Hope Street

As part of our preparation for going to Mongolia, which is a totally foreign culture but also a very poor country, the team (myself included) spent the weekend of March 31st- April 1st on an Xpose tour.
The Xpose tour is run by an organisation called Hope Street which based in Woolloomooloo. The tour involved going for a walk around the inner city area to see the various palces where Hope Street have been working. They've been doing alot! The Hope Street vision is "to follow the Sprirt of God in empowering all people of the inner city of Sydney, especially the most marginalised, toward wholeness in all of life and hope of eternity."
Our walk finished up at a place called the Women's Space. This is a small terrace house which is used to provide somewhere safe and supportive for women in the sex and related industries. On the wall was a artwork that had these words painted on it; "We all need a a place to be creative, to be feminine, to live as well as survive, and to grow in understanding of ourselves and God." That is what this house is to so many women who previously thought they had no where to go.
We then got to hear some of the personal experiences of two people who have lived on the streets from an early age but through the help of people at Hope Street have come to a point where they have accepted God as Lord of their lives and have let Him heal them so that are now able to support themselves. The honesty of their stories and hearing how they overcome so much and that they can find peace in God despite their pasts, was so inspiring.
After that we went out to have a taste of what food for the homeless is like in Sydney. Starting with J.E.F.'s (Just Enough Faith) van near the domain carpark. Then onto Rough Edges cafe in Darlinghurst. The homeless in Sydney aren't doing to bad when it comes to food. There are actually alot of food vans within the inner city it's just a matter of knowing where they are. Going to Rough Edged gave us the opportunity to speak to some of the homeless as we shared a meal with them. This really opened my eyes to the fact that you can't box the homeless into a stereotype. They're all so different. One guy had studied at Cambridge and had a successful job at an insurance company but became addicted to gambling which lead to his current circumstances. Everyone has their own story and whilst many people are homeless due to similar addictions or abuse they all have different personalities and views of their exxperiences. I know it seems obvious but the homeless are people too! They're just like us with their own individual dreams and thoughts but most of all it means that they have individual needs. Something invaluable which I learnt on this tour was that sharing God's love is sometimes best done by just being there for someone. True worship of God is giving to those in need. That giving can come in many forms from financial support, to giving food but also to simply take the time to show someone you care, to take the time to just be there with them, to just talk or even more to just listen! How much do we all crave that sometimes? Why should the homeless, the mentally ill, the marginalised, the addict be any different?
We then got to spend the night sleeping in a popular spot for the homeless, under the Woolloomooloo bridge. It was a hard night in the sense that the concrete matress was hard but also knowing that this is what some people go through every night. There were four homeless men sleeping within 20 metres of us. You feel so vulnerable when you wake up to people walking past glaring at you or worse insulting you or even worse trying to hurt you. Luckily we didn't experience anything worse than a few verbal harrasements.
After little sleep it was then time for a nice breakfast back at Hope Street's Backshed Cafe. Raisin toast and tea has never tasted so good! After that we got to sit out with the those lining up for the free breakfast outside. Some interesting characters were present alot of which had come over from Matthew Talbot Men's Shelter.
Then like any sunday morning it was time for church. However, the street church was slightly different to the church services I'm used too. For starters it was literally outside on the street. But it was also such a close group with such diversity. From the people who had spoken to us the night before to locals who live in the very wealthy suburb of Woolloomooloo. They showed such genuine love and compassion for one another as they gathered together to pray and sing praises to God and to learn how best serve each other as part of Gods family.
I could go on for hours about this but there's one last thing I want to mention. Our guide throughout the tour was a young woman called Carlyn. Carlyn grew up on Sydney's North Shore, and went to church in Gordon, literally two suburbs away from where I'm currently living. Yet now she is living in a missional community house called Rawson House which is in Bourke Street. I was amazed to see how she had given up her privileged and comfortable life to be a part of a community that is struggling and needs to know Christ. It was so great to see how Carlyn over came the lie that having a comfortable and secure life is what we should strive for! I was touched by her kindness, gentleness, patience and her ability to relate to people from such different backgrounds. It was great to see her passion for the people she's ministering too as she seeks to answer what does faith look like in that community? and what is the best way to make Christ known in that community? Which is what we all should be asking. I truly believe God can use you no matter what your circumstances!