Spring Break: Mission Arlington

Elli.  Olivia.  Josh.  Names on a paper.  All three of these children belong to an apartment community called Cedar Place.  Each day at 3:45 pm they would be outside, waiting for our big white van to pull into their parking lot in anticipation for Rainbow Express.  Sometimes, they would wear the same clothes they wore the day before, on others they would look very put together in their white and blue school uniforms.  Rainbow Express plays host to a variety of children; it’s easy to deal with the happy children or the quiet, shy ones that don’t know what to do with strangers.  But then, you get the stubborn ones.  The ones that keep their arms crossed, held close as if hugging themselves would make everything better.  The ones that wear the defiant looks most of the time, but sometimes it will slip to show the frustration and hopelessness of their situation.  These are eight, nine, ten year olds that have already seen too much and still have a lot to see in a world that just doesn’t seem to care.  Luckily, these same kids happen to live in a city where God is working through a wonderful group called Mission Arlington based in Arlington, Texas. 

            Mission Arlington provides food, clothes, medical help, furniture, and more to those that need it in the Arlington area.  They were founded by Miss Tillie Burgin, who now as a spry older woman, still manages to be the heart of Mission Arlington.  The first words she said to us were, “We did not invite you.  You are here because God called you here to do His work.”  Right away, she let all of us know what this week would be like.  Specifically, the week would focus on Rainbow Express, a vacation bible school, that was put on by junior high to college groups of students on spring break.  It was only one hour and thirty minutes for four days.  Six hours all together to reach a group of children that may have never heard the Gospel.  A tall order for many teenagers, but not for our God.  If one thing was continually preached to us during our worship services, it was the call to pray for boldness, pray for God to work through us, pray, pray, pray.  I find it funny how God makes things work together.  Here we are at Central, focusing on the theme of prayer in our lives, and we drive to Arlington, Texas to hear the very same thing.  God works in mysterious ways, indeed. 

            While the focus of the week is Rainbow Express, the mornings are filled by doing service projects all over the city.  Last year, we strengthened and repainted a playground set for one apartment complex.  But, this year, we got a bit more variety.  Our first day, we participated in a project called Drive and Ride.  Basically, we picked up donated furniture, brought it back to the Mission, then went back out again to deliver different furniture to disadvantaged citizens.  The joke, of course, that goes along with this job is that it never fails, “If you have a sleeper sofa, it’ll be on the second floor.”  And, Mission Arlington did not fail us.  Our first delivery was to a man who needed that sleeper sofa plus a queen sized bed and various other end tables.  While we got the sofa up the flight of stairs without too much of a tough time, granted this is coming from the girl who was downstairs looking on while laughing at the puffing red faces of the guys in the group, the queen sized bed was another story.  It took quite a bit of maneuvering and almost losing the bed to the flower beds below to finally get it into the man’s apartment.  The whole time this scene unfolded, all that replayed through my mind were the infamous words from Friends, “Pivot. Pivot! PIVOT!” 

            Finally, though, after an eventful morning and a packed lunch, we were ready to start Rainbow Express.  We started with a puppet show, and, yes, you read that right, we did puppet shows.  Every day for four days, we had two puppets named Ben and Charis that popped their little yarn heads over a table set on its side twice a day to basically act silly and make the kids laugh.  And, let me tell you, did these kids laugh!  I don’t know what it is about an arm in an over-decorated sock, but it drives children crazy!  As soon as they see the two puppets poke their heads up and start talking in those high-pitched voices, they perk up real quick.  Although, it does get a little precarious when some curious little ones decide they want to touch the puppet and pull it right off, but that’s another story…

            We continued the afternoon with a Bible story, games, and crafts/snacks.  Each day had a different story which led up to Wednesday, otherwise known as Salvation Day.  This is when we break out the colorful beads to make the salvation bracelets with each bead explaining some part of the salvation process.  While we did not have any children commit their lives for the first time to Jesus, several had already done so with their families which was very encouraging to hear!  After all this fun, however, the kids would have to go home, and we were responsible for getting them there. This provided parents the assurance that their children were being looked after.  In fact, this was one of the most stressed things by Mission Arlington: walk every child home and find out their needs. 

            What made this whole experience amazing, though, was the kids.  Despite those attitudes, each and every one of them had an impact on us, and by the end of the week, we could see a definite change in them, too.  Take Josh, for instance.  That first day he rode his bike in with a scowl on his face.  He would ride off then come back and join us, then he would ride off again.  He even got in a fight that we had to break up!  All over one little piece of chocolate.  Needless to say, don’t ever hand out chocolate coins; it drives kids to violence, apparently!  But, by Wednesday, there was a changing point.  For one, we brought him new clothes which he asked for, and as soon as he saw the blue pants we got him for school, he ran home and changed into them as quickly as he could.  He was so proud of one pair of used and faded blue pants.  After that, he was more open and friendly, a complete 180 from that first day.  Of course, while there were those troubled children, I’d feel wrong leaving out one ray of sunshine that literally became one of our brightest spots.  Landon.  That boy.  He was always smiling, always joyful, and he knew every Bible story we taught.  His favorite thing to do was sneaking up behind people to scare them.  Unfortunately, I seemed to be a favorite victim and got grabbed from behind more times than I care to admit.  Nevertheless, Landon was a testament to what God could do for someone being raised in not the best of situations: lack of furniture, bed bugs, lack of food or clothes, etc.  He knew Jesus, and you could tell just by the way he glowed!  He truly is a shining light for Him.

            To finish up,  I truly love Mission Arlington and all of its work.  They have created a unique place for God to work through.  He provides them the volunteers and the supplies needed to reach a ridiculous number of people each and every day all year.  They never have a break, but is there really ever a need?  Matt, one of the main workers, mentioned that if “seeing the happiness on someone’s face from you giving them food” is what makes it all worth it, then pretty soon you are going to burn out.  He is a firm believer that you need to have a passion for God and to do His work.  Go out!  Disciple people!  Does this include meeting their basic needs?  Yes.  But, don’t make that what’s worth it.  God is worth it.  He is so amazing; how can we not want to go out everyday and spread His love.  To share what He’s done for you, me, all of us.  Mission Arlington may seem radical in all their good deeds but that should be our normal!  Not this complacent, maybe helping someone out once in a while life we are leading now.  And, I know it’s difficult.  I’m still trying to figure out what living out what I did there looks like here, at Central Christian College in McPherson, Kansas.