Community Development

From the moment these 34 individuals stepped outside their vehicles with hearts and bags full, they had no idea what this week would hold.
 The first group to arrive was from Michigan, who had already come last year! As their 34 legs stepped out of the vans, you could see the twinkle in their eyes as they braced themselves for "another" week here in Toronto. They were so remarkably impacted by the people they served, the stories they heard, and the things they saw, so much that they took this programming back home to serve those in their own communities.  

The Salvation Army and the Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking have partnered to invite believers worldwide to join in prayer and fasting for victims of sexual trafficking. The event will be held the weekend of September 26-28 and invites churches, para-church organizations and individuals to participate. Past participants have joined from have had participants from Macedonia, Venezuela, India, the Philippines, the United States, Canada, Mexico, the U.K., and Germany. Please visit their website to learn more.

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I recently pulled my copy of CS Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe off the shelf and read back over some of my favorite passages. There's one conversation in particular that I'm continually drawn back to:

"Is-is he a man?" asked Lucy.

"Aslan a man!" said Mr Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion - the Lion, the great Lion."

I got to spend the past week with some great kids from Crosspointe Church in Washington D.C. working with the Center for Student Missions organization.  Our high school kids took a short term mission trip to our nation’s capital to serve the poor and homeless for a week.
The majority of these kids had never served in this manner before and it was, to say the least, an eye opening experience for them.  I would even say that it removed them from their comfort zone of Apex and Cary.

Homelessness declining in Houston? An emphasis on long-term assistance is the new trend around the city. Check out a recent article from the Houston Chronicle...

“If you look up the word “love” in the dictionary, there’s a v. next to it meaning it’s a verb. That means you can tell me you love me all you want but if you don’t show me, it don’t mean a thing.”
-Robert
(A man from Isaiah 58, a ministry site in  Nashville where groups help serve lunch)

It seems like just yesterday I arrived in Toronto as a bright-eyed, innocent North Carolinian ready to serve the inner-city as a CSM city host. Time is flying by, and now I have less than a month before I get back on that jet plane to fly home. I've only hosted four groups so far with CSM Toronto, but I've learned more about God and the way God moves within me and within those around me than I have in the past 4 years of university. This summer is quickly becoming much more than I expected it to be. Sure, I'm meeting some amazing people from various places and churches who come to serve God's people here in the heart of Toronto.

I spent the past week in San Francisco with a group from my church serving with an organization called CSM (Center for Student Missions). It was quite enjoyable. The end. Haha, but seriously, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I am so thankful that I had such a wonderful opportunity to serve others. The trip truly opened my eyes (both physically and spiritually) to a whole new world and I can't lie, I love it! San Francisco is a very unique city, and we were very fortunate to experience it in a way most people don't get a chance to. We were also very lucky with CSM; the staff and particularly our leader McKenzie were so filled with faith and shared our goals on this trip. Below is a day by day description of our ministry in the city...

This is a good article on the identity of South LA.  Because of the lack of identity a the community of "South LA" being such a big area, it is hard for this area to get resources.  I think that we have experienced this as well being down here.  Many ministries and organizations in South LA have a harder time accepting volunteers because help is so scarce in this area.  We're praying for more resources in this area as well.

-Jon Vales, CSM Los Angeles Associate City Director