Day Uno

We arrived in Portland safely. A little late (only an hour which is good.) We are staying in a house where there is no furniture. There are a couple of mattresses so we are taking turns. It's pretty posh when you compare it to living on the streets with no bed or even blanket. 

The day started with everyone asleep and being awoken at 7 AM. This was the beginning of a street simulation. They were given a list of tasks which to accomplish and clothes from the clothes closet. It took the team out of their frame of mind and began to understand how people look at them.
So much is said with a look or lack there of. And to think Jesus went beyond a look to reach out and touch the lowliest. We may begin to understand hunger or what these kids here in Portland live through every day of their life for just a moment. It was shared with me we can never understand the depths of their pain, addiction, and abuse, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I can not even begin to fathom the depth of their experiences in this life. We heard from a wonderful woman, Sara, who used to run one of the houses. God started using her and some homemade chocolate chip cookies. He can use anyone who is willing. Her eyes saw the kids not as street kids and homeless, but with God lenses as Princes and Princesses. Truly amazing. Talk about love.... that is it at it's peak. Seeing someone as God sees them and not as the world sees. 

Luke's perspective on day one.

"Ever since we got out of the airport, you can sense the different lifestyle. While we were on our way, we saw a group of kids running around on the streets. This morning we all woke up to a surprise. We were told to leave all of our belongings a the house. We went downtown to the Transitional Youth center and we all chose a new set of cloths and got in our groups to go on a "scavenger hunt" across the city. We were given a paper with a list of things to do. Basically we turned into the street kids and had to live like them for five hours. My group was myself, Cristina, Katelyn and Hannah. We experienced things that I never thought I would. We had to find resources on the street, collect cans, ask for change, and find helpful areas around town. I learned a lot about these kids. We went back to the house and spent time reflecting on what we experienced and praying for the kids. We then came back to the center for a program that is every other day. The kids come in as they eat and can take food with them, which is a big deal. My group was working on putting shoes on a shelf by the clothes the center gives away when I met a id named Cyrus.



He is 19 years old and homeless. He explained his story of how he got to Portland from Wyoming. He and his fiance are making a documentary on street kids. All the teens we met had such amazing and sad stories. Some of the testimonials we heard were some of the most incredible i have ever heard. you can see God changing this every minute. It is amazing what is being done in this city. "