Spending two days living among homeless people removed any stereotypes 16 southern California young people might have had of life on the street.
Youth leader Rick Roorda at San Diego Christian Reformed Church said teens from his church joined teens from two other congregations, including Crosspoint CRC, Chino, for a program called Urban Plunge.
Dressed in thrift-store clothing, the students were dropped off in various parts of Pomona with just enough money for lunch and bus fare. They walked the streets, panhandled for money, and talked with homeless people.
In the evening, treated the same as everyone else who comes to a mission, the students listened to a reading of the first five chapters of Deuteronomy before being given dinner. Then they were sent into the night to find a place to sleep in the church’s yard. Some brought along sleeping bags or blankets.
Gerrit Van Ommering of San Diego CRC called it a “life-changing experience.”
