I was unprepared for the quickness and eagerness of teenage boys when there are limited shower facilities available and a short amount of time to use said facilities. It puzzled me until I realized that there were teenage girls present on our trip. Because of the ensuing waiting line, I was late for breakfast and thus the Youth Mission Leader Coffee House Order. This day was starting out bad. My back was already quite out of sorts because of my restless night on the YWAM mattress. It was a mattress in the sense that it was vaguely rectangular and a bit squishy in consistency, and it offered all the support of a bag of creamed corn.
After a breakfast of a dozen farm fresh Advil, we all gathered to worship.
After worship we were divided into our groups for the week. These were color-coded and the student leaders provided fun gifts and souvenirs for the team members. Though no one said it out loud, many believed that the 46” LCD TVs given to the Blue Team were somewhat excessive, even if they did have a blue case. Also, the Dusty Rose team felt a bit hamstrung by the lack of suitable Dusty Rose merchandise to use as gifts.
Our first assignment was a “Get-To-Know-The-Neighborhood” scavenger hunt. Our team attacked the list with gusto, quickly running through the activities. We felt that the extra credit item of getting into a knife fight with a crack addict was more suited to older kids and chose not to do it. KIDDING! Though the students did initially believe that we may have to get items from the homeless, the assignments involved several tasks to help the homeless, which seemed much better.
Our Green Team won the challenge and were granted exemption from any mission work for the rest of the week, which was nice. Unfortunately, the other teams threatened to quit, so we reconsidered and will continue to work. The losing teams did not receive Rice-A-Roni, The San Francisco Treat, as a lovely parting gift, which was disappointing, being in San Francisco and all.
After lunch, the doors of YWAM were opened for a dessert social for the homeless of the district. Kim Katopodis and her crew did an amazing job decorating the hall in a lovely “Enchantment Under the Seas” theme using only duct tape, old Coke cans, and gum wrappers. We were able to welcome many homeless to sit and enjoy a bowl of ice cream and some fellowship. Many of our students were able to have nice conversations and learn more about the people sitting at their tables in a very relaxed, non-threatening atmosphere.
Then we had a couple hours of free time and I took three guys down to Powell Street, which is the heart of shopping district in San Francisco. Being guys, we immediately stopped into the tacky souvenir t-shirt shops and grabbed that legendary San Francisco delicacy, Subway. They held the belching to a minimum, though, which was nice. Just to prove we were in San Francisco, we took a photo of a cable car, a quaint, old-fashioned mode of transportation, in which the only thing they have modernized is the excessive fare they charge for a ride of about a mile.
We returned for supper and to get ready for the final event of the evening, called “Hot Chocolate Evangelism.” Basically, the staff had the kids drink several dozen mugs of hot chocolate and eat donuts and then released them onto the streets to engage the homeless with their youthful vigor. Not really! Another funny joke! Who says the homeless situation is no laughing matter (Answer—readers of this blog perhaps?). The kids did go out to the large plazas where the homeless congregate and offer them a cup of hot chocolate and conversation or prayer. This was especially welcome, as the temperature had sunk into the low 50s. I drank most of the hot chocolate before the kids figured it out. I was their leader, so I needed to be comfortable in order to lead effectively, I reasoned.
The evening ended with a reveal of tomorrow’s plan... which should provide a great deal of material for tomorrow’s blog.
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