Back in the day...

Check out these pictures from Bellflower in the 50s! I wasn't around in that era, but I heard that Bellflower Blvd. was the street to hang out on. Wouldn't it be great to see our downtown buzzing like it did back then? What businesses would you like to see downtown?

Joel's a neighbor!

Joel moved onto Eucalyptus Avenue to be a strategic neighbor... but he needs our help. Do you have any of the following items that you're willing to donate to his apartment?

Bed

Bookshelves

Television

Speakers

End Tables

Kitchen or Dining Room Table & Chairs

Lamps

If so, call us up at the office (562-804-2189) and let us know!

Thanks for counting!

Last Wednesday night Our Place NRC served as a launching point for volunteers to count homeless neighbors in Bellflower, Lakewood, Norwalk & Hawaiian Gardens. Thank you to all who showed up and stayed late to count.

Local Coffee Shops

Make sure to check out Bellflower's newest coffee shops: Mos & Eclipse. Both are opening in the next week or two. Our local businesses need as much help as they can get. Make sure to stop by and buy a drink at either of these places before you drive off to another city to buy a drink there.

Mos Coffee Shop officially opens this weekend. They are located in the Town Center Plaza on Belmont (near Bellflower Blvd.) where Perks used to be. They've remodeled inside and it looks lovely. I think they use organic coffee beans. Also, they'll be selling pastries from Porto's Bakery. Check them out. Normal hours will be from 7am-10pm Mon-Sun and 7am-midnight Fri-Sat.

Eclipse Cafe should be opening in the next few weeks where the downtown Starbucks used to be. Besides coffee they offer gelato, soups, salads & sandwiches.

They Count. Will You? - LA Homeless Count 2009

This Wednesday at 8pm we are meeting at Our Place Neighborhood Resource Center to count the homeless in our community. We are helping LAHSA (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority) get an accurate count of the homeless in our county in order to better help them.

We will lead a short training at 8pm and then send teams of 2 out to different neighborhoods in Bellflower.

Will you help? Contact us at 562.804.2189 and register online at www.lahsa.org.

Neighbor Profile: Jimmy

Each Saturday morning at 6:25 I head out the door to pick up my friend Patrick and bring the towels over to Calvary Church where 30-40 of our homeless neighbors and neighbors in crisis gather weekly for a hot breakfast, warm showers, and some good conversation. It is always a blessing to me to see the regular volunteers and to meet some new neighbors.

This morning I met a man named Jimmy. He hasn't been to a breakfast before so I "cornered" him and I wanted to hear his story. He told me that he lost his job at the local wheel shop after he injured himself on the job in October and is staying with a friend at one of the local trailer parks. He's been living on $75 per week and his roommate notified him that he needs to be out at the end of the month. He'll be homeless in weeks.

In the last few weeks and months we are beginning to see more and more homeless neighbors who don't fit the stereotypes. They are not addicted to drugs or alcohol. They are not mentally ill. They are neighbors who have hit hard times and are dealing with hopelessness and despair. They are neighbors who are ready to hear the gospel if we are ready to demonstrate it.

Please pray with me for Jimmy. Pray that God will heal his back and that he will be able to stay off of the streets.

Known

Today as I was walking home to eat lunch I ran into Jim. Jim is blind but walks around our neighborhood every day managing well with his white & red walking cane. I called out "Hi Jim!" while he was still 10 feet away. He replied "Hi Chrissy! Where have you been?" He knew who I was by my voice and he noticed that I'd been away for a few weeks. How cool is that? Things like that make me so happy to live in my neighborhood. I've been away for a few weeks on vacation and my neighbors noticed. When I arrived home from the airport last night I was greeted by the junior high aged boys skating in my front yard. "Welcome home! How was your trip?"

I am blessed to be known by my neighbors. I'm glad to be home.

Successful Christmas Store

Barbies, dolls, stickers, jewelry, pink, sparkly, purple... girl or boy table?

Thank you to all who donated gifts and volunteered at our Neighborhood Christmas Store in December. We had 70 families register and a few extra that showed up the day of to shop. Thanks to you there plenty of quality toys to choose from.

A story about Bridge Builders: Caring Community

Aura Gonzales, is the case worker for Bridge Builders, a program housed at Our Place Neighborhood Resource Center. She helps individuals who are receiving government assistance but cannot manage their own budgets. She and her family recently took one of the clients she serves out for his birthday. Here's what Aura wrote about the outing:

"With the help of my family and a friend, we were able to take Bobby to Hometown Buffett as he wished for his 54th birthday last Saturday. He was like a little kid in a candy store. He was especially touched when we and the crowd sang Happy Birthday to him, and he actually shed a few tears. Every chance he had he would thank the waiters for the food and commented on how good it was, and I was amazed at how such an ordinary thing can be of such extraordinary importance to someone like Bobby. After the meal we took him on a shopping trip to Target where he purchased a Timex waterproof watch that he so wanted and a few clothing items that he needed. He said he wanted to drive the Target shopping scooter so he steered while I pressed the go button. We made it down a couple of isles before we crashed into a clothing display in the men's section, and we had a good laugh, and so did everyone else."

As you can see, God is using Aura and the Bridge Builder program to bring peace and good news to the lives of people who are lonely and in need of a caring community.

Háblame Class Party

We finished our 7-week reciprocal language class, Hablame, this week with a Christmas brunch. If you're interested in helping with an ESL class in February, please contact Chrissy or Aura at 562-804-2189. Thank you to all the church partners and neighbors that worked together to make this a success!

Christmas Tree Lighting & Cookie Party

This Friday we had our third annual Christmas Tree Lighting & Cookie Party. We walked down to see the city tree lighting and frolic in the fake snow. After the ceremony we walked back to my house where we feasted on cookies, hot chocolate & apple cider. The boys started a fire in the backyard firepit and people hung out until almost midnight. I think there was over 50 people in and out of the house throughout the night. I love to see different groups of people mingling and having a fun together. Here are some pictures from the night...

the boys hanging out in the backyard

Full house!

Irene helping with the cookies

The girls having fun on the way back.

1 Year Sober!

Our friend is one year sober today! We are so proud of him. We are thankful to God for walking with him and giving him strength during this year. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to work hard at it.

We ate at Philippe's in Los Angeles. This is all of us in the parking lot after lunch.

Háblame Class Update

Last week's Háblame (Reciprocal Language Class) was a blast! In each class we pair up people who want to learn English with people who want to learn Spanish and empower them to teach each other on the weekly teaching theme. Our instructor, Aura, does a great job preparing both language learners with words and phrases during the first part of class and then we practice in pairs for the second half.

There's something very humbling about learning language. You can hear sheepish laughs as each partner tries to pronounce words in the language their learning, but later they're the one teaching their partner. It's beautiful to see everyone at the same level teaching, learning & having fun with someone they don't usually cross paths with outside of the class.

Last week we had a great time learning words and phrases that would help us go grocery shopping for Thanksgiving. I never new that "relleno" meant stuffing. This week we will learn basic conversation skills, vocabulary and phrases that could be used in a parent/teacher meeting.

If you're interested in being a part of this program in the future, please contact Chrissy at 562-804-2189.

Be a Strategic Neighbor on Eucalyptus

FOR RENT: 3 Bedroom/2 Bathroom Craftsman Home • $1800/month

Yes that's right.  For all of you that have been dying to be my neighbor on Eucalyptus, there's a home for rent right across the street.  You can be a strategic neighbor!

What is a strategic neighbor?... A person or family that moves into a neighborhood on purpose.  They make every effort to be a good neighbor by being present and knowing their neighbors names.  They see their neighborhood as a mission field.  They invite them over for

 meals.  They share life together.  They deeply invest into the lives surrounding them.  It doesn't require quitting your job, but being intentional with your lifestyle.

This is something that can be done right where you live.  It is taking the verse "Love your neighbor as yourself" literally.  So maybe you don't need to move to the Eucalyptus neighborhood.  But just in case... here's the number on the picture below :)

 

Sharing Meals in My Home

Check out that dinner! Yup. That's what we ate with the teens in our neighborhood last week. They helped cook this delicious meal for us to share. Before I moved into the neighborhood, I prayed for a place with a dining room where people could share meals together. Having my friends and the teens from the neighborhood over on Wednesday nights is an on-going answer to prayer.

Please keep this group of teens in your prayers. In the next few weeks we are going to be starting a Bible Study of sorts called Life Hurts | God Heals. The lessons go through 8 of the 12 steps taught in Celebrate Recovery (based on the Beatitudes) and deal with addiction, hurts, family issues, etc. Pray that God brings the right group of kids to this study and that the leaders are prepared for what issues could come up.

Háblame - Teach as you learn

We still need a few more people to be an English speaking partner in our class.  The way it works is you teach English and your partner teaches you Spanish.  What fun!  We meet on Wednesday mornings at 9am at Our Place Neighborhood Resource Center.  Call Chrissy at 562-804-2189 if you're interested.

Algebra

One sunny day back in September, Mark stopped by the community center to offer his help with tutoring. We asked him if he had any special focus. He said "Algebra." The next day we had a neighborhood meeting where we asked the neighbors to share their ideas and desires. The first idea they shared was a tutoring time for their kids. They went on to say how each of their junior high and high school students needed help in... you guessed it... ALGEBRA! God's timing is perfect!

Since the beginning of September Mark has been tutoring 4 students in algebra on Tuesday afternoons. We bless God for Mark and his ability to help.

Eucalyptus Teens Serve Breakfast

Last Saturday at Breakfast & Showers, a group of teens from the Eucalyptus neighborhood woke up early to make breakfast for our homeless neighbors.  Lately we've been running into kids in the neighborhood that need community service hours for school or court (usually for curfew or truancy).  We invited them to serve some of their hours on Saturday morning.  However, the group that showed up at 6:30 am to serve were kids that didn't even need hours, they just wanted to hang out & help.  Cool kids!  They enjoyed their time and asked if they could come back next week to help.  What teenagers actually enjoy waking up at 6 am on a weekend!?!  I'd like to send a big thank you out to Phill, Billy, Ronnie, Joe, Matt, Eric & Brent for helping out in the kitchen with the teens last week.  You made it fun for all of us!

Pouring juice in a nice pattern.

Thanks for showing us how to make fluffy scrambled eggs!

Ronnie... our own tortilla lady

Neighbors helping out with the dishes.

If you or your church group is interested in cooking breakfast for our homeless neighbors on a Saturday morning, we're always looking for new groups to cook on the first Saturday of each month.  The next available morning is December 6th.  Call us at 562-804-2189!

CRWRC's Justice Team visits Bellflower

On Tuesday we had the honor of hosting the CRWRC Justice Team for a meeting in Bellflower. There were justice seekers from 7 different countries represented at the table. What an amazing group of people! We discussed the church's role in justice issues around the world as well as the importance of being useful in our own communities.


Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.

Psalm 112:4-6

Good Soil Update

Ancient Hebrew wisdom describes four levels of charity. The highest level is to provide a job for one in need without his knowledge that you provided it. The next lower level is to provide work that the needy one knows you provided. The third level is to give an anonymous gift to meet an immediate need. The lowest level of charity, to be avoided if at all possible, is to give a poor person a gift with his full knowledge that you are the donor.
– Bob Lupton, Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life

By partnering with Kingdom Causes you are engaging in the “highest form of charity”. With your financial partnership, a team of local Christians started Good Soil Industries (GSI), an on the job training program that provides employment to our neighbors here in Bellflower who are in transition or are out of work. Joel Holwerda, GSI Program Director, has been working hard to build this program. Since June, GSI has employed a total of 8 different young men with part time work. These participants have worked with Joel to maintain a route of 18 lawns, including a number of commercial properties. They have also assisted in moving projects, yard clean-up, and laying sod.

We believe that if Good Soil Industries provides discipleship and life skills training paired with a transitional job opportunity where that training can be tried and proven, then people who are underemployed and/or in rehabilitation will be empowered to obtain sustainable full time employment and move closer to God.

Thank you for the role you have played in this dignifying approach to caring for our neighbors!

CAN WE MOW YOUR LAWN?
If you live in the Bellflower or Lakewood area and don’t have a personal relationship with your current gardener, GSI would like the chance to bid on your property. Also, if you have any additional work, we would love to offer our services, which include: local moves, yard cleanups, special events set-up and tear-down, marketing and flyer distribution. We carry workers compensation and insurance. Your lawn can help change lives!

Thank you Chrissy!

It was about three years ago that I met Chrissy Padilla at the Sheriff Station here in town at a meeting I was having with a deputy in charge of homeless issues. She was there to find others in Bellflower who had a heart for the community.  It wasn’t long before she was serving as a volunteer and eventually became a board member for Kingdom Causes Bellflower. In 2006, Chrissy left her well-paying job in Orange County to move into the Eucalyptus Ave. neighborhood (a place notorious for drug dealing and violence) to become an Americorps member. Volunteering full-time for two years now, Chrissy has been a catalytic influence in this neighborhood. She has worked hard to organize neighbors and other community members; identifying THEIR dreams and THEIR plans for the neighborhood.  After listening, she then went to work helping to make them a reality.

Here are just a few changes we’ve witnessed in the neighborhood as a result of Chrissy’s faithful service:
• Two photography classes provided creative outlet for neighborhood kids
• A team of neighbor women meet weekly to pray for the neighborhood
• A weekly time after school for algebra tutoring started this fall
• Two Summer Soccer programs provided over 40 kids with a place to play
• Teens from the neighborhood were identified and invested in as leaders

While her time with Americorps comes to an end, she remains committed to her neighborhood and will continue to live there as her role with Kingdom Causes changes.  This fall she will become our Operations Director helping with a variety of tasks including directing a Reciprocal Language Class that will teach English and Spanish to community members who want to expand their language competency.  I bless God for bringing Chrissy to Bellflower and for her partnership in seeking first the Kingdom here. Special thanks to Chrissy for her servant’s heart, may God move many more in his church to serve as she does.  

Bellflower Christmas Store: Dignifying Generosity

Through this unique initiative, Kingdom Causes Bellflower gives families a chance to have Christmas with dignity. You can help people have the dignity they deserve by providing donations for this innovative program. Instead of giving handouts to families in need at Christmas time, Kingdom Causes gives local moms, dads, grandparents and children the opportunity to purchase gifts for their family through the Community Christmas Store.
New toys significantly marked down 70% off the retail price and sold to those in the community who cannot afford to buy presents at full price. Families with children in Kingdom Causes’ programs are offered the opportunity to earn vouchers toward purchases made at the Community Christmas Store by completing community service work, such as helping in the Kingdom Causes office with newsletters and other mailings. Bring your unwrapped gifts to Kingdom Causes at 9881 Alondra Blvd. Call us @ 562-804-2189 for more information on how to get involved

Reciprocal Language Program: Hablame

We are EXCITED to announce the beginning of Hàblame, a new program that pairs native Spanish speakers seeking to learn English, one-on-one with native English speakers seeking to learn Spanish. Have you ever wanted to learn Spanish, or to help someone learn English? Then this program is for you! Hablame provides the opportunity for people from different cultures in Bellflower to build bridges. Each participant offers the gift of teaching their native language and sharing their culture, while learning a second language and culture. The one-on- one pairing throughout the class sessions, will give you an opportunity to practice your language skills and make some new friends!

City-wide Christmas Concert: Worshipping Jesus Together

We are so excited to be able to invite you to be part of a Bellflower Community Christmas Choir event.  The purpose of this event is to provide an opportunity for Christians to worship God together in unity.  This event will take place on Sunday, December 14, at 7:00 PM. (Location to be announced.) It will be a concert including a choir cantata called “There Is Peace in the World Tonight” as well as some carol singing and orchestra Christmas music. The cost to choir members is $10.00 for a book and an optional $6.00 for a CD. Contact Teri Larsen at tlarsen@property-taxes.com for more information.

Behold How Good and Pleasant it is!

"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity..." This is what part of our Bellflower Christian community experienced about two weeks ago as we gathered on a Sunday evening to worship our Lord under a warm late summer sky. As the praises went up some people raised their hands in adoration while others simply held them reverently at their sides. Some stood; some sat; others clapped and even swayed with the rhythm of the music, while some remained immobile and in silence perhaps letting their hearts speak out. We were culturally diverse, yet we worshipped as one. We were of various backgrounds, but united in Christ.
As I stood there watching and listening to the praises of God's people, I was reminded that God not only delights but dwells in the praises of his people. We are God's Kingdom, and he dwells among us. We are his ambassadors to Bellflower. If we can come together as one to praise him, shouldn't we also come together as one to serve him in our community? Could we work together using our unique and different backgrounds for his glory? Could we worship him as one by uniting in service to the poor and the needy, to the homeless and the hungry, or to whomever God puts in our path today? It is my prayer that just as our praises were raised as one, that praying and working as one in the community in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will cause the people of Bellflower to worship and give thanks to God, to declare his glory, and to acknowledge that God's Kingdom has truly come to them.

Breaking Bread Together--Going the Extra Mile

Tuesday evening is always a special time for me as I go out with other volunteers to distribute sack dinners to our friends and neighbors. It's good to see the friendly faces I see every week, like Darryl's, and to shake the familiar hand that greets me and makes me feel welcomed, like Ernie's. There's always the pleasure of meeting someone new, like Mama Dee, and the relief of seeing that one friend you have been praying for because you haven't seen him for a while and finding out that he is okay, like Kenny.

However, last week something happened that taught me that maybe once in a while at least, I should go the extra mile. As we gathered around an outdoor table at Pollo Loco on Alondra and Woodruff, passing out some of the dinners, Mama Dee suggested we pray first for the food. We held hands as she prayed, and two other people, including Kenny, spoke up excitedly asking for their turn to pray. One prayed the Lord's prayer and we followed; the other just spoke from his heart until he was interrupted. It was a special moment for me as I realized that I and they are just the same, sinners saved by grace. But as I drove away I thought, if Jesus had been with us, he probably would have stayed behind and would have eaten with them--the faceless, nameless homeless strangers which we see everyday on the streets of our city. So perhaps on another day, when I'm not so busy going around doing good deeds, I will sit down and eat and partake together just as Jesus did; just as I believe he might have done on this occassion.

Special thanks to our GREAT VOLUNTEERS!

Last Saturday we had people serving all over the city! It was awesome.

To start the day, I headed over to Calvary Baptist church where Rosewood Church had a group working hard in the kitchen to make breakfast for our homeless neighbors. They did a great job once again! People got some great food and a chance to hear and experience the Gospel.

After breakfast I went over to First Bellflower Christian Reformed Church where a team of 16 men from the congregation gathered to help out with some work projects. They spent the morning hours helping to repair a couple of the trailers that we use to offer affordable transitional housing, and hanging and sanding drywall at another local ministry. They were SO helpful and generous with thier time and resources.

That same morning, volunteers from Bethany Church spent time weeding the flower beds out front of the Community Center and washing windows. What a blessing that was to our neighbors here in the strip mall. Max, our Muslim neighbor who runs a business next door came in to the office on Monday and expressed his thanks for the work that the volunteers did. I was able to tell him that the volunteers did this because they were seeking to honor God and simply love our neighbors like Jesus commanded.

What a great day! Thank you to all who gave thier time to serve.

Memorial for a Neighbor

The Stagger Inn bar was as dark as I had expected it to be, especially in comparisson to the afternoon sun of late July. Heidi, Aura and I were here to attend a memorial for Cooksie, one of the homeless neighbors we have come to know during weekly outreach to our neighbors without addresses. Apparently he had died in the early hours of the previous Sunday as he slept. Kenny, another homeless neighbor who stays by the Inn was shaken as he shared with me his account of finding the body. He was clearly suffering this afternoon... missing his friend of many years. He showed me to a makeshift memorial that had been set up in honor of this good friend just outside of the bar. Back inside the crowd was sparse but filled with familiar downturned faces. Someone was passing out free 16 oz King Cobra malt liquor as a remembrance. Heidi, Aura, and I sat a bit awkwardly at the tables to the right of the bar where a small gathering had assembled. We did our best to converse a bit and communicate a little comfort to these hurting friends. Aura was sitting at the end of the table talking with an older woman whose dentures were perilously close to falling out of her mouth as she complained about her "old man". As Aura sat calmly listening, graciously ignoring the foul language that peppered the conversation I was struck that this would be a place... a gathering... an event that Jesus would have attended. I was struck by the fact that these neighbors, hurting and raw are passionately loved by God. He knows thier hearts, sees thier pain, and longs for them to reach out to him.

A funny thing occured to me, I felt the same presence of Jesus in this bar at this memorial as I have felt in sanctuaries and worship services. The same Jesus we worship on Sundays is present in the pits... and he invites us along. It is when we follow him to the lowest places that we learn about the radical love of God and his desire for shalom for the least of these.

God may your kingdom come in the Stagger Inn as it is in heaven.

Cooksie

Camping with EUCY Group

This week we took 4 kids from our neighborhood on a camping trip to Leo Carrillo State Beach/Park. We met up with another group from Artesia. It was the first time camping for some of the kids. We had a blast exploring the trails and playing in the ocean. Each day different teams cooked the meals and helped around camp. On Wednesday morning we took the group down to the beach and gave each of them a little journal to write their thoughts on. We asked them to consider what things in their life make them who they are today... the good and the bad. It was a great reflection time for them. Here are some more pictures:

At night we had a campfire with s'mores, hot chocolate and games.

The kids burried Joel in the sand. Great team building!

Carolina caught a big fat lizard. Some of the boys caught frogs in the riverbed.

Desiree helped with a lot of the cooking. The burgers were super good!

Jesus and The Kingdom of God

Photo Fundraiser

Here are some of the pictures from our photography class exhibit. Thank you to all who supported us last night at Streetfest. 8x10 photos are still available for a $20 donation. Email Chrissy for more information.

Ice Cream Truck AP-01

Behind Lock and Key AP-02

Shopping Cart AP-05

Bird Prints AP04

More...

Peace NM05

Majestic Tree NM01

Private Property NM03

Curtain of Bubbles Vn03

Vintage Downtown Bellflower VN01

More...

Feiry Palm MM03

Neighbor Boy MM02

Shoe Star MM01

Pink Flower w/ Bug MM06