The Los Angeles Dream Center is a faith-based charitable organization in the heart of LA. Their goal is to reach to discover and fill the needs of the people all around their city. In May 2017, my senior trip was spent at this great place with around 15 other people. Having the mantra of “We Get To Serve” is at the core of who the Dream Center is and what they’re about. Throughout my time there, I grew in realizing that the West Coast possesses just as much brokenness and damage as the East Coast; and that everybody needs the love of Jesus in their life.

The Dream Center was fantastic about briefing the teams that were there on mission about what they’re getting themselves into. They specialize in street ministry where they directly meet the needs of the community through their food truck ministry, adopt a block for the youth, and prayer services, so when you go to serve, it’s important that you come expecting to interact with people who are in desperate need of assistance, physically and spiritually.

As we set out into the streets, people were waiting. This was whenever I realized how much influence and impact the Dream Center makes in their community everyday. Families depend on their provision to make it through the week. One of the great things about the Dream Center was the way they structured prayer into their ministry. They offered it the same as they’d offer the desired food and water, and because of that, almost every person received prayer whether there was a language barrier or not. It was truly glorious.

Whether we were hanging out with kids after they had gotten out of school while teaching them biblical lessons on why it is so important to be kind to one another, or walking the streets of Skid Row where the largest population of homelessness is in America, it was so evident that the Holy Spirit was among the leaders at the Dream Center. They never did anything that was self serving or for personal gain or glory, but were putting the people of Los Angeles first and honoring them the way the Lord would.

I believe this experience was so eye opening for me because I realized what I had seen on television was just a glimpse of the glamour that occupies a three block radius. At the end of the day, there wasn’t much that separated the state of California to my home state of West Virginia.

When I got back from this mission trip, I took to my Instagram to give a small synopsis of what I took away from the Dream Center. This is what it said:

“Behind the glamour and the fame are a bunch of lost, lonely, searching people and they desperately need out Savior.
I just realized this photo was taken to the left of the Hollywood Sign and that gives so much more meaning to this caption.”

There is a world out there that needs to be loved.

Go love them.