So Cal Youth Ministry

***WARNING: This is not the typical "happy post" that I usually post. I find so much joy in what I do, and I typically write about that, and the triumphs, but today something is on my heart and I really felt like writing about it. So feel free to read, think and comment, but just keep in mind it's not the norm.***

I've mentioned before that I grew up in Oregon. And not only in Oregon, but in relatively small towns in Oregon. I have parents that taught me well... especially when it came to racism and hate. I learned from a very young age that the color of someone's skin was just that... a physical characteristic. That it didn't make them any less of a person. I also learned that we should love people regardless... that Jesus died for EVERYONE... not just the people we like. Those lessons were so important for me to learn. Because of the way I was raised and the person that God has made me, I really don't notice race as anything more than a physical characteristic... like blond hair or brown hair, green eyes or blue eyes, short or tall... Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the world that I live in.

Our church is multinational. It's even in the name. Cerritos Crossroads MULTINATIONAL Church of the Nazarene/Mas Que Vencedores (yes it's long, but it's who we are). We speak 5 different languages officially and several others unofficially. We live in an area where this is not uncommon... Granted, it is a bit uncommon in the church... but southern California is full of different cultures and languages and nationalities.

It is also full of hatred and racism. I get so frustrated when I see that. I don't understand how people can feel so much disdain towards another human being simply because of the way they look, or where they were born, or where their GREAT GRANDPARENTS were born! It doesn't make sense to me.

That hatred translates in so many different ways. One of those became very real for some of my teens this week. A girl at one of the many local high schools in the area was shot and killed. She was the friend of one of my girls. She was killed at a party when someone came in and shot her. I don't know the details, but I know it was gang related... and gangs are driven by the need for power and surrounded by racial issues which often turns into hatred for no apparent reason.

It breaks my heart to see these things happening... and happening right in front of me. My heart goes out to this girl's family and friends. This isn't the first time something like this has impacted my teens. I continue to thank God for keeping them safe and pray that they continue to make good choices and stay out of harm's way.

Gangs are very real. I never really realized that until I moved here. But now that I'm here and closer than ever to real people affected by real gangs, I am driven to do something. Gangs are full of kids who need Jesus. And I honestly believe that Jesus can really and truly save these kids and change their lives.