Community Walk Down Eucalyptus Street

This week, I had been really blessed during my community walk down Eucalyptus Street with the other interns. We were conducting surveys in order to try and understand the opinions, desires, strengths, and issues that the neighbors voice about their neighborhood. In order to hear the opinions of the neighbors, we walked through different apartment complexes, houses, and condos for the first hour and 15 minutes with only 4 neighbors interested in answering questions on the survey. As one intern returned back to the office for a meeting, the other two interns and I stayed behind to see what other opportunities we could have in our encounters with neighbors. We walked into an apartment complex right across the street that seemed quiet on the outside but was (to my surprise) lively in the inside. It was filled with kids running around, a young couple talking outside, mothers walking in and out of their homes, and the smell of lunch still present in the air.

As two of the interns were conducting a survey on the second floor of the complex, I sat with a group of about eight boys who were playing Mario Kart on their Nintendo DS. One of the interns brought his baby toy Chihuahua who grabbed the attention of the boys who were waiting their turn on the Nintendo DS. We laughed when the Chihuahua licked one of the boys on the nose, had a conversation about the status of who was winning the race on Mario Kart, and talked about how long they had been living on Eucalyptus. During our conversation, I asked them whether they came out to the homework club at the Kingdom Causes office and they had never heard of it and they did not know where the office was. I told them about some activities that we had there such as the soccer event, movie night for UNITE!, and the summer art classes which I am currently planning with another intern. They seemed really interested in showing up to the art classes so one of the boys offered me his e-mail so that I could e-mail him about the class days and times. I couldn't believe that these boys did not know that minutes down the street, there is an office and an amazing staff who were running events and activities that were planned and readily available for these kids to participate in. From this experience, I was blessed that God allowed me to encounter these wonderful boys, I felt blessed in our conversation, and I felt blessed to connect to a portion of the neighborhood kids that I can now recognize by face and will hopefully soon recognize by name!

-Eun McFun

Excuses

A few days ago I accompanied Adam and two other volunteers down to Harvard St. to pick up some Neighborhood Block party questionnaires. About 75 questionnaires had been delivered to each household on that street the previous day. Adam, the neighborhood volunteers, and I eagerly looked forward to what we hoped would be an overwhelming response from the people. 

Our first encounter was with a middle aged man who was not excited by our presence. He repeatedly referred to Adam as “homes”. Adam kept his composure the whole time. We encountered two other men who conveyed a genuine interest in having a block party on their street. We finally neared the end of the street, when I spotted two hispanic ladies barbecuing with their children. I was already bummed we hadn't had much luck because out of the 75 questionnaires we had only retrieved 4.

I hesitantly asked Adam If I should walk over to the ladies and , hoping he'd say “no lets go back”, but he fortunately encouraged me to go ahead and talk to the ladies. So I hesitantly approached their front yard and asked them, in spanish, if they had received and filled out the Neighborhood block party questionnaire. One of the ladies kindly replied “Yes I got it, what is that all about?” I answered her question and she replied “I don't have much money but I'd like to contribute a 'sopita' (soup) and a salad.” 

I left thinking this lady has very little yet she's willing to give. It reminded me of when God commanded Moses to go before Pharaoh and demand that he let the Israelites go. “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11 Moses' response to God is typical of how I tend to respond to God. “I don't have much money” or “I don't have time”; any excuse to make me feel good about recusing myself from God's plan I've already used. But this lady being able to excuse herself, as the other 71 people did, committed to give from what little she had. God uses ordinary people like you and me, only when the excuses cease.

God's response to Moses was “I will be with you.” A promise He has promised to each and every single believer. 

-Edgar Guzman

Matching Grant Opportunity

Thanks to our amazing supporters on Facebook, we have an opportunity for a matching grant for the next 48 hours. In order to take full advantage of the grant, we need 50 people to donate $50 each-and the Vivint company will match it dollar for dollar!

Would you consider helping us reach our goal?

All the money that we raise will go toward housing 12 of Bellflower's most vulnerable homeless neighbors. To learn more, check out this video.

If you would like to give, click here. You will have to log-in to a valid Facebook account. If you don't have Facebook but would like to give, please contact our office ASAP.

This opportunity is only open for the next 48 hours, so don't delay!

Getting to Know People Right Where They Are

The words from Matthew 22:37-40 that stood out to me as I read it was this is the great and first commandment. Without loving God with all of our heart and all of our soul and with all of our mind, there is no way that we could love our neighbors (or in some cases, ourselves). I can try to with all my human abilities, but without God working through me, there is nothing I can do in my own power. With this in mind, I read this piece on Reconciliation where the writer proposed an interesting question: "Can a gospel that reconciles to God without reconciling people to people be the true gospel of Jesus Christ?" Of course the answer is no, and then he provided practical methods to reconciling people to people.

One method that I thought would be useful during my time at KCB is the felt-need concept. This concept is about "getting to know people right where they are at." This means hearing their story as they tell it and seeing what their concerns, hopes, hurts, and longings are. By doing this, there is a deeper sense of connection that we can make with that person and most importantly it shows our love. It shows that we care about the things that they are concerned about, we care about the things they hope for, we care about the things that are hurting them, and that we care about the things that they long for. I think that as the weeks progress and I spend my time doing community walks, I want to be able to walk down Eucalyptus St. and get to know the neighbors by name and by their stories. I hope to be able to hear their struggles as undocumented workers and see what their greatest fears, hopes, needs, and concerns are. I want to be able to work from the ground up as I eventually become a lawyer or professor so that in my work with helping other undocumented immigrants, there will be a common hurt and a common hope that I could work for. Most importantly, I want to work on my growth with God so that God can do great works in me by His power and not in my own doing because I know that His power will yield far greater effects. 

-Eun

Reconciliation at Breakfast

How often do we become so concerned with our own needs and wants that we forget about the needs and wants of others? How about the needs and wants of our homeless neighbors? I know that, personally, I am incredibly guilty of this. Although I am passionate about caring for the homeless, there are STILL times that I simply say “no” and give a passing glance when I am asked by someone if I have any change to spare. I don’t always have the courtesy to look the person in the eye, smile, and acknowledge their existence. How does this make me seem, as a Christian, and how many bridges have I burned with my lack of consideration? This is why Reconciliation is one of the core aspects of Christian Community Development. It’s a needed basis for all other progress to be built upon.

This last Saturday, I was able to attend my first Saturday morning breakfast with some of the homeless neighbors of Bellflower. It was here that I was reminded what reconciliation among groups of people can look like and how powerful that relationship can truly be. I was so impressed by the Kingdom Causes employee that I was shadowing on that first day, because she was such a great example of person-to-person reconciliation. She brought her entire family every single week – all four children and her husband – to be involved with the breakfast and cultivate relationships with the homeless individuals in our community. To her family, this is a norm. Somebody at the breakfast remarked how the one-year-old daughter had likely been held by every person who was in the room that morning. Their lives are so naturally integrated with one another’s – how many of us can say the same? Because of reconciliation, there were no “us” and “them” groups at the breakfast. I heard this family say to the homeless neighbors, “If you need a ride later, call me, you have my number” and “I’ll call you later to check on you and see if you’re still feeling sick.” At one point in the breakfast, a woman was telling a story about how her bike had been stolen that week for the second time. As soon as they heard this, I saw the volunteering couple consult each other for less than one minute, and then say to the woman that they had a bike that she could have. In fact, the husband went and retrieved the bike from their home almost immediately, for her to take. This breakfast reminded me of the life that I want to live – a life of reconciliation, generosity, and genuine care for everyone.

-Bianca

Summer Intern- Eun McFun!

Hi! My name is Eun Cho and I will be serving at Kingdom Causes Bellflower this summer as a volunteer intern. I am an (upcoming) fourth year at UCLA studying political science and sociology. An interest and passion I've developed over the past three years in college (as well as in my personal experiences) is in the underdeveloped topic of immigration- especially of undocumented workers. I believe that the treatment of many undocumented workers is not only an systemic issue of politics but an issue that deeply overlooks the ethical and moral components. I am currently striving to become a lawyer and perhaps even a law professor in the future.

In my free time, I am usually found tanning, hanging out at Huntington Beach, running/training, cycling down Coyote Creek, blogging, having quiet time with God, hiking, or just hanging out with friends. I've traveled and lived in many countries like South Korea, Mexico, Australia, and Canada. Throughout these experiences, I have come to really enjoy the diversity and uniqueness of each and every one of these cultures. What drives me in everything that I do is the love of Christ that has given me grace to know Him and have a relationship with Him. I hope that during the next few months at Kingdom Causes, God can continually guide me and use me according to His will and purpose. 

Summer Intern - Madison (:

Hello! My name is Madison Hur, and I am an intern for Kingdom Causes Bellflower this summer. I enjoy working with children and I babysit a lot. Hiking is one of my most favorite hobbies along with swimming and running. I have been attending Canaan Church in Bellflower since I was 7 years old. I currently live in Fullerton, CA and attend Cal State University of Long Beach. I am a Psychology major and am going on my fourth year following the summer. After graduating, I hope to go to grad school for a Masters in Social Work. I am also starting at CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) later in the summer as a mentor working with children who were placed in foster care. I have a deep passion for the healing process of at-risk youths and children and desire to work individually with them and also to work in any way as an advocate for them. I am so excited to be a part of the Kingdom Causes team this summer. Before discovering this internship at KCB, I had little to no knowledge about community development but already, God has opened my eyes to see the amazing work He is doing through this organization. I have been nothing but grateful to be a part in blessing the city and being blessed in return.

Summer Intern - Bianca!

Hi! My name is Bianca Portal, and I am the Bellflower Counts intern for Kingdom Causes this summer! Bellflower Counts is our name for the work that we will be doing with the 100,000 Homes Campaign, which is a national campaign to end homelessness. This project falls right in line with one of my biggest passions – social work. I just finished my third year of college at Azusa Pacific University as a social work major. After college, I hope to dedicate my life and career to fighting and preventing homelessness in communities.

Aside from social work, another huge passion of mine is traveling! I have been able to have some incredible experiences in other countries, including studying abroad in South Africa for 4 months and doing language school in Peru. I have a hunger to see the entirety of God’s world, and I don’t think it will be satisfied anytime soon! When not traveling or in school, I like spending time with my family, going to dodger games, drinking coffee, and dancing.

I can truly say that I feel like interning for Kingdom Causes is exactly where God wants me to be this summer, and I am so incredibly excited for it. The staff already seems amazing, and I am looking forward to getting plugged into different community projects, as well as working to make Bellflower Counts a success!

Hello!

Hi, my name is Natalie Tinnerman and I am one of the Summer interns at Kingdom Causes Bellflower. I am an only child and I have grown up in Downey, California. I currently attend Biola University in La Mirada, California where I am studying English and education. I plan to teach middle school locally or abroad after I graduate. A few of my interests are observing and creating art, sewing, reading, and tutoring. My favorite place to camp is Carpinteria, California (near the beach!). I also love to cook. I have attended church in Bellflower for 4 years, and I became involved with Kingdom Causes through my church. I believe that the work that Kingdom Causes does in the community is essential, but this type of work is often overlooked. Kingdom Causes fills in a gap where support is often missing in the community. I am honored that I am able to be on staff at Kingdom Causes this summer. I am excited to get to know the community of Bellflower better.

Cockroaches and Healing on the Sabbath

I came in the office this morning and was blessed to find out that Ethan and Adam and their girlfriends spent their Sabbath yesterday helping one of our low-income neighbors to clean out her trailer-home.  


The trailer had been cluttered with a years worth of "life" and the neighbor had been un-able to clean it herself for a variety of health reasons.  The small trailer had become a breeding ground for cockroaches and spiders but when these young folks heard about the need they cheerfully gave up their Sunday afternoon to get dirty living out their love for Jesus.

This selfless act of worship reminded me of the story in Luke 13 where Jesus heals a crippled woman on the sabbath. The religious leaders of his day were  incensed by the fact that Jesus would violate the Law that mandated a ceasing from labor on this day.  Despite the protest, Jesus "worked" on the Sabbath by healing the woman and demonstrating a different set of Kingdom rules, rules that emphasize mercy, grace and shalom.  


I am blessed to work with people like Adam and Ethan, who live out the Kingdom today as Jesus did 2,000 years ago.  God help me to live and love like this.

Start of Something New

Hi, my name is Edgar and I’ve lived in Bellflower for 19 years or so. I was born in Mexico and immigrated to the US at the age of two with my mom, dad, and brother. I have three sisters and two brothers, five in all. I am the eldest of them all and the first to graduate high school and attend college. I aspire to become a congressmen or a lawyer some day; anything to do with the constitution really. I’ve never blogged, so I'm unfamiliar with how blogging works. I have never been so ecstatic or miserable about anything in life to the point that I’m compelled to write about it for others to read.

I’m embarking on this journey with Kingdom Causes. Where it will take me or what it will do to mold me as a man is in Gods hands to be perfectly honest. All I know is that God has shaped me to serve, and Kingdom Causes specializes in that. I have my own thoughts as to why God has connected me with this non-profit organization, but I must always remember what God says in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” I know that if I completely trust God with this internship, no amount of money or riches can ever compare to what God has in store for me. I can write 100 pages trying to describe how excited I am about this opportunity I have been given, but I don’t think doing so can ever fully convey the feelings that are happening within my heart!

I’ll give this blogging thing a try…well It’s kind of part of my internship requirements, so I hope you guys enjoy reading about my journey for the next 10 weeks or so!

Thanks and peace,

Edgar

Summer Intern-Kara!

We are excited to have FOUR interns at KCB this summer! They'll each introduce themselves on this blog, starting with Kara. Feel free to contact our office if you're interested in helping with the projects that they are working on.

Hey Everyone! My name is Kara Zondervan. I just finished my third year at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I look forward to being a senior next year. Currently, I am in the Nursing program there and have loved being a part of it. This past year I had hands on training (clinicals) in Mental Health, Pediatrics, OB (Mother/Baby), and the Community. This summer I applied to be an intern at Kingdom Causes Bellflower and I am happy to be a part of their mission. My objective for this internship is to gain experience working in a non-profit, community development organization, and more specifically, to use health and medical related skills to benefit Kingdom Causes and the surrounding community. Some of my goals include discovering health needs of Bellflower residents, researching health clinics in the area to determine availability to residents in the area, seeing if Kingdom Causes can offer health care support (depending on the needs), and compiling a list of willing professional volunteers to provide services. As of right now, my hope is to get involved and talk to residents to figure out ways to accommodate their health needs. Some possibilities would be starting nutrition, exercise, or cooking classes, as well as setting up a consistent accessible health/screening program. I look forward to this challenging summer and know that through God and the support of those at Kingdom Causes and the Bellflower Community I can find a way to help.

Easter Egg Hunt 2011!

The Saturday morning before Easter, volunteers from 10 different churches arrived at Simms Park to bless our city with the 3^rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt hosted by Bellflower Churches and Kingdom Causes. This event was once hosted by the City of Bellflower to promote community fellowship and celebrate Easter, but was canceled because of Budget cuts. The people in our local churches were quick to fill this gap and to continue this wonderful Easter celebration.

The Easter Egg Hunt was an event filled with Games, Crafts, Shows, Prizes, Candy, and Fellowship. This year over 150 volunteers from 10 Bellflower churches planned the event and filled 10,000 Easter eggs! My favorite part of this event was seeing so many of our churches working together to serve and bless our city in such a profound way. Close to 1,500 people were blessed by this event, and had the opportunity to meet their neighbors, learn more about the resurrection of our Lord, and celebrate the joys of Easter together as a City. It is my prayer and hope that our churches continue to mobilize their members to use their gifts and talents to bless the City of Bellflower.

Inspired by Homeboys

Facial tattoos, shaved heads, and enormous muscles can make a person pretty intimating. Last Friday I walked through the doors of Homeboy Industries to find 150 men who fit this description. The participants of Homeboy Industries are men and women who are seeking an exit from the gang lifestyle and need help. They can receive counseling, tattoo removals, and a job in one of multiple businesses- silk screen printing, a bakery, and a restaurant called Homegirl Cafe. They are working with LA's most intimidating population and showing them a better life.
I was inspired by Homeboy Industries to keep seeking new ways to employ our hard-to-hire neighbors. There is no better way to bless our neighbors who struggle financially then to provide a job. Good Soil Industries and Homeboy Industries share a conviction that the dignity found in work is better than any handout we could give. And as I walked around the campus of Homeboy Industries I was inspired to dream of what God could do through Good Soil Industries.
Supporting causes like Good Soil or Homeboy are easy. If you have maintenance work you need completed, call Good Soil. If you are looking for the best chips you'll ever have, go to Ralph's grocery store and buy Homeboy chips, and watch how your money does more.

Homeless Count 2011

Hey Everyone! Consider Volunteering to help with the homeless count, please register using the link below. We have 5 of the 44 volunteers we need.


Volunteer for the 2011 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count!
Register & find more information at: http://theycountwillyou.org/
Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GreaterLAHomelessCount

Register to Count for 1 night, Jan. 25 8pm! Our team name is Kingdom Causes Bellflower and the area is East LA County (We will be counting in Bellflower)

Here our some pictures we snapped at the Kids Art Exhibit! It was so great to see how exited all the kids were to show off their art work to their families and everyone who stopped by!

Just wanted to wish everyone a very merry Christmas!

Kids Art Exhibit

For the past 7 weeks, 20 neighborhood kids have been coming through our community center doors working on fabulous art projects! They have been learning all about different art mediums including painting, drawing, photography, oil pastels, 3D building, collaging, and more! The cool thing about this Art class session is that all the art work is about Community! We have been learning all about Community and the different aspects of our city while creating Art! Come check out all the amazing art about Bellflower created by our neighbor kids! Your support would mean so much!


The Art Exhibit will be Wednesday, DECEMBER 8, 5-6:30pm Come to check out our Kid's art work & Enjoy Refreshments at our community center 16429 Bellflower Blvd.

GSIs new media

Check out Good Soil Industries' new website! goodsoilindustries.com
and see some pics on our facebook page "good soil industries"

Huge thanks to Tim Brandon for his help in developing the website! Check out his other work such as http://www.sweetandsaucyshop.com/
you can contact him at: tim@biti.me

Stacks of Applicants

Hiring an employee is a fun and difficult process, and at Good Soil Industries we do it frequently. The opportunity to give someone a job is a privilege not to be taken lightly. Each month I collect a small stack of resumes on my desk and prayerfully begin searching for who will be the best fit.
There are many criteria for choosing a candidate, but the most valuable question is: “Are you connected with a local church?”. The reason is that we can’t overcome our past by ourselves. First we need Christ to do a miracle in our hearts, and second we need a community to support us through the tough times.
I’d like to say thank-you to the churches of Bellflower for being the supportive community we are called to be. Our current employees continue to praise their local churches for being a place that accepts them for who they are and encourages them to continue following Christ. They have felt loved, and this love gives them the strength to keep making the right but difficult choices. So keep it up! Keep finding ways to love those who are different from you and being a church that reaches out to anyone, anyone, who is searching.

This is what community development is all about...

Last night over 40 families showed up for our neighborhood meetings for Oak St. & Eucalyptus Ave.  Each neighborhood group met to connect with one another, share ideas for improving the community and register for the Christmas Store.  (More on the Christmas Store here and below.) 

Empowering Neighbors
At the end of the evening, we joined the groups together to hear a presentation by Southern California Associates of Governments about proposed plans to bring a public transit project (think train, light rail, etc.) through Bellflower, connecting LA to Santa Ana.  Because there is talk of bringing a train stop to the north end of Bellflower's downtown, which borders both Eucalyptus and Oak neighborhoods, we felt this information is extremely relevant to neighbors.  One neighbor shared her excitement and concern for the new project.  She knew the train would be good for the community, but since Bellflower doesn't have any form of rent control, she was worried that a train stop close by could raise property value and rent, resulting in many families being displaced from our neighborhoods.  The presenter validated her comment and said that is precisely why the neighbors need to be involved at this early stage.  She encouraged them to start talking with the city about their fears.  We decided to host a second meeting with neighbors to strategize how to connect best with the city about their concerns.  


Neighbors Giving Back
We registered 35+ families for the Christmas Store last night.  Individuals, local churches, businesses and organizations donate brand new gifts to stalk the shelves of the Christmas Store.  Registered neighbors come and shop, buying presents at 90-95% off the original price.  Then, 100% of the money that comes in goes to a good cause, which is determined by the neighbors.  After some discussion about a few causes to support, they voted to send the money to help build a well in Africa to provide clean water in a village.  

The neighbors voted to send the proceeds to help build a well in Africa to provide clean water.  We're going to send this picture with the check in December.  Look how proud and excited everybody is in this picture!

True development takes time, but it's worth the wait.  I'm so grateful that I was able to be a part of last night.

Homeless Families and Empty Sunday School Classrooms

I got a call the other morning from my friend Justin. A family that he has known for several years through his youth ministry told him that they were being evicted. This mom of three kids between the ages of 9-14 had been paying $650 a month to rent a travel trailer. When she lost her house cleaning job that was paying her under the table, she could no longer pay the rent. Her neighbor has offered her the back of her truck to sleep in for the night and that might be where they end up staying.

Justin called me because in his words, “that is unacceptable.” He wants to help the family but doesn’t know what resources are available to the family and he is trying to get his church to do something about it but that bureaucratic process will be a long one which will end up with help being too little, to late.

The frustrating thing is, I don’t really know what to do either. Despite the fact that social workers in our organization deal with families like this everyday I have little help to offer. If they do not fit our relatively narrow qualifications for immediate financial, assistance we have no place to send them.

The reality is there is NOTHING in our immediate area that is set up to help families like this. Evicted, broke, out of work… I want someone or something to blame for this dilemma. I jump automatically to the family, they should have called sooner, they must have some sort of addiction stuff going on, they must be lazy.

The reality is stark though. Whatever the cause is of this family’s crisis, our local system in Bellflower has nothing for this specific family. 211, the LA county resource call center, will refer her to a shelter out of the area and or give her access to hotel vouchers for a few nights but there is nothing after that. What is the answer? Shelters are expensive financially and socially. Immediate financial assistance will not really help in the long run because of her eviction. What the family needs is a LOCAL place for at least 3 months were they can land long enough for mom to get a job and the kids don’t have to leave their school.

What will we as God’s people in this city do? We have resources. We have people. We have money. We have buildings (approximately 30 church buildings with countless classrooms that sit empty 90% of the week.) I wonder what Jesus feels about that? With hurting and poor neighbors all around us, is Jesus pleased with our clean and tidy classrooms that sit empty, preserved for telling Bible stories to the kids of the saints a couple of days a week?

Would it be possible to set up a Hospitality Network in Bellflower like this one? http://www.familypromise.org/ihn-video What do you think?

Community Responds to Prayer Requests for Bellflower

Photo courtesy of Diandra Jay/Press Telegram

Last Tuesday we hosted the Mayor's Community Prayer Breakfast.  We had a panel of community experts sharing, from their perspective, how we could pray for our city during the economic downturn.
(From left to right)

• Nichole McGahey, President of Caring Connections, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of children/families in BUSD, shared about the struggles that local families with school-aged children are experiencing.  She also remarked on the incredible support within our community & school district to help one another.
• Marina Flores, Program Director of Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing through OPHS, shared about the 150 families that have approached their program for help keeping a roof over their heads.
• Mike Egan, City Manager of Bellflower, expressed his deep gratitude for the staff who have remained faithful to serving even though they've had to take big cuts and for the many organizations who have stepped up to take over what the city can no longer afford.  He was transparent in sharing the many financial needs in our city and asked for the people to pray for wisdom for the leaders as they make tough decisions.
• Cristina McConnell, President of the Bellflower Chamber of Commerce, told the crowd about how several business owners are working together to creatively support local businesses in our city.  She also shared about the hard times many local businesses are facing due to people spending less of their paycheck locally.

After the panel shared their prayer requests, four community members led the group of 100 in prayer.

One guest was particularly moved by the stories of local families struggling to make ends meet.  The next morning he dropped off a check for $1000 to Caring Connections to be used toward basic needs for families in our school district.

Click here to read the article written about the breakfast on Press Telegram.

6th Annual Golf Marathon TODAY!

As I write, Joel Holwerda, Kendall Carrico, Adam Edwards, Ethan Strong, Robert VerWys & Rachel VerWys are swinging away at 100 holes of golf for our 6th Annual Golf Marathon fundraiser.  You better believe they're going to be hurting tomorrow :)

It's not too late to sponsor one of the golfers to help Bellflower reach our goal of raising $15,000 today!  (We're already close to the $10,000 mark!)  Click here and select the name of the golfer to make an online donation for Bellflower.

Here are some pictures from this morning:

Do you teach excellence?

Second servings were being passed around the dinner table in my parents’ backyard when my dad broke into a loud laugh. “Son” he says to me, “all those years of mowing my lawn, I didn’t expect it to be job training!”

We shared a laugh, but as I think about it now I am struck by something, isn’t that where most of us received our “job training”? Someone who cared a lot about us invested time, taught us the ropes, and showed us how to do work with excellence. That investment was priceless and our success today is in part due to those people.

At Good Soil Industries, we’re wrestling with the question, “what about the people who didn’t have that upbringing? How will they come to succeed?” It's through daily work and discipleship that God's people are teaching the Good Soil participants the lessons that many of us learned in the homes we grew up in. Timeliness, respect for authority, to wear a clean uniform, to work with excellence; and as the guys begin to internalize these lessons they gain a sense of pride in themselves and in their work. They become successful employees and doors open that were not possible before.

Helping a Lakewood family to stay off the streets.

Susie doesn’t fit my stereo-types about homeless people. She has got a college degree and is used to working two jobs at a high-paying employer in town. She’s used to having enough, she lives in a middle-class town amongst middle class neighbors.

But when Susie came to our office in April 2010 she was facing the reality of being evicted from her apartment and moving into her car with her daughter while struggling with chronic depression. You see, she’d lost her second job and had been placed on disability at her primary employer. Things looked really bad, little did she know things would get worse before they got better.

We were able to enroll Susie and her family in the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP), a program that is designed to help families through rental and utility assistance when they fall behind because of economic hardship.

Susie was able to remain in her apartment with her children and with some coaching from Staci, her case manager (pictured above), she learned more about her rights as a renter. Empowered, Susie was able to work with her landlord to lower her monthly rental payments. Things were looking good. But then Susie was laid off by her primary employer.

I thank God that Staci was there to help, encouraging Susie to remain steadfast in her attempt to find a new place of employment, providing the family with just enough financial help to remain stable and housed.

The good news came today. After only a few months without work, Susie was offered a new position with her old employer. She’s following a monthly budget and housing sustainability plan, she has been able to cut costs and locate other community resources that weren’t previously accessible to her.

Susie’s family is going to be safe from the streets. We are so thankful for this innovative program that provides financial and emotional support to families who are not used to the difficulties this economy is presenting all of us with.

Getting My Hands Dirty

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Taylor Seger and I am currently an intern at Kingdom Causes for the summer. But most recently, I became a Good Soil route lead.


I started driving for Good Soil as a part of my internship. I was committed to three hours of driving that morning – I got bored of sitting after one house - so I got to work. I finished up my time for the day and as I drove home, Joel gave me a call to ask, because of an incident that had occurred earlier that morning, if I could come back and help finish up the day.


That's how it all started – a total God thing. I'm the official route lead now, and I love every part of it.


My work does come with its challenges. I think of it like when Jesus went into the wilderness after he began his ministry. Immediately after he was recognized as the Son of God, he was tested in the wilderness. I am by no means saying that I am anywhere close to Jesus’ stature. But right after coming on the team, thinking everything is going great, God challenged my patience and my dependence on Him.


Within the first two weeks, some crazy things happened. It started with a weedwacker breaking down, lost keys (to be specific - keys that I lost...for about 20 minutes), and a fender bender while at the pump (without the bender, thankfully).
Both in the short and long-term, I’ve had to stretch myself. I’ve really had to rely on the Savior to have a spirit of strength, love, humility, and faithfulness. I do my best to stay diligent and pray daily for these of God’s attributes.


My time at Good Soil for the past month has been an enriching blessing in my life. I love sharing work. I appreciate having someone to challenge me - and of course being able to share a good ol’ fashioned radio sesh on the road.

The Joy of Homework Club!

My name is Sarah Leck and I am one of the summer interns for Kingdom Causes. I have the opportunity to work once a week with the Homework Club for the summer. God has really been teaching me to value learning and education through these kids. The kids enjoy learning much more than I ever have. Even though some of them complain at first about doing activities, by the end they are so excited and want to keep going even after the time is over. One of these kids name is Jon. He is always reluctant at first to join in but by the end he is always saying, “Miss Sarah, I want more math problems!” This is amazing to see because I understand his reluctance. Going into my senior year of college, I am starting to lose my academic steam. Working with these kids has been a healthy reminder that God has blessed me with a great education. I should take any opportunity to learn more about the world God has created. I have been blessed by these kids and am so thankful for the opportunity to learn along with them.

Neighborhood Art Class Starting!

On Monday afternoon we had our first Kids Art class for the summer! Each week we are doing a different type of art project, so the kids in the neighborhood will experience multiple types of art. I was very excited on Monday when 11 children walked through the door to our new community center ready to make artwork! This summer the kids will work with paint, clay, oil pastels, paper mache, photography, and more! On August 21st, the kids will display their artwork alongside other local artists at the Bella Art Fest in downtown Bellflower!

Above are some pictures of the Kids visiting the Invitation Decalogue Sculpture, and working on crayon resisting projects and our "Box of Crayons" collage which represents how wonderful our world is because of all the differences we each have and all the beautiful colors we can create!

The Art class is every Monday July 12 - August 16, and the Bella Art Fest is August 21! Email me at kendall.carrico@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer, or donate Art supplies!

Thanks to Paramount Ready Mix!

Special thanks to Paramount Ready Mix who donated the concrete for the new posts in the Community Center! Ron Talsma, from First Bellflower CRC helped to make this connection. Praise God for his people.

Letter from a thankful mom

I wanted to share a letter that we recently received from a local mom whose children have been a part of a couple of the efforts supported and sustained by the local church through Kingdom Causes. It was so encouraging to me and I wanted to pass it along to you, our partners in this work. Thanks for your continued partnership!

Dear Ryan,

Thank you so much for touching the life of my son. Our conversations about what he is getting out of being a [part of Good Soil Industries (www.goodsoilindustries.org)] God is so amazing. It is causing him to conversate with me more about God. He said he has been praying again lately. That just did a great thing to my heart.

Your team has been touching my family’s life in such a way that I could not. [One of your volunteers] will be my daughter's mentor for a season of her life in an academy for 5 ½ months. She chose her because she is a leader at the Wednesday night Teen Bible study group on Eucalyptus ave.

My kids have had a hard life... fitting into the church setting has always been difficult for them, but because your team loves them as they are and where they are at, it seems to be doing a God thing that I can see. It is so soothing to my soul.

Thank you so very much for what you guys are doing in the lives of those that may seem untouchable. I am ever so grateful.

Our Place Housing Solutions 2010

A Homeless Family Needs Your HELP

In early February, a woman reached out for our help. Her husband had just left her and their two daughters and she was forced to move out of their apartment because she could no longer afford the rent. She and her daughters slept in their car for a short time before contacting our Homeless Prevention program in February.

Although the woman works full time, her wages were being garnished because of her eviction so she needed assistance in order to move into a new place. We were able to get her into housing in early March and have been providing minimal rental assistance for the past few months. Our assistance will continue until the garnishments end in July and the family will become completely self-sustaining.

The family is thrilled to be in their own place and off the streets. However, they are still in need of some basic essentials. That's where YOU come in. They have a place, but they don't really have any furniture. Since they don't own a bed or a couch, all three of them sleep on the floor. If you would like to donate a bed, couch, or other household items to this family, please call Kingdom Causes and OPHS at 562.804.2189. It's a very tangible opportunity to love this neighbor who is getting back on her feet.

What do we do?

Guess who's moving?????

After much consideration and prayer, we have decided to move our office and community center downtown.  It's been a good 3 1/2 years on Alondra & Eucalyptus but we are outgrowing our space.  We were offered this new location (16429 Bellflower Blvd.), which is double the size, for the same amount of rent we currently pay.  We feel this move is strategic for connecting with both Oak and Eucalyptus neighbors, as well as providing more community center space for programs.

We're going to need a TON of help pulling this off.  May 1st is our first big move day.  If you're interested in helping, please contact Chrissy.

Celebration Dinner - RSVP by this weekend!

Meet Good Soil's New Employee

A job interview for Good Soil Industries is unique compared to most any other job. We cover the basics, but equally important is to hear their life story and the transformation that God has done in their lives. I repeatedly hear testimony of how a man experienced rock bottom and in their desperation called on God and He answered.

I asked a current employee to share his story of transformation with you. I hope his story inspires you to call on God to do something great in your life.

"My name is Jay Steele. I'm writing this to let you know the miraculous changes God has allowed me to make in my life!!
I once was a hardcore drug addict who went to prison because of my drug addiction. I cared about my drugs more than my life or anyone elses. I in a sense wasted the first 30 years of my life. My family wanted nothing to do with me, and society wanted to put me away.

I got blessed to meet Pastor Fred of I.C.M. He cared, never gave up on me and let me go to a summer camp for kids as a couselor. The experience changed my life for good. I knew of God and Jesus, but didn't KNOW them. To know that people and God care about a homeless, convict, drug addict. To allow ME to do this, to be trusted, to show faith in me.

Now I'm happily married, go to church regularly, teach the Bible to at-risk youth and even have keys to the church. I've been sober for 2 years, live in an apartment, have a job with Good Soil and have been off parole for almost a year. God is the only reason my life has changed so much. And now I am very blessed to have a phone book full of friends and now my family that I can call.
God turned Saul to Paul, so what can he do with a homeless, convict, drug addict like me? Only God knows & time will tell.

God bless,
Jay Steele"

Cool Article - Mixing art and Christianity | Religion | projo.com

Mixing art and Christianity | Religion | projo.com | The Providence Journal

If you're an artist in Bellflower, please visit www.bellaartfest.org to learn about opportunities to use your gifts to bless our community.

Save the date: KC Celebration Dinner on April 29th

It's about that time!  Please mark your calendars for this year's Kingdom Causes Celebration Dinner.  We're super excited to celebrate this year with all of you.

A prayer for Bellflower -- By Pastor Tom Hocking

Today the city of Bellflower hosted it's annual State of the City Address. As with many cities, Bellflower is facing some challenging days ahead as budgets tighten and the economy continues to struggle. The city manager entitled the talk, "The Rocky Road Ahead". I was particularly blessed by the prayer that my good friend Pastor Tom Hocking prayed as the invocation for the event. What he prayed was a powerful blessing for our city and I've included it below. Please pray it as you read:


Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this day,
Thanks for our city and the men and women who serve it and protect it.
Thanks for the opportunity to soberly consider where we stand as a community.
These are obviously difficult and uncertain times and I confess that I have struggled with feelings of anxiety—perhaps many of us have.
But God, when I think about it, the times when I have grown the most as a person have been times of great trouble, not times of ease.
So Lord Jesus, while we pray passionately for the peace and prosperity of Bellflower, I want to pray even more passionately that on the way toward peace (whether that peace is personal peace or social peace or financial peace or relational peace). . .I pray that on the way toward that peace, we would not forget that you and you alone are the giver of real peace—ultimate and eternal peace.
God, the road in front of us may indeed be a bit rocky. . .but considering that you once said that the wide and easy road leads to destruction. . .maybe a few potholes aren’t that bad.
But please help us to negotiate those potholes with grace and wisdom—and above all to make this journey together—loving each other more than ourselves and loving you most of all. I pray for Mayor smith and our Concilmembers: Bomgaars, Dunton, Koops, and Larsen; for Mike and his staff—that you would crown their efforts with abundant success. In Christ’s name, I pray Amen.

Seniors give back!

During the first few months working on Oak street, I gravitated toward the young and idealistic. I wanted the teenagers in this community to reach their potential, and the young families to work together to make their community a better place.

Unfortunately, in the midst of this work, I was missing a key part of the Oak Street demographic. I was overlooking the senior citizens and the rich array of skills and passions that they bring to the neighborhood. Here at kingdom causes, we use the Asset Based Community Development model (ABCD). In a nutshell, this means we look for what is best about a community, and then build on the skills and abilities of the community residents.

As I got to know some of the senior citizens through a senior's luncheon at a local church, I began to recognize how much these people had to offer the community. Over time, though, they have begun to believe that they don't have too much to offer. This mindset is reinforced by those of us who do not ask them to enrich our lives with the wisdom and skills they have accumulated over their lifetime.

In an effort to help these seniors have an outlet for giving back to their community, we've started a "seniors volunteer group" at the Bellflower Manor. There are around 15 individuals who have agreed to give some of their time and talent to various causes in our community. I am excited to learn from them as we serve Bellflower together.

If you know a senior who would like to be involved--let me know! Call our office or shoot me an email at abbeyn@kingdomcauses.org

Money

Better a little with righteousness
 than much gain with injustice. 

  Proverbs 16:8

This verse stirred up a lively discussion with the teens at our house last night.  When you get bombarded with messages that tell you the opposite... to get as much as you can no matter the cost... a verse like this might be hard to swallow.

Please continue to pray for our neighbors... and for the leaders... as we explore scripture and learn more about who Jesus is. 

What is KCB-101?

Here at Kingdom Causes, we're excited to introduce a new tool for volunteer training in 2010. We're calling the training "KCB 101".  We hope to better equip and empower our volunteers so that together we can be most effective at reaching our community. 

We're currently running our first training with a group of volunteers that are already deeply invested, but don't worry if you missed this first round.  This 5-week training will be offered again in April.  Spots are limited, so keep an eye out for the next chance to register. 

We have four goals for this training:

1. To get to know each other’s stories
2. To familiarize volunteers with the values and programming at the heart of our work in Bellflower
3. To help volunteers discover the best way to be involved (connecting your passions with the mission)
4. To help learn how to incorporate KC values into personal lives and spheres of influence.

In short, this training will help you be better equipped to serve with Kingdom Causes, but also to be an intentional "kingdom-maker" in the other areas of your life.

Photo: Teri, Jeudy, Betty, Abbey, Taylor & Alex... participants in the training

Relationships over programs

It's been a year and a half since we started having the neighborhood kids over on Wednesday nights for dinner and Bible study.  When we started we were expecting an entirely different (and smaller) crowd.  I'm happy my expectations aren't always met.  This ragamuffin group of leaders, friends & neighbors has turned into a family of sorts.  Relationships exist outside of 7-9pm on Wednesday evenings.  Neighbors are mentoring these youth and investing in their lives.  That's the real success.  Living an open life that leaves time for taking a neighbor kid out for a taco or a impromptu hangout at the nearby park.  I'm so grateful for the leaders... friends... that show up on Wednesdays and keep in touch with the kids throughout their busy week.  The kids are experiencing neighborly love the way Jesus wants us all to.

6,000 Easter Eggs

Looks like we're going to need your help.

Contact Abbey to find out how you, your family, church, etc., can get involved with this year's community easter egg hunt.