The San Francisco Experience

The first time I ever considered myself a missionary was when I moved to the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. I think the Tenderloin was my equivalent of being forged by fire.

The Tenderloin or "TL" is an impoverished district in San Francisco, taking up one square mile of the city, and housing over 37,000 people. After I moved there, God broke my heart for my neighbors, and forever changed my definition of community. In May, moved home to begin collecting support for Ireland, but when my San Francisco family needed leaders for conference, I was happy to get away for the weekend.

In one day, City Impact mobilized 1,800 volunteers to serve 8,000 meals and reach approximately 10,000 people with the love and kindness of Jesus Christ. I was excited to lead a group of 20 people in an outreach called "street ministry", where we walked down the streets talking to and praying for every person in our path! By the end of our route, people were coming up to us and asking us to pray for divine healing over terminal illnesses and once again I was astonished by the way God draws everyone to His love.

Needless to say, it was a good reminder that I don't need to be in San Francisco to reach people for Jesus and I don't need an organized outreach to do something good for someone else. I can make a difference right where I am and that is the beauty of God's love. It doesn't require anything fancy, just your heart.