Author:  Nico, serving on staff with Kaleo in Portland, OR.

When I first heard was offered the Kaleo internship, I admittedly didn’t have much of an idea in terms of what to expect from an intensive, two-month internship dealing with high schoolers on short-term missions. Since I didn’t grow up in the church, I had never been on a “mission trip” before (at least one away from home), so I wanted to keep an open mind.

I had heard and read about many of the Portland stereotypes (hipsters, coffee haven, individualism, etc.), but I was excited to experience the city culture for myself.

As a Florida native, I knew traveling over 3000 miles from home would definitely present some challenges; I also knew being the only male intern in a group of five leaders would not always be easy.

However, my experience so far has been incredible. I’ve gained new perspective on struggle and hardship, experienced the difficulties and challenges of urban ministry, and I’ve absolutely developed a passion for working with high school students.

It’s hard to believe I’ve already been in Portland for a month, but here are some things that I’ve learned & experienced:

1. Sin abounds mightily in this city.The amount of drug use, substance abuse, homelessness, and the INDIFFERENCE to it all continues to astonish me. It is nearly impossible to walk on any given block downtown without sidestepping 6-8 people laying on the ground. I’ve never seen anything like this.

2. There are some INCREDIBLE ways God is using the local church and ministries to serve this city.We’ve been privileged to partner with some amazing ministries (Union Gospel Mission, Open House, My Father’s House) and it’s very evident the significant burden God has placed on the hearts of those who experience the challenges of urban ministry on the daily.

3. Leadership sometimes requires more listening than speaking.I’ve learned quite a bit in the past few weeks from observing and leading alongside different youth pastors. The ones who are respected and listened to do a lot of listening. The ones who are inexperienced talk more than they should. I’ve enjoyed watching from the sidelines when I have an off day throughout the week, but it’s also been an amazing experience to lead studies and debrief sessions with the high school groups. High schoolers can be solid thinkers, and many of them process information effectively.

4. It is a challenge to constantly keep the gospel in focus.The days are long and filled with lots of human interaction, so it’s vital to find points throughout the day for spurts of rest and quiet time with the Lord. But thankfully, I think I’ve begun to strike a good balance and I feel that God has providentially set a rhythm in place for my days here. Though it may seem the days we spend serving the city are task-oriented, they’re really not. Everything we do has a gospel orientation. I feel like every group of high schoolers we have hosted so far has left at the end of the week with a stronger understanding of that. Praise God.

5. Imago Dei. This is foundational to everything we do. It is simultaneously challenging and rewarding to help students understand that they share the same image and divine imprint as the dirty guy laying on the ground who wreaks of alcohol. I’ve made a lot of new friends (who I have run into multiple times) who are dirtier, smellier, and have less access to the essentials of life, yet some of them may have a stronger understanding of the gospel than I do.

For many of the high schoolers, this is a mind-blowing reality.  I try to remind every student group that after all, we worship a God who lived as a homeless Rabbi. The birds of the air have nests and the foxes have holes, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Such is the case for 4000 people in Portland.

6. The gospel is JUST AS RELEVANT 3000+ miles from home.  I mean, I knew this coming in, but having head knowledge and actually experiencing something are two completely different things. Jesus is still on His throne!

I’m looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for Kaleo, the city of Portland, and the high school groups we have coming in over the next month.

May His will be done in Portland as it is in heaven.