Almost 90 students made cardboard box “homes” for themselves, slept in the Holland Rescue Mission parking lot in mid-november, and became homeless for a night. “H3,” as we called it, (for “helping the hungry and homeless”) was a venture on our part to take a step to enter into God’s heart for the poor, and to raise money, resources, and awareness, for those right in our backyard who live on the margins of life.
Our students constructed a gigantic cardboard city, stayed up most of the night, and loved it. They collected over $2000 for the local mission, as well as a veritable mountain of clothes and food to donate.
I watched them at 3 am with numb feet and tired eyes gather around the burn barrel, play cards, and talk about what life is like on the “other side of the tracks,” with one of those, “I’ve never been prouder of all of you, even though I’d really like to be in my own bed right now” feelings.
I had a conversation with an adult from our church about H3, and as I described it, they couldn’t believe that there are teenagers on planet Earth that would voluntarily subject themselves to this. “Those kids must be crazy,” they remarked.
Yes, those kids are a little crazy.
jared ayers
student ministries
central wesleyan church
616.395.3139
www.nxtlevel.org
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