Yesterday I had the pleasure of being introduced to a ministry that truly made my day. Daybreak Ministries is in the heart of the projects of DC and is an after school program in one of the toughest public school systems in the States. The kids are from several different schools, but the same neighborhood. Most of them don’t have a chance to do homework or study at all once they leave the classroom, so the people at Daybreak are trying to provide them with a structured environment that will love and challenge them.
Of all the days for us to pick, we chose their last day for the semester to join them. Yesterday was their Christmas party, so their typical structured environment became one of controlled chaos. We were pairing up before the kids showed up and I was paired with Andrea. She has been in charge of the first through third graders and warned me that it would be a little loud. I wasn’t expecting what came through the doors. Immediately, the kids rushed through and the volume level increased drastically. I already felt a headache on the way.
Our first task was to take the younger ones upstairs for a Bible study and homework time. Since it was their last day, most of the kids didn’t have homework which just added to the chaos. Fortunately for me, I was asked to sit with a couple of the little girls to help them through their spelling homework. Even though they yelled at each other back and forth most of the time, they kept scooting in closer to me, working hard, and we eventually made it through. It was quite the challenge.
After all the studying and schoolwork was completed we went downstairs for the celebration. Waiting for us downstairs was a Nintendo Wii, plenty of cookies to decorate, and all you can drink hot chocolate. While this just increased the volume of the room, it also increased the joy. I got to dish out some lessons on Mario Kart and cookie decorating and just got to love on the kids along the way. I’m not sure what I was expecting to come out of our time there, but after just a few short hours, it was hard to watch the kids leave.
I was able to talk a little with Andrea and hear a little more of the mission once all the kids left. The goal of the program is to eventually move completely into the neighborhood. They don’t want to just show up in the afternoon for tutoring, but they want to be there for the kids at any time of the day or night. I loved hearing her heart for total immersion into a culture that may be in the same country, but totally different. I have never experienced the things most of these elementary kids are facing and they need help. They need people to not just tutor them, but truly mentor them and grow up with them.
A lot of times when we hear, “sell everything and live with the poor”, we think of leaving the country. Being in DC has shown me the poverty that our country has but sweeps under the rug too often. I have been blessed to see what people are doing in their own neighborhoods this week and am encouraged to have an impact wherever I am.
