Uffizi Mission Project

“A Place Where You Belong” – by Bethany Marroquin

It has been a surprisingly chilly summer for what is usually sunny Santa Barbara – overcast mornings and cloud cover that lasts into the afternoon.  But on Thursday afternoons, regardless of the weather, you will find dozens of kids from the Village and Carrillo packed into the Village pool, laughing, screaming, and blowing water out of pool noodles at anything that moves.  I’ve heard that the Village pool is colder than the Pacific Ocean.  That sounds about right to me.  Every Thursday, I hover by the stairs in the shallow end and try to ease myself into the freezing water – first up to my ankles, then up to my knees.  But inevitably the little girls try to help me “get used to it” by splashing up all the water their little hands can hold, and that tends to attract the older kids, who are just looking for someone to soak with their noodle cannons.  By that point, “easing into it” has kind of lost relevance.  Sometimes you just have to jump in.

I’ve learned how to carry four girls in the water at once (hint: it involves the use of an inflatable pool ring). I’ve learned that “Vueltas!” means “Spin me around as fast as you can!” and “Brinca!” means “You stand in the pool and let me jump off the side into your arms!”  The littlest girls especially love this game.  Their absolute trust – and daring – completely astounds me.  These girls are three years old, and none of them can swim.  But when they see me in the water with my arms open, they don’t hesitate.

I leave the pool early to dry off and head to the one-room library in the Village community center.  We have had so many books donated that we’re running out of space for them on the shelves – a wonderful dilemma to have.  We usually get eight or ten kids coming in on Thursdays after swimming, and four kids have already gotten to go to our treasure chest, which is filled with surprises for those who bring back three books on time.  Goosebumps and Junie B. Jones books are the most popular, though the Babysitter’s Club has a wide following among the female interns.   Sometimes the books come back to us; sometimes they don’t.  But the kids keep coming.  We’ve had several girls come in just to draw on blank pieces of paper, in a quiet place where they feel welcome.  On the library wall, colorful block letters read: “A Place Where You Belong.”  And as much as I want the kids to be reading (and returning) their books, giving them a place to belong is the real purpose.  I think that’s been the goal of this summer, in ways that extend far beyond the library.

There’s a quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi that goes, “Preach the gospel at all times.  If necessary, use words.”  I remember listening to debate over that sentiment in a Religious Studies class at Westmont.  Are we really preaching the gospel if we’re not talking about it?  Do actions really stand alone?  What differentiates gospel-living from secular social work if Christ isn’t definitively proclaimed as Lord?  I’m trying to remember, now, if I’ve spoken to any of these kids about Jesus.  I think I have, actually – he tends to pop up.  But there have been no lesson plans, no Bible stories, and there won’t be an altar call at the end of the summer.  When people at church ask about the mission work I’m doing, I talk about the madness of trying to give swimming lessons to twenty kids at once, or how important it is to the kids to get a bookmark and a book bag as they leave the library.  The kids have heard that Jesus loves them, and I’m going to keep telling them that – it’s the most beautiful thing they’ll ever know.  But I think they’re going to be closer to believing and understanding that when they know that we love them, and that we’re willing to jump into 60 degree water so we can catch them when it’s their turn.

***Bethany has been wonderful!  She is one of our summer interns – focusing on the West Side ***

Jeff

This post is from Alex Gross.  She is one of four interns who stayed in Apartment 55 at the Village.  This is her take on her summer experience experiencing Shalom in Santa Barbara  Thanks Alex!

Summer of Shalom
    “I have been surprised to find that I am given more life, more hope,
more moments of buoyancy and redemption, the more I give up. The more
I let go, do without, reduce, the more I feel rich.  The more I let
people be who they are, instead of cramming them into what I need from
them, the more surprised I am by their beauty and depth” (Niequist
159).  I re-read those sentences over and over again. Mayterm had just
ended, I had made one final trip up north and my focus was finally
fully devoted to the residents of the Village Apartments.  I cracked
open Cold Tangerines, by Shauna Niequist and when I hit the chapter
entitled “Shalom,” I knew I was in for a treat.  As I read the chapter
and eventually came across the previous paragraph I had true,
undeniable clarity.  I was in the midst of a summer of Shalom, a
summer of appreciation and peace.
    It was a known fact that I would be working at Hume Lake Christian
Camps the first summer of my college years since I was in Jr High.  It
may have been a fact in my world, but God had a whole different vision
in mind.  As the weeks went by last spring I waited daily for Hume to
call and offer me a job at the snack shop or even on the janitorial
staff.  During this season I found myself becoming more deeply
involved with the West Side ministry at Westmont.  I helped out over
spring break and drove down when homework would permit to visit the
students I had met over the course of the week.  It became clear as
the weeks and days went on that God wanted me there.  It suddenly
seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime to live in Apartment 55 in
the Village Apartments.  Thus, I found myself moving out of my dorm
room and into the apartment the last week of May.
    The first week of mayterm was coming to an end and I was suddenly
asking myself,  “what in the world did I get myself into?”  I was
missing, for the first time since I had moved, Turlock.  My dads
cooking, my laundry room, and a summer in the central valley looked
much better than it ever had before.  I withheld the temptation to go
home that first week more times than one and listened to the clear
voice that was saying loud and clear, be present and be here.  So
here, is where I stayed.  And I can now look back and say that it is
the best decision I made all summer.
    By mid July my weekly schedule was finally set in stone.
I worked in the Westmont admissions office everyday from two to five,
Monday nights was a bible study with the younger girls at  the Carillo
apartments, Tuesdays I met with Jeff and my roommates, Wednesdays
entailed more meetings, Thursdays were Younglife, which all lead to
the highlight of my week; Friday night bible study with the Jr high
girls.  Even when I was not at one of these events, just being at home
meant being in the midst of the beautifulness that lead up to them.
     Monday night bible studies- “Shalom happens when we do the hardest
work, the most secret struggle, the most demanding truth telling”
(Niequist 160).  I met two girls from the Carrillo Apartments over Spring Break in Santa
Barbara.  The two fifth grade girls lived in the Carillo apartments
across from the Village and seeing their homes absolutely broke my
heart.  Over spring break I got to know the girls on a surface level
but the day they found out I moved in the village I earned the title
of “big sister.”  During a trip to Yogurtland in early June I asked
the girls if they would like a bible study..maybe Monday nights at
six?  A few nights later there were six girls knocking on our door at
five till six. These girls became the core
girls that showed up every week.  Fifth and sixth grade girls are
vicious, very vicious. They had a lot of drama to work out and it was
both a struggle and blessing to hold their hands during those first
few weeks. Romans twelve became the theme of out bible study talks.
“If at all possible, as far as it depends, live at peace with
everyone.”  This one line seemed to get through to the girls as the
weeks went one.  Less tears have been shed and girls who were once
enemies love to show us how much they are getting along because they
know it makes us proud.  Those girls come over often and I love having
them over.  Two girls asked me over spring break if  I would be
their camp counselor at Kids camp that summer.  Back then I gave a
“probably not but we’ll see,” and I could not stop smiling as we got
in to bed the first night of camp and one of these girls said, “ See, I told you
that you would be our counselor at the camp.”
    5:45 AM is extremely early.  6:00 AM is extremely early to walk into
an over crowded community center and wait in line for a cup of coffee.
 6:05 AM on Wednesday mornings has made it all worth it.  There have
been quite a few Westmont Students this summer that have found their
way in and out of Santa Barbara, jumping in and out of this summer of
Shalom.  In order for all of us to keep our sanity, and have the
community that is needed, we all gather Wednesday mornings for our
Shalom Meetings at 6 AM in the community center.  I absolutely love
those meetings.  Together we read, processed, and discussed Santa
Barbara outside of the Westmont lens.  Together we faced the poverty
that dwells in our city, together we sought guidance from our elders,
together we formed a different sort of community.  6 AM is extremely
early, but there is something about that early morning hour that
brought about a unique since of joy and strength.  Looking back, it
was during those meetings that Shalom was tangible, plausible, and a
guaranteed reality.
    Young Life. I had never even heard of the organization until Westmont
and little did I know how much I would end up loving the program when
I showed up at the first meeting this summer.  There are about seven
of us students that show up on Thursday nights in an attempt to
entertain jr high and high school students for an hour or so... and
when it comes down to it none of us have a clue what we are doing.  We
are all pretty good at pretending but we are a new club with leaders
who are new to Young life.  So we do the best we can, and I have loved
the results.  Some of the students call it “the program.”  We play
basketball, watch a skit or two, hear some of the bible, and eat pizza
together at the end.  It has been awesome to see Christ in those
students.  I am excited for the next season of Young Life on the West
side.  God has started something pretty big in those students and I am
blessed enough to be here for three more years to watch the beginning
of it unfold.
     There are six girls that make
up our Friday night Jh High girls bible study.  We label it a bible
study but at times I am so tempted to call it a boy study.  Friday
nights are the night we intentionally gather but these girls are my
neighbors.  Not a day has gone by that I have not been stopped walking
to my car, to get my laundry, or to get the mail without hearing about
someone’s boyfriend or about the outfit they plan on wearing to the
movies that night. Dominique claimed me as her mentor in May and I am
blessed to have been able to spend time with her.  She will be a
freshmen in high school next year and she has more questions than I
could have imagined.  I absolutely love answering each and every one
of them.  I could write on and on about each one of the girls because
they have all impacted me in such tremendous ways.  It has been great
to be apart of their circle, get to know their secret code language,
and walk with them during this season of life.
    I have learned more this summer then I did my whole freshmen year at
Westmont.  I met Jesus in a way I had never before.  It has been a
summer of Shalom and it is my prayer that this would turn into a life
time of Shalom.  I have started relationships with these girls and I
am to close to walk away now.  For the first time I have invested
prayer and relational time into specific people for a long period of
time.  I have found a whole new meaning of community and church.  I
have seen the struggles of being a single moms and felt the burden of
young girls being not only a daughter but roommate, best friend, and
babysitter too.  It is my prayer that these girls find the holistic
healing of Jesus.  Because of them I have fallen more in love with
Jesus and am trusting Him more and more. It was on my lesson plan to
“cultivate my own spiritual life.”  I would say that cultivate is an
understatement. I have better knowledge of who Jesus Christ is and
have thus been compelled into action by love.  Working at Hume Lake
could have been great but this has been so much better than that.  I
am thankful for the spirit and the conviction to stay this summer.
Romans twelve was the theme of our bible study with the carillo girls
and I pray I daily  to live out the words written in that chapter.
“Therefore I urge you brothers to offer up your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of
worship.”  I learned this summer that when I live this out I am most
satisfied in Him. It was through the hardships of this summer  and the
ones  I will face the rest of my life that will produce the sweet
essence of Shalom. “And when you have tasted it, smelled it, fought
for it, labored it into life, you’ll give your soul to get a little
more, and it is always worth it.
    Shalom” (Niequist).