Meet Our Interns: Michelle!

It was like a treasure hunt. An exciting, eye-opening, full-of-possibilities kind of treasure hunt. This is the best way I can think of to describe an exercise that Terri Larson had myself and other interns/community fellows participate in during training at Kingdom Causes Bellflower this past week. This particular exercise had each of us name nine of our “gifts” – three topics we are knowledgeable about (Head Treasures), three skills we have (Hand Treasures), and three issues/people groups we are passionate about (Heart Treasures). The treasure hunt came into play when we were asked to share our treasures with other interns/community fellows. It was so amazing to learn what each other was gifted in, and also to discover similar gifts in other.

                  Before I get too much further, let me introduce myself. I’m Michelle Cok, a summer intern at Kingdom Causes. A little about me – I am nineteen, and I attend California Baptist University in Riverside. I love camping and hiking, traveling, reading, being with friends and family, and doing what I can to further God’s kingdom, hence this internship! I have always been familiar with the city of Bellflower, having attended church in this city my entire life, and having gone to Valley Christian Schools my whole life.  I am passionate about this city and all the potential it has!

                  As I struggle to know what to include in this blog, I’ve decided to view it as a way for me to keep myself accountable throughout this summer. Maybe in this way, it will be a tool for me, as well as for all who read it. To that end, I’m going to describe what I hope to accomplish this summer, what my goals are, and how I hope to grow as well. I have some main projects that I’ll be working on and I’m really very excited about them.

The first project includes teaching a “MoneySmarts” financial literacy class to the men involved in Kingdom Causes Fatherhood program. The goal for this class is to help the dads feel confident in their finances and also to encourage them to get back on their feet and become successful. I’ll teach four sessions, in which I’ll be working with the men to go over banking, saving, investing, etc. My overall hope is to have the men, at the end of the class, come up with a solid plan to get themselves back on track.

My second project revolves around the “National Night Out” events.  These events are nation-wide and the goal is to encourage neighborhoods to get out of their homes, bond with one another, and feel safer in their own neighborhoods. I’m hoping to get about four of these events together, with the help of some of our community fellows.

My other projects include teaching E.S.L classes, helping with financial programs for residents at Margaret’s House, and helping with general bookkeeping here at K.C. Besides these projects, I really hope to make sure I help others discover their “treasures” and gifts and help them to foster growth within themselves. I hope you will all keep these goals in your prayers, and I will do my best to keep you all updated with what’s going on with them.J I encourage you to think about your own treasures, and maybe conduct your own treasure hunt with those you come into contact with, and see what you can all accomplish in your neighborhood and community!

                  

Intern Intro: Heidi

         

  “Why aren’t you going on a mission trip somewhere overseas this summer if that’s something you’re passionate about?”

            This question, just weeks before summer break, really threw me for a loop.  As a college student studying to become a math teacher, open to teaching wherever God leads – be it overseas, inner-city, poverty, undesirable areas – all I could respond with was, “Well, I’ve got this internship in my hometown working with the community this summer with an organization I’ve been connected with for a while.”

            As I listened to friends talk about their plans to teach in India, serve in Peru, or work in Tanzania, I seriously questioned my choice to stay local this summer.  Didn’t I need experience in other countries?  Shouldn’t I have given more thought to other summer options overseas?  What was I actually passionate about?  Was I taking the easy way out by staying home?

            It wasn’t until our second day with Kingdom Causes during the opening prayer that my anxieties about making the best decision for my summer subsided.

            I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.  Job 42:2

            Throughout this past semester, God has proved himself to me over and over.  Each time I piled too much onto my plate, He provided a way out for me; 6 times assignments were ‘coincidentally’ postponed when I was overloaded with work, and as I almost daily posted Facebook status requesting prayers for tests that I had not studied enough for, results came in where the expected ‘C’ was actually an ‘A’ or one of the highest grades in the class.  Time and time again, God’s providence was made clear to me.  Yet even after a semester of miracles, I still questioned His plan for me.

I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.  Job 42:2

At our orientation multiple waves of chills affirmed that God had put me in the best place for me this summer.  The truths about His Kingdom and the excited young people around me inspired and renewed a passionate spirit within me.  When Terri asked us at the end of the training to think of one practical thing we could take away, I chuckled to myself. Throughout the morning as ideas raced through my mind, I had already written down around 10 applications for myself.  Many of these applications reaching further than this single summer internship.
            In one week God already proved His faithfulness to me by showing me that this summer is going to be a summer of learning and equipping for the future in many areas of my life, not just some resume-building internship to give me more ‘job-experience’.  I have already been blessed and inspired by the community of people this internship has placed me in.  God truly is good, and I am excited to create with kids in an art class, build relationships with the elderly at the Friendship Manor, and grow from whatever else God presents me with this summer.

Intern Intro: Joseph!

When I first interacted with Kingdom Causes, I never imagined me fitting into an organization like it.  The staff seemed extra-extroverted and were good conversationalists, of which I am neither.  But after applying for the summer internship and working closely with the people involved in Kingdom Causes, I can see that this is an organization I can not only work for, but also become a part of over this summer.

My name is Joseph Nishimoto, and I am a twenty year old studying accounting and business administration at Grace College in Indiana and will graduate spring 2014.  I think God is vastly underrated in my life and in almost everyone else’s I meet, and relying on God as the ultimate authority and Jesus’ death is the ONLY thing you can rely on for salvation. I am starting to become an advocate for entrepreneurship, but mostly I advocate for hard work and discipline.  I have lived in Lakewood since I was one and I enjoy the beach, volleyball, and playing most sports, and anything nerdy I will probably be into (e.g. accounting, video games, comic books, etc.).  Although I’ve been behind in politics lately, I am libertarian in political view, (which is why I enjoy Good Soil Industries, a virtually self-sufficient social organization!).  I am the summer intern working mostly with Good Soil Industries to help streamline and better organize this side of Kingdom Causes.

I love to learn, and I’ve been doing a lot of it over the course of the few weeks I’ve been at KCB. Everything from specific skills, like how to use accounting software, to more indistinct skills, like conversing with people that I have few areas of common ground.  Each learning experience is exciting and encouraging.  One of the more specific learning experiences was last Thursday when we learned about asset based community development.  In a nutshell, asset based community development, or ABCD, is developing what is inside of a community instead of injecting an outsiders view into a community.  Basically, instead of trying to go into a community and tell it what it needs, allow the community to figure out what it needs and then use its own resources and skills to achieve it. 

On the whole, the training was good, but I did have two questions after mulling the information over.  The first one I had to ask myself is: does this fit into my calling as a Christian?  And of course, it seems like it does, but I think the ABCD way of thinking has to be filtered because many communities aren’t Christ focused, which is fine, but then some of their perceived needs will be out of step with Christianity and people empowering the community must evaluate if they will support the changes that the people want.  The second was, “why isn’t the body of Christ using their assets to better further the kingdom of God?”  Knowing the church’s strengths and skills is invaluable to progress and growth and this has been ignored for far too long.  To start to remedy this, I have begun talking to the elders at my church and will discuss it with my pastor to see if/when we can collaborate and start mining our congregation for skills.

Overall, ABCD training was the tip of the iceberg of my training these weeks and I have enjoyed every second of it.  My coworkers, including the GSI guys and fellow interns, are all amazing people and I am excited to have this time to have good conversations with them and get to know them even more.

Introducing Shannon Turner!

Shannon Turner, KCB summer intern

I would consider myself an opportunist, not in a negative sense, but in the “kid who went on every school field trip” sense.  I thoroughly enjoy new experiences because they involve new people, new places, and new opportunities from which I can learn and grow.

When I was 16, I was given the opportunity to travel to El Recreo, Ecuador on a mission trip with four others from my church. While there, we stayed at a local church whose congregation was doing amazing things in the city. One of these things include outreach to a local community known as “The Invasion”,  a section of the city that is made up of people who are refugees through many different circumstances, but all live in similarly styled homes, made up of scrap materials and built on stilts to protect from constant flooding. While there, I helped lay a few bricks for a new church building being put in place, but I got to see so much more! Among many other incredible things, I saw puppet shows that teenagers held for the children living in The Invasion; I saw true joy come from such a sparse area, and as I was 16 and had never been out of the country, nor my comfort zone, before, this setting was engrained into my mind as the image of poverty.

However, as I traveled to Magdalena, Guatemala the next summer, I learned that poverty is not constrained to an image of meagerness. My experiences in Guatemala showed me that although poverty is an issue that is not necessarily easily seen, for the closeness of the family unit, the importance of spirituality, and the hope in God’s promise promotes strength and unity within the towns. In Guatemala, I was able to work with child sponsorship; this allowed me to visit schools as well as the homes of sponsored children. Being able to spend time with these children, whether it was celebrating a month’s worth of birthdays or entertaining them as they awaited dental extractions, I was able to see that the children in Guatemala were no different than the children I babysit at church.

After I returned home from Guatemala last summer, the lack of polar differences between the issues addressed in places such as Ecuador and Guatemala to those in my own city and those surrounding—homelessness, poverty, broken relationships, grief, etc.—made me question, if we are sending teams to different countries, who is working locally to build God’s Kingdom?

Meanwhile, I had been volunteering at Food Help Ministries in Downey for three years, and the neighbors I met and shared stories with drove my passion for not only being able to understand the underlying causes of homelessness in such a culture of excess,  but to know how to reach out to those who are not necessarily embraced with welcoming arms by Christians.

I stumbled upon Kingdom Causes Bellflower serendipitously. A few months ago, someone asked what my plans were for this summer. When I replied, I’m not sure, he encouraged me to apply for an internship position. After a little research, my opportunist nature kicked in, and, while I was unsure  if I would even be chosen, I figured, “Why not?”. Yet, one week into my summer as a volunteer KCB Intern, I have already learned more than I could have ever imagined. I am so grateful for this opportunity, for I know that being surrounded by genuine followers of Christ who have passions for what they do has already encouraged and inspired me to grow in my walk with God as well as to remember that my internship is not focused on all of the great tasks that I can accomplish. Rather, I know that God will be molding my heart this summer, and I am truly excited about learning as much and listening as much as I possibly can in the coming weeks. 

Community Fellows Wrap Up

I nervously glanced at my watch. 1:45pm.The flyer I painstakingly made said the party started at 1pm. I looked around my living room. Bare as an empty desert. I swear I saw a tumbleweed roll on through. Would they come? I got a few phone calls and texts the day before. Surely somebody would have shown up by now!

This was it. The culmination of our fellows year. Laura and I planned a block party and invited all the neighbors we met over the past 11 months it all came down to this. At 2:15pm when I wanted to give up hope and about ready to drown my sorrows eating all the hamburgers I grilled, I heard a knock at the door.

It was Linda and her daughter, neighbors a couple doors down. My interactions with them had been few over the past couple months, but I was grateful that someone showed up!

The first couple of minutes were painful. The awkward silences. Trying to find something to get natural conversation going. But one thing I learned this year is to embrace the awkwardness and push through. As time went on, more neighbors showed up. And little by little I felt less anxious. Less anxiety about connecting neighbors to one another. It was happening. Naturally.

I stepped back and saw my neighbors engaging with one another. Finding common ground with one another. Sharing their stories with one another. Laughing together. I kept pinching myself. Was this real life?!

After the incredible shindig, while walking with one of my neighbors to her home, she told me this, “That was fun, I always wanted to get to met the people around the neighborhood, I’m glad I went. Thanks for doing that.”

I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. This is just the beginning, I thought. The fruit is bearing.

The past 11 months have been a journey. My hope starting this fellows program last summer was that I would gain hands on experience learning how to practically live out what it means when Jesus commands us “to love our neighbor.” I came into Bellflower hoping to be an agent of God’s love in the Cedar Neighborhood. Little did I know my life would be turned upside down in radical ways in the next 11 months.

People ask me “What is the biggest thing you are taking away from this year?” I sit baffled. I learned so much! But the biggest thing?

My most AUTHENTIC ministry comes from my own brokenness.

The first 4 months of the fellows program were definitely the hardest. As I dealt with the transition of a moving to a new city, getting to know a new roommate, a new job, a new church, and new neighbors, I was dealing with my own personal brokenness in the midst of all this and trying to make sense of it all with God. I was learning to surrender and cling to God in ways that challenged and stretched me. I was broken and many times cried out to God “Lord how do I love those around me, when I feel so weak and fragile?”

But he provided. He showed me that my brokenness is universal. I began to see my neighbors with new eyes. I realized that while our poverty and brokenness may vary, its still brokenness. My commonality with my neighbors was my brokenness. Realizing this reconciled barriers between my neighbors and I. Barriers of class, race, age, sex, etc. Barriers that I subconsciously built in my mind. As these walls came down, I realized that the glimpse of God’s kingdom would not be seen in my neighborhood, if I saw myself as “savior” coming to “fix” those around me. God was already here and working. A total mind shift happened. Neighborhood revitalization through the gospel happens when I work with my neighbors rather than for them.

As my fellows year came to a close, I wrestled with what came next. Trying to think of my future while trying to remain present in the neighborhood was a challenge. I wrestled with the idea of whether or not God wanted me to stay in Bellflower, which had quickly become home for me or moving elsewhere. But in the past month, God affirmed his call for me to stay put. Whether it was through randomly running into neighbors at the Laundromat or the new neighbor who asked for me to pray for them because they saw me as someone who had the spirit of God within me. The voice of God telling me to stay was becoming more and more apparent. And that moment at our block party when I saw neighbors connecting with one another, and sharing life together? That was a complete confirmation that God wanted to continue to invest in my neighborhood. Because his work was just beginning and he wanted me to be a part of it. He has taught me what it means to keep my hand to the plow and be faithful to the harvest. So I am proud to say that I am staying put in the Cedar Street!

As I look back on this year, I am taking away so much. I feel more affirmed in God’s calling in my life. Through the challenges of this year, I have been stretched in my faith and my understanding of God and his deep love for me and his children. This year has shown me that developing relationships with my neighbors and embodying God’s love, grace, and mercy is what we’re called to do. We are to share our lives with one another. I can’t imagine living my life any other way. The foundation I have laid here in Bellflower, I will take with me wherever I go. I have also made life-giving relationships. My roommate Laura who I did not know prior to this year has quickly become a sister in Christ, a woman I deeply love and admire. A kind spirit that loves people well, I have enjoyed partnering with her, and learning how work together in our strengths and push each other in our weaknesses has been a true joy. I have also been blessed tremendously through the mentorship of my supervisor, Abbey. She definitely was my biggest cheerleader this year. Pushing me to go forward and pick myself up and lean on to Jesus when I was discouraged. She affirmed God’s goodness in me and embodied his love to me in so many ways. She rejoiced with me, she sat with me as I cried, helped me navigate through big questions this year. I am so thankful for her and the truths she has spoken into my life.

And last but not least. I am thankful for YOU. Thank you for your support. Whether you supported me financially, spiritually, etc. The moments that you prayed for me, encouraged me, provided for me. Thank you for walking this journey with me!  

In His Service,

Rachel A. De Los Reyes

Wolfpack

In a recent movie Zach Galifianakis is on a rooftop with friends and says, "I was a wolfpack of one". We've all had that "standing alone" feeling.  But recently, I've been re-energized through the reading about other organizations doing similar work as Good Soil Industries.  The knowledge that we're a part of a nationwide movement inspires new creativity in our approach and a boldness to keep moving forward.

The author of this Wall Street Journal article has been working with social enterprises for over 15 years and shares the common story of organizations like GSI.  His headline is:

"Helping people stay in school, out of prison and off the government dole."

Take a look and email me what ideas it may have inspired!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444032404578010862607298532.html

Busyness and Loving Neighbor Well...

As I was reflecting about what has happened this summer,  I have realized that it has been quite the whirlwind! This summer has been jam packed with ministry opportunities, traveling, spiritual growth, and one huge milestone. The more and more I continue to delve into Bellflower as my home and my community, the more I see how connected to Bellflower I have become. I had the amazing opportunity to teach the college group at my home church in Bellflower for 7 weeks in a row. I was also an assistant youth pastor intern for another church in Bellflower. And most recently, I was privileged with the job opportunity to work for Good Soil Industries. If you are not familiar with Good Soil, it is a social enterprise, under the umbrella of Kingdom Causes, which seeks to help disadvantaged men get back on their feet and start working again. It is an amazing ministry that I am very honored to partake in. I have also been traveling quite a bit. I went to Minnesota for a week and Arizona twice. One huge milestone for me was that in Minnesota I got engaged! Lisa and I are both thrilled and feel so blessed with this amazing new journey we are going to embark on.

In light of all that has happened this summer, I want to take a moment to stop and consider an ideology that has been ingrained in our culture. I was reading an article this summer in the New York Times about “busy-ness” in America. The author, Tim Kreider, was suggesting that as Americans we typically use the excuse “I’m busy” out both sides of our mouths. Out the left side we use it to build ourselves up and implicitly proclaim, “I’m important!” And out the right we use it as a complaint, exclaiming, “I despise my busy lifestyle.” In the West we (when I say “we” I also mean “I”) have the tendency to fill our lives up with a lot of, well…stuff. One of the biggest things I am learning is that in order to be a good neighbor, I need to be available. But how can I be available if I am always busy? I do not want to live my life going from one thing to the next. I desire a life, which is able to slow down and enjoy the small things and the big things – to be an available presence to my neighborhood. 

-Kris Cohen, Community Fellow

How Do I (Best) Love my Neighbor?

"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

-Mark 12:28-31

This is a question that has come to the forefront of my mind in the past months of life in Eucalyptus. I remember the first weeks in the neighborhood being an introductory honeymoon period… Kris and I were the new kids on the block. Starting out, I think we were happy just to seek out acceptance from the neighborhood kids that came by our place on Wednesday nights for a church sponsored meal. In a new place with a new culture, it was quite the adjustment, but exactly what I signed up for.  I have long felt a conviction to learn what it means to love my neighbors next door and the Fellows program finally left me out of excuses. Over the course of these first three months, it has been a journey as these new relationships are being built and grown.  

It has been a crash course in learning about myself, and how to best use my understanding of self in relationship to my neighbors. It has also confronted me with the depth of our depravity and our great need for God’s restoration. As I have gotten to know the stories of my neighbors and have spent more time with the Wednesday kids, I have hurt with and for them and the ever-present brokenness in our community and all of us. Brokenness of; crumbling families, harmful relationships, over-sexualization by the media, and the abuse of various drugs. There have been days that have been full of joy and hope, and day that have felt empty and near hopeless, and I feel at a loss for how to help or what next steps to take.  But if I believe the gospel to be true, I can have faith that God has been longing since the fall to restore rightness in these relationships, and is already working to redeem and reconcile this brokenness, it’s our job as Christians to get involved and to love well. Seems simple right? Loving is so hard, and love hurts. Loving well takes wisdom and perspective, wisdom and perspective that we as humans cannot possess on our own. Pray along with us as we seek God’s wisdom and direction, as we live in community with our neighbors, doing our best to love, continually longing for His redemption and healing to come right here amongst us.

-Rob VerWys, Community Fellow

“I Am Broken”

In the wonderful world of Christian Community Development there are 3 R’s that you must remember:

Relocation is “the need to live and work among those to whom we are attempting to bring the hope of the gospel”

Reconciliation is bringing and reuniting people with both God and others. It is simply “reconciling people to God, and reconciling people across the toughest human barriers”

Redistribution is viewed as a natural result of relocation and reconciliation. It is not the idea of taking from the rich and giving to the poor, rather it is “putting our lives, our skills, our education, and our resources to work to empower people in a community of need”

When I first moved into the Cedar neighborhood 3 months ago, I was all gung-ho about EVERYTHING. The following words we’re my mantra:

‘I’m going to do God’s work; I’m going be a catalyst of change. I’m going to show these people Christ’s love.’

First of all there is nothing wrong with having an enthusiastic attitude like this, but let’s look closer at how I’m saying this:

‘I’m going to do God’s work; I’m going be a catalyst of change. I’m going to show these people Christ’s love.’

I was definitely in this ‘us vs. them’ mentality. I was subconsciously putting my neighbors in a box, separating myself from them. A problem that can arise with those who live and work in under-resourced neighborhoods is the development of a ‘God-Complex’ The mind-set (consciously or subconsciously) that you are here to ‘save’ the poor.

This sounds like a horrible thing and I definitely don’t want to fall into this category. But as I reflect on my first few weeks of living in the neighborhood, I can see how I struggled with that mindset.

You may be asking yourself this: Where are you going with this Rachel?! I promise I do have a point! Which brings us back to the 3 R’s….

Relocation? Check! I have been living happily in the 90706 for 3 months and I honestly love it.

For the past month or so I have wrestled with the concept of reconciliation. How do I apply this biblical principal to my own personal life and more importantly how do I integrate this into my ministry?

Why is reconciliation necessary?

Look around you. You can see how the fall has affected the world around us. People building barriers around themselves. The division that exists between Gods people based on race, class, religion, age, etc.

As Christians we are called to be ‘ambassadors of reconciliation:’ 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 states:

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.^[a] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling^[b] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

So how does this look like in the Cedar neighborhood?

As I get to know my neighbors on a much deeper level, I am beginning to see the brokenness in their lives. Broken relationships, financial hardship, a sense of longing for purpose.

It’s heart breaking. It can be very easy to think I have to ‘save’ my neighbors and ‘fix’ them.

But I must remember this, that I too, am broken.  It’s the first step in reconciliation. I may not share the same exact poverty as my neighbors, but I am broken. There are parts of me that are hurting and need healing, there are things I struggle with, or lack.

I can see the commonality that I share with all my neighbors-We are broken.

We alone cannot fix each other. But together Jesus can heal us.

I am realizing an interdependence that needs to happen between my neighbors and me. As I build relationships, and work to point my neighbors to Christ, they in turn teach me and embody what it looks like to receive his love, mercy, and grace, something that I need more and more each day. 

-Rachel De Los Reyes, Community Fellow

Your Kingdom Come

       As we have now seen summer come and go in Bellflower, I find myself questioning more and more, “What are we doing here? What is our vision?” I find myself getting caught up in routines – going for walks, talking with neighbors, doing laundry at the Laundromat – without remembering the bigger vision. Then I’ll have a conversation with my roommate or read a Bible passage or go for a particularly refreshing prayer walk and I’ll recall the vision. The vision is God’s people remembering His goodness and His faithfulness. The vision is God’s people bringing Him the glory He is due all throughout the land. The vision is God’s Kingdom coming in Bellflower California.

            All that got me asking, “What does God’s Kingdom coming look like in my neighborhood? What does that mean for my neighbors?” and I realized I would have a very hard time answering that without looking at what God’s Kingdom looks like in my own life.             As Christians, we are called to seek God’s Kingdom; we are to pray that His Kingdom come and His will be done here on earth just as it is done in Heaven, but what does that look like in day-to-day life? How do we help to bring God’s Kingdom?

            I honestly cannot say that I have formulated a great answer to these questions yet, but I have started to examine the Kingdom in my own life and I want to share with you some areas in which I see the Kingdom. God’s Kingdom in my life means I no longer live for myself. It means that I live for God. But how do I do this? I love people as though I was loving myself by baking for them and listening to them when they need to talk and doing small tasks for them and praying for them and giving my time to them and smiling at them. God’s Kingdom in my life looks like Christine and Allyssa and Rachel and Hannah - strong women of faith who rejoice with me in the wonders of our Creator. God’s Kingdom in my life looks like seeking peace and God’s glory above success or praise or being liked. God’s Kingdom in my life looks like deep-seated joy in every circumstance because I know that the war is won.

            Now I challenge you, where do you see God’s Kingdom coming in your own life? How are you participating in God’s work of ushering in the Kingdom? 

-Laura Dumas, Community Fellow

Thoughts on Poverty

Through the course of these past weeks, the topics of the poor and/or poverty have come up in several conversations and my understanding of the subject has expanded and shifted. There is no doubt more to poverty than meets the eye. Most often we think of poverty in terms of material lack. But is that all there is to this brokenness called poverty?

This past week at our Wednesday night gathering at “The House” (Kris, Jeudy and my house) with our  neighbors, Jeudy and Becca shared about their experience on short missions trips to Mexico. They touched on how through connecting with individuals in the communities they visited in Mexico, they saw incredible faith and intense joy in a place one might not expect; in lives gripped by the unyielding hand of material poverty. A place of beautiful reliance on God, when they had nothing else to rely on. Maybe Jesus know what He was talking about when He shared the beatitudes with us…

A second conversation about poverty occurred at our bi-weekly Community Fellows training where we  discussed a chapter out of the book, “When Helping Hurts,” by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. (I would recommend this book to EVERYONE) The chapter was entitled “What’s the problem?” and included a whole new perspective and definition of poverty. A perspective shared from the material poor themselves. They shared about poverty primarily in terms of, “shame, inferiority, powerlessness,
humiliation, fear, hopelessness, depression, social isolation, and voicelessness.” This starkly contrasted my initial thoughts on poverty and the poor. For them it was less about the physical things they lacked and more about the mental and perspective repercussions of the material lack. This is a HUGE and necessary paradigm shift. I realized that for me, as long as poverty remained cornered in the physical realm, I could ignore the true relational poverty I was dwelling in.

“Poverty is the result of relationships that do not work, that are not just, that are not
for life, that are not harmonious or enjoyable. Poverty is the absence of shalom in all
its meanings”
-Bryant L. Myers

Poverty can look just like me… or you.

Sin is the root, and inceptor of this prideful perspective I so often can have of myself.
I love being self-sufficient and okay--- ALL THE TIME. It is underneath that façade
of collectedness and self-sufficiency that my poverty is exposed. I am really good
at convincing myself I don’t need anybody. This is my brokenness and my struggle.
I was made for community with creation, others and myself, yet I make choices
every day that deepens and widens the chasm between myself and the shalom God
desires.

Thank God for my neighbors, the needs they have exposed in me, and the
opportunity to live in community with them.

I need them.

-Rob VerWys

Bella 2012

This past Saturday, August 4^th, I saw two months of phone calls, emails, volunteer meeting, coordinating, assigning jobs, hoping & praying finally come together.  I am pleased and humbled to say that Bella was a success! I had so much support from different members of the community, and it was a huge blessing for me to see so many aspects of the city of Bellflower come together on that day.

After the craziness of a 3-hour setup process in the blistering heat (thank you to my 12:00 PM volunteers!), running around making sure all of the artists and musicians had everything they needed, and about a hundred phone calls asking me, “Where are you? Where’s the extension cord? Are we out of tape?” etc., there was a point during the event where I got to sit down.  Sitting still, I saw people milling about that I didn’t know, which was comforting after weeks of fear that only my friends and family would show up.  I saw volunteers putting painstaking effort into giving kids the perfect, intricate face paint creation they were asking for.  I saw the members from InJOY Life Resources, Inc. (injoyliferesources.com) performing on stage and getting to be stars—a rare occasion for them.  I saw neighbors playing tag on the grass and others sitting in the shade enjoying the music, still others at one of the booths learning how to paint on canvas.  Through all of this I realized, after so much planning and preparation, “Today is a fun day!” 

Looking around at all that was going on, I saw people having a good time, and that was enough for me.  As I reflected on the event, I knew that Bella 2012 may not have been the same Bella we had in the past—different coordinator, different event.  It may have been smaller and it may have had a different vibe—I really don’t have anything to compare it to.  But this is good for me; a friend once taught me that comparison is the thief  of joy.  So I rest in the fact that summer is over, I put my heart into Bella, and I saw the Lord bless our work in multiple ways—for that I am so thankful.  Glory to Him!

Building Community at the Friendship Manor

For this summer, my main focus was to promote community outreach at the Bellflower Friendship Manor. Once a week, I planned social activities for the residents to get acquainted with new people that live within and outside the Manor. At first, I was intimidated by meeting the residents from the Manor because I didn’t know how they would feel about me coming to visit them. I also felt worried that I wouldn’t have anyone come to the activities. I stopped myself from thinking these negative thoughts and just prayed because I was worrying too much and not leaning on my all powerful God. 

On the first day of social activities a group of 8 people came, and that was more than enough for me :). As the weeks continued, more people came to each activity. These activity days were my chance in getting to know the residents and developing new friendships. By the end of my internship I was able to plan a Talent Show for the residents... and it turned out to be a huge success! I had plenty of participants and it was an awesome feeling to see how much talent my new friends had. My internship at Kingdom Causes was an amazing time in which I was able to develop relationships, serve, and minister the Bellflower Community. This summer my heart got overfilled with joy and something I will never forget!

-Janet Melara

Big Things Are Happening in Bellflower

Kingdom Causes Bellflower (KCB) has hosted many community building events this summer. Just this last weekend KCB’s Bella Art Fest 2012 took place. It was one of those picturesque summer days where kids laugh as they run about, local bands play in the background, and the warm sun caresses your face making it impossible to not smile. People came from blocks around to join the giant community party with musical performances from InJOY, five artist’s booths, and art competitions. Seeing Bellflower’s community members come together and use their talents for everyone’s enjoyment was inspiring.

Events like this one is just another reason why I am so thankful to have had been part of KCB’s internship team. This organization has allowed me to see God’s movement through the city of Bellflower and how he transforms lives in ways that only He can. I will surely miss this place.

Written by: Jannelle Aguirre

Is It Really Over?

As last week came to an end, it finally hit me that our art class for the summer was over. I had spent 3 weeks getting to know some of the kids in the community and building sweet relationships with each one. I wanted to be excited that the stress and overwhelmed feeling that came each Tuesday and Thursday was finally over, but all I felt was sadness and uncertainty not knowing if I would ever see these kids again. Each child that attended our art class brought something unique to make the class feel so alive and full of life. And without knowing each one helped me grow each week. Some kids with their quirky sense of humor would make me laugh in the midst of chaos, others with their over-dramatic complaining taught me patience, and some with their gentle and quiet spirit taught me to remain calm. My wish is that I could tell each one how special and unique they truly are and how they helped me grow, unfortunately I do not think they will ever know how much they impacted my life this summer.

Written by: Cori Aguayo

Keeping Our Hands to The Plow

“This grass is pretty much DEAD.” I heard my neighbor mutter to herself from my open window.

As I peered from my upstairs window, I saw her struggle in our front yard to set up the sprinkler.

A little context about me and Laura’s place in the lovely Ramona neighborhood. It’s located at the very end of a town home complex. What makes our building unique is that we share a big lawn with a couple of our neighbors.

When we moved in June. The grass was completely dead. Brown and dry. No signs of life. I figured it was pointless to try to bring it back to its former glory.

So here I stood watching in amazement as my neighbor is watering our grass! I thought it was pretty cool, but I wasn’t sure it would work.

Later on in the week when I ran into her again, I asked her what prompted her to start watering the grass.

This neighbor in particular has lived in the complex the longest (over 10 years) She explained to me that the lawn used to be beautiful and well taken care of but recently it has fallen into despair and neighbors just stopped caring for it. She just wanted to make it look nice again, even if it meant watering it every day.

A light bulb went off in my head. I talked to her about us making a schedule to water the grass together.

Since we moved in, one of my biggest struggles and questions when it came to building authentic relationships with my neighbors was How in the world do I get past that initial awkwardness and small talk?!

You know what I’m talking about. The awkward moment when you see a neighbor and you stop to make small talk and it lasts for a minute or two and then you completely run out of questions to ask or things to say so you stand there in awkward silence. Then you awkwardly excuse your self and retreat to your house and cry over that horrible experience over a giant tub of chocolate ice cream and try to regroup?

Wait. Is that just me? No, this scenario doesn’t happen to me all the time. Okay, if you can’t tell, I like to incorporate sarcasm and humor in my writing (often I do a poor job!) so please bear with me! J

But the point is, overcoming this has been at times very, very frustrating.

But working out a schedule to water the grass with my neighbor gave me an opportunity to potentially develop a deeper relationship with her just by taking the next step and offering to DO something with her. And when you think about it, aren’t the best relationships formed when you work towards a specific goal?

I will share that the first couple of weeks in the Ramona neighborhood had been rough. New people, a new environment. We were the new kids on the block. It seemed hopeless. I had a beautiful vision for this neighborhood. A thriving neighborhood where people felt known, loved, and cared for. Where relationships were based on empowering and encouraging each other. I wanted to pour into others as well as learn from my neighbors. I was confused how God would work through Laura and I to achieve this vision. 

But he is. Even in the past two weeks alone, God has blessed us with amazing opportunities to interact with our neighbors. And what is even more amazing is that many our fellow neighbors are believers who have encouraged us to keep our hand to the plow and strive and preserve to provide a glimpse of kingdom in our own back yard.

So how does all this connect with community development? Just like our dead grass…we must tend to it. Taking the time to care for it by watering it, assessing its needs, getting our hands dirty etc. But most of all we must have patience.

I do desire for one day our neighborhood to be a thriving place just like those I read in all those amazing community development books. But just because I can’t see it yet, doesn’t mean that God isn’t in the Ramona neighborhood. He’s been here long before me and Laura moved in.

My prayer is that we can work along side our neighbors tend to the ‘yard’ and make it a place of growth and life.

And just for the record, it’s only been two weeks since we started watering the grass daily and it sure is green!

Keeping my hand to the plow,

Rachel

Front Desk Nerves

When the interns and I entered into Kingdom Causes and Our Place Housing Solutions’ offices, one of the weekly roles we were given was to run the front desk. When I first heard about this role, I was very anxious about taking calls and matching the right resources to their needs. But through time, support from others in the office, and familiarizing myself with the massive resource binder, that front desk went from the nerve-racking front desk to simply the front wooden desk.

That desk has become a place where I can get to know members from the community of Bellflower. Sometimes that looks like just listening to their stories, other times it is helping them troubleshoot with the computers in the front room. But no matter what, I can always look forward to meeting someone from Bellflower who will change my day and has something to share with me.

Written by: Jannelle Aguirre

Accepting Community

I am sitting here thinking how I can’t believe this internship is about to come to a close, how working two jobs has made this the fastest summer of my life.  Each time I finish a season, I try to reflect on what I learned, what was valuable about that time & what I discovered about myself.  I feel like as I continue to “grow up”, it seems I need to learn the same things over and over again.  This summer, my supervisor here at KCB gave me the charge of planning Bella Art Fest 2012.  I was slightly terrified, but decided to be optimistic and hit the ground running.  Bella is this Saturday August 4^th—we’ve held volunteer meetings, purchased supplies, created layouts and rounded up volunteers, artists and musicians in a frenzy to pull this thing off, and here we are two days away! In the craziness of sending what feels like a thousand emails a day, getting excited, disappointed, stressed out, and calmed down, what I’ve learned is that it is really difficult for me to ask for help.  I think at my deepest point, my truest self, I believe that I am Superwoman.  Even though I know how much I need to rely on others and rely on Jesus, the simple humility of needing help is difficult for me to accept.  I want to have it all together, to be the capable one, to be excellent at everything I take on (can you tell I’m a firstborn yet?)  But what happens when I seek to do everything myself is emotional breakdowns, fear of failure, and distance from Jesus.  I think this summer it “clicked” for me, that if I want to be involved in Kingdom work, I need to accept and understand partnership.  I need to not just say that I need others, but get really comfortable in the position of needing others, and work on identifying the places where I lack in order to accept help, to accept community. 

Written by: Michelle Roberts 

Overwhelmed, Yet Blessed

 Just a few weeks ago I had my first art class for the children in the community. I had spent most of my time in the beginning of this internship preparing for this day. Words could not express the enthusiasm and anticipation I felt as the first day approached. I could not wait to see how everything was going to turn out. I had heard from a few parents how excited their children were to attend the class. But Abbey and Manny, my supervisors, had sweetly warned me not to worry if only a few students showed up the first day. In the past years the class average was about 10-15 kids. Naturally, I only prepared for about 15 kids at the most.

As the day arrived I was praying that at least 5 would show up, especially since I had 10 volunteers. Manny kindly reminded me throughout the day that the kids would show up and not to worry. The time finally came for the class to start. I had 10 eager volunteers staring at me, then at the door, then at me again. Panic was slowly starting to set in. As we waited patiently the kids started to trickle in one at a time. Then out of nowhere there was a line outside the door of the KCB Community Center. I had a total of 33 kids the first day of the art class, but I was only prepared for 15! The entire hour and half I was overwhelmed trying to make sure every kid knew what he/she was doing, talking to parents, and making sure all the kids were signed in. It must have had a frantic look on my face because Manny continuously reminded that the only thing that mattered was that the kids had a fun time. As I kept this in mind, I would step back, take a breath, and just watch as the kids colored with oil pastels with giant smiles on their faces. It was then that I realized that the feeling of being overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious was completely unnecessary but worth it to see the smiles and hear the laughter that surrounded me.

   

 Written by: Cori Aguayo

Trucks, Equipment, and Fresh Beginnings

Today Kingdom Causes Bellflower’s (KCB) office was buzzing with commotion and swarming with Good Soil Industries’ (GSI) green shirts. The energy from the sixteen GSI employees’ excitement was spreading quickly through the office.

They were briefed and before sending them out to their project sites, Joel, the program leader, spoke about the simple philosophy behind that day’s work, “God created us to work, and that is what Good Soil Industries is equipping you to do”. That to me was a perfect illustration of the kind of work done through the initiatives at KCB; an infusion of faith and community-building efforts commonly shared by the body of workers.

Written by: Jannelle Aguirre