Making a Difference…Bringing Restoration to Chicago
Last weekend, a group of students and a few adults from Geneva Lutheran Church in Geneva, IL spent a couple of days learning about restoration….
The team spent the weekend in Chicago serving with the Center for Student Missions. Among other things, they had the opportunity to take a prayer tour around Chicago, help rehabilitate a house for a family with seven children, serve a meal at soup kitchen, experience community in a diverse and welcoming church, and meet some very practical needs in the city.
Restoration can be defined as bringing something back to its original condition or re-establishing something that was once but is no longer. God’s mission is a great plan of restoration…to bring the relationship he once had with humanity back to its original condition and intent. Nate Jarot, one of the adult leaders, felt connected to this mission of restoring people by “listening to them, feeding them, and helping them with their burdens.” As Nate put it, we were able to “listen to people who have stories but no audience.”
Jesus was very intentional about bringing restoration to people who were seen as unimportant or lowly. He listened to their stories. He gave them an audience. And, he met real needs in their lives. In Matthew 25:31-46, he makes it very clear as to how we should treat “the least” of society—as if that person was Jesus himself. Billy Moser, a freshman in the group, embraced this idea during the weekend. He said, “They were homeless. In society, they are looked at as outcasts, rejects and dirty…Jesus hung out with the outcasts, rejects and dirty.”
As Christians, we have the amazing privilege to be agents of restoration. One of the first steps in bringing God’s restoration to another person is to see that person as God sees them. EB Moritz, a freshman, commented, “Just because someone is different doesn’t mean they should be treated differently. Everyone is a human being and everyone deserves the same respect, no matter what their situation.” Brianne Simmons, a junior, said, “We met so many people this weekend—old, young, homeless, smelly—but the thing you had to remember was that they were children of God.” It makes you think about the fact that we were created in the image of God, and that concept is so profound. The youth intern at Geneva Lutheran, Ali Rivera, said that they were learning to look at each person “with respect, dignity and value, as one of God’s most prized creations.”
As they helped restore a house for a family in need, the students saw the connection between this building and the lives of so many broken people.
Restoration can be messy, and it isn’t easy. It often takes a really long time. You have to be patient and willing to get your hands dirty. But, as Brianne said, we should “do all (we) can to fix those places, faces, and hearts of brokenness by showing God’s light…”
When asked what the students learned about themselves, several said that they realized how selfish they were. One confessed that she judges people without even realizing it, and another said, “I am not very good at giving grace to people.” Confession is a pretty powerful thing. And, isn’t it part of being an agent of restoration? We must constantly be restored and changed by God, even as he sends us out to contribute to his mission in this world.
Though the weekend ended, these students have a growing desire to impact their generation with God’s message of restoration. Even as high school students, they have many aspirations for contributing to this mission—from leading small groups at their church, to getting involved at a local orphanage, to petitioning the government to do more to help the homeless. Jono Craig, a junior in the group, said, “I hope that I can just show (my generation) what’s really going on out there, and I hope to motivate them to do something about it…every little bit counts.” Yes, it does. And, every person—no matter who you are—can play a part in God’s great mission of restoration.
Please keep the students at Geneva Lutheran Church in your prayers, as they seek after God. To help high school students merge with this mission, check out Sonlife’s Merge experience.
