SMT Central – Update #1

Hello, Hola, Mabuhay, Kon’nichiwa!

What an exciting first week it has been at the Detroit Harbor Light! To share a little about us, we are quite the culturally diverse team. We have 3 internationals this year, 2 members from Japan and 1 member from the Philippines. The rest of the team members come from Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois.

Our first day at the Harbor Light was an adventure as we participated in a Food Stamp Challenge where, as a team, we would be buying lunch with only $9.80 from the Dollar Store. We tried to make it as healthy as possible and enjoyed our delicious Spaghetti lunch made by Aika and Lucas. Major James and Capt. Jamie, the officers at the Harbor Light & our hosts, joined us in the challenge and shared about the struggles that many families face when they can’t afford enough food or healthy meals.

We spent most afternoons (4-6 hours) in the Bed & Bread truck that feeds the homeless in the city. Last month they served nearly 87,000 meals. Wow! And we got to be a part of that this week! We rode in the trucks, helped make sandwiches, and prepared the lunch bags. There are so many people doing their part to help this community. One of those individuals was the truck driver Greg. During our time in the truck he shared his testimony with us about how he used to be homeless, and how God completely changed his life and now he gets to help others.

God is very much present in Detroit and it was evident through the officers, soldiers and community members we met. After some busy days of preparing and handing out food, Capt. Jamie always had a special dinner idea planned, like Detroit pizza, Polish food, Asian Food, and a Middle Eastern Feast.

There are so many different types of programs going on at the Harbor Light, and we only got a glimpse of it all. We sat in for a prayer meeting, a Bible Study, led a Minute to Win it Night for the men in the detox unit, and a Carnival Night for the women and kids at the shelter. We also helped with cleaning a kitchen and a filing room.

A special moment for us was also participating in the Revival Meeting that took place on Friday. Aika, Eri, Kish and Shannon opened the meeting up with a worship dance to “What a Beautiful Name” and the whole team also did a skit. God is doing great things at the Harbor Light through Major James, Capt. Jamie and the staff. Please be praying for the homeless community in Detroit and in your cities. We’ve made our way to St. Louis and can’t wait to see what God will reveal to us this week.

Thanks,
Central Team