Recap of Washington, DC Trip
The Yo-Pros served with City. Service. Mission. (CSM) in Washington, D.C., on June 6-9. We ministered to the new summer interns on their final weekend before hosting middle school and high school groups for the rest of the summer.
The City
The Yo-Pros learned about the complex issues facing the citizens beyond the touristy political areas of the National Mall. The District of Columbia was the first predominantly African American city in the country. It is divided into 8 districts. Districts 7 and 8 suffer from food insecurity, which means both that they struggle to find food and obtain food that is healthy. There are only a few grocery stores in those districts. That area also suffers from gentrification. The predominately African American community is being pushed out by new development. We reflected on the rich culture and history of the city as we toured the Anacostia Community Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Our group prayer walked through many of the districts, praying for both our political leaders and those in need. We experienced family-owned ethnic restaurants each night for dinner: Salt & Pepper (Indian), Ben’s Chili Bowl, and Peruvian Brothers.
The Service
CSM serves with many organizations throughout the community that work to alleviate food insecurity in D.C. We played with students at an after-school program called City Gate. We worked in the garden run by the Garden Guild at the Franciscan Monastery. The garden is a really beautiful setting completely run by volunteers. The Yo-Pros pulled weeds, picked up clippings, planted, and watered. Once all the food is full-grown, it is distributed to organizations that give the food away for free to those in need. The next day, we packaged fruits, vegetables, grains, and baby supplies at Food Justice DMV. Afterward, we delivered the healthy food to families. It was an honor to come alongside groups that are making a difference and are knowledgeable about food distribution.
The Mission
Throughout the week, we discussed the meaning of “blessed.” Groups that serve with CSM often come away feeling “blessed” by the food they consume on a daily basis. However, God has a different meaning for the word “blessed” than how we commonly use it. The world uses the word selfishly, saying they are “blessed” when something good happens or when they receive material things. Jesus says in Matthew 5 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Many of Jesus’ examples of blessed people in the rest of the chapter are contrary to what we would normally imagine. The dictionary states that “blessed” is to be “made holy or to be endowed with divine favor or protection.” We are “blessed” when we experience a holy disruption in our lives when we focus on our relationship with God and the grace he offered us. The Yo-Pros are now focused on how we can take what we learned about food insecurity in D.C. and share God’s blessing with others in Rock Hill. Please come alongside us and pray for CSM in Washington D.C. as well as ways the Yo-Pros can be hospitable to those in our own city of Rock Hill.
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