TUESDAY

We arrived safely after a smooth ride south. After a brief orientation with our new friend Tasha from CSM, we made some lunch and headed to our first ministry site. ROJA is an after-school program located in Suitland, in a low-income housing neighborhood. There we met some precious children like Selah, James, Creshee, Aila, and about 7 others. The students played games, led songs (including the favorite, “Baby Shark”), and shared the Gospel using the “Cross Talk” tract and their Evangecubes.

After a few hours, we said goodbye and headed to the Old City Café for a fabulous dinner of Middle Eastern cuisine. Some braved the spicy toppings on their falafel, but most played it safe with beef or chicken.

As the sun went down on the city, we embarked on a 2-hour Prayer Tour of Washington. Beginning on the Mall directly between the Capitol and the Washington Monument, we began by praying for the three branches of government and those appointed by God to govern us. We then drove through the various section of the city, some famous, some never seen by tourists, all the while praying for the people and struggles that our host, Tasha, was teaching us about. We learned that while the Washington we know is the center of power and money in our nation, the Washington we don’t know struggles with poverty, crime, hunger, and injustice. But God loves and has a special purpose for each of this city’s almost 600,000 residents. God also has a number of ministries called to live and work here to reach those whom most have forgotten. These are some of the ministries that CSM will help us partner with during our time here.

Finally, late last night, we returned to base for a short time of debriefing and off to much-appreciated bedtime, weary but excited about what God has in store for us these next few days.