Mission Blog: Traveling Youth Mission Team's Account of Serving In The D
What an exciting week it has been at the Detroit Harbor Light! To share a little about us, we are a culturally diverse mission team of six. We have three internationals this year, two from Japan and one from the Philippines. The other three of us come from Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois. We are traveling across the nation to see and participate in God's work throughout The Salvation Army.
During a week-long visit to Detroit, our first day at the Harbor Light was an adventure as we participated in a Food Stamp Challenge, where we would be buying lunch for our team of six with only $9.80 at the Dollar Store. We had a hard time as we tried to make it as healthy as possible – there was no fresh produce, and our restricted budget limited our ability to make a meal that was going to be nutritious and also be enough for each of us. We decided on spaghetti as a cost-effective and somewhat healthy option. Major James and Captain Jamie, the officers at the Harbor Light and our hosts, joined us in the challenge and shared with us about how The Salvation Army is an indispensable resource in the community for thousands of struggling families who cannot always put a nutritious, filling meal on the table every night.
We spent our afternoons (4-6 hours) in the Bed & Bread truck that feeds the homeless in the city. Last month they served nearly 87,000 meals. Wow! And we got to be a part of that this week! We rode in the trucks, helped make sandwiches, and prepared the lunch bags. There are so many people doing their part to help this community. One of those individuals was the truck driver, Greg. During our time in the truck, he shared his testimony with us about how he used to be homeless and how God completely changed his life. He told us how honored he feels that he now gets to help others.
God is very much present in Detroit, and it was evident through the officers, soldiers and community members we met. After some busy days of preparing and handing out food, Captain Jamie always had a special dinner idea planned, like Detroit pizza, Polish food, Asian Food, and a Middle Eastern feast.
There are so many different types of programs going on at the Harbor Light, and we only got a glimpse of it all as we served and met with people. First, we cleaned a kitchen and a filing room. Then we sat in on a prayer meeting, a Bible Study, led a “Minute to Win it Night” for the men in the detox unit, and a Carnival Night for the women and kids at the shelter. It was inspiring to see the numerous ways The Salvation Army engages people with a loving, supporting heart.
A special moment for us was also participating in the Revival Meeting that took place on Friday. Aika, Eri, Kish and Shannon opened the meeting up with a worship dance to “What a Beautiful Name” and the whole team also did a skit. God is doing great things at the Harbor Light through Major James, Captain Jamie, and the staff. Please be praying for the homeless community in Detroit and in your cities. Next, we're making our way to St. Louis and can’t wait to see what God will reveal to us in the coming weeks.