WorldIMPACT West Oakland

After the Stinson Beach experience, I had a day to relax at home and it was wonderful. I have not found myself bored yet, even if there isn't anything going on. I am not taking this time for granted, considering my life ahead of me will be busy starting in September - but until that point I will be relaxing as much as I can until I start my stint at WorldIMPACT in a week. For those of you who aren't aware of what I'll be doing here in Oakland, I will be working with youth and families in West Oakland. If you haven't heard about West Oakland before.. here is a site dedicated to what I'll be doing there, and the organization. http://www.citymissions.com/

Some info about the area:

Oakland, the eighth largest city in California, is separated from San Francisco by the Bay Bridge. This city, 60 square miles in area, had a 2000 urban population of 399,484. The city has a high percentage of nontraditional families, 33 percent of which are single-parent households. It is one of the most ethnically diverse and integrated cities in America. At least 81 languages and dialects are spoken with as many as 7 languages on one block.

Oakland is undergoing a major ethnic transformation. The Caucasian population is steadily declining; the African-American population is increasing slightly; the Asian and Latino populations are increasing dramatically.

The city is divided economically between the flatlands (urban poor) and the hills. A fire destroyed much of the hill affluence in 1991. This is being rebuilt more rapidly than the damaged area from the 1989 earthquake in the flatlands. East and West Oakland are divided by Lake Merritt and the downtown area.

World Impact’s ministry is in West Oakland’s Prescott community, a low income area struggling to recover from the Loma Prieta earthquake. Unemployment, homelessness, drugs, and crime are part of the daily life of the Prescott community.

I still have some fears about what I'll be doing in the neighborhood - it is far from structured, considering most of the things I will be doing are outreach, and meeting neighbors sharing the love of Christ with them. I believe the fear that I have is correlated with the unknown, and also with being outside of my safe haven of Keizer, Oregon. I've never done anything like this before, and my faith is being tested to the extreme. I know God wants me here, way more than I want me here. I'm not going to give up because of my fear. I need to be a part of this community, and help transform lives. I need to get over my fear of shootings, gangs, homelessness, and the like, and take this unique role I have, as an honor that God would even consider me for the job. I'm thankful for this time that I will have to pray and reflect before I leave and I'm thankful for the support from Matt Roth, my incredible fiance.