by Eva De La Rosa

What an awesome event! We took six children - two girls and four boys in grades 1-6 - and three adults from New Hope Community Church in El Monte to Set Free Skid Row in Los Angeles Feb. 16 to participate in a Children's Ministry Day.

We began at 9:30 with a short devotional at the church, sharing from Matthew 25:31-46. We concluded with an activity designed to help the children understand about the percentages of people who are homeless and/or hungry and the people who have plenty to eat and never worry about having a clean, warm bed to sleep in every night. The kids were great at listening and commenting.

Then we headed down to Skid Row (a 20-minute drive on a non-commute day), where Pastor Ron Thomas was waiting on us and a group of young adults from San Dimas and La Puente who have come twice a month for the past two years to serve hot dogs and drinks. The young adults brought 650 hot dogs and buns to barbecue (plus all the condiments), loads of red punch, and about 5 dozen homemade cookies. We brought two trays filled to the brim with macaroni salad, two giant bags of tortilla chips and close to 200 homebaked chocolate chip cookies.

Pastor Ron had estimated we would serve close to 200 people; when all was said and done we figured we had served 300-350. Our children got right in there and helped set up everything and make gallons of punch.

Then Pastor Ron rolled back the big door that closes off the parking area and the fun began. Each child had a station, from giving out spoons to serving salad, chips, cookies and drinks. The adults stayed behind them ready to help out if needed, but they were great, smiling and serving with joy and love; thanking people for coming by to eat; and saying, "God bless you," "Have a nice day" and "Jesus loves you!" No one complained that they were tired or wanted to go.

A couple of kids had been a little nervous, but they quickly were into it and were the first to say, "Can we come back and do this again?" When we ran out of salad, chips and cookies, they were genuinely sad that the remaining people only got two hot dogs, and told people they were sorry we didn't bring more.

The recipients were so gracious to the children. Pastor Ron and I commented on how we noticed the crowd responded to the gentle spirit of the kids, and the atmosphere was much more peaceful than it can be at times with that many hungry and needy people.

The children also delivered cans of soup collected by our Mission Friends group, to be used by Set Free Skid Row's daily ministry, and two dozen cheerful fleece scarves that will be used for a monthly women's outreach. We prayed for the people who make Skid Row their home and for Pastor Ron and Rhonda's ministry there, and headed back to El Monte.

The children were a blessing as they ministered God's love in Jesus' Name, and they were blessed by the love shown back to them from the grateful eyes of His children on the streets in the heart of Los Angeles' Skid Row.