HOLLYWOOD REFLECTION WORSHIP SERVICE SERMONS
Kate Averett, Senior
When asked Wednesday
night at our group check in to describe how we were feeling about what we had
encountered so far this week, I replied “ right now I’m feeling a bit like a
new shoe that has been worn for a week straight. Fresh but a little worn down.”
Before Wednesday I had encountered the community garden, the Los Angeles Food
Bank, walked the streets in search of money to help buy a meal for five, and
most recently I had been given the privilege of working at the Center of Blessed Sacrament. I started the day off
volunteering for something called Morning Mindset, where someone would lead the
group in various activities like yoga, singing and watching funny videos off of
Youtube. I went along with whatever we were doing but I had yet to really “buy
into” what I was really there for. I felt the need to reach my hand out in
hopes of grasping at any chance to help. To put myself out there and get things
done. I can only imagine how silly I looked, and how silly I was acting. My
thought was that I was there to help “them”, like I was helping someone that
was nothing like me, someone below me or someone who needed me. I left the room
unchanged, feeling that nothing had been accomplished. Coffee hour was next.
All I could think was “great, here goes another awkward hour of my life…” on my
way out the door into the courtyard I bumped into a man named Lafayette. Coincidently, Lafayette
had last lived in Indiana;
I was unsure of the large coincidence. We talked for a short time, and then I
proceeded to grab a cup of coffee and take a seat by Corey at the picnic table.
Not more than two minutes later, Lafayette,
cup in hand, came and sat down by me and Corey. This was where I put down my
stone.
It wasn’t an “us” and
“them” sort of deal it was a we. And we were both there, and we both ended up
helping each other. It was no one sided street. He did not need me, but I did need
him. I needed him to show me the pile of stones where I could set mine down and
leave it too. In a completely new area, somewhere that made me uncomfortable, Lafayette reached out to
me with an open hand and made the connection. He bridged the gap that I was
unable to cross. He showed me that everyone has something to give. And, he
showed me that everyone has something to receive. In this world of give and
take, we cannot always be the takers, but now it is clear to me that we cannot
always be the givers either. One simple act changed my perspective of people,
the world, our surroundings, and pretty much everything. And I will probably
never get the chance to thank the man that taught me so much. He gave so
little, but it meant so much.
Michelle Lehman,
Senior
When I heard about the
opportunity to do a Homeless outreach mission trip in Hollywood I was thrilled. My expectations for
the trip were helping serve food in a soup kitchen to the homeless or helping
at a food bank. The reality of the trip was much more than that. Those who are
homeless need more than just the physical needs of food and shelter….each and
every one of us require more than the basics of living.
On my second day of
the trip, my work group went to a place called the Blessed Sacrament. This
wasn’t the typical setting that I knew to be a place to more or less “fix” the
homeless by providing food and shelter. The focus was more of providing the
participants with a place to come enjoy meditation, music, art and other
classes. It focused on the emotional needs of those who are homeless. It
focused on giving personal attention. It gave a chance to enjoy time spent with
people doing different activities. The Blessed Sacrament was a place that
people came to because they wanted to, not because it was necessary in order to
survive. It was a time for people who are homeless to forget about the stress
for a moment in time and just relax. It was more than just acting as if the
homeless are a problem we need to fix. It was getting to know those who are
homeless beyond their single story of living on the streets. This is where I
put down my stone.
I learned to look past
the single story of a person standing on a street corner begging for money. I
know not how they came to be there or what they are doing to get out of the
situation they are in. All I know is a single story. There is more to it than
helping find food and shelter. The personal attention that is received is just
as important or maybe greater than the physical needs that are met through other
organizations. There is more to a person than a single story. No one live is
greater than another.
Sam Hamilton, Freshman
Before I went on this
trip to LA, I thought people who are homeless did not have childhoods like mine
or dreams like mine. I thought of people living on the streets as people with
drug problems or mental health issues. I always thought the people who are
homeless had a choice sometime in their life to be homeless or not to be. I
always thought it was that people didn't work hard enough or they got into
drugs and that is why they became homeless. When I saw people that were
homeless before I went to LA, I never thought of these people being a teen like
myself, going to school everyday, having friends and dealing with the drama of
high school, participating in athletics, and having a loving family. I spoke to
man for at least a half hour, at The Center of Blessed Sacrament and that is
where I put down my rock.
I asked him where he
grew up and what his dreams were. He told me that he grew up in South Carolina and
dreamed of moving to LA and becoming an actor. Three years out of high school
he moved to LA attempting to chase his dream. His dream did not come true
unfortunately. After that conversation I realized that being homeless isn't WHO
someone is or what they are. There is much more to the story than what many
people who walk past see or choose not to see. I now see people who are
homeless completely differently because I was able to get to know individuals
in that situation.
Bryson Smith, Junior
My experience in Hollywood opened my eyes to much more than I had seen in
the small city of Baker.
I tended to see people turn away from those in need and that was very
disappointing. Everyone that was asked for help, simply turned away and kept
walking. If you were in need, you would want someone to help you. I know I
would! We are all children of God and we are all equal no matter what the
circumstances. So it was hard to understand why people were treated so poorly.
What I realized was, it all of a sudden becomes a different situation when you
know the person that is in need and asking for help. This is where I
put down my rock.
While we were in Hollywood, I met a man
named TJ and he was truly inspiring. Even though he had every reason
in the world to frown and be upset, he didn’t. He had a smile on his
face and a great attitude towards life. He was telling me how one of
his friends was once homeless when TJ wasn’t. TJ helped out his
friend. And now that TJ was in that same situation and his friend
wasn’t, his friend was going to return the favor by flying TJ up to Portland to
live with he and his family He was returning the favor to
TJ. To me that is truly remarkable.
Lynn Roehm, Chaperone
Deb and I would like
to thank the church for their generous support in enabling us to travel with
the church's youth group on their mission trip to Hollywood. It was a generous
opportunity for us to have our lives enriched by sharing this experience, as
well as, getting to know the youth of the church on a deeper
level. Having spent much of my youth in southern California, I was aware and exposed to many
of the diverse groups that we could potentially come into contact with on this
trip, especially the homeless and those with chronic mental
illness. Prior to making this trip, I had some concerns about how
our youth would react to some of the things that we might encounter. While Baker County
has diversity in it's population, homelessness, substance abuse and mental
health challenges, these issues aren’t something we encounter on a daily
basis. Our lives here are relatively secure and protected and we
emphasize creating a safe environment for our youth. The youth of our church
always amaze me, and it is not surprising how it was our youth who allowed me
to put down the stone of how I thought they would react.
Collectively as a
group they were open to the experiences that were presented to
them. Initially, they may have struggled especially with the
homeless dinner exercise (going hungry). But with God's grace they
took on the roles of being homeless and figured out how to feed our
group. On the flight home, one of the youth whom we thought was
going to completely disengage from this exercise was enthusiastically explaining
this experience with a fellow passenger. I was also impressed with
how our youth took advantage of opportunities to interact with a diverse
variety of people during the coffee hour at the Center at Blessed
Sacrament. It would have been easy to sit in the corner and avoid
any encounters. Though initially it might have seemed uncomfortable
most of the youth were fully engaged, learning and gaining insight from these
discussions. I think it is obvious the impact this trip had,
especially as you listen to or have listened to Kate, Kourtney, Sam and Bryson.
As a congregation, we
do an amazing job of supporting our youth and providing opportunities for
spiritual growth. Was this trip worth
it? Absolutely. I know that we as a church are already
seeing the benefits of this experience as our youth continue their journeys as
thoughtful students, grateful servants, and faithful leaders within our church
and community.
Kourtney
Lehman, Sophomore
And as they continued
to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you
be the first to throw a stone at her.”-John 8:7. Heading into the Hollywood
Mission trip, I didn’t plan on throwing stones at anyone. The only ammo I
intended to fire at anybody was compassion, and I continued to think all I
carried with me throughout this trip was kindness and concern for the welfare
of others until one night we engaged in an activity that affected me both
emotionally and spiritually.
On Tuesday night, all
of the youth and adults gathered together under the pretense that we would be
participating in a pre-dinner activity; however, we soon found out that
receiving our next meal was the activity. After being divided into
groups of about five to six people, each group received anywhere from $3-$5.
The task of finding supper for the entire group with our small amount of cash
was to be completed within two hours. My first reaction was,
“This has got to be
some kind of a joke.” When reality set in that for one evening I must pretend
to be homeless, anger built inside me. Thoughts such as, “why am I doing this?
I came here to help them, not pretend to be them, the homeless “slithered
through my mind. As I stormed down the road with these horrid
thoughts clouding my vision, I looked into the eyes of a homeless man sitting
on the road. With that one second of eye contact, it was as if the sun came out
and scared away the dark clouds which had been affecting my vision, and this is
where I put down my stone.
By looking into his
eyes, I could see he was feeling the same emotions of anger and desperation
that were overwhelming me only moments before. I made a connection with someone
whom I had let a separation in society keep me away from. Although I
had not been throwing rocks at the homeless by thinking of them as lazy, drug
addicts and not condemning them to one story, I had still let a wall divide us.
I had been thinking of those who are homeless as if they were a different
species than me. There should be no,”they are” but rather, “we are.” With this
new perspective, I swallowed my pride and did what I thought I could never do:
I begged for help. God had reminded me that I was no better than those I had
let my mind disregard as my brothers and sisters. After a couple
hours in the shoes of those who must live in a homeless state everyday and
feeling the rejection they often receive, I felt myself shutting down. I
understand now how people who are homeless feel, but I was tired of pretending
to be something I wasn’t and of deceiving others.
The youth in my group
reached the point where we were ready to return to the church with an empty
stomach; however, Pastor Katy requested that we try one last restaurant. Corey,
Sam and I walked into the small Thai restaurant expecting to leave empty
handed. We explained our situation to the woman in charge. Within the next ten
minutes, Lynn, Katy, Sam, Corey and I found ourselves sitting in a booth being
offered drinks while the generous woman had three boxes of rice prepared for
us. A $24 meal had just been given to us for $4. Tears of gratitude and guilt
flooded my eyes, and it wasn’t long before I was sobbing uncontrollably, which
lasted for quite some time. Although we had not lied to the woman, she had
still been deceived and that was a feeling I couldn’t shake. Once
again, that connection clicked in my mind that those who are homeless may also
experience this shame; feeling as if they are taking something they don’t
deserve or at least have not earned according to our society’s standards.
It was on this night
that God blessed me with the opportunity to experience both emotionally and
physically what some of our neighbors go through every single day. Above all,
He helped me break down a wall of stones I didn’t even know I had built. Don’t
be separated by terms such as
“They and them” but
let words such as “we and us” bring our world together.
