"They really needed our socks!"
In this session, the boys tour the Good News Rescue Mission, fundraise their own money, and gift mission guests with socks & treats that they shop for together at Walmart.
In this session, we talked about what it means to be followers of Jesus. We asked the boys, "Are we true followers of Jesus if we don't help the least?" We talk about how Jesus asks us to love others, and that love requires action. We are all going to heaven because we believe in Jesus, but to live a life as a follower we must let the Holy Spirit stir us to action to serve & love others!
We jumped into our bus and headed to the Good News Rescue mission where Nolan met us to give us a tour. Nolan showed the boys all the different programs the mission has to help people get on their feet. The boys couldn't believe how much help was available to the guests, and how ALL OF IT WAS FREE for them!
​We also ran into a police officer who was doing prevention work with the homeless so they don't end up in jail. It was a special treat that he took a few minutes to explain his job to us!
After the tour, we counted how much money the boys fundraised and headed to Walmart for a fun shopping expedition. With the $45 they raised, they bought 24 pairs of socks and a bag full of candies. It was really inspiring to hear he stories behind the money and how they each worked hard or shared from their savings to help the homeless.
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With arms full of gifts, we headed to the homeless camps where we were met by Paul Abbott, advocate and friend of many men & women who live on the street. His ministry associates from Shasta Thrive joined us for the walk-through of the camps where the boys got their first-ever hands-on experience doing street ministry. The boys handed out socks, listened to stories and made them feel seen.
At one point, we have a very 'opposite' experience ministering since one of the boys asked one of the homeless man for a Pepsi from a giant pack that he had, and he got one! We were there to give, but received as well. It was a fun, marking experience for us all.
By the end of the session, their perspective about homelessness was expanded to include new depths of compassion, love, understanding, hope, and humility. It was incredibly rewarding for the boys to have brought gifts bought with their own money to give away to the poor. God really showed up.
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Meet today's session sponsors and partners:
Paul Abbott has served in sustainable development and crisis response for 35 years in West Africa, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Congo, Kazakhstan, Laos, Papua New Guinea, China, Tibet, Indonesia, and Pakistan. He teaches Community Development internationally and brings with him insights essential to dealing with the homeless crisis in Redding. Paul, his wife Sonsoles and their two children moved to Redding three years ago where Paul worked as Outreach Coordinator for the Good News Rescue Mission. He presently serves as a director with Shasta Thrive to engage and equip churches to befriend and integrate the homeless into their faith communities.
Shasta Thrive - Shasta Thrive seeks the transformation and restoration of the most hurting parts of our community through meaningful relationships. https://www.shastathrive.org/
Good News Rescue Mission - We believe in the radical and unconditional love of the Father. A love so profound Jesus would pronounce forgiveness over the most unworthy, the most shameful and the most broken. We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to fill us with a love so deep, people can tangibly experience the love of God through us. We believe without love nothing else matters, for the absence of love is the absence of God. And what we believe defines how we live, because all of humanity needs to know the radical nature of the Father’s love. https://gnrm.org/