When Elephants Dance

In preparation for a Mexico Mission Trip Meeting this past week, I came across this story:

"'Would you like to know what it is like to do mission with Americans? Let me tell you a story,' said David Coulibaly, a ministry leader in Mali, West Africa.

Elephant and Mouse were best friends. One day Elephant said, 'Mouse, let's have a party!'
Animals gathered from far and near. They ate, and drank, and sang, and danced. And nobody celebrated more exuberantly than the Elephant.
After it was over, Elephant exclaimed, 'Mouse, did you ever go to a better party? What a blast!'
But Mouse didn't answer.
'Where are you?' Elephant called. Then he shrank back in horror. There at his feet lay the Mouse, his body ground into the dirt -- smashed by the exuberance of his friend, the Elephant.

'Sometimes that is what it is like to do mission with you Americans,' the African storyteller concluded. 'It is like dancing with an Elephant.'"

From the Mobilizer Vol. 10, Fall 2000

In preparing for our trip, we try to understand that though we have good intentions and want to help a homeless family in Mexico, good intentions aren't necessarily enough to produce good outcomes. With cultural awareness and humility, we want to approach this new and different place as respectful outsiders.

In our bi-monthly meetings, we discuss topics like these to best prepare ourselves for what or who we will encounter and HOW we will encounter them. We understand we represent much more than just ourselves; we represent our friends and family, the Tacoma Rescue Mission, the U.S., God. We want to be good representatives, and we genuinely want to leave a mark on the community we visit that is good and lasting rather than imposing and damaging. We don't want to find ourselves caught up in the music, dancing like elephants.

A successful outcome: Braden

Just wanted to share a quick story about a teen I know that I want you to know. I can't give you his real name, but his story I will give you. Let's say his name is Braden. Braden is 18 year old now. Before the Tacoma Rescue Mission he had gone to numerous different schools and had struggled in most all of them since day 1. Reading and writing did not come easy to him. At home his mom had been addicted to drugs, men, and consequently chaos. His father was more of an idea than a physical presence. The idea of his father was locked up in prison most of Braden's life. The violence and chaos in Braden's story were one of the few consistent pieces. On one occasion when Braden was living in a rundown apartment building the violence peaked. On a balmy California summer's night after Braden had fallen asleep, he heard a loud scuffle downstairs, followed by gunshots. He slowly peered over the stairs to see the man his mom was with dead on the floor.
Things have changed a lot since then.

Since coming to TRM, graduating, and living on their own things are different. His mom has a great job, no longer uses drugs, and is a stable presence in his life. He has gotten his GED, is working hard to become an electrician, and feels hope for his future! In mentoring and teaching him, I have been given more than I could imagine and received incredible amounts from him!

If you feel led to mentor another youth like Braden or get involved, call us and we'll put you in touch with one of our amazing kids that could change your life!
~James Leet
(253) 627-4308

Battle of the Bands

Last Friday we held our mission trip fundraiser Battle of the Bands downtown at Urban Grace and if you weren’t there you missed some great local talent. With the Tacoma Rescue Mission’s own OriginAl rapping and hosting the event, there wasn’t a beat skipped all night. With music ranging from the SOZO Soljaz rapping and dancing on stage to a Taylor Swift karaoke song, all participants were well prepared and competed hard for the cash prize.
Urban Grace proved to be a great site as there was plenty of room for each performer to dance and interact with the crowd. We started early in the day preparing and decorating the space to make it a fun environment alongside the music with some Nintendo Wii, N64, good old fashion four-square, ping-pong, and cards. One of the best parts of the night was the bake sale that was going on during the Battle which sold many goods baked by the Rescue Mission’s own volunteers. I couldn’t help myself and ended up buying seven muffins, two rice crispy treats, a soda, and oh can’t forget the peanut butter chocolate crisp. I was full on music and on baked goods!
Shortly after the bands performed, the crowd was encouraged to participate in a dance off judged by the crowd’s reaction. One of The SOZO Soljaz ended up winning and then on top of that then entire SOZO crew was announced as the winners of the Battle of the Bands and the cash prize. Congratulations to them and thanks to all the bands that came out and performed. Everyone in attendance was so blessed by their presence and talent.