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.