Draggin' but Baggin'

So today was our last day of work. We took somewhere around 350 backpacks filled with school supplies to mainly Somali refugee families. We were pretty beat today but pressed on with good attitudes. We went to a Somali Mall and passed out the bags and then we went to two apartment complexes which we would call the "projects". We went into apartments where Somali families were living and it seemed as if we were transported to a different world. The walls were totally covered with bright bright fabric and the ceilings were covered with super bright colored tassels. We heard Somali music and saw all the women dressed head to toe. We delivered backpacks to families whom Antioch church has had a previous relationship with. We were also asked by many lookers on if they could have a bag and it was heartbreaking not to be able to supply everyone with a bag. A few teenage guys talked with me and Todd (pastor Brian's brother and pastor at Antioch). They talked about how it is hard it is to be in America but also how hard it is in Somalia "where it is hard to get food and water". Remember these are 17 year old guys. Another family was a lady with 13 kids who lived in a small apartment with only a window air conditioner. They were muslim and were fasting for ramadan and one of the girls even was not ashamed to pray towards Mecca while we were there. This family, even in their fasting, brought us bottles of water on a platter and shared what little they had with us. One of the teenage guys said that he would rather move back to a refugee camp in Somalia/Kenya just because he would be near his extended family. We laughed quite a bit about soccer and other things, but deep down we could only imagine the pain these guys were going through. Bryan and Alex ended up eating with an Ethiopian pastor and a few of his church members. They had traditional Ethiopian food and ate again with their hands. They also had the opportunity to hear the pastor share Christ with a muslim lady they visited.

What an awesome day!!! Once again there is more the kids can tell you at home, but overall it was a great trip and a lot was learned and experienced.