HEY!
We’ve spent a week here in DC together, in this church that was willing to house us, and with organizations that were willing to let us help out.
I was really unsure about this trip at first, due to lack of really knowing what we would be doing here. BUT it has proved to be a very insightful, and of course, FUN trip.
In the past year, I’ve been to DC three times, including this trip. The first trip was the eighth grade trip last summer, full of visiting memorials, museums, restaurants, and all the typical touristy parts of the city. During that trip, I don’t remember seeing any homeless people.
The second trip was in January. My sisters, mom and I were visiting New York for our grandpa’s funeral, and we visited DC to see colleges for Kelsey. We spent some time in the city, but not in the typical monuments. We drove around other parts, and I saw some less privileged areas, but it still didn’t capture my attention very much.
Therefore, coming into this mission trip, I didn’t have much of a vision of how we could help out. Washington DC? What an odd place for a mission trip. We’re used to mission trips going to Mexico, or faraway places like Zimbabwe. But as we were sent out in small groups, and later, into our VBS stations with the little kids, it dawned on me how much isn’t seen in this city. The kids lived in little neighborhoods that were not super nice, and we saw homeless people on the street. Each group took a city survey, asking different people in the city [such as tourists, police, natives, etc] if they’ve noticed any homelessness and how it’s affected them. When we asked some tourists, they looked confused and said, we haven’t seen any homeless people.
During worship one night, we talked about a bible verse, something about the rich and poor being together. After talking to the tourists, it was very apparent that the rich and poor did not live together. We found out that homeless shelters were taken out of different parts of the city, so they don’t distract from the monuments. Therefore, homeless people were kicked out of the city, and had to find other means of shelter. A bunch live under bridges. Anacostia, the less privileged area that we visited, was across a bridge, in the southeast area. The bridge has separated the very nice city from the lower parts, GREATLY separating those people. So it was not much of a surprise that tourists don’t notice the homeless. This showed me how much more attention needs to be brought to this problem, because help IS available, the awareness is just not evident.
Many people were worrying for the kids’ safety tonight. In LO and WL, we feel so safe when we head to our homes and our parents take care of us. While dropping these kids off after VBS, we don’t know how things will go for them. Maybe they don’t have food, or are even abused. So many of the kids were adorable and so sweet, it’s just sad to imagine them growing up like the rest of their community, and not being able to follow their dreams, because resources aren’t as available to them.
This trip made me realize how much we can do in our own cities. The things we did here, like food delivery and clothing sorting, is so available to us in Portland and other cities. We should take advantage of all the opportunities we have to help out, because we DO have the resources, and we should use them to help others. I think the church should set up different events, like feeding the homeless, many times throughout the year, just to give more opportunity to help out. Even a street vender, who doesnt make much money, told us how he gives free hot dogs to the homeless, and small acts like that can make the difference.
My final thought tonight as we were at the Jefferson Memorial was how much more I want to be involved in our church. I’ve been to Suttle Lake, Mexico and this year, DC, and after each trip I promise myself that I will involve myself more with church and God, but it never happens, due to softball, school, or whatever else I blame it on. But even if I can’t go to church, I can still involve myself with God and I know that, and especially after this trip, working with kids and many other people, I realize how simple it can be to work through God and make a difference.
It’s been a RAAAAAAAAAAAD trip and super fun, and I wish we could stay longer and do more to help out. But of course home is great too, with CLEAN CLOTHES, and showers, and I can’t wait for my comfy bed. :]
SOMMER FIGONE!
Categories: Washington DC 2008
No Comments »
