This past week was my spring break and I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco through the Belmont University Ministries Immersion Trips. The purpose of the trip was to explore justice by working with different organizations in San Fran. I chose to go on this trip because I had never been to California and I felt it would be a great chance to do something a little different.
Coming into the trip I was excited to get to explore the city and get away from Belmont for a while. I also wanted to be intentional about being a total servant to everyone I encountered, in and out of my group. In the end this week was life changing and full of learning experiences that I feel the need to share. This post is going to be long but hopefully you can get a glimpse of the caliber of this life changing experience and maybe learn something too.
Upon arriving in San Francisco I still had no idea what we were really doing and what to expect. I only knew one person coming into the trip and our group was pretty much composed of people who were all new to each other. But despite not knowing each other before, somehow we all immediately connected. Part of that may have been due to the 8 hr lay-over we experienced in DFW.
We stayed at a place called Youth With A Mission or YWAM for short. It was located in the tenderloin district of San Fran, which is the place we were told you want to avoid if you are a tourist. The reason being is that many of the free services such as soup kitchens, free clothing, and health care are placed in this area and therefore that’s where the homeless tend to congregate. YWAM is a Christian organization that serves these and other people in the tenderloin district.
A few of my many lessons:
1. Seeing first hand the struggles of daily life for others
Throughout this trip we were surrounded with people who have a tough time getting through daily life.
The first day we spoke with Pastor Debbie Lee about immigration and the rights of domestic workers. For me I have grown up around people who are considered immigrants and some of my best friends families have traveled to the U.S. for a better life. With this, I have heard the stories of how their families have gotten to the point in which they are at today. The hard work and determination of these people is quite humbling. They work to provide a life for their families free of violence, oppression, among others. However, one thing I had no idea about was the hard reality that many face of being deported. I don’t remember the exact number but she mentioned that most people who are deported have no criminal history and have done nothing negative to the county. She also shared a story a student who was taken from his home by ICE, placed in a holding facility, treated like a criminal and who struggled to fight his deportation. The crazy thing is he had no idea that this could ever have been an issue. He was lucky enough to find a way out of getting deported but the reality is most people are getting pulled from their homes after 10, 15, 20 years of residency and deported back to a country they have never lived in and many times don’t know the language. The conversation was heavy and went into a lot of details regarding laws that I will spare you, but the underlining theme is that many people are battling being deported, who have done nothing but tried to make a life for themselves. I don’t know the answers to this but I see that as a major issue.
Within YWAM we were able to serve and build relationships with the homeless community. I have worked with the homeless on various occasions before this but never fully realized the extent of it. These people have their own talents and dreams but have hit a rub along the way. I played dominoes with three guys for a while. One of the men, ‘Snoopy’, was fluent in seven languages and had a college degree in Library Science. Luke another student on the trip got owned in chess multiple times by one of the men. There was another guy who played piano beautifully. It was sad to witness because these people had their gifts but never got to see them grow to their potential. Another thing that struck me was that some people don’t want to stop being homeless. In the Tenderloin there is plenty of food, shelter, and clothing available. I guess they see no need to change. Maybe it is a fear of failure or just a lack of self confidence.. idk? However, It is a really cool thought to realize that God still has a plan for them and can use them in great ways. After all he makes habit of using the imperfect. :)
My favorite and by far the most eye opening experience of the trip was working with the after school program at the East Oakland Boxing Association. This organization is located in an area known as Bayside. In short this area is ridden with gang activity and violence. It was very real the danger these people face on a daily basis. On our trek to the EOBA our group experienced prejudice and ridicule for our white skin. I have never felt so unwelcome in my life. At EOBA we were able to do some mulch work for their garden.. yes you heard right a garden in the ghetto. While working we spoke with one of the interns, Moses, who had been going to EOBA since he was seven years old. He shared a little bit about his dreams of going back to college but how now his responsibility is to take care of his son. It was very inspiring to see all that he is doing to make a better life not only for himself but also working for the betterment of the people in the community. It was so much fun to work with the kids. Every kid there was a normal kid, just wanting to have fun. They have just grown up around this culture of fear and violence and gangs; that that’s what they think is cool and acceptable. Just because they live in the community, most of these kids will be pressured to join a gang by the age of 13 and have low chances of going to college. It is such a hard reality these kids have to face and fight.
The walls of EOBA are the only hope for a better future for most of them. This one young man said that if it wasn’t for EOBA he would be in a gang and probably be dead. EOBA is metaphorically and literally a safe house. They can go there to escape what is on the outside in the community. The kids are given the opportunity to garden, play, learn, and make friends. One thing that surprised me was that we had to teach some kids to play the game HORSE, a game I have always taken for granted. It was eye opening to the fact that they really have a different childhood experience. They were so excited to have us there and kept asking us if we would be back tomorrow. It tore me up inside to have to leave these children. Knowing the obstacles that stand in their way and the fear they live in.
These are just some of the examples out of the many. In each of these situations these people have to battle each and every day to reach the point of safety and security that I was born with, that I was given. Growing up in a middle class white family I never was worried about deportation, my next meal, getting a warm bed, or safety in my walk to school. The kids in the Bayside community are lucky to graduate high school. It’s not because they are not smart or can’t do it but because of all the unpacking they have to do in order to gain the things I take for granted. In high school it was never a question of if I was going to college but rather which college I wanted to attend. I was extremely humbled and grateful at this fact.
2. New perspective on servant-hood and love.
As I mentioned earlier coming on this trip I wanted to give up all my own desires and have a completely servant attitude. By doing this I feel like I gained a better understanding of the way Jesus was a servant for his Father and love that went along with it. In my normal busy life as a student I am constantly focused on my responsibilities and what I can do to fulfill my desires. On this trip however, by letting go any thoughts associated with my school responsibilities I was able to stop and focus my attention on places and issues I would normally overlook.
On Friday, our last day, we had the opportunity to pair up and take hygiene kits to women in the Tenderloin. These kits were filled with necessities such as toothpaste, and tampons. As we started to approach different woman on the street we were exposed to many different situations. Most of the women we encountered were very thankful and accepting of the kits, one lady even gave us a big bear hug. But a few of the women would not take them under any circumstances. I mean as a college student I would even take free toothpaste if it were offered. In one specific situation we approached this woman, who at first seemed alone, but as we started to talk to her and offer the kit, a man came up and told us that she had plenty and did not need anything. At the time I thought it was a strange situation but as I though about it more, I realized that she was most likely a prostitute and the man was her pimp. It was so heart breaking for me to realize this because the woman could have really needed or wanted the items in the kit but couldn’t take it because the binding of the pimp. This experience allowed me to really love on these women and serve them in a way can benefit them in days to come.
Often times in life I feel like we forget the power of love. I was actually reading this morning in 1st Corinthians 13
Verses 4-7 “Love is patient; love does envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does rejoice at wrongdoings, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Verse 13 “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Service and love were two of the most important things in Jesus life. Every decision he made was fueled by his love of people. Think about the impact we can make in our own individual lives if each day we were to focus on loving and serving everyone around us, without judgment. Wow the fruit that would come from those relationships is unfathomable. It is one thing to love Jesus but it’s a completely different thing to live out your love for Jesus.
3. Better understanding of issues we hear about but never act upon.
So often we hear about the injustices that are happening all over the world and maybe just maybe we might take the time to feel compassion for those people. What we fail to do is realize the extent of these issues and act. While in San Francisco we got to experience two of these major issues, domestic workers rights and sex trafficking.
The first day of our trip we attended a domestic workers rights rally. Basically domestic workers currently do not have some of the basic worker rights that we are used to. They are fighting for the right to meal and rest breaks, sick days, overtime, workers comp, vacation time, and a safe work place. The problem becomes that a large portion of these people are immigrants and woman (or both) who don’t have much leverage. Take a second and think about that… These are the most basic rights that we expect when we hold a job; The right to meal and rest breaks, sick days, overtime, workers comp, vacation time, and a safe work place! Yet still they are having a hard time raising support and awareness for this cause.
Wednesday morning we split into groups and did a prayer walk around the Tenderloin for the massage parlors. San Francisco is one of the top cities for sex trafficking and a lot of this happens in these places called “massage parlors”. These parlors or spas are business fronts for massive sex trafficking campaigns. I forget the exact number but I think it there is around 200 give or take massage parlors in the city and 160-180 of these are fraudulent. It’s important to take note that these parlors on controlled by the health department and there is currently one officer in charge of all of these places. One officer! Not to mention, in order to shut one of these places down he has to get three red flags in a row, in which getting a red flag means they see something that causes high suspicion of the act. Oh and did I mention most of the time after two flags the paperwork will be lost or the business will just change its name and then the process starts all over again. Yeah no joke.
On my groups walk, in a matter of three blocks we saw at least 4 of these places. And I can guarantee you not a single one of them was legitimate. They have limited visibility inside the windows if any at all. On every single one of them there is a security camera on the outside monitoring the front door. Also, most of these places have a bell you ring in order to gain entrance. If that is not completely and blatantly obvious I don’t know what is!? The crazy thing is, however, that unless you are searching for them as you walk on the street you will probably walk by them without even a glance. Remember that this is in the Tenderloin of San Francisco, which is known as the homeless neighborhood. When you think about it, who gets massages… usually people who have some disposable income; mid-upper class people. But yet there are these “parlors” in the worst neighborhoods. Makes no sense. Another thing that made me angry was that these places would not exist without a demand. The men who get these services have families and are fathers!
It is gut wrenching and disturbing to know that it is so obvious and yet people walk by these places everyday and have no idea. All they have to do is open their eyes! I was very convicting to get to experience these issues first hand and put a face and images to the people affected. These are issues that can be fought for but it takes the effort of educating people when you find out.
Coming back to Belmont it has been hard to adjust to the ‘student’ life again. My whole view of things where changed. As I walked around campus I would notice how safe I was. I did not have to worry about being harmed. As I began to think deeper and talk with my friends who also experienced this trip, none of us have had any real struggles to get the where we are in life. We so often find ourselves in a bubble, for me it was the Belmont bubble. I was only focused on what directly affected me. Going to San Francisco allowed me break away from that bubble and really gain an understanding of other cultures and concern for the injustice that is all around us. While I was exposed to this all in San Francisco, there is plenty of this happening right in Nashville. Did you know that Nashville is in the top ten cities for sex trafficking? See it’s all about educating yourself and other people.
I am so thankful that God has blessed me with the family I have and the opportunities that are up for my taking. I have always been thankful for what was given to me but it is now so much deeper having experienced life in someone else’s shoes. With this comes the realization that I need to take advantage and make the most of what I have been given. This not only means taking advantage of my education opportunities but using the platform I have to affect change and promote justice. It would be injustice for me not to.
When I first read this verse I was blown away.. I immediately just felt a release from my worry and surrounded with just a refreshing aura. However at the same time I also felt very convicted. This conviction came from one word, endurance. What does that mean? What does it look like? 
