When many people think of mission trips, they immediately think of third world countries and people who have nothing, but that’s just not true! Today my team and I went to the Pacific Garden Mission in the South Loop of Chicago! Nicknamed The Old Lighthouse, PGM is the oldest continuously operating rescue mission in the country, and has been serving the homeless in Chicago since 1877! In addition to providing food and shelter, PGM seeks to show the life-changing love of Christ to every person who enters. To come for a meal, people first attend a church service, which happens before breakfast, lunch, and dinner. More than just giving them physical things, they want to make sure that everyone knows how great God is.
During our time there, we worked together so well, and were able to help speed up the process of things that would have taken so long if just one person was working. We cleaned, sorted food and toiletries, and made and served lunch.
We may not have saved someone’s life or built a home, but we got to help so many people—both the people who come to the mission and the people who work there! Something as simple as bringing in these people into a church service has changed so many people in Chicago’s lives, and being a part of this ministry was just a pleasure.
Many of those who work there actually had gone through PGM’s recovery program, and while we worked, we heard story after story of how God had used PGM to help people find hope, recover from years of addiction, and to turn their lives completely around. Chicago, I can’t wait to see what else you have in store!
