Day 5 - The Bluff

Today we went to the bluffs.  I was scared at first because I've heard so much about it and I just didn't know what to expect.  But, when we got there I figured out that it was just like any other route I've done.  It was just relaxing to know that there's not much of a difference between this route and the other route (other than bullet holes in some houses and shell casings on the ground).  We had these cross necklaces and I didn't think that it would be such a big hit, but everywhere we went people always wanted one.  It just amazed me how something that small could mean so much to somebody.  The more I think about that the more I understand how much having that little cross means to people.  Before this trip, that little cross would have just been a "little cross" to me.  But now I know that this little cross is a reminder of how Christ gave up his life for us and how he's always going to be there for us.  Maybe you know all of that already, but knowing that with your heart is a whole lot different than with your head.  After our visit to the apartments we went to the streets.  We all took four lunch bags and started to walk.  This was the longest we had to walk during the whole trip, but it was worth it.  Along the way we met a lady named April.  It was clear she was desperate and it appeared to me she hit rock bottom. After we prayed for her, the 7 Bridges men talked to her and gave her the opportunity to come back to 7 Bridges.  She said she had some things at the moment that were preventing her from leaving right then.  She was given a phone number to get help.   Moments later we saw her at a trafficking house. I pray she makes the decision to get help.

When we got back from the route I went downstairs to play with the kids, but then I heard someone shout out my name.  Lo and behold it was Miss Mary.  Miss Mary is a lady Dayjah and I met on Saturday morning during breakfast.  She's a real sweetheart, who has more love to give than anyone I've ever met. Having to say good-bye broke my heart.  I hope that one day I will meet her again on earth, but if that's not a part of God's plan than I hope we will meet in Heaven.  I thank God for the opportunity to come on this trip because if I hadn't I would have never met Miss Mary, and having to think about her not in my life is really hard to take right now. The more I reflect on this trip the more I understand how blessed and highly favored I am.

-- Faith Yang


Today was our last day for working at 7 Bridges. It was kinda bittersweet because I'm starting to get a little homesick, but leaving this place is going to be heartbreaking. We started the day off by making lunches (230) for our route. They were going to take us out on a different route than the one we had been going on. I was kind of bummed because I started a connection with a couple kids and a woman named Miss Houston during our previous route. But, this time they were taking us to the Bluff. Walking down those streets really opened my eyes to how different some peoples' lives are compared to ours. Our neighborhood is neat, well taken care of and I don't have to worry about my safety when I walk down the street. But, when you live in the Bluff, every step you take is on garbage laying around in the streets, no house has grass surrounding it  because it is infested with weeds and cigarettes butts, you can never just walk alone without being worried about your safety, and there are people walking in need of food and prayer. I know that we accomplished many things out there because of God's protection over us. We would have never done it without him. 

There is this one house that I will never forget. It was burned down and Terrance, our leader, said that a family used to live there. Three of them died in the fire, and it was all because they owed someone $20 for dope. There are countless messed up people in this world. God used us today to impact them, and help turn them towards Him. I am glad God used me and my group to bring glory to Himself. This trip definitely changed me and my perspective on my life. I will never again be ungrateful for what I have because I know that someone my age is living in worse conditions in Atlanta and is still grateful for what they have. I am closer to God because of this trip, and I praise Him and thank Him for the change in my heart. It will definitely be hard to leave this behind, but God has more plans for me in the future. 

--Natalie Moeller

I am at my core, like most people, prideful. It's in my nature to believe that my way is correct, that my preferences are better and that my understanding is somehow deeper than any of my brothers and sisters. Thank God that He whips me into shape pretty regularly. He humbles me. This week in Atlanta was one of those experiences where God broke me down in order to build me up to a standard that more closely fits his purpose. I went with the intention of being a hero. Making lives better with my oh-so-humble trumpeting. "Look at me, I'm going to throw food at the peasants and save their souls". Ha. That's not quite how it worked out. Because the homeless ministry I was a part of wasn't about being a good person. It wasn't about trumpeting ourselves. As was said throughout our week often, the homeless brothers and sisters had more of an impact on us than we did on them. I gave a lunch, one that I didn't even acquire. I offered them my feeble prayer that I can only pray will bless them in the future. But they gave us so much more, because many of them not only prayed for us, but showed us what it means to live with God's provision in mind. The homeless taught me about the trust in God that we must always have. But that was just one area of the trip. I also spent time with many kids staying at the 7 Bridges mission. It was amazing building relationships with these kids and seeing how the gospel and the Bible have been pounded into them at such an early age. They are so sincere in their every prayer, scripture reading and service. I know many people, including myself, who can not so well articulate their faith through prayer as these kids. And leaving them was painful. It hurt me to leave all of these new relationships after just a few days. The staff at 7 Bridges taught me something else. Just how easy it is to live in God's plan. We don't have to open a homeless shelter to please God. We don't have to go to Saudi Arabia and minister to every non-believer. We can just buy a lunch for someone in need and pray. Prayer isn't quite as difficult as we make it out to be. God showed me just how easy it is to ask someone what I can pray for them about. Why shouldn't I? To be God's child I am called to love, and what better way can I show love then praying to the Giver of all good gifts on someone's behalf? So then, the staff taught me that living in God's will is not an impossible task. It is however, a fulfilling, beautiful one. God has worked in so many ways, humbled my expectations and given me a wonderful new perspective on His kingdom. While I will miss the people I have met, the children who I have grown to love so dearly, I can't wait to see them again in Paradise. God hasten the day when we are together for eternity.

--Luke MacDonald

Pics coming soon!!

Pep talk and prayer followed by putting the lunches together before heading out on the Bluff Route Tuesday morning

Luke and Matt before our route

First stop

 

This is the school (vacant) parking lot where we parked before walking the streets of the Bluff

The above few pictures are of a church that burned down several years ago

The above street corner is said to be the number one place to get heroin along the East Coast
















The above home recently burned down after a molotov cocktail was thrown at it by someone who was cheated out of $20.00 in a dope deal.  Three people died.









One of our leaders, Josh takes a selfie


Group photo in front of the church that burned down several years ago


The home where Coretta Scott King (Martin Luther King's wife) raised her children after the assassination of Martin Luther King.


 Josh and Terrance leading our debriefing in the park after our route was finished




Group photo with our leaders from 7 Bridges


Melissa, the woman who "runs the show" at The Garden.  Each evening, at 5:00 pm sharp, Melissa leads the Bible study.  There are about 60 women and 47 children who live here.




Hanging out our last night

Some of the girls saying good-bye to Ms. Mary.  Dayjah and Faith grew especially close to her. This made for a difficult good-bye.




DAY 6 - Our return home




We stopped at Chick-fil-A in Bowling Green Kentucky.  Our new sweatshirts kind of gave us away as Christians.  One of the employees, after Dayjah offered to pray for him, asked if our group would go in the corner and sing a verse of Amazing Grace.  Most people clapped afterward while some didn't pay attention.  An unexpected experience:)

We arrived back in Oostburg shortly after 9:00 pm., all of us a little more thankful for what we have:)