Just a few observations about the High School mission trip with YWAM Mission Adventures in San Francisco. After doing this trip for five years I have to say that it’s the best way to expose kids to inner-city missions. San Francisco is such a diverse city and the various neighborhoods are so accessible. The YWAM program fits in perfectly with our church’s emphasis on being “Learners, Servants and Storytellers.” Opportunities range from packing food in a food bank to offering a cup of hot chocolate to people on Polk Street on a chilly night.
Something that I appreciate about the YWAM staff is the way that they bring the whole Gospel to the whole person (to steal the tagline of the Imago Dei community.) It’s easy for me to see the drug dealers who are feeding off the addicts in the Tenderloin as pure scum. But Markus, our guide for the week, encouraged me to see the other side of the story–the dealer is suffering too, and in his own way an addict.
I can’t think of any better way to open kids’ eyes to the social realities of our world, the complexities of sin and the power of effective prayer. Every kid who goes on this trip comes back changed. They come back deeper in soul, more willing to take risks, more committed to make changes.