. She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek! She had a huge burden on her heart and appreciated us reassuring her that everything would be okay while her sober husband appreciated our efforts. So Chad and I were like, Sweet, we got one already! We see this guy by himself, so we approach him next. Chad and this guy are talking about law and tests and stuff, so I'm totally out of the picture. Then, this guy's gal friend comes by and I ask her if she needs prayer. She says she just renewed her faith as a Christian and tells me what's goin' on in her life. We eventually come together and pray, and so Chad and I are two for two! WE ARE IN HIGH SPIRITS because we are an awesome team! We pass by Antoine and Micah (14-year old who looks about 17 and kind of like Peter Petrelli), a glum-lookin' pair. "We haven't prayed for/talked to anyone yet. We just got rejected, like, ten times," says Antoine, a built, burly asian man. We tell them of our luck and so Antoine says, "Joyce, you're comin' with me!" Now it's me and Antoine, Chad and Micah. Antoine and I get rejected once or twice until finally these three ladies allow us to talk and pray with them. After that, Antoine says, "Joyce, thank you so much. You've helped me put the first notch on my belt! I don't feel as discouraged!" Then again, we pass by Chad and Micah. "Joyce, I miss you," Chad says. "Micah is hopeless. Micah, go with Joyce!" By this point, I've had three different partners, haha! Micah and I walk around and for some reason it is a lot more difficult. We get rejected four or five times and then we come across this lady. I approach her and try to start up a conversation, ask if she has any prayer requests. She rejects me, but in my head I'm thinking, "I AM GOING TO PRAY FOR THIS LADY!" Somehow I carry a conversation with her after the rejection and she eventually allows us to pray with her! And she prays for us, too (she's Catholic)! By the end of the outreach, Chad called me a "Miracle Worker".
God put me in situations where I had to rely completely on Him, and that is exactly what I asked for. It was just amazing. On the last night, we had a prayer and worship service and God revealed to me so many things in my life that I had never realized. I was truly amazed and just sat there in awe. It was magical.
All in all, I am super glad I went on this trip. I did not know what to expect, but as my sister told me before I left "Have an open and expectant heart and God will do amazing things." I left a lot of details out, but that's the gist of my trip.
Mm, breakfast with "Team Asia"!
We had a video scavenger hunt... they were supposed to pose as lions like the statues.
We had "Quiet Time" with God every morning. I wrote a poem every day!
Painting over graffiti. We were pretty much in the desert.
The little girl is Raven!
This boy played games on my friend's phone for the longest time because he doesn't usually have games to play.
Isn't the boy on the right adorable?! Such a cutie.
I made the cutie make a funny face. Evil twin from Idaho decided to jump in the picture!
Kids liked taking pictures.
Evil 19-year old twin from Idaho (Marcus Heleker). He's cute. :) It's a shame he lives so far away.
"Team Asia"-- the SJ part!
Marcus doing his infamous "mean face" and Aleese, who is a darling.
See? Marcus is cute.
Last day-- FREE TIME = SHOPPING!
On another note, yesterday at work I pierced Lily's ears! SHE WAS MY FIRST! :)
And today I helped my sister pick out her wedding dress. It is beautifullllll; now I must find my BRIDESMAID dress!
AHAHAHHA YES, I AM SECOND BRIDESMAID. WEDDING IN HAWAII NEXT JULY. Exciting or what? :D