Lord Uncover my Eyes

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:35-40 
This past week I went with 13 other people from CCF to Washington DC where we worked with the Center for Student Missions. In 5 short days my perspective was changed. I was going to serve, and I was served instead. In 5 short days my LIFE was changed, because God unveiled my eyes to the things He loves.
We got there Saturday and we spent Saturday touring DC. It was a lot of fun to see where our Country is run. I remember going when I was little, but back then seeing DC wasn't quite as exciting as it is now.
Sunday morning we got up and went to breakfast and then we went to the Jefferson Memorial where we did our devotion on the stairs. There was something about reading God's word and praying on the steps of a national monument that gave me a thrill. The whole idea of separation of church and state was almost diminished as we learned what it means to serve God's people.
The rest of Sunday was spent touring DC again. I spent most of my time with a few other people touring the art museums, which were gorgeous. Sunday was slightly miserable because it was pouring down rain and at the end of the day my group was drenched, but it was still fun =)
That evening our group leader took us to an Indian restaraunt which was super yummy. After dinner we did a prayer drive around DC. We learned a lot about the statistics of DC, and learned a new word..."Gentrification". This is the term used when wealthier people acquire property in lower income parts of town. They basically move in and try to rebuild that area. It is supposed to be a positive aspect however a lot of the homeless people view it as negative.
Most of the places to live in DC could easily cost $60,000 a year. Basically unless you're working 2 or 3 full time jobs it is ridiculously hard to live in DC. Most of DC's population is workers who commute from VA or Maryland.
Monday morning we went to Central Union Mission which is a Men's home in DC. It is Christian based and has a program that the men go through to better their lives and learn to love the way God loves. We helped do chores there like dispersing soap, making beds, loading trucks, etc. We didn't really get to talk with a lot of the men who live there  but we were able to see the environment they live in. We went on a prayer walk around the area and prayed for the people there.
After leaving Central Union Mission we were taken to separate parts of DC where we did an "Urban Plunge". Between the 14 of us we were dispersed into 3 groups. We were all given challenges. My group had 5 people and we had $2 a piece to buy lunch for ourselves and have enough money left over to buy and share lunch with a homeless person. We were also challenged to use our resources to learn what it's like to be homeless in the area we were in. We were in the Eastern Market area of DC which is close to Capital Hill. It's a very wealthy part of DC so finding resourced for homeless people was really hard. We had four hours to share lunch with a homeless person, find out about a thing called a brethren nutrition plan, find out where we would stay at night, where we could find a blanket/clothes/sleeping bag, and where we could hang out during the day when we weren't in the homeless shelter since most shelters close at 7 AM and re open at night. We started to become overly frustrated and discouraged at one point because we really weren't meeting anyone or finding out any information. We went to the local library where we found out what the brethren nutrtion program is, but shelters aren't in any viscinity to Eastern Market...the closest shelters are going back into DC. We went to buy lunch at a Quizno's where we bought a footlong sub for the 5 of us, and a half a sub and cup of chili for the homeless person we hoped to share it with. While in Quizno's a homeless man came in asking us for food, and we offered to eat with him. He didn't want to sit and eat with us and he left. When we left there we really became discouraged. We finally decided we needed to pray and allow God to lead. When we did that we finally got the courage to talk to a man named Marcus who has been homeless for a couple of years. Kellar and I offered him our food (because at this point we were about an hour from eating dinner) and found out it was the first meal he had that day. We prayed for him and he asked us to pray for his salvation. When we left we realized in the midst of our frustration we had actually learned a lot. We learned that our plan is not always God's plan, and that as prideful as the homeless were in that area we were also prideful.
The other two groups had very different experiences, but we all had fun.
After that our leader took us to a Thai restaurant which was absolutely delicious. She told me they try to eat where the businesses might be falling. We then went back to the church and on the way we offered our leftovers to some homeless people we saw on the way (who didn't take it).
Tuesday morning was an early morning, making Tuesday very long, but very good. We got up around 4:15 to be ready by 5 and headed to a place called "Charlie's Place" which is a church that serves Breakfast to homeless men in the area. We also separated clothes and gave what we could to the men in need.
While serving breakfast we had the opportunity to mingle with the men and talk with them. I met a guy named Byron who told me about how he became homeless. He's been homeless for 5 years and said he actually had a good job before. He had a really negative view of Gentrification because he could not afford the housing in DC. He felt like all the rich people were coming in and pushing the homeless away. He was a really positive guy who said he was going to get out of his situation soon.
While we were at Charlie's place, 5 girls from James Madison University came in. They were in DC doing a 48 hour challenge of being homeless. They slept on the street for 2 nights, and lived with the homeless. I talked with one girl who said it's an experience that we should all try once. We never know when we could lose our jobs, or not be able to afford something.
Sadly most of the men I talked with had families, but weren't connected with them. The thing I realized is that if I were to ever be in need my family would help me. I may not have the luxuries I have now, but I know I would have a place to live.
After Charlie's place we went to a coffee shop called Ebenezer's, which puts part of it's proceeds to help people in other countries. They also have a church down stairs, and 10 satellite churches in the DC area. We did our devotion there, and then did a prayer walk around town. After our prayer walk we went to Casa Chirilagua in Alexandria, VA. We met a woman who talked with us about how Casa Chirilagua was started, and the kids club there. It is an intentional community in an El Salvadorian community. We learned about what the Bible says about immigration and the homeless, and how we are called to help them. We learned about the immigrants in the area and the hardships they have. After we did the bible study and walked around the area, we went to the kids club and helped the 4th and 5th graders with their homework. We had such an amazing time in this area, and it was probably my favorite part of the trip.
When we left there we had dinner at an El Salvadorian restaurant, and then debriefed at the Cathedral. We talked about the hardest parts and best parts. We really grew as a team, and it was evident Tuesday evening.
Wednesday morning we woke up and packed and then we went to an elderly community and cleaned the houses of a couple and a widow. My group worked with the Widow, Ms. Jean. She is 90 years old and has lived in the same place for over 60 years. She talked about her family and we enjoyed spending time with her.
We then packed up, had lunch, and headed home.
I know this is a lot but it's because it WAS a lot. I learned that if I am not serving the people that I am called to serve, I am in sin. God has called us to love everyone...not to judge...and to take these veils of judgement and prejudice off of our eyes and realize homeless and widows and elderly and those in need are no different than us.
I have taken this as a challenge to really serve those in my community, and to get to know people so I can help them.
God is so good!