Fresno: Week in the City Training

I spent this past week staying at World Impact Fresno. It was an intense week of training, with teaching sessions during the first part of the day and sports camps in the afternoons. One of my favorite parts of this week was interacting with the different World Impact Missionaries and their families that live in Fresno. I loved seeing and hearing how God is using them to change their communities because they have made the choice to be there.

We had two different sites for sports camp. I spent the week working at Hildalgo Elementary School. Kim, one of the missionaries, lives only a few blocks from the school we were working at. When you mention her name in the neighborhood, faces light up, and you hear things like “Oh I know Miss Kim, I go to Bible club at her house”, and “Yeah, Miss Kim, she helped me with _______” .

Veneetha, one of the other counselors here asked me the question, “Don’t you wish you could be Kim”? My answer: “Yeah. I do.” I don’t know what the future holds, but I want to always be in a place that I am willing to say “Yes Lord, I will do that.”

On Wednesday morning, our team was split up into groups of 6, each team representing an immigrant family. We were asked to hand over anything valuable that we had on us – watches, jewelry, wallets, bags – everything besides our clothes and water bottles. We were then given a list of tasks we had to accomplish before we had to return to the WI building at 2pm, along with fifty cents each to buy lunch with. Other guidelines for that activity were that two of our members couldn’t speak English, and we each had to keep an egg safe for the day, as it was our families’ prized possession. Assignments including finding the Immigration Office, the Government Housing Office, shelters, free food, how to get immunizations, how much lice treatment costs for a family of six, etc. We set off on foot, and about five hours later we returned with most of our tasks completed.

Did I mention it’s very, very warm in Fresno? I came back exhausted physically, with a burden to know those locations in my own city back home so that I can hopefully be of assistance to people that are new to the country. I am so thankful for that experience that opened my eyes to see how difficult it would be to come to a foreign country and try to build your life from scratch.

I walked a couple girls home from sports camp one day, since no one had come to pick them up. On our way to their house, a diseased looking dog was chewing on a piece of meat in our path. He snarled and started moving towards us. The kids froze and looked scared, and I directed them to the other side of the street so we could avoid the dog. After growling some more, he left us alone.

Then it hit me – no one is around to protect these kids. Normal life for these kids is walking their sketchy neighborhood streets alone. Anyone could take them, any dog could bite them.

I am so incredibly blessed and privileged. All my life my parents have made an effort to keep me safe. It’s impossible not to ask the question, is there a way I can help these kids?

Cam, one of the counselors who is doing this for this third summer in a row, said something that made me start thinking about my dreams. What are my dreams for my life? Is it to have a nice big house and a vacation home? Is it to always drive a nice reliable car and be financially comfortable? Is it to always feel safe? What if my dream was to live in a low income neighborhood, always be financially conservative and be able to be an active part of bringing the gospel to my community?

I’m trying to be faithful in keeping a journal – I don’t want to be done wrestling with these questions.

Please pray:

1. That the students that need to be at camp will be there.

2. Physical strength – I’m fighting a cold and feel worn out.

3. That I would have a teachable spirit as we continue in training this next week.

4. That God would use me to encourage the team and be a leader with my attitude.

Thank you for your encouragement and support. I feel your prayers.

This weekend I was reminded that God knows the beginning from the end, and He is constantly active, directing my path. My grandmother fell and shattered her shoulder last week, and had replacement surgery in LA on Friday. None of my family members were able to be with her this weekend at the hospital. I tried to call her on her hospital phone, but realized she probably couldn’t reach it. I am currently staying with my dear friends Katie and Andrew Alesso for the weekend, and they so generously loaned me their car so I could drive from Lancaster to LA to visit her. I’m so thankful I was even in CA at this time and had great friends that provided me a way to hang out with my Gram so she wasn’t alone. I got to read her some of her favorite Psalms and pray with her.

Thanks for reading friends,

HGK