Los Angeles Missions Trip Information Meeting Document Version CREW Middle School Ministry Shadow Mountain Community Church July 31 August 5th
Welcome! Thank you for your interest in the LA Mission Trip! This is my absolute favorite trip that we do and I know it is for many students as well! This summer s trip will mark my 8 th LA Mission Trip with the CREW and I m eager to see who will be joining us this summer and how the trip will impact them. Simply put, I love this trip because I see it change students. When they come back their views of people in poverty become less narrow, their idea of what it means to serve becomes more tangible, and they realize that the mission field is not just across a border, but all around them. I know when it comes to a trip like this you probably have a lot of questions. This document was written up to proactively answer as many of those questions as possible and to also let you know why we value this trip so much. Of course, it can t answer every question, so feel free to contact me with any additional questions you may have. God Bless, Krista Gonzales CREW Middle School Ministry Coordinator Krista.gonzales@shadowmountain.org 619-5990-1726 Questions Answered: Why do we love the LA Mission Trip? 3-4 What is CSM? 5 What does a typical day look like with CSM? 6 How much does the trip cost? 7 Additional FAQ 8 What s next? 9 2
Why do we love the LA Mission Trip? Top Ten Reasons #10 Sight Seeing! Although this is NOT a tourist trip, we do often have the opportunity (sometimes by accident) to see some iconic parts of the city! In past trips we have seen the Hollywood Sign, gone to the Griffith Observatory, walked around Little Tokyo, and hung out at Santa Monica. #9 The Food! If you talk to anyone who has been on this trip, they will rave about the food! Every night for dinner, we go to an authentic, family owned restaurant and enjoy food from different cultures. In the past we have sampled Thai, Armenian, Salvadorian, Nicaraguan, Peruvian, India, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine. #8 Culture! In such a diverse city it is easy to experience culture in many ways other than just food. There are 4 million people living within the LA city limits and of that number 48% are Latino, 28% are White, 14% are Asian, 9% are African American, and 0.7% are Native American. Also, according to the 2010 US census, about 35% of the population of LA was born outside of the US. #7 Our Ministry Partners! While in LA, we work with many different ministries and organizations that are already established in the city such as missions, soup kitchens, the Food Bank, churches, retirement homes, and women s shelters. These ministries know the best ways to meet needs and often just need some extra hands to do it! Going to these many different places helps us to see the many ways that people minister to those in need in LA. #6 Our Anchor Sites! Though we experience multiple ministries, we also have a consistent ministry that we pour into through out the week. We call this our anchor site. Typically, our anchor sites are Salvation Army Centers that run after school programs during the school year and a day camp during the summer. We are able to build relationships with kids there as we play with them or run a VBS program with them. 3
#5 The Friend You Make! This Trip is much smaller than most of our other trips. In fact, we are only able to bring 28 people total including students and leaders. That 28 is then broken up into two different serving groups. You will spend a lot of time with these 13 other people and by the end you will probably be great friends! #4 You Get to Hear Others Stories! On this trip we serve in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it is behind the scenes, but many times, we get the opportunity to sit and talk with the people we are serving. This humanizes people and often breaks down the stereotypes students have about people in poverty or homelessness. Students often leave realizing that there is not so much different between them and the people they are serving and with a new sense of compassion for them. #3 Learn to Share Your Faith During our training (which will be discussed further later) we challenge each student to, not only be able to share his or her testimony, but to be able to clearly explain the gospel. We want to be prepared to explain who we are representing and why we are serving. Several students on past trips have had opportunity to publicly share their faith. #2 See God Work This trip provides opportunities for students to be the hands and feet of Jesus. For many this may be the first time when they really feel like God is using them and working through them. Students can see that they are meeting tangible needs and giving hope to people. They see their own prayers answered and hear of God working in the lives of others. #1 IT IS FUN! You might think that a week of doing services projects would be tiring and boring, but that s not true a all! This trip is so much fun! Often when we serve, the Lord gives us joy that we simply cannot explain and that it just as true while we are in LA. Combine that with the friends you make during your time there, and you have a recipe that makes this the favorite trip for many students! 4
What is CSM? CSM stands for Center for Student Missions and is the organization we work with while in Los Angeles. Simply put, we could not do this trip without them! CSM has sites in 11 different cities in the US and has been established in Los Angeles since 1999. As CSM President Dan Reeve says, At CSM, we think two things are really important students having a mission experience that helps them become missional leaders and local ministries that receive the support they need to make a lasting difference in the city and among those God brings there. To fulfill this these objectives, CSM takes church groups like our and connects them with ministries in the city that are already doing great things! This trip would not go smoothly if our group tried to google different ministry opportunities ourselves. Instead, we go through CSM, who has existing partnerships with these ministries. They know what is needed and what we can do to truly be helpful to them. CSM does so much more than just pairing us with ministries. They also: Provide us with training materials CSM helps us to have an effective and meaningful trip long before we set foot in LA. They provide us with training material to prepare us so that we can make the most of our time on mission. Provide us with City Hosts We get two City Hosts (1 per serving group) During our time in LA. These City Hosts intern with CSM for the summer. They go every where with us and serve alongside us. They are invaluable for many reasons. First, they coordinate our schedules. They keep track of where we are supposed to be and when for both ministry time and mealtime. They also communicate with the various ministry sites so that we know what we need to do and what to be prepared for. These Hosts also help to facilitate a time for debriefing at the end of the day when students get to talk about and process what they have experienced. Housing CSM also provides housing for all participants. We don t have to worry about finding hotels for all the students. We stay in a church with bedrooms, showers, and a kitchen area for the duration of our trip. This not only safer, but also keeps costs down for the trip. 5
What does a typical day with CSM look like? Wake up & breakfast at the housing site. Wake up times vary daily depending on our schedule for the day, but generally we are up pretty early. Breakfast usually consists of a variety of cold cereal and milk options and bagels with cream cheese. Ministry Sites After breakfast we depart to varied ministry sites. The sites and activities we participate in vary greatly. We could be sorting food at the Food Bank, serving breakfast at a mission, making lunches to be handed out, playing bingo with patients at a retirement home, sorting through clothing donations, or whatever we can do to be a blessing to the ministry. Lunch and Devotions After serving in the morning, we head to a nice park to eat our sack lunches that we made that morning and spend some time in God s Word using a devotional we have made. It is really nice to take a break mid way through the day to discuss scripture and what God says about service and the poor. Anchor Sites In the afternoon we go to the same center and get to hang out with kids! We may be doing a VBS, or simply joining them in what they are doing. Either way, if it great to build relationships and share God s love with these young people. Dinner and Debriefing Dinner is enjoyed with both serving groups together at a local, family owned, ethnic restaurant. The food is always delicious and we recommend you try everything. After dinner, our hosts lead us in a debriefing exercise to help us process what we have done and share with the other team. Return to the Housing Site Finally, it s back home to the housing site where we get to relax, maybe take a shower, and get ready for another day! 6
How much does it cost? Trip cost: $350 This covers: - transportation - housing - meals - any training costs. It does not cover: - Snacks - Souvenirs - CSM t-shirts (sold the last day) We know this is no small chunk of change, but we believe it is worth every penny! The amount of activities packed into this one-week and the cultural immersion is, in our opinion, equivalent to other international mission trips of much higher price points.however, we don t expect you to pay it all out of pocket! We have two things to help you raise that money! Support Letters & SMCC Short Term Missions Support Application Support Letters Many missionaries serving locally and abroad have to raise support. We want to give you this experience too! When you commit to going on the trip, we will give you a packet full of support letter materials. It s pretty simple! You will need to send out 20 letter to family, friends, coaches, teachers, Sunday school teachers, or anyone else who you think might want to support you. All they have to do is tear off the bottom of the letter and return it with a payment in the return envelope. Please return the completed, but unsealed envelopes to the CREW by July 3 rd and we will send them out for you! The more support you get from others, the less you have to pay out of pocket! If you do not want to send letters asking for financial support, we ask that you still send out 20 letters asking for PRAYER support. If you would like to write your own letters, please email Krista for a template. Part of the idea of these letters is that you are inviting others to be a part of your trip and letting others see God at work as well! We think that this experience will be a blessing to you and those that you send letters to! SMCC Short Term Mission Application Our church is an awesome supporter of missions all over the globe and they love to see members go on their own trips as well! That is why we ask that you fill out this application and our church will make a small donation to each person! This is already figured into the cost of the trip, so it won t show up as a donation, but ut does help us out a lot! 7
Additional FAQs Can parents go? Yes! We do welcome parents on this trip! However, we only have 28 spots total for this trip, so please sign up as soon as possible! Is it safe? YES. This trip is very safe and we have never had an incident. CSM has many connections within the city and they understand where is safe and where is not. For example, we may serve at several missions at Skid Row, but we do not spend time out on Skid Row just walking around. Also, we are always in groups with whatever we are doing. Finally, many of the rules we go over during preparation establish safe behaviors and guidelines for the trip. How do we prepare? We have one mandatory training day on Friday, July 8 th. This will be an all day event for everyone involved. Parents are welcomed to join us for this training, but are not required to be there. If there is an unavoidable conflict with this date, please contact Krista immediately. Is there a specific dress code? Yes! In order to serve safely and be respectful of other cultures we encounter, there is a specific dress code. We will go over it in detail during the training meeting. What is the impact? Part of why this trip is a favorite of so many is because it has a lasting impact. Years later, students still remember the names, faces, and stories of those they encountered. There opinions of people in poverty and homelessness are forever changed. Also, students some back wanting to find a way to serve in their own communities. This is a trip that comes home with them. 8
What s next? So by now hopefully you are excited and wanting to serve in LA with us? Here is what to do now! Step 1: Sign up and get your deposit in! You can sign up at CREW services on Wednesday or weekends or anytime by calling 619-590-1711. Also, putting a small deposit down helps us to know that you are serious! Step 2: Start on your support letters and SMCC Missions Application! The sooner you get your letters in, the sooner you will start getting funded! Please get these letters back to us by July 3 rd. Step 3: Attend the training meeting! Mark your calendars for the mandatory training meeting on July 8 th! This training is vital to the success of our trip! Step 4: Pray! Start praying now for our trip! It s never too early! Ask God to work in our hearts now as we prepare for the trip and while we are in LA! If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to call or email us! We look forward to serving with you! 9