Tuesday: Bridge Route and Bluff

On the last day I think everyone was more aquatinted with the rejection of prayer but even though some people didn't want it they were still grateful for the lunches. Only going on 3 routes it seemed like we did this for a lot longer and most of the people loved talking about what they went through but still loved our hospitality. One guy even said he didn’t want a lunch because he had had fish earlier because he had saved money for food and not cocaine which the sermon the night before showed. Pastor 7 said that good attracts good and that bad attracts more and more evil. The people that live here at the Garden may have less when it comes to wealth but they are smarter and have that immense gratitude for having a God that brought them out of the slums.

~ Trevor Gordon

Today was our last route. We went under some bridges and we went to the Bluff for a little bit. The first bridge we went to was on the edge of a very busy road and we had to walk on this very steep and slick slope to get around and get people lunches and pray with them. When I went up to one man under this bridge to pray with him the smell just hit me all at once and it was aweful and the rest of the route that day I kept thinking about how aweful it must be to have to live in that smell and not be able to get out of it. This really made me realize how blessed I am with simply a shower and clean clothes.

~ Aidan Balint

Today we went on our last route. Personally it was a really eye-opening experience because we really went to what looked like the worst parts of this city.it was also really sad to say goodbye to the children that we really got to know well during the past few days. Throughout this trip I am really finding out how good I have it by just having a home to go to every night and food to eat. Then later tonight we went on a little field trip to the smallest McDonald’s in the world and got McFlurries. So all in all it was a pretty great day.

~ Robert Fellerer

Our last route was a very memorable time. Our team started off by going under a bridge, which had a lot of people living under it. It was very cool to see how almost everyone that we asked to pray with, actually wanted us to. After we left the bridge we went to another bridge, which we had gone to yesterday. There were so many people living under this bridge (or series of bridges), that each of us took three lunches to each side. There were probably around 20 tents total. We put a lunch in each tent and prayed over it, and again most everyone was so happy to receive prayer from us. It was very eye opening, first of all how many people actually lived in this kind of poverty, and second, how happy the people were that we prayed with them and just how thankful they were for the lunches but more so the ministry.

~ Sam Hendrikse

As we wrap up our trip, we ended on a high note. We started off our day making 150 lunches for our routes. Today we did the Bridge route which was a different experience than the Bluff. As we went under our first bridge, it was heartbreaking. The smell and the area that these people have to live in is unimaginable. I have learned so much on this trip. It was so eye opening to see what these people have to go through every day. I love seeing how God speaks to them in such a short prayer and how most of them really wanted the prayer. Some of them even prayed for us which was really powerful. I have had an amazing experience on this trip and God has really opened my eyes to see how truly blessed I am!

~ Grace Van Ess

* CLICK ON THESE LINKS to watch the videos

Making lunches New Year's Day

Under the Bridge

Tents under the Bridge

After visiting some bridges and a few other stops we ended our route in the Bluff

Kim and I and Nick. Nick has become a good friend over the years and we consider each other family.  We are thankful for  his friendship, for the truth he has shared with our students and his willingness to talk about lessons he has learned from his past. Always hard to say good-bye.

Isaiah 58:6-8, 

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Amen