March 2009 Update

Things are going well at the Firehouse. One of the units has been converted to a day care which is operated by Courtney Neland. Courtney provides care for over 7 different children at times, teaching them valuable lessons in basic education as well as Christian truths. This unit is also used at times for Bible studies and other events. The other available unit is used to provide housing to a family with three boys. Things are going well for the family and they are hoping to be out on their own within the next few months. There are also a few other young adults who are staying at the Firehouse on a short-term basis. On another note, Jason and Justin are currently working as substitute teachers in the KCKPS which allows them to connect with youth and build relationships with them on many levels. Both have seen the depths of the teaching profession and can comment on the difficulty teachers face, especially in urban schools. This is a great ministry for both of them as they are able to connect with students that they have come to know outside of school.

In January 2009 Carry the Cross teamed up with Enoch Magazine to hit the streets of Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. For those of you who don’t know Enoch is a non-profit media movement, which documents the pulse of current culture and how that relates to love, faith and understanding.

The focus in filming this experience was not to show what we had done, but to show what the needs of Skid Row are and how outsiders (such as ourselves) could begin to meet some of those needs.Skid Row is an 8 by 8 block where an estimated 10,000 -15,000 homeless people live. The last few weeks our team was in Skid Row to help open a new church called the Jonah project www.jonahproject.org that sits right in the heart of this drug ridden community. To see videos from the trip please Click Here.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support!   The Firehouse Crew