So here I am now, in San Francisco. Have been here for two days already. Many of you may wonder what this whole thing with me moving to the States is all about. Well.. I had this situation in my life, that it would have been possible for me to get a job and to do my job internship for my studies. So I was praying that God would lead me to a place that He had planned for me this spring. The chorus of one song that's on WOW 2009 cd describes quite well what I had been praying for a long time.
"Take my dreams, go on and give them wings.
Lord with You there's nothing I cannot do. "
Some musician
One Saturday at Wake Up, which is the youth service at my church, God started to talk to me about doing mission building for Youth With a Mission. He said to me that what if you did it now and worked for me for a while instead of waiting to do it after graduation. And so I started to look for different possibilities, sent the applications and got accepted. Less than a week after been accepted, I already sat on a plane and was heading for the States and San Francisco. I was so excited.
Arriving here was a huge culture shock for me. From the airport I took an airtrain, switched to a bart (that's San Francisco's subway) and took a cab to take me to Ellis Street where the base of YWAM is located. As I was stepping out from the cab, I noticed that somebody was sleeping under the window of the building not fancy at all, in which I was supposed to be living the next two months. The base is at the Tenderloin area which is the worst area of San Francisco: a lot of poverty, homelessness, drugs and prostitution. So it's something so different from what I'm used to in Finland. I'm still too scared to walk alone outside, but I think it'll change as everything starts to be more familiar here.
Ellis street
Homeless outside YWAM San Francisco
aka my home
On the first day I was working in the Ellis room, which is a room open for homeless people every week day. We were handing out them some coffee, water, juice and pastries as well as chatting with them. It was quite overwhelming to see all these people. I even met the man that slept under the window. He's John and he's been coming here for a long time. I have heard so many other unbelievable life stories as well. There's this 18-year-old guy that comes here. He's from Alaska and had been making some bad choices lately, so his parents gave him 500 dollars and sent him to San Francisco to get a job in a week. They wanted him to grow up. And now he's here hanging out with homeless people at Ellis Street and in its neighborhood. He's not taking any drugs or using alcohol and we're praying that he'll get a hold of his life.
It hasn't been easy here, but I ve only been here for a while. If it was for me I would just run back home and live safely in there. But on the other hand I know that God didn't send me here for no reason and if I did go back home already it wouldn't be obeing Him. I think this will be so good time for me. And God has encouraged me with some words from His heart.
Arriving here was a huge culture shock for me. From the airport I took an airtrain, switched to a bart (that's San Francisco's subway) and took a cab to take me to Ellis Street where the base of YWAM is located. As I was stepping out from the cab, I noticed that somebody was sleeping under the window of the building not fancy at all, in which I was supposed to be living the next two months. The base is at the Tenderloin area which is the worst area of San Francisco: a lot of poverty, homelessness, drugs and prostitution. So it's something so different from what I'm used to in Finland. I'm still too scared to walk alone outside, but I think it'll change as everything starts to be more familiar here.
Ellis street
Homeless outside YWAM San Franciscoaka my home
On the first day I was working in the Ellis room, which is a room open for homeless people every week day. We were handing out them some coffee, water, juice and pastries as well as chatting with them. It was quite overwhelming to see all these people. I even met the man that slept under the window. He's John and he's been coming here for a long time. I have heard so many other unbelievable life stories as well. There's this 18-year-old guy that comes here. He's from Alaska and had been making some bad choices lately, so his parents gave him 500 dollars and sent him to San Francisco to get a job in a week. They wanted him to grow up. And now he's here hanging out with homeless people at Ellis Street and in its neighborhood. He's not taking any drugs or using alcohol and we're praying that he'll get a hold of his life.
It hasn't been easy here, but I ve only been here for a while. If it was for me I would just run back home and live safely in there. But on the other hand I know that God didn't send me here for no reason and if I did go back home already it wouldn't be obeing Him. I think this will be so good time for me. And God has encouraged me with some words from His heart.
"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of
the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Matthew 25:40
So I know that I'm doing a valuable work here and everyone's been so greatful for having me here. I didn't pray for God to lead me to a nice and luxurious place, I was asking Him to use me.
When hearing that this is my first time in the States, everybody's always reminding me that it's not like this in all the places in America. I'm hoping to see the other side of this continent aswell.
When hearing that this is my first time in the States, everybody's always reminding me that it's not like this in all the places in America. I'm hoping to see the other side of this continent aswell.
Hei, olipa ihana löytää, että sulla on blogi. Kyyneleet silmissä täällä Helsingissä sitä luen. Jotenkin vaan se, kun saa nähdä ihmisten kulkevan Jumalan tahdossa, saa jotain mussa liikkumaan... oon niin iloinen, että sä olet siellä. Ja Jumala on sun kanssa. Älä pelkää, sillä Hän on sun suoja! Love.
ReplyDelete